How much do you need to know?

Do you really need to know which muscles are moving in which direction in order to be able to sing?

Firstly, it is of course perfectly possible to sing without any knowledge whatsoever - mothers do it all over the world with their babies. Singing in this instance is a communication and mirroring thing - leading your child's education or mirroring their feelings and thoughts.

Taking this question into the realms of the profession needs a slightly different response. The role of the professional singer is to create a performance at the highest level (s)he is capable of, and to be able to sustain something approaching that level of performance repeatedly. This usually means that the singer has to know at least a little how the sound is made and reproduced.

Of course there are singers who just open their mouths and are blessed with a voice that works each time and that enables them to express whatever it is that they want to express in whatever circumstance they find themselves in. If you are one of these singers, thank your lucky stars, then line yourself up with a good coach, a set of ears you can trust - you are living on a knife-edge.

The reason for that last comment? I haven't met a singer yet (with any longevity in their career) that hasn't had some problems with their voice or performance. I have also been witness to a number of "natural" singers who have found on leaving college that they have absolutely no idea how their voice works, and so have no defences when something goes wrong.

Both Gillyanne and I have worked with a number of these singers, helping them to rehabilitate themselves when the unthinkable happens. The "trick" (if there is one) is to give the minimum amount of technical input necessary, without either confusing or overwhelming.

The purpose of a technique in any branch of the arts seems to be to act as a conduit for the expression of the artist. I have had a number of clients who have been worried that learning something about the technicalities of sound production will destroy their "gift" or their performing spontaneity. In