LESSON ONE

Everyone Can Sing

Everyone has a natural desire to sing. It is a way of expressing feelings and emotions as well as telling stories and reminding us of important events and times in our lives. For some the desire to sing is an instinctive personal thing and there is no wish to share the sound with others or perform. The classic example of this is singing in the shower.

For others the feelings associated with singing are more significant and represent a desire to be involved in music, whether it is singing with friends, or in a choir or with a band or orchestra. Many people say they can't sing, but this is rarely true.

It usually means the person is not confident about the sound of their singing voice. However, with a bit of knowledge of fundamentals like learning to sing pitches and rhythms by ear and a bit of practice, it is the author’s belief that everyone can sing at least enough to gain a great deal of pleasure from it.

Matching Pitches and Rhythms

Probably the most important aspect of singing is to be able to sing a given pitch accurately for a specific period of time. Many people have trouble with this at first, but it is really just a matter of listening, practice and patience. All notes used in music can be written down and therefore have a specific pitch and time value.

Through the course of this book you will learn the fundamentals of all of the common time values for notes as well as a method of identifying pitches and how they relate to other pitches in a song. The best way to start improving your ability to sing "in time" and "in tune" is to copy the sounds made by someone else.

The easiest way to do this is to sing along with a recording of one of your favorite songs and try to copy the singer. If you don’t have a suitable recording, listen to the following vocal phrase and copy it. Try to memorize it and then sing along. Don’t worry about the written music for now, just copy the sounds you hear on the recording. The more you do this with songs, the easier it will get.

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Vocal Range

You may have noticed that the previous example was sung first by a female voice and then by a male voice. In general, female voices are higher in pitch than male voices, although everybody’s voice range is individual and there are many variations. The "range" of a person's voice is determined by the highest and lowest notes they can sing. Vocal ranges are discussed in detail in Lesson 3.

When you are learning to copy recorded versions of songs by ear, you may feel that you have the correct notes but your version sounds higher or lower than the one you are copying. For example, if you are a female singer learning from a version of a song sung by a male singer, your version may be higher.

This is because you have a higher voice range than the male singer. In this case you are likely to be singing the notes in a different octave to the original. An octave is a measurement of distance in music which will also be explained in Lesson 3.

Timbre

If you are interested in singing, you probably have one or more favorite singers. A large part of what attracts us to a particular singer’s voice is the way it sounds rather than the notes the singer uses.

Every singer has an individual sound because everyone’s anatomy is slightly different. Just as each person has a different height, weight, arm and leg length, coarseness or fineness of hair, skin tone etc, we all have slightly different shapes, sizes and thicknesses of the parts of the body involved in singing.

The lungs, windpipe, larynx, tongue, lips, and cavities in the mouth and behind the nose are all individual and combine to create a particular timbre (tonal quality or tone color).

All musical instruments have their own timbre which makes them easy to distinguish from one another even when they are playing exactly the same notes. Listen to the following example which is played first on the guitar and then on the flute. Although they are both playing the same notes, they are easy to tell apart because each instrument has a different timbre.

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The Ultimate Melodic Instrument

The human voice can be thought of as the ultimate melodic instrument, because it is capable of instant expression with no instrument required to translate thoughts and feelings into sound.

The voice is capable of a huge variety and depth of expressions. With the human voice, thought almost equals sound. As a baby begins to communicate with its parents and relatives, the body instinctively learns how to reproduce all the sounds of language heard by the ears and processed by the brain.

Later, when the child begins to learn about language at school, vowels, consonants, words, phrases, sentences, etc. are all analyzed and classified and this natural learning expands into a whole world of communication. With singing it is largely the same process.

There are many different sounds used in various styles of singing, including slides, dips, growls, pure bell like tones, etc. These can all be learned simply by imitating the sounds you hear and then working at perfecting them. Many times in music, instruments imitate the human voice because of its pure expression and feeling.

A classic example of this is in African American music such as Blues or Gospel, where an instrument or group of instruments answers a singer in a "call and response" style. This is demonstrated in the following example, where the voice is answered by the guitar.

Because the human voice was used for expression before the invention of instruments and because all melodic instruments learn from the human voice, it can be said that all music comes from vocal music.

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How We Sing

The ability to sing is a by-product of the way nature has equipped the human body for speech. By simply imagining the pitch of a note, the body automatically knows how to achieve this note once the brain has issued the order to produce it. The lyrics to a song may be in any number of languages, but the pitch of a note is common to all languages.

