Steve Tramack

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1 Steve Tramack

2 Focus on individual vocal skills associated with creating a better ensemble tone Build the instrument Breathing for singers Creating the tone Sculpting and enhancing the tone Addressing ensemble issues caused by individual tone production

3 Alignment Tension Release

4 Freely produced (tension is the enemy) Round, open throated tone Beginning of a yawn sensation Steady, even flowing, sustained length Every tone has intent Ring (a function of balanced resonance)

5 constricted, forced or strained strident or raspy too loud, resembling shouting or yelling hoarse breathy weak, colorless or devitalized inconsistently produced shaky or wobbly

6 1. Alignment and Tension Release 2. Breathing (Abdominal-Costal) 3. Onset of Tone 4. Sustaining and Sculpting / Enhancing the Tone 5. Releasing the Tone

7 Tension is the enemy!

8 Anatomy of posture our body is our instrument Feet Legs Knees Hips and Buttocks Abdomen Lower and Upper Back Chest Shoulders Arms and Hands Head With the toe bone connected to the foot bone, and the foot bone connected to the ankle bone, and the ankle bone connected to the leg bone. Oh mercy how they scare!

12 Head balancing freely on neck Lengthened spine and broadened back Legs and spinal joints are free Center of gravity skeleton supporting weight

14 Pelvic region aligned so that legs feel released and free to move? Spine lengthened and broad? Arms and shoulders released out? Head released up and slightly forward from neck? Interested in more? Search on Alexander Technique

15 Body alignment Tension release

16 Breathing Onset of Tone

17 Feet Evenly distributed weight, outside slightly ahead of inside Find your skeleton Legs Flexible knees, ankles Released out from pelvic girdle Hips and Buttocks Align with the vertical line from your feet to your head Gentle pelvic tuck

18 Lower Abdomen Not pulled creates tension Upper Abdomen Free to move at all times Back Stretching along spinal column As broad and wide as possible Distance between hips and A/O joint

19 Chest Comfortably high at all times, before breathing or singing Don t hold in place spinal stretch Let thoughts, not muscles, hold it up Shoulders Gently pulled back and dropped, settling into the socket Remain back and down, not locked Arms and Hands Let gravity do its job Released out from shoulders Head In line with body, seated on spine Released up Stretched back of neck

20 Actuator (motor) Something that vibrates at different frequencies and amplitudes Resonators

24 Intercostal breathing Surprise breath Breathe with the hand

25 Flexible during inhalation and throughout the support of a phrase (automatic lifting) Be aware of tightness at muscles at the end of the phrase Tidal volume of air into lungs is reduced Less air + tension = issues with tone quality, synchronization, etc. Practice makes permanent. Perfect practice makes perfect.

26 Diaphragm Abdominal muscles and viscera Rib cage and Intercostal muscles Lower back muscles Stuff that can get in the way Tongue Jaw Soft palate Pharynx Sinuses Tension anywhere in the instrument It s all about atmospheric pressure!

27 Breath Support Dynamic relationship between inspiratory (inhale) and expiratory (exhale) muscles Supply adequate airflow to keep vocal folds vibrating to sustain desired pitch and dynamic level Air moving to the folds Breath Control Dynamic relationship between the breath and the vocal folds Determines how long you can sing on one breath Refers to how slowly the diaphragm and ribs return to relaxed position

28 4 stage technique must be kept under conscious control until habitual Key concepts Good alignment precedes good breathing Some sensations remain throughout entire process Beginning of a yawn sustained Chest comfortably high before, during, after Don t skip suspension, recovery phases!

29 Focus on: breathing

30 Onset Registration

31 Inhalation Beginning of a yawn Lower jaw drops, soft palate raises, throat feels deeper Breath moves into the body, down deep and out in a 360 degree circle around the middle of the body

Suspension No parallel in natural breathing Momentary suspension to prepare breathing support mechanism Equilibrium/antagonism between inspiratory muscles and

32 Suspension No parallel in natural breathing Momentary suspension to prepare breathing support mechanism Equilibrium/antagonism between inspiratory muscles and expiratory muscles (appoggio) NOT tense; NOT held breath (closes throat, vocal folds) During brief suspension, body feels comfortably expanded particularly in front

