The Engaging Performer

This episode dives into the world of vibrato. Many people have different ideas on how vibrato is made. Tara B explains healthy ways of producing vibrato, which can be a lovely addition and facet to our unique voices. Find out how to create a vibrato that lets you feel free in the process.

(3:22) The 3 parameters of vibrato (from Richard Miller's The Structure of Singing)

Fluctuation of Pitch

A Variation of intensity

Number of undulations per second

(4:54) There are 6.5 undulations per second for an average vibrato. A super fast vibrato is called a tremolo. A super slow one is called la voce oscilla—"the unfavorable wobble"

(6:33) Vibrato pitch is smaller than a semi-tone, a half step.

(7:36) Unhealthy vibrato can be produced through the base of the tongue, causing unnecessary tension.

(8.58) If the laryngeal structure isn't supported by breath flow and the right pressure, the back of the tongue may become tense. It may shake, then causing an unhealthy vibrato.

(10:16) Unhealthy vibrato can also be produced by stomach vibrato.

(13:01) Everyone can potentially have vibrato, according to Thomas Shipp.

(13:40) Healthy vibrato starts in the brain. But as it activates, it relaxes the vocal folds.

(14:35) Karyn O'Conner says in Singwise "Vibrato is a result of balance between muscle systems in antagonistic relation to each other during phonation. When this balance occurs, the antagonistic muscles develop an alternating pulse that is a reflection of the continued energy level required of them to maintain equilibrium."

(17:26) "Oscillations that occur in vibrato are the body's response to mounting tension."

(18:28) Richard Miller says that a wobbles is where the natural structural support is removed from the larynx. It takes more energy to oscillate pitch.

(20:03) Onset exercise: 1. Ha, hee (Sing on the same pitch) ha-2-3-4 hee-2-3-4

(21:09) 2. Sing "ga" on the same pitch. Add your hand pointing every time you sing a note.

ga-2-ga-4

(25:44) from Matt Ramsey and Ramsey Voice Studio

1. Put hand on belly. Vocalize like an old car starting its engine on ee. Let the stomach move at first and then not move as you keep on.

2. Ghost Vibrato: oo Slide around like a ghost song then settle on one note and slide. Shake or flap your hands while singing and notice if vibrato is there.

(27:56) Exercise: "the land of the free" from our National Anthem. On the word "free", hold a straight tone once through. Then the second time hold for a bit and let go—release/relax.

For a free PDF of Ways to Practice the Voice Consistently, please click here and grab your download:

https://mailchi.mp/16a4bd648eac/getfreevoiceinfo

If you want to be a part of a community that talks all things vocal, pop over to The Engaging Voice Singers (Facebook)

Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/275720043147345/

You can find this and other episodes on theengingvoice.com and at Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, iHeart radio, Apple Music and radio.com

Please go to iTunes/Apple Music and click on RATINGS AND REVIEWS to rate this podcast. I would be so grateful! Thank you!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-engaging-voice/id1448497465

(3:00) The back story of Dr. Melody started with living in Taiwan and then in San Antonio, TX, where she was exposed to other languages.

(6:25) When Dr. Melody took voice lessons in high school, she really was inspired by her own voice teachers. "All I wanted to do was do what they did…and help other people."

(10:35) She tells how she really had a respect for both musical theater and opera.

(13:45) IPA is the International Phonetic Alphabet—an alphabet of symbols that equal a sound. One symbol equals one sound. Orthographs = symbols that are letters Phonemes = symbols that equal one sound and one sound only

(15:15) In 1886, British and French teachers formed a group and put out the first version of the IPA chart for any language.

(17:15) The symbols are suggestive of the sounds they represent. closed o = [ o ]

open o = [ ɔ ]

(20:15) IPA can give singers a real sense of clarity in how to pronounce lyrics for singing.

(21:29) IPA allows for quick notation of lyrics.

(23:55) Dr. Melody wanted to sound true to a language so teaching IPA was a natural fit for her.

