Vocal Advice

Answer: You may know that the bones of new born infants are somewhat malleable. Where an adult’s radius and ulna (fore-arm bones) would snap and break, a baby’s might just bend.  Malleableness, flexibility, is especially true of the structure of the larynx … because, except for the hyoid bone (the only bone in the body not directly attached to another bone) the structural parts of the larynx are made up of cartilaginous material. This cartilage while very supple in youth, gradually hardens, but does not completely harden (in a man) until about age 35 (a necessary generalization). Therefore, it is at this age that a man’s voice can be said to have reached maturity … and is not going to undergo significant changes from here on.  During the period from puberty (voice change) to early thirties, a male singer is wise to grasp and settle into good habits of singing so that the voice can develop to its potential.

I am 17, and a male singer with a soprano voice.   I can reach the C5 and more (higher) than that but I want to sing the whistle register.  I have notice that when I have opened my mouth widely, I have reached the C6 and higher, and when i do so my voice is more light and sounding like a bird in that ‘whistle voice’.   Please, I want you to give me a good technique to sing the whistle voice without problems like Mariah Carey and Minnie Ripperton.

Answer:
You are a rarity if you actually have a soprano voice … especially if you have not experienced any vocal change that has given you access to lower notes like most men.  I am aware of others with  whom this is the case … and you are rare.

If you are singing notes that are two octaves above middle C (and higher) then you are already in the “whistle register” area.  You accurately described the ability to access these notes by opening your mouth “widely.”  What you need to be watchful of is that the sound is not “heavy” and “tense”, but be sure that it is without a lot of muscular tension and light.  At 17, you don’t need to be spending a lot of time up there.  Access those notes lightly, and descend to lower notes again.  If you are wanting to develop your voice - including those highest notes, you need to find a voice teacher who has experience with voices like yours.

That is my advice.  Best wishes.

I’m mommy to Emma & Audrey’, who are 6 & 4 yrs old.  They are taking private voice lessons together for 30 minutes a week.   I have heard from someone that when kids take voice too early that they can permanently damage their voice … nodules or something like that.   What do you think about that?   Do you think 4 & 6 is too young?   I think their teacher is knowledgeable & has lots of experience teaching very young kids.   She has been the music teacher at my children’s preschool for several years & has been teaching private voice lessons for a long time. She seems to be teaching them proper breathing techniques, etc.  Please let me know what you think.   If you need more information to access, please let me know.

Thanks,
Concerned mommy.

Dr. A: I replied to this note with a request for more information.  “Concerned mommy” replied in some detail about the children’s activities, the capabilities of the teacher and her desire for a well-rounded upbringing.

ANSWER: Dear Mommy of Emma and Audrey,

As you can see I’ve not been in a hurry to post a reply to your questions, for I thought it wise to let this issue “sift” in my conscious and subconscious for some time before putting words to my thoughts.

I need to be honest with you and tell you that I have had conflicting, almost fiercely antagonistic thoughts on the matter.  But don’t fear.  I will be brief and try to be careful in expressing myself.

My knee-jerk reaction response would NORMALLY be something like: “It is utterly absurd to have a 4 and 6 year-old taking voice lessons!” and then follow my high-blood-pressure response with a litany of negative results that I’ve observed in college students who started out that way.

But, let me get back to my reservations after first saying that I sense that you have all good intentions for your girls.  Furthermore, there are teachers who specialize in communicating to young children effectively.  I’d guess by your description that you believe that that is the kind of teacher your girls have currently.  This time in their lives could be a time when a great love for music and music making is cultivated.  For children their age, love for music-making should probably be the chief aim of the teacher.  At the age of your daughters, learning to sing should be fun … relatively easy … and without pressure, period! The moment they sense “expectations” from you, (and they can sense it very readily) they will experience “pressure” that will have defeated the purpose for their “studies” at this age.  DON’T take voice teaching to such young folk too seriously.  Taking voice lessons too seriously (mom and teacher) presents the danger for small children.  The voice is NOT like a piano, an eighth-size cello, or quarter-size violin.

Therefore, my response is necessarily weighted more on warning, than applause.  There must be “acceptance” on the part of a teacher of small children … that what they get (i.e., what they hear) is going to be “childish.”  Hearing, vocalizing and coordination are all in the process of development.  When voice teachers push youngsters and adolescents into “sounding mature” early, the very warnings you have already heard concerning “permanent damage” are realized and most frequently occur then.  I can attest that such damage caused in a youngster is very difficult to fix in a young adult, and sometimes it is permanent.

There are “Fine Arts” and “Performing Arts” summer camps, many in the northeast of the country, some making claims of the long list of musicals they are able to mount.  I have been employed as a voice teacher in one prominent such place, and can tell you that the vocal damage done to children’s voices by the demands of (children’s) Broadway musical directors, and the teachers hired by ambitious parents wanting their children to be stars, is appalling.  Protect your children from such pressure, and allow them to enjoy music making.