33 Controlled Exhalation In coordination with vocal folds, produces phonation (folds vibrating) Antagonism enables control Diaphragm is releasing its tension, relaxing back into place Feeling of flexible, expansive openness in the body* * Christy, Expressive Singing, 2:35

34 Recovery Briefest of moments at end of each breath where all muscles associated with breathing relax Also applies to muscles associated with phonation, resonance and articulation Insufficient recovery leads to increased tension with each breath Don t slight the recovery, even though it may be momentary (stagger breathing in choral environment allows for adequate recovery)

35 Onset is critical to singing with a freely produced tone Seek a balanced onset Too loose: breathiness Too tight: harsh, glottal onset

36 Sing who with an elongated, exaggerated H Generous flow of breath Cut the amount of breath / duration of the H in half and sing who Cut the amount of breath / duration of the H in half again and sing who Sing oo, without valving Repeat with other vowels, in other parts of your range, on key onset chords in your music, etc.

37 Concepts are from Rodney Eichenberger What They See is What You Get Enhancing Musicality Through Gesture How do our singers learn? Visually Auditory Kinesthetically Right brain vs. left brain Gestures affect our inflection, dynamics, pitch accuracy include the kinesthetic aspect of learning Develop common vocabulary, which can be included in your conducting skills

38 Epiglottis acts as a valve to protect esophagus False folds (ventricular) and vocal folds used to regulate air when singing Exertion causes epiglottis to valve instinctively (oversinging) Emphasize breath over muscle Panting exercises

39 Glottal Air Tone Aspirated (exaggerated H ) Air Simultaneous (imaginary H ) Tone Imperceptible amount of air before tone Air Tone

40 Demonstration

41 Group exercise: onset of tone with the following accompanying gestures: Downward finger, no rebound Downward finger, rebound Upward lifting finger ½ safe move Also works for accent within a phrase

42 Sustaining the tone is about balancing energy and power (from the breath, subglottal pressure) with freedom Sing in an inspired state, maintaining control with epigastic-umbilical and costal regions Keep the rib cage in its expanded state while allowing freedom in the abdominal muscles while the diaphragm is relaxing Sitting on the beach ball Flood the valve with as much breath as possible, without the tone becoming breathy Maximize resonance, not volume or effort Practice, practice, practice Provide feedback on when it s right, and when it s wrong

43 Focus on balanced, sustained tone

44 Release the tone with intent: death with dignity Inhale or exhale to accomplish the task Don t valve Panting feeling Breathe in the emotion; make the breath musical

45 Focus on musical, dignified releases

46 Vibrato = variance in frequency (pitch) Tremolo = variance in amplitude (volume)

47 Definition Particular series of tones, produced in the same manner, with the same basic quality Lanyngeal function Most male barbershoppers recognize 3 registers Chest voice, head voice and falsetto Vennard: light production (falsetto/head) and heavy production (chest) Passagios (breaks) between each register Realistically, there may be 3 or more registers for a singer Ideal: 1 register (blended) Head + Chest voice = a whole voice

48 Mix yin/yang to achieve consistency Higher notes shift towards more head resonance, but maintain chest resonance anchor Lower notes shift toward more throat resonance, but maintain head resonance feel and brilliance Requires consistent support and anchored resonators Pitch, volume changes without noticeable quality changes

49 Most singers have 2 octaves in each register One octave overlap ( middle voice) Choices in carrying chest up or head down, tapering off to provide a smooth transition Head Middle Chest

50 Primo passaggio (1 st register transition) Place where larynx involuntarily raises Sympathetic vibrations in chest also stop From chest voice into required mixed voice Secondo passaggio (2 nd register transition) Roughly a fourth above top comfortable speaking range Complete falsetto In between: The Passage Zone Requires increased breath energy

51 Voice part 1 st transition Tenor F B Lead D G Baritone B E Bass A D 2 nd transition

52 Watch chin and larynx placement

53 Registration Resonance

54 Definition Particular series of tones, produced in the same manner, with the same basic quality Lanyngeal function Most male barbershoppers recognize 3 registers Chest voice, head voice and falsetto Vennard: light production (falsetto/head) and heavy production (chest) Passagios (breaks) between each register Realistically, there may be 3 or more registers for a singer Ideal: 1 register (blended) Head + Chest voice = a whole voice