(25:50) Dr. Melody recommends that voice teachers should learn IPA to be able to offer their students the ability to sing in languages that they themselves don't know.

(28:43) You can get a subscription to IPAsource.com (This includes spelling of words, the IPA transcription and the word for word translation)

(31:50) The YouTube sources for IPA can be good. Dr. Melody encourages people to find a voice similar in quality and pitch to your own for pronunciation of IPA.

(32:25) Using flashcards for IPA can be super helpful—especially ones that you create yourself.

If you would like to get ahold of Dr. Melody Rich, feel free to Facebook her: Melody Rich or you can email her at: [email protected]

Her website will be up in November 2019 and you can find her there at www.melodyrich.com

If you want to be a part of a community that talks all things vocal, pop over to The Engaging Voice Singers (Facebook).

Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/275720043147345/

You can find this and other episodes on theengingvoice.com and at Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, iHeart radio, iTunes and radio.com

For a free PDF of Ways to Practice the Voice Consistently, please click here and grab your download: https://mailchi.mp/16a4bd648eac/getfreevoiceinfo

In today's episode we discuss the Feldenkrais Method with the help of Voice Professor Karen Clark. She takes us first on part of her journey in music and how the Feldenkrais Method came alive to her. She shows how it can be a foundational part of singing.

(3:25) Karen shows how music was a part of her growing up since she was young. This included having a grandfather who led singing in a church, as well as an uncle and great-uncle who traveled and taught people shaped note singing.

(5:30) She was introduced to early music through opera in college study.

(7:55) Karen had frustration in graduate school because teachers had tried to get her to be a mezzo soprano even thought was a true alto, a contralto.

(8:45) The Contralto voice has the color in their low registration—not like the mezzo singer. That beauty is in notes lower than the mezzo's natural resonant spots.

(15:35) Somatic = "through the body"

(15:52) Moshe Feldenkrais developed a method of help with movement by looking at the structure of his own body, after he had a knee injury.

(17:25) Moshe designed lesson of awareness through movement. He said that we learn a lot about ourselves by listening to the body.

(18:25) Karen tried a class of Awareness of movement by Feldenkrais and it turned a light bulb on for her.

(19:05) There are awarenesses we can have in our body. These 5 things include: thinking, sensing, feeling, breathing, moving

(20:42)"Your whole psyche (what we're studying) is how it supports the phonation of the vocal folds."

(22:06) "You can know what you are supposed to be doing, but do you know how it feels?"

(23:35) Karen uses a Feldenkrais table to help her students explore the rib cage and what they notice.

(25:47) Feldenkrais is not fixing someone; it is saying how can we allow for movement and sensation?

(30:45) The Feldenkrais Method is used also in dance and physical therapy.

To contact Karen Clark please find her on Facebook and Youtube as Karen R. Clark

Or email her: [email protected]

She would be happy to answer questions or refer you to someone for the Feldenkrais Method.

If you want to be a part of a community that talks all things vocal, pop over to The Engaging Voice Singers (Facebook).

Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/275720043147345/

You can find this and other episodes on theengingvoice.com and at Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, iHeart radio, iTunes and radio.com

For a free PDF of Ways to Practice the Voice Consistently, please click here and grab your download: https://mailchi.mp/16a4bd648eac/getfreevoiceinfo

In this part two of vocal diction series, we focus on consonants today. Many consonants can be helpful in our exercises to help engage breath, give more clarity to our tone, help in our enunciation of words, and help us sense where resonance can happen. A consonant connected to a vowel sound in warmups can help us become more efficient and conscientious singers.

(1:35) Definition of a consonant: "A consonant is a speech sound that is formed when the articulators interrupt the flow of air through the vocal tract." ( from Diction for Singers by J. Wall, R. Caldwell, T. Gavilanes, S. Allen)

(2:20) The place of articulation explained.

(2:50) The manner of articulation explained

(3:20) The voicing of consonants explained.