Best wishes.

Mary says:
Hello!
I honestly think your blog is interesting.

Ok, before I lose my focus I must ask: When I was a child (10 to 17) I had been told I was a mezzo-soprano. However, the very few times I sang in the chorus I sang as soprano (alto parts were uncomfortable sometimes).

Now, at 21, I am finally starting bel-canto lessons with a dramatic soprano, and she told me that my timbre and tessitura is actually that of a soprano. Since her teacher was there as well, he corroborated by saying that my sound is that of a light lyric soprano … can that be possible??
I mean, from mezzo-soprano to soprano to me looks as a short step but then to add a ‘light’ voice type, to me sounds too much (difference).

I must add that both teachers told me: “Don’t think about it as if it’s definitive because you’re just starting your training.” Actually I didn’t ask to know my voice type because I had thought it was extremely soon for asking such. (I started 2 months and half ago! for me, it’s so early!)

Ah, they told me my register and tessitura in my first month:
Register B3 to #C6 (they said it was pretty good keeping in mind I was untrained; wondering if it’s true (haha). Tessitura: Fa3 to G5

Thanks in advance and sorry for all the troubles because of my poor command at English.
ANSWER:
Mary, my answer can only be based on what you have told me—as you know—since I have not heard you. It is probably safe to say that your voice teacher is correct on both counts.
1. Even when you were in school singing in choir, you found singing alto uncomfortable, and singing soprano comfortable. You are not surprised by that, and that’s good.
2. Regarding the timbre of your voice, again, my inclination is to side with your voice teacher, who is likely right. This is especially true since you are just 21 years old. At this age even if you were a mezzo-soprano or an alto, your sound would in all likelihood be “lyric” and somewhat light. But this is probably true also because, since you are just beginning to take voice lessons, you have much to learn about the strength and power of the voice as it develops, and since you are just beginning the process of study, your sound is going to be at it’s smallest and least efficient. One of the biggest parts in vocal development is re-learning how to hear and identify what we produce. Most singers starting out, have little idea of the sound of clear vibrant ringing tone. When you begin to produce that, your “hearing” will have to undergo some adjustment, because what you’ve been used to all this time is going to change … for the better … even if, initially, your ears don’t think it’s an improvement.
3. Your voice teacher wisely let you know that this “designation” is not necessarily permanent … but describes you currently. That’s a mark of a wise teacher. As your voice develops, you and your teacher may make discoveries about your voice and its capabilities that are not apparent at present. So, as your teacher said, don’t think of “light soprano” as something that is necessarily permanent … but seems to be what is currently true … and a good starting place for your study.

I hope this gives you some guidance in your thinking, and some comfort.

Best wishes.

PS. My only word of caution would be … if you discover that singing in the range where you are asked to sing causes strain … tell your teacher immediately.

James, 14, says: My range is roughly D two octaves below middle C to the E above middle C (if I try I can hit an F).  Is this strange for my age?  I’ve had no lessons, and all I know about singing I’ve taught myself.  My voice also sounds operatic without training - is that strange?

Answer: I am so glad you asked these questions James.

One thing I can say about the change that takes place in boys is that there is no uniformity as far as rate of change.  Some of us seem to take years to drop from alto to tenor (by age 18), and others of us seem to change from treble (soprano) to bass almost over night (at 13 or 14), with variations taking place in between these.

At the moment you sound like you’d fit the “bass” category.  Is that strange?  Not at all.  If you desire to sing in a school choir, your choral director will have a place waiting for you … because low voices at your age are relatively rare … and greatly desirable.

The fact that you have a somewhat “big” voice — you say it sounds operatic — is also not a bad thing … in fact, this is a gift!  If you love to sing - go for it.  Use it, often.  If you’re gifted, develop your gifts … you’ll find yourself with opportunities that many of your chums won’t have, and undoubtedly you will find that you were “created” for just this purpose.

I’d like to encourage you to accept your range (as a bass) and the sound of your voice, and use it there — without attempting to be or become a high baritone or tenor.  You’ll shine right where you are, and over the next 6+ years, your voice will grow in versatility and power and range.  Blessings on you!

Michael, a teenager in Poland asks: Hi! My name is Michael and I’m 17 years old. My voice’s range lies between F2 and C5. I actually don’t have any breaks in my voice but I hear the change in the timbre after reaching G#4 and higher. I can go even higher with falsetto reaching F5 or G5.  My timbre is light but certainly not “tenor light”. Does it make me a lyric baritone or some kind of heldentenor that can sing lower?

Answer:

It’s wonderful that you don’t experience any breaks … even though you are aware of the change in timbre at around G-sharp.