Mix yin/yang to achieve consistency Higher notes shift towards more head resonance, but maintain chest resonance anchor Lower notes shift toward more throat

55 Mix yin/yang to achieve consistency Higher notes shift towards more head resonance, but maintain chest resonance anchor Lower notes shift toward more throat resonance, but maintain head resonance feel and brilliance Requires consistent support and anchored resonators Pitch, volume changes without noticeable quality changes

56 Most singers have 2 octaves in each register One octave overlap ( middle voice) Choices in carrying chest up or head down, tapering off to provide a smooth transition Head Middle Chest

57 Primo passaggio (1 st register transition) Place where larynx involuntarily raises Sympathetic vibrations in chest also stop From chest voice into required mixed voice Secondo passaggio (2 nd register transition) Roughly a fourth above top comfortable speaking range Complete falsetto In between: The Passage Zone Requires increased breath energy

58 Voice part 1 st transition Tenor F B Lead D G Baritone B E Bass A D 2 nd transition

59 Watch chin and larynx placement

60 Resonance matching Applying the concepts

61 2. Oral cavity 3. Nasal cavity / Naso-pharynx 1. Throat Oro-pharynx Laryngo-pharynx

62 At rest Beginning of a yawn position

63 Not just warmth amplification of tone as it passes through resonators Spin + ring + brilliance + depth Affected by characteristics of resonators: Size Shape Type of opening Composition and thickness of walls Surface Combined resonators

64 Chest resonance? Laryngeal resonance? Pharynx (open throat) resonance? Rest of the oral cavity (tongue position, soft palate)? Nasal cavity? Sinuses? The mask? Jaw position? Lip position?

perceived by us to be so much louder than a single singer.

65 how a trained voice can carry over an entire orchestra? At first glance, this is counter-intuitive, since the orchestra is perceived by us to be so much louder than a single singer. The answer to this mystery lies in the way the sound energy of the voice is distributed across various frequencies.

66 OVERTONES Overtones is a term generally applied to any higher-frequency standing wave. It can be any resonant frequency above the fundamental. Harmonics are overtones where the tones in the series are integral multiples of the frequency of the fundamental. Harmonic Freq. Hz Note Comment C3 Fundamental C4 1 octave higher G4 A fifth above C C5 2 octaves above the fundamental and a fourth above G E5 A third above C G5 A fifth above C5. Harm 4, 5 and 6 form a major triad Almost B5b A flat seventh above C5. Harm 4 7 form a barbershop seventh chord!

67 The average frequency spectrum of a operatic tenor s voice has a large 'hump' at around 3000 Hz, especially when singing with loud orchestral accompaniment. That hump is visible in the dotted line in the figure below, and is known as the 'singer's formant': The 'Orchestra' is the solid line. The orchestra produces lots of energy at around 500 Hz, but falls off steadily at higher frequencies, producing relatively little around 3000 Hz. The well-trained operatic voice produces quite a bit of energy around 3000 Hz, however, and so it can be heard even above the orchestra.

68 What is it? A concentration of energy around a particular frequency of air in the vocal tract Refers to peaks in the harmonic spectrum Arises from resonance in the vocal tract Why is it important? Important to distinguish vowel sounds Essential component of intelligible speech Interestingly, pitch does not dramatically affect the formant frequencies

69 Vocal formants allow the ear to recognize a vowel sound as the same vowel, even though it is sounded at different pitches. This is data shows the "Ah" vowel involves a similar envelope of harmonics when sounded at different frequencies

The recognizable quality of the sound of different vowel sounds is attributed to the existence of formant regions: frequency ranges where the sound is enhanced by the cavity resonances of the human

70 The recognizable quality of the sound of different vowel sounds is attributed to the existence of formant regions: frequency ranges where the sound is enhanced by the cavity resonances of the human vocal mechanism. The vocal resonances are altered by the articulators to form distinguishable vowel sounds. The peaks in the vowel spectra are called vocal formants. Note the prominent role of the tongue in this process. The jaw position and lips also play a major part

71 Vowel color is determined by first two formants Timbre is determined by third, fourth and fifth Adjusting the shape of the vocal tract is the most common method for tuning the formant frequencies. The first formant is responsive to the jaw opening. The second formant responds to the tongue shape. The third formant is responsive to the position of the tip of the tongue and to the size of the cavity between the lower teeth and the tongue. The fourth and fifth formants are more difficult to control by these means.