(4:01) Consonants help engage our breath. They create focus. They help us enunciate. They let us feel vibration in the chest and nasal passage.

(5:15) Stop-plosives: p, b, t, d, k, g

(6:45) Fricatives: f, v, s, z, th, sh, jz, h

(7:55) Affricatives: ch, dg (fudge)

(8:46) Nasal: m, n, ng

(9:31) Lateral: l

(10:30) Glides: r, y, w

(13:10) Exercise for engaging breath: vee, vay, vah, voh, voo 5-4-3-2-1

(14:05) Exercise for creating focus in sound: zing, zing, zing, etc 1-3-5-3-1

(15:00) Exercise for enunciation: yellow leather or sausage pizza

1-3-5-8-7-5-4-2-1 Start slowly

(16:11) Exercise for finding resonance in our nasal/sinus passages: ming or noo

1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1

(17:25) If you are a voice teacher, you can help students by using consonants at the beginning onset of their exercises.

For a free PDF of Ways to Practice the Voice Consistently, please click here and grab your download:

https://mailchi.mp/16a4bd648eac/getfreevoiceinfo

If you want to be a part of a community that talks all things vocal, pop over to The Engaging Voice Singers (Facebook)

Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/275720043147345/

You can find this and other episodes on theengingvoice.com and at Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, iHeart radio, iTunes and radio.com

Please go to iTunes and click on RATINGS AND REVIEWS to rate this podcast. I would be so grateful! Thank you!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-engaging-voice/id1448497465

Today’s episode goes into the realm of vocal diction—specifically vowels. Our use and pronunciation of vowel sounds in English can affect the tone of our actual singing sound. These vowels, when sung correctly, can give our voice added warmth, fullness and resonance.

(1:55) A PURE VOWEL IS WHEN ITS SOUND CAN BE SUSTAINED WIHTOUT MOVEMENT OF THE ARTICULATORS OR ANY CHANGE IN QUALITY OF SOUND UNTIL THE AIR FLOW CEASES. ( from Diction for Singers by J. Wall, R. Caldwell, T. Gavilanes, S. Allen)

(2:35) Pure vowel sounds—long vowels (monophthongs)      a-e-i-o-u

(4:20) freedictionary.com       Short vowels (monophthongs)

Example: bat, got, rut, foot

(5:05) A diphthong is two vowel sounds together where one slides into another

(5:25) Examples: hay, eye, toe, cute, boy, mouth, dear, care    (all diphthongs)

(7:03) Triphthongs— three vowel sounds that glide together. Often a triphthong is made up of a diphthong with an American “R”.      Examples: fire, our, pure

(8:15) Vowel sounds are produced in our mouth. Our tongue changes positions for each sound.

(9:40) Experiment with ee and ih sounds to see how your tongue changes slightly.

(11:07) Exercise:   ah + oo         Sing the same note on each vowel sound.

(11:43) Exercise: ah + ee         1-3-5-3-1       ah-ee-ah-ee-ah

(14:05) “The more that our vowels are not manipulated, the better our overall tone is going to be.”

(15:00) Singing with diphthongs and triphthongs—an example from Somewhere Over the Rainbow

(16:58) “Vowels can make or break our resonance.”

(17:35) Hold a note on vowel sounds, not the consonant.

(18:45) Words need to sound uniform when singing with one other person or several, like a choir.

(21:53) Exercise: 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 (3x through)  ah, then oo, then ee

For a free PDF of Ways to Practice the Voice Consistently, please click here and grab your download: 

https://mailchi.mp/16a4bd648eac/getfreevoiceinfo

If you want to be a part of a community that talks all things vocal, pop over to The Engaging Voice Singers (Facebook) 

Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/275720043147345/

You can find this and other episodes on theengingvoice.com and at Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, iHeart radio, iTunes and radio.com

On today’s episode, Tara gives singers many exercises to help keep their voices limber, flexible and free. As we age, it takes more effort to make sure that our voices are able to be agile when we sing. The vocalises here are to help each person maintain a youthful, healthy voice.