Michael, I think that it’s fair to say that at 17 you ought not “decide” what you are vocally.  It’s enough that you know your range and where you sing most comfortably.  The fact is that in the next 5 to 6 years, your voice is going to develop considerably in range, strength and flexibility (at least if you are studying voice and practicing daily).  What you seem to be at age 17 may indeed change in the next few years.

I’ve had “tenors-at-17″ demonstrate that they really were baritone by the time they are 21 … and vice-versa.  You are in a time of vocal development and discovery.  What is important at this time in your life is that you learn to sing with good habits - as freely and without unnecessary tension as possible - and accept the way your voice develops - whatever direction it takes.  For this reason I for one will not tell a 17-year-old “you are a…” and give a definite voice classification.  I may have a good idea the direction the voice is taking after I’ve heard the young singer … but it’s still unwise to make a declaration–because then that “classification” becomes a goal, rather than an observation of fact.

At 17, almost all voices are “lyric”.  It remains to be seen what you will become.  Realize this too, Michael, all I have to go on is what you’ve told me.  It would be truly foolish of me to declare a specific voice classification having never heard you.

Remember what is important (see above) and you’ll develop just fine.

Best wishes.

I’m 35, never took choir or voice in school, and looking back I regret not doing that. I joined a church choir a year ago and was placed in the bass section. I think I can sing fairly well, I can match pitch and generally blend with the basses. Unfortunately with not having the background others have, learning the new staff has been tough for me. I know the names of the notes but I’m just finding it very difficult to know what each note sounds like. Unless I have the other basses there I couldn’t find the note without the aid of a piano. Is there any way to learn the bass notes and would taking lessons at my age be of any benefit? Thanks.

Answer: Bill, You’ve asked a good two-pronged question.  So, there will necessarily be two answers to cover your question.  I’ll actually answer the second one first.

Would taking (voice) lessons at my age be of any benefit?

1.  Taking voice lessons, that is, lessons on how to sing with greater clarity, freedom and expression is a worthwhile endeavor even starting at age 35.  I taught a man who didn’t begin lessons until his mid fifties - and he ended up being the president of a major symphony chorus.

Is there any way to learn the bass notes …?

2.  Taking voice lessons apart from learning to read music is not what will teach you to read music.  The purpose of voice lessons is to enhance your singing ability.  What I think seems to be more important to you is the fact that reading music is difficult for you.  But let us suppose for a moment that you could read music well; that ability does not qualify you or anyone to pull the actual pitches “out of the air” so to speak.  Most of us trained singers have what is known as “relative pitch.”  That is, when we see a note on the bass clef we can guess its approximate pitch because we have learned how it feels in the voice and how it sounds (tonal memory).  When young children are systematically trained to read, listen and memorize notes—as they are in China—relative pitch becomes quite accurate.  However, a few rare persons are born with the natural ability to have memorized musical pitches, so that they KNOW the pitches they read without necessarily any reference to a piano or other instrument.  At this time in your life, you can still develop a good sense of relative pitch if you find a teacher, or a college freshman ear-training-and-sight-singing course.  What you have to develop is both the reading aspect (notes and their relationships with one another as well as rhythmic values) as well as your tonal memory.  Developing these skills will definitely help you become a much stronger choral singer.  These skills are not acquired quickly, but take time to develop.  You love to sing, so taking aural development and sight-singing courses would be a worth while investment of money and time.  Any university or college with a reputable music department can provide what you need.

I hope this has been helpful to you.

Best wishes.

Hi there!
My name is David and I am 17 years old. I can sing relatively comfortably from F2 to A4, in other words from F one and a half octaves below middle C to A half an octave above. My voice is quite relaxed throughout this range. My timbre is pretty light but not really ‘tenor light’ so I would guess this makes me a lyric baritone? Am I correct in this assumption? Would this range be of any use in say musical theatre? If so then what roles would be best for me to sing?

ANSWER: Well David,
You already have a wide range.  Congratulations.

At 17 it is no surprise that your timbre is “pretty light”.  If you use your voice regularly and with good habits, it will develop in strength over the next few years.  You are probably wise to think of yourself as some form of baritone until and unless the highest fifth of your range is (or becomes) some of the most comfortable part of your range in which to sing.  When a young man your age seems to have a choice of “tenor or baritone” opt for the part of the range in which singing is most comfortable.  The majority of the time this is lower, not higher.

Still, be aware that within the next five years you may well find your range extending in one direction or another.  So, thinking of yourself as a “medium” voice (baritone) for the time being is prudent.

Yes, I think there are roles that a young lyric baritone such as yourself could do successfully.  Let me suggest just one … and you take if from here.  In “Into the Woods” both princes are baritones.  The one requires a fair amount of stamina–there’s a lot of singing.  However, there are also a couple of wonderful duets between the princes … and either one of those might be appropriate for you.  If you think along similar lines, you’ll probably be able to find other roles that you’d be comfortable doing.  At 17 you need to be careful not to choose roles that require a tessitura (a predominance of notes) that is too high … and strenuous.