72 Live Lease Last Let Light Love Learn Ö Lost Low Look Loose

73 The vowels in each column have complementary formants First formant is similar In general, the second formant frequency ranges lacking from one vowel are present in one or more of the others If we can bring them closer together, we should be able to maximize the ring of each, and develop a more consistently ringing tone Demonstration: /topics/two-formant-artificialvowels

76 Recap Q&A

77 Live Lease Last Let Light Love Learn Ö Lost Low Look Loose

80 Alignment and Tension Release Breathing Onset of Tone Sustaining Tone Registration Resonance Releasing Tone

81 1. Body alignment Our body is our instrument Skeletal support Misalignment Tension less than optimal tone Good posture rigid, military Relaxed preparedness, like an Olympic sprinter Buoyancy, flexible expansive openness (Christy, Expressive Singing)

82 2. Abdominal-costal breathing Chest / sternum must be high before inhalation Ribcage must expand sideways Intercostal muscles, expansion below 12 th rib Abdominal wall must relax to allow proper diaphragm descent

83 3. Singing on the breath (onset) Be careful with the term attack Breath is the catalyst Three types of onset Glottal (tone before air) Aspirated (air before tone) Simultaneous (tone + air together)

84 4. Sustaining the tone Correct balance and coordination between breath pressure (support) and tension of the vocal folds (control) relative of the pitch and volume of a note or phrase Change the pitch = frequency of vibration Change the volume = amplitude of vibration All connected to breath Lengthen the vocal tract Larynx stays in relatively stable position Navigate registers seamlessly Enhance resonance through jaw, tongue, lip, soft palate placement

85 5. Release of the tone Release with dignity, no tone decay Slightly diminish the volume Release the breath pressure by either inhaling or exhaling to release tone Inhaling typically works best for the cleanest, most artistic release

86 for questions Allen, Secrets of Singing, ISBN Bassham, With Winning in Mind, ISBN BHS, Effective Choral Warm-ups (DVD) BHS, Improving Vocal Technique through the Warm Up, Stock # 4068 BHS / Richards, The Physics of Barbershop Sound Blades-Zeller, A Spectrum of Voices, ISBN Gelb, Body Learning, ISBN Heirich, Voice and the Alexander Technique, ISBN X Jordan, Evoking Sound, ISBN Jordan, Evoking Sound The Choral Warm-up, ISBN McKinney, The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults, ISBN Miller, The Structure of Singing, ISBN Miller, Solutions for Singers, ISBN Uris, To Sing in English, LOC Vennard, Singing, the Mechanism and the Technic, ISBN Gray s Anatomy online book

87 Albrecht, The Choral Warm-up Collection, ISBN Bailey, Conducting: The Art of Communication, ISBN BHS, Directing a Barbershop Chorus: Methods, Techniques and Philosophies, Stock # 4053 BHS, The Music Leadership Team, Stock #4042 Carter, Choral Charisma: Singing with Expression, ISBN Craze, Teach Yourself Alexander Technique Gordon, Choral Director s Rehearsal and Performance Guide, ISBN Green and Gallwey, The Inner Game of Music, ISBN Green and Gallwey, The Mastery of Music: Ten Pathways to True Artistry, ISBN Greene, The New Voice: How to Sing and Speak Properly, Chappell & Co, Inc. Meredith, Sing Better as You Age, ISBN Pinksterboer, Tipbook Vocals: The Singing Voice, ISBN Robinson and Althouse, The Complete Choral Warm-up Book, ISBN Seelig, The Perfect Blend, ISBN Seelig, The Perfect Rehearsal, ISBN Waring, Tone Syllables, Hal Leonard # HL Zander, The Art of Possibility, ISBN

Choir Workshop Fall 2016 Vocal Production and Choral Techniques

Choir Workshop Fall 2016 Vocal Production and Choral Techniques Choir Workshop Fall 2016: Vocal Production and Choral Techniques *I recommend a great book called The Singerʼs Companion by Brent Monahan