(1:55) Some of the ways our voices age are: slower vibrato and vocal runs that are not as easy for us to do.

Exercises for Keeping Vocal Agility:

(3:32) 1. Lip buzz (arpeggio) 1-3-5-8-5-3-1

(5:10) 2. Thirds up and down with a “bwa”. (Starting slowly at first) 

              1-3-2-4-3-5-4-6-5-7-6-8-7-9-8          8-10-7-9-6-8-5-7-4-6-3-5-2-3-2

(7:15) 3. Mum, mum, etc       1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1

(8:50) 4. Use “ma” first, then “ha” on staccato and then “yah” for the last one.

  1  1-2-3   3-4-5    5-6-7-8-9-10-11   11-10-9    9-8-7   7-6-5-4-3-2-1

(12:17) 5. Ya, ya (slower, then faster).    1-3-5-3-1-4-6-4-1-3-5-3-1

(13:17) 6. Intervals from the root to the 5th (You can also go to the octave and back if you want)

    1-2-1-3-1-4-1-5           5-4-5-3-5-2-5-1

(15:35) 7. You can use a “yah”, “mah” or “ah”      

                1    2-3-4-5-6-7-8       7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (2x through)

(17:41) 8. 3 different vowels to use:  “ah” + “oo” + “ee”

                1-5     4-3-2       1-5     4-3-2     1-5      4-3-2-1

                (ah)                     (oo)                  (ee) 

For more discussion and getting more useful vocal tools, please feel free to join my  FACEBOOK group:

The Engaging Voice Singers (community) 

Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/275720043147345/

You can find this and other episodes on theengingvoice.com and at Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, iHeart radio, and iTunes and radio.com

Please go to iTunes and click on RATINGS AND REVIEWS to rate this podcast. I would be so grateful! Thank you!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-engaging-voice/id1448497465

Tara interviews speech and language pathologist Dr. Anita Kozan. She specializes in helping people with their singing and speaking voices when they run into vocal issues. She discusses how our voice works, some of the differences between male and female voices, what can happen to aging voices and how vocal therapy can help people even without surgery in many circumstances. Join me for this insightful discussion with someone who really cares about helping people with their voices and can bring hope!

(2:20) Dr. Kozan first had a friend talked to her about speech therapy—thinking that she would be good at it.

(4:20) She explains video stroboscopy—what it actually is. It has been in use since about 1985.

(7:55) Dr. Kozan would assess the voice through listening and watching a patient and using stroboscopy that could help her see the details of the vocal folds.

(10:15) She describes for us how small our vocal folds are and where they sit in our body. She also talks about the difference between male and female voices.

(11:20) Our vocal folds open and close 256 times per second at Middle C! Dr. Kozan describes our singing as an incredible athletic event.

(14:50) When a patient comes to Dr. Kozan with vocal issues, she goes through a vocal hygiene checklist with them.

(19:30) Dr. Kozan shares a story of someone who came for vocal therapy and already knew that he had to change certain ways of doing things.

(24:17) Spasmodic Dysphonia: there are 3 types

• When the folds stay together for too long, that is Adductor Dysphonia
• When the folds say open too long, that is Abductor Dysphonia
• Some people have both things happen at different times—the cords closing for too long or opening for too long

(26:04) Actress Katherine Hepburn had a vocal tremor. This can happen to people as they age.

(27:30) Dr. Kozan addresses aging in men and women and how it affects their voices.

(33:50) Jeannette LoVetri from Baldwin Wallace University helps teachers of singing with exercises that can really be beneficial for their students.

(36:35) When a patient has surgery on their voice, they are most often required to go on complete vocal rest for a time.

(38:05) In some therapy that Dr. Kozan does, she works with patients on adding breath on the onset  and releasing it in a way that helps their vocal production. Especially with the vocal fry, which tends to pinch our cords and needs a better release of breath.