You sound like you’re thinking sensibly.  Best wishes.

PS. Some of the older shows have roles that might fit: E.g., the leading role in “Oklahoma”

Today in chorus people sang their all-state songs in front of the class.  Their voices would be airy and crack when transitioning into their head voice. The chorus teacher said that it’s their vocal break. I haven’t really heard my voice do that. To me it sounds clear throughout my range even if my middle register can be a little breathy when I don’t support. My voice teacher says I have pretty high vocal breaks and my tone changes somewhere right before the high A but if that’s true it’s so subtle.  Is this a bad thing or a good thing? Does it mean most of my voice is my chest voice? Or, is my head voice strong? Do I have more support than most people my age (I’m 16)?  All the other sopranos and even the altos have a break kind of high that makes them breathy or flat and my second break I guess is higher than theirs and makes my voice brighter.  Is this normal?

ANSWER: Great observation about the “breaks” in other young voices.

While some singers have a manifestly obvious ‘break’ (sometimes also known as “lift” or “passaggio” or “transition point”) that makes sound almost resemble a yodel (depending where in the range it occurs), if those same young singers pursue singing as a career studying voice with a teacher, their aim is going to be learn to “smooth” those areas over so that the range sounds seamless (without breaks of any kind).  As you have noted about yourself, not everyone feels these breaks … and that is a great blessing, because it means that you don’t have to worry about the color of your tone suddenly changing, or have to spend months and years learning how to even out the tone between areas of your vocal range.  So, REJOICE … you’re miles ahead of folk who experience breaks and you won’t have that hurdle to worry about.

Singing “seamlessly” doesn’t mean that you are singing predominantly in “chest” or “head”, but rather that as you sing from high to low your voice is negotiating all the range in a way that “mixes” those feelings at the appropriate times so that no break exists, or is perceptible.
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I am a young soprano, and I have just started my first year in college as a vocal performance major. So far, I have been doing very well, and my teachers have been quite pleased with my progress. Last Wed., I was doing a vocal exercise and was feeling daring, perhaps too daring, and ended up hitting an F#6 with no apparent problems. Well, the next day when I tried singing, although my tone and range where the same, my voice became fatigued very quickly, and I had to stop. It also feels like there is a lump right at my Adam’s apple, and I can feel it shifting when I swallow. Sometimes there is also slight pain when I sing, and I become fatigued very easily just talking. My voice teacher told me that I probably pulled a muscle, since my larynx was not used to lifting quite that high, and that I need to sing only lightly in the mid-range for about two weeks, and even then only if there is no pain and only for short amounts of time. It’s been nearly a week since I pulled the muscle, and I feel no difference in my voice. Is this normal? How long will it be before my voice will be back to normal and I can sing without any worries? Is this a major problem? Any advice you could give me would be very much appreciated! Thank you!

Answer: Laini,

As a first-year student - music/vocal major in college, you’re 18 … and it’s true, your larynx is still quite malleable, at least comparing it to its mature state about 10 years from now.  I always tell my freshmen voice majors, that the requirement for two-hours preparation a day does not mean two hours of straight singing.  In fact, I warn freshmen to start with 20 to 30 minute segments, and use a good portion of the time memorizing, reading the background of the song and composer and listening to great singers sing the same or similar songs.  But know this, you aren’t the first one to overdo.  Your youth speaks for itself … and “slowing down to make faster progress” is something youths have to learn by experience from time to time.  Join the crowd.

What you CAN physically do, and what your voice is READY to do are two different things at this age.  Since you pushed your voice beyond what it is ready to do – up into the whistle register area – your teacher has it right … you over-exerted the muscles and need to give it REAL REST for a couple of weeks.  I agree completely with your voice teacher.  S/he is a wise person, and you need to listen and take the weight off for a while.  If you take the advice, you will heal, and you need to wait until you heal before getting back into a regular regime of vocal practice.  Remember, when you “feel a lump” or “pain” or “something odd and uncomfortable” your body is sending you messages to which you should pay attention.  Back off, give it a rest, and resume vocalizing slowly in a comfortable range without attempting to force anything.  (You’ll heal faster if you sleep longer at night!)  By the way, my guess is that what you’ve pulled is one of the extrinsic muscles of the larynx (not the vocal cords themselves), but regardless, it works as a unit coordinately, so give it a rest.

Keep in mind this principle as you continue your vocal studies and development: Vocal strength, vocal flexibility and expanded vocal range all grow incrementally – SLOWLY over a period of years.  The best way to make that happen is by establishing good habits NOW in a range where it is currently comfortable to sing.  When you have established those habits, the “slow and steady” development can take place healthfully.

Sounds to me like you have a wise voice teacher.  Best wishes.