Misconceptions about the Power of the Voice

Adapted from "What is the Power of the Voice, Anyway?", by Sharon L. Radionoff, PhD, published in Texas Sings, Winter, 1997.

When a person wants to strengthen a muscle, he uses it to push or pull something until the muscle is tired and sore. Over time, the muscle gets bigger, and thereby stronger.

The amateur singer often applies the same logic to strengthening the voice, but without an understanding of which muscles to strengthen. He tenses muscles that in fact need to be relaxed, which usually results in a poorer, weaker vocal apparatus, not a stronger, better one. What's worse, if a person continues with these misconceptions, vocal damage will occur.

Common Misconceptions

1. Misconception: A powerful singer tenses his neck and shoulder muscles to achieve a big sound. Powerful singers have relaxed neck and shoulder muscles. Tensing the neck will force the voicebox(larynx) into unnatural positions for singing, will misalign the body, and will reduce resonance.

2. Misconception: A powerful singer uses the physical strength of his vocal cords. He forces air through them with powerful exhaling muscles. Powerful singers have well-disciplined vocal cord control muscles. The exhaling muscles don't force air through the vocal folds; rather, the air is gently passed through in a steady, controlled stream. The optimum vocal sound comes from a balance between a steady, controlled stream of air through relaxed, gently activated vocal folds.

3. Misconception: The diaphragm is contracting (tensing) during exhalation, providing the air stream for the voice. The diaphragm, along with the muscles on the outside of the ribcage, tenses or contracts during inhalation. The abdominal muscles, along with the muscles on the inside of the ribcage, tense or contract during exhalation. The diaphragm actually gradually relaxes during exhalation, thereby helping to regulate the air pressure through the vocal folds.

4. Misconception: A singer can reach the high notes by craning the neck forward with the chin out. Actually, the opposite is true. When reaching for a high note, the powerful singer lowers her chin in order to improve resonance and reduce tension on the voicebox.

5. Misconception: A powerful singer opens her mouth as wide as possible in order to improve resonance. A powerful singer allows her jaw to drop open in order to improve reasonance, but not so wide as to 1) put pressure on the voicebox or 2) cause tension in the jaw or neck.

The Truth about Vocal Power

Vocal power comes with the coordination of three elements: The air supply, the oscillator (voicebox), and the resonators.

The Air Supply

Most people use less than half of their lung capacity, even when singing. By filling the lungs to capacity, an amateur singer will sing louder and with better phrasing.

Have you ever asked the choir to sing louder, only to get a harsher, more constricted sound? This is because people equate volume with tightened muscles. Instead of asking for loudness, ask the choir to sit up with shoulders back. Instruct them to sing it again, this time starting with a bigger breath. Volume will increase.

As a conductor, take adequate singing breaths where you wish the choir to. The choir will respond by watching your breathing cues.

The Oscillator

The voice makes sound when air is passed through the vocal folds. The vocal folds brush together thousands of times per second to generate a gentle buzz. Tiny muscles in the voicebox adjust how tightly the vocal folds are drawn together, which in turn controls the quality of the buzz. (Another group of tiny muscles adjust the tautness of the vocal folds themselves, which controls the pitch.) For each pitch there is an optimal balance between airflow and vocal fold tightness: When the vocal folds are too loose, too much air passes through, resulting in an airy sound. On the other hand, when the vocal folds are too tight the body has to force air through the folds. The resulting sound is harsh and edgy; The singer tires quickly and suffers a reduction in vocal range. When the balance between airflow and vocal fold tension is correct, the buzzing sound is just loud enough, the neck isn't tense, and the sound isnt airy.

The Resonators

A resonator is an empty space with many hard surfaces. If you have ever spoken in an empty gymnasium or a tiled bathroom, your voice sounded big and resonant. The room was acting as a resonator to amplify your voice. Inside of your head are several resonators: The mouth, neck, throat, nasal cavities, and sinuses. Depending on mouth, neck, and throat position, the vibrations of the vocal folds are amplified either powerfully or hardly at all.

An amateur singer often becomes overly self-conscious about resonators, responding with a tense neck and tight jaw. Since both of these responses reduce resonance, the director needs to be careful how he encourages good resonance. The following suggestions work:

1. Encourage the choir to sit or stand using a comfortable, upright posture. The chin should be somewhat tucked in; the neck shouldn't be tensed or stretched out at all. The shoulders should be back, not rolled forward. This alignment allows the neck, throat, and sinus resonators to do their job.

2. The soft palate is the soft part of the roof of the mouth (the part with a dangly thing hanging down). When you yawn, the soft palate is stretched upwards. A good singer learns to keep the soft palate in that position without thinking about it. Some ways of teaching this are: 1) sing with an english accent 2) sing a vocalise: begin with a yawn, then sing a 5-note descending scale.

3. Encourage the choir to sing with an unhinged, comfortably open jaw. Over-opening the jaw causes neck tension and interferes with the muscles that control the vocal folds. By opening the mouth, the singer increases mouth resonance and encourages the soft palate to raise.

Summary

Vocal power results from a good air supply, supple, well-balanced vocal folds, and proper resonation. Tension often gets in the way of good singing, while relaxation often assists in good singing.

A good director encourages his choir to stand with a comfortable, upright posture; start musical phrases with full lungs; sing with a relaxed vocal quality (indicating good vocal fold tension-to-air balance); sing with an open, relaxed jaw. The choir of such a director will sing with an ever increasing, agile, pleasing sound.

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