(44:25) How do we know it’s time to get our voices checked out?

(47:59) The Interval Training Model means we only do short amounts of practicing, then a time of resting the voice.

(53:20) We need to cool down our voice after strenuous usage. It helps the swelling to go down and get toxins out of our system.

To contact Dr. Kozan, please go to her website: www.kozanclinic.com

You can contact her also via email on her website and she will get back to you.

You may call or text 612-669-3206.

For finding other vocal speech language pathologist, contact the American Speech Language Hearing Association here: 

https://www.asha.org/slp/

For more discussion and and keeping the conversation going, please feel free to join my  FACEBOOK group:

The Engaging Voice Singers (community) 

Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/275720043147345/

You can find this and other episodes on theengingvoice.com and at Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, iHeart radio, and iTunes and radio.com

Please go to iTunes and click on RATINGS AND REVIEWS to rate this podcast. I would be so grateful! Thank you!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-engaging-voice/id1448497465

Ever wondered how pitch is actually made in our voices? Where do you think it starts? In the vocal folds? Or is there somewhere else? Join Tara today in this episode to see how incredibly complex our body is in producing specific pitches and yet the dichotomy of how easy it is too. Tara shares the journey how pitch is made and then gives tools to help all singers improve their pitches to become more accurate through ear training.

(1:10) Definition of pitch = The highness or lowness of a note…

(2:48) Where does pitch begin in our body? It starts in the brain.

(3:44)  The Dorsal Laryngeal Motor Cortex controls voice pitch. It sends signals to our larynx muscles and cartilage to shape our vocal cords to create specific pitches. This happens in a split second.

(7:41) The cartilage change the length and thickness of our vocal folds while the other muscles open the vocal folds.

(10:43) An interval is a distance between two pitches. There are 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths, 7ths, octaves and more.

(13:10) We remember pitches because of pitch tonal memory.

(13:56) Exercise 1: Play a triad on the piano (1-3-5) , playing all the notes at the same time. Pick our singing the highest note or try picking out the lowest note.

(14:42) Exercise 2:   1-1-2-1-1-2-3-2-1, etc

(15:48) Exercise 3: Play a couple of notes and then sing them back—matching the pitch and the order of the notes.

(16:44) Exercise 4: Slides 1-3-1,  1-5-1,  1-8-1

(17:44) Exercise 5: Fast staccato—1-3-5-3-1-4-6-4-1-3-5-3-1

(18:36) Our pitches can sometimes be “pitchy”, which means flat or sharp.

(21:20 Other reasons for pitch intonation problems can simply be that someone hasn’t trained their ear enough to hear the pitches dead center. They haven’t yet learned the details of a specific tone in tune.

For more discussion and and keeping the conversation going, please feel free to join my new FACEBOOK group:

The Engaging Voice Singers (community) 

Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/275720043147345/

You can find this and other episodes on theengingvoice.com and at Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, iHeart radio, Radio.com and iTunes

Please go to iTunes and click on RATINGS AND REVIEWS to rate this podcast. I would be so grateful! Thank you!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-engaging-voice/id1448497465

In this interview with singer and vocal coach Arden Kaywin, we dive into a story of a singer who went from classical to pop, and found her true voice in her journey. She shares how her voice trek led her to helping others with their own vocal pathways through online and in person coaching. She now instructs and tutors other singers in a holistic method of teaching that practices healthy mind and body techniques.

(3:17) Arden shares of her love of music first through dance.

(6:30) Arden was very involved in musical things—summer camps, theater, etc. At age 10, she sang the National Anthem for the Miami Heat.

(9:15) Arden shows her journey from classical to pop artist. She shares how she felt like her creativity got lost in her early opera career.

(13:05) She talks about her outlet writing “cheesy pop songs” during her time in New York.

(16:15) Arden released her first pop album in 2006.

(20:05) Arden shares her journey into teaching voice—how the music industry affected her and pushed her towards teaching and coaching.

