Dear Students, it has been a tough week for those of us local to Maine. The tragic events that unfolded in Lewiston have taken their toll, but our strong sense of community and our resilience will help us rise again, wiser and more compassionate. Please know that if you need any additional support during this time of grieving, I am only a phone call, text, or email away. Keep playing and singing; creating and sharing your music. Goodness knows our world needs that light and positivity right now.
This month, I’d like to continue my thoughts around building and reviewing routine. Last month, I outlined the 5 goals of voice practice and dove into goals 1 & 5:
1.To warm up the voice prior to singing songs (increase blood flow and stretch/ limber muscles)
2. To condition the voice (increase strength, stamina, flexibility)
3. To improve musicianship (become familiar/ comfortable with musical patterns)
4. To learn/ master songs
5. To cool down (prevent muscle injury/ soreness after singing)
Let's continue the discussion with goal 2, which along with goals 3 & 4, targets long-term voice growth.
What does it mean to condition the voice? Since the voice is comprised of muscles, tissues, and ligaments, it must be trained or conditioned similarly to any part of the body; that is, gradually, intentionally, and consistently over time. More specifically, when conditioning muscles, the singer works to strengthen, stretch, and coordinate all muscles involved. To this end, some knowledge of the respiratory, phonatory, and articulatory muscles may be helpful; as well as some knowledge of resonance/ or tone quality. A text I use with my undergraduate students is The Contemporary Singer by Anne Peckham, who provides numerous examples of “vocal workouts” designed to condition the voice. More often, these types of exercises are called “technical exercises”.
Without in-depth understanding of vocal anatomy, it is still possible to choose exercises to target the various muscle groups and common vocal tasks. When doing so, balancing the voice (i.e. making sure to use the full range without focusing disproportionately on any extreme parts of the voice) should be a high priority. The table below outlines some of the common types of exercises used during vocal conditioning:
Goal | Muscles Targeted | Considerations | Examples |
Range | Pitch-changing muscles (crycothyroids) | Each repetition has a wide range Different vowels may work better depending on part of range | Scales, Arpeggios (do mi sol do) |
Breath control | Respiratory (abdominals, intercostals, diaphragm) & Laryngeal (cricoarytenoids, inter-arytenoids) | Try long, slow breaths before long phrases. Double/triple any exercise in one breath or slow it down to make it longer. Try short shallow breaths before short phrases. Add in quick breaths to break up a longer phrase. | Do, do re do, do re mi re do, etc.; 123454321 12345678987654321. Long sustained ah on 1 note Slow, legato exercises Fast, staccato exercises. |
Pitch changing | Pitch-changing muscles (crycothyroids) | Any exercise that involves rapid pitch changing. Try it on syllables like da da da before trying it on a single vowel like ah. | Scales, riffs to target notes close to eachother, 5th or octave leaps, 2 octave glide on eeh. |
Articulation | Lips, tongue, soft palate, vocal folds | Consider clarity and rapidity. Useful on single repeated pitch and on exercises that change pitch. | Tongue twisters while singing: Red Leather Yellow Leather, Walt Wont Wait for Will, Counting, alternating different vowels. Staccato exercises. |
Registration | Vocal folds (Thyroarytentoids)/Pitch-changing muscles | Work each register to its extreme (head voice; chest voice). If you focus on one, be sure to balance by also working on the other. Work mixed voice as well. | Yeah or Hey for chest voice Ah or ooh for head/falsetto Add whine or cry to sound for mix. Practice yodels to go back and forth. |
Resonance | Tongue position, soft palate | Prioritize awareness of sensation; try to achieve minimal sensation in throat and more sensation in abdominals & face (aka forward resonance) | Sustained vowels on a single note Sing the word “mole” focusing on sensation of vibration Slow, sustained exercises |
Stamina/Strength | All muscles | Work UP TO the point of fatigue. Build strength through working to extremes of loudness, range, lung capacity and time spent singing. Don’t sing through pain. | Any exercises that are brought to the extreme of your ability. |
As you can see, it is possible to choose technical exercises that target multiple goals at once. This actually helps with coordination of multiple goals. It’s a good idea to try to touch on all of these goals in your technical work. Then, think about the songs you are currently working on and consider any technical aspects that are prominent in your song. Maybe it’s a song with a lot of riffs, or a song where you are struggling with breath management. Once you’ve determined what needs your focus, spend a little extra time conditioning the voice in that area.
For my students who are pianists, it is possible to take this principle of targeted technique work and apply it to piano practice. Think about the tasks in coordination, strength and flexibility required by your repertoire and choose exercises (or even come up with your own!) that improve your fingers’ execution. Scales, arpeggios, chords, 5 note patterns, etc all might meet these goals.
As you are working this approach, keep in mind what I mentioned earlier, namely, that conditioning must occur “gradually, intentionally, and consistently over time”. Muscle changes can be noticeable after about 6 weeks, so you must stick with a consistent routine over that span to see progress. Work exercises repetitively about four to six times per week. As you work, stay mindful of the purpose of each exercise and your goals, monitoring the success of each repetition and making adjustments as needed.
The beauty of this approach is that it keeps technical practice relevant, and allows for creativity in choosing a routine that can be adapted for different songs and situations. This month, give it a try and let me know your thoughts! What technical aspect of your voice are you targeting right now and what exercises are you currently incorporating in your routine?
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