How To Improve Singing
Most serious singers want to improve their singing. There are many ways to do this; the best results will come from improving tone quality. The very best singers have a rich, beautiful tone quality which is capable of expressing a wide range of emotions. They achieve this by developing two vocal characteristics: deep-set vowels and high-forward resonance.
It should go without saying that good posture and breath support are essential prerequisites. They are discussed in detail in other articles.
The voice is often described as having three regions or registers: upper (head voice in women, falsetto in men), middle (mask), and lower (chest voice–which is actually a misnomer. The tone range referred to here actually resonates in the laryngopharynx or throat). The transition between the registers is called the passaggio.
Each individual singer has a unique passaggio, though for most people it occurs between the B flat below middle C and the E above middle C. Sopranos and tenors may have a second passaggio one octave higher. In a beginning or untrained singer the passaggio may sound rough and feel awkward.
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If you notice that on a certain pitch your voice often “breaks” and the tone quality changes, or you have difficulty blending with other singers, that pitch is very likely your passaggio. The key to overcoming this is to realize that the registers are not actually separate mechanisms, just different levels or colors on a continuous scale or spectrum.
If you are studying with a teacher, he or she will listen to and assess your tone quality and suggest exercises suited for your particular voice. Listening is key.
If you are working without the aid of a teacher, tape-record yourself singing and listen to your tone. Compare it with recordings of well-trained professional singers, preferably ones who sing similar material in a similar range to what you do (i.e., mezzo-sopranos should listen to other mezzos, basses to other basses).
The first step toward improving your tone is to sing in a relaxed manner, without tension in your face, throat, or jaw muscles. Gently massage your face and neck with your fingers. Open your eyes and mouth as wide as you can, then close them tightly. Move your jaw around as if you are chewing.
Once you have relaxed your face and throat, hum a descending five-tone scale starting at about the middle of your range. You should feel vibration in your nose and sinuses.
Now try the scale on the nasal syllable “ng”. As you descend the scale, try to maintain the feeling of vibration in your sinuses. This is high-forward resonance. Repeat the scale starting a half-step lower. Continue to move down by half-steps. Each scale should feel and sound smooth.
When you breathe in before each scale, think about drawing the air upward and inward, as if you are sipping from a straw. This will help to elevate your soft palate and enlarge the pharynx. Next, sing only the first note of the scale on the “ng” and open up to an “ah” for the remaining notes.
Continue to feel the upper resonance for as long as you can. Open your mouth wide, but think of the tone as vertical or tall rather than flat. Try other vowel sounds such as “oh” and “aw”. Those vowels are considered “darker”; singing them with high-forward resonance achieves the desired deep-set vowel.