(25:20) Mindset with our voices.  We have emotions and they can come out in physical reactions, which in turn can affect our singing voices.

(30:11) Arden describes what she first works on with traditional student lessons.

(32:32) She shares 3 core pillars of healthy singing: 

• Breath support
• Understanding the shape of the resonance
• Understanding the root of the tension

(35:03) Arden addresses harsh singing and how it needs a recovery time.

(37:47) She discusses “belting”.

(41:47) “The best sound not only sounds good, but feels good too!”

(42:44) “It is not your job as a singer to recreate the sound of a good sound. It’s your job to recreate the feeling of the good sound.”

To contact Arden Kaywin, go to her website: www.ArdenKaywinVocalStudio.com

There you can join her Virtual Studio, do one of her 4 month intensives or have a lesson either in person or online via skype/zoom.

Facebook and Instagram: Arden Kaywin Vocal Studio

Youtube: Arden Kaywin Vocal Studio

The link to the Youtube video on belting is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cUo9xEfmTc

For more discussion and and keeping the conversation going, please feel free to join my new FACEBOOK group:

The Engaging Voice Singers (community) 

Here is the link: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/275720043147345/

You can find this and other episodes on theengingvoice.com and at Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, iHeart radio, and iTunes

Please go to iTunes and click on RATINGS AND REVIEWS to rate this podcast. I would be so grateful! Thank you!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-engaging-voice/id1448497465

Tara interviews Dr. David Opperman, laryngologist from the Colorado Voice Clinic. He chats about when it’s time to see a voice doctor, how they can find the vocal issues and the types of treatment that are available. It’s a discussion that you won’t want to miss if you are a singer!

(5:15) The difference between an ENT (otolaryngologist) and a laryngologist (a true voice specialist)

(7:35) Dr. Opperman explains what laryngitis is and how we can become hoarse as singers.

(8:35) If hoarseness is happening more than 10 days, it is a good idea to have your voice checked.

(10:00) Dr. Opperman talks about what kinds of vocal issues he sees that are the most common. Voice overuse is one of the big ones.

(12:30) Assessing a vocal issue can be from hearing the voice and also doing a video stroboscopy

(15:01)  Injuries to the voice can happen in many ways. Often it can start in the speaking voice.

(17:01) Stress environment factors and lack of hydration can cause vocal issues too.

(18:25) Injections can help spasmodic dysphonia. It’s a disease that is still hard to figure out.

(19:30) Injections can be used for things like Parkinson’s Disease and Spasmodic Dysphonia.

(20:35) Nodules—how they form and how they are treated. Vocal therapy, botox, vocal rest and hydration can all help.

(22:19) Surgery can benefit people when the voice issue necessitates help that only removal of something can do.

(22:35) Transition using therapy after surgery or diagnosis is often administered. Speech therapy can be one aspect of that transition.

(24:17)  Also looking at bad habits and adjusting them can help.

(25:20)  If you have pain while singing, stop and get it checked out!

(26:22) Take the time to identify and observe your voice and get help sooner than later.

(27:33)  Is it wise to do a vocal checkup at the voice doctor annually or at least to get a baseline?

(28:50) Dr. Opperman can consult over the phone to help you find a way to get your issues diagnosed. If he can’t get you into his clinic, he will try to find help with a laryngologist near you.

To contact Dr. Opperman, go to his website: www.coloradovoiceclinic.com

Phone: 1-303-844-3000

Also, there is the Academy of Otolaryngologists where you can get a list of physicians around the country.

https://www.entnet.org

For more discussion and and keeping the conversation going, please feel free to join my new FACEBOOK group:

The Engaging Voice Singers (community) 

Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/275720043147345/

You can find this and other episodes on theengingvoice.com and at Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, iHeart radio, and iTunes

Please go to iTunes and click on RATINGS AND REVIEWS to rate this podcast. I would be so grateful! Thank you!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-engaging-voice/id1448497465