Before the days of microphones, the old singing teachers produced voices with exceptional range, power, flexibility and expressive beauty. There are, of course, modern singers who also achieve this but most genres these days can depend on amplification, so there is reduced demand for powerful voices that can be heard over an orchestra. Nonetheless, the old methods still work to free the voice from constraining patterns, imparting expressive power through healthy and coordinated responses.
There will always be those enviable people whose voices naturally coordinate very well. For the rest of us, there’s training. A well-functioning voice makes optimal use of resonance and breath flow. We can’t see our instrument and most of our control over it is instinctive, so our training methods must depend on hearing, feeling, experimentation and some fun but strange sounds…
Those tiny, crucial muscles in the larynx (aka, the voicebox) and throat are influenced by the job we give them to do. For instance, a well-formed “ah” vowel sung loudly on middle C will predictably produce what is called “chest voice”. Place the right demand on your voice and it will respond freely, which may not be entirely comfortable or pretty at first, but asking the right muscles to work and abandoning old, less-productive patterns will eventually lead to a resonant, well-coordinated and healthy voice.
And just what are these wonderful, old methods and exercises? Voices naturally divide into what’s called Chest Voice and Falsetto. The essence of the training involves using various patterns of pitch, vowel and loudness, letting the voice find its own way of meeting that demand. In this way we discover how strong and well-coordinated these two parts are - or aren’t. It can sometimes be useful to work with them separately to develop their strength and independence, which then makes it possible to coordinate them together for improved range and ease. The exercises can sound loud and crude at first, but the aim is vocal freedom rather than control over a limited technique. Freedom eventually leads to a whole new level of vocal control and ability.
It’s always helpful to have another set of ears listening because we never quite hear ourselves the way we actually sound. A teacher can help identify when vowels get distorted, pitches go flat or sharp, as well as watching for signs of counterproductive tension or effort. A voice teacher’s job is to guide you through vocal tasks that will enable you to experience newfound vocal freedom and insight. A teacher must be empathetic, attentive and gently demanding. Part of the fun of voice lessons is sharing your achievements as you grow your awareness and vocal strength, range and ease in singing.
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