The sound which we know as singing is made primarily by air from an exhaled breath passing over the vocal cords, causing them to vibrate. The vocal cords are small muscular folds of skin located inside the larynx (commonly known as the "voice box"). The sound is then amplified (made louder) and modified by the resonance spaces in the mouth and throat and behind the nose.

The sound may also be altered by the shape of the mouth, the lips and movements of the tongue as the sound leaves the mouth. Because everybody’s anatomy is slightly different, each voice will have its own individual sound both when speaking and singing.

The following diagram shows all of the parts of the body which are involved in creating the initial sound of a singing note. A singing breath usually starts with the diaphragm muscle and then travels upward from there.

The air then flows over the vocal cords which are activated by a message from the brain. This produces the initial sound just as in speech. The sound then travels up into the cavities in the throat and behind the nose.

These are called resonance spaces because they cause the sound to resonate, which means they reinforce and prolong the sound by vibration. These resonance spaces affect the tone of the sound and contribute to the individual sound of each person’s voice.

The final aspect to singing is the articulation or shaping of the sound, which is done by the tongue, throat and lips. All these things combine to form the sounds we know as singing.

Breathing

One of the most important elements of singing is a consistent and relaxed approach to breathing and breath control. A good singer always produces a strong, even tone and sounds relaxed regardless of how high or low the notes are.

The following breathing method will help you gain more control over the way you breathe when singing and give you a solid, consistent approach which will eventually become automatic, enabling you to forget about breathing and concentrate totally on the music you are making.

A good way of developing your breathing technique is the use of visualization. When you breathe in, think of an inflatable life raft which fills automatically when you pull out the plug. This will help you equate breathing in with relaxation. When you breathe out, think of a tube of toothpaste being slowly squeezed from the end (not the middle). This will help you use your breath economically, in a controlled manner.

It is important to develop the habit of controlling your breathing from your diaphragm muscle (shown in the previous diagram). As you breathe in, let the diaphragm relax downwards and allow the lungs to fill with air right to the bottom.

Then breathe out slowly, squeezing gently from the diaphragm (like the tube of toothpaste) and see how long you can sustain your outgoing breath. The more control you have of your diaphragm, the easier you will find breathing when you play.

• The more you can relax, the deeper your breath will be, and the more control you will have over it.
• Visualize a tube of toothpaste. Don’t squeeze from the top. Gently squeeze from your abdominal area and all the air will be used and you’ll have more control.
• Like any new habit, this method of breathing needs to be consciously worked on. Do it every day, and remember what you are trying to achieve and why.
• Use this breathing method even when you are not practicing. In time it will become natural and you won’t have to think about it.

Remember

• Breathe in = Relax (let the lungs fill naturally
• Blow out = Gentle controlled effort

Posture

The term "posture" refers to the way the body is held (e.g., straight, slumped, etc) and its position when sitting or standing. For singing, it is best to stand rather than sit, as this allows the most open and unrestricted passage of air for both breathing and singing.

Of course, if you are accompanying yourself on piano you will have to sit. In this situation, it is essential to sit up straight but relaxed for the best sound. Compare the correct and incorrect singing postures as demonstrated the following diagrams.

Incorrect

The spine is not straight and the head and pelvis both tilt forward. In this position, it is not possible to move freely or produce the best sound.

Correct

The spine is comfortably straight and in line with the head, legs and pelvis. This position keeps the airways open and makes movement easy and comfortable.

If you think of a situation where a singer is performing with a band, it would look fairly dull if the singer stood straight in the one position all the time. Movement is a large part of any stage show. This means it is not always possible for the singer to maintain perfect posture.

However, it is possible to keep the pathway from the diaphragm to the mouth open, flexible and relaxed most of the time, which means it is still possible to sing well while moving around. Relaxation and flexibility are keys to good posture regardless of standing or sitting position.

Learning to Sing

As mentioned previously, the body instinctively knows how to sing. Becoming a better singer is simply a matter of training and improving a natural process.

As with any activity, there will always be some people who seem able to do it well and sound great with very little work and others who have to spend much more time developing their voice and technique, but you can be sure that all of the "great" singers you can think of in any style of music have spent many years perfecting their craft. Everyone starts with a voice, only time will tell where it can go from there.

Although singing is a natural process, there are certain basic principles which can be applied to make the most of your particular voice. The most important of these is keeping the pathway of the voice as open and relaxed as possible.

When you yawn, the pathway from your lungs to your lips is completely open. When singing, the mouth is not usually open as much as when yawning, but the general position and shape is the same.

When forming all the different words used in speech, the position of the lips, jaw, tongue and throat will all change, but if you keep in mind that the best sounds come from an open and relaxed approach, you will be able to achieve a better singing tone regardless of the words you are singing.

Pre-Hearing Notes

A second principle of good singing is to avoid straining to reach high or low notes, particularly when your voice is getting tired. If you begin learning a musical instrument, it takes time to train the muscles involved in playing that particular instrument. It is the same with singing. Singing makes use of the vocal cords which are in effect muscles inside the larynx.

With practice, your range will increase and you will find it easier to sing for longer periods. The secret of reaching high and low notes is to imagine them before you sing them. Try to develop the ability to hear the music in your mind before you sing it. This is called visualizing or pre-hearing. When you can do this, it will help you overcome uncertainty with reaching notes, and will increase your general singing confidence as well as your ability.

Common Problems

When children learn to read, they usually begin by reading out loud before moving on to reading silently. In the transition period, they may read to themselves but their lips still form the words as they read. After a while they progress to simply reading without moving their lips. This is a useful analogy for the process involved in learning to sing.

Beginning singers instinctively move their larynx higher when singing high notes and lower when singing low notes. However, this creates tension in the throat and actually restricts the free flow of sound required for a good singing tone. When you move your larynx up or down, you are using the muscles outside the larynx instead of the vocal cords.

Be aware that you will achieve a better sound by keeping your larynx stable and relaxed as you sing. Let the air and the vocal cords make the sound. Imagine the sound of the note you wish to sing and trust your body to make that sound. If it can’t, the answer is patience. A beginning pianist cannot be a virtuoso in three weeks and neither can a singer.

Another common problem (again related to moving the lips when reading) is head movement when reaching for high or low notes. For the best sound, keep your head in the same position as you would when speaking to someone the same height as yourself. This allows the most open and relaxed pathway for your voice.

Incorrect
reaching for high notes

Incorrect
reaching for low notes

Correct
speech position

A third common problem which interferes with good tone is tension, particularly in the jaw. Before you sing, it is a good idea to tense your body and then let it relax. First try this with the whole body and then do it with specific areas like the shoulders, chest, throat, tongue, jaw, and face muscles.

Registers

The singing voice is commonly divided into two registers. A register is a group of notes which have the same tonal characteristics. These two registers are the chest register (or chest voice) and the head register (or head voice).

When you sing a low note, you can feel the vibrations in your chest and throat. When you sing a high note, you feel the vibration in the roof of your mouth and nasal area as well as your head. When singing notes in the middle of your range, you use a combination of chest voice and head voice.

Some people call this another register, while others see it as a blend of the two basic registers. One of the most difficult aspects of training the voice is getting a smooth transition from one register to another. At some point there is what is commonly known as a "break", where the voice cracks or partially seizes up before moving into a new register.

You can hear this if you sing a low note and gradually slide up to a high note while sustaining the sound. The eventual aim of all singers is to overcome this break and have one big register from the bottom to the top of their range.

One general principle of singing is that less air is required to make a good sound as the notes get higher. A break can be more noticeable if the sound is forced by too much air being used as the notes get higher or by straining the muscles outside the larynx.

Working With a Teacher

To work on this aspect of singing, it is best to work with a vocal teacher. In fact, if you are serious about singing, it is strongly recommended that you work with a teacher so as to learn the best technique right from the beginning. Find a teacher who is familiar with the style of music you are most interested in singing, but also keep your mind open to other styles of music.

There is much to be learned from great singers in all styles of music. Listening to great singers and imitating them is another excellent way to develop your voice, particularly by being aware of the sounds and sensations involved in making good sounds.

Breath Control

As mentioned previously, it is common to use more air, movement and muscle activity than necessary when singing. There are two common exercises which are useful for learning to use less force and less air when singing.

The first of these is to slowly blow up a balloon, using slow sustained breaths controlled from the diaphragm. The idea is to take a comfortable breath using the technique described earlier and then breathe into the balloon using an even sustained amount of air pressure. Repeat this until the balloon is full.

The second exercise is to sing in front of a lighted candle. This requires a more subtle release of air than blowing up a balloon, as the idea is to sing with as little effect on the flame of the candle as possible.

Once you can sustain a note without moving the flame much, try beginning the note softly and gradually increasing the volume, then reverse the process. You could also try singing a whole verse from a song. As with all aspects of singing, be patient and you will see great improvement as long as you continue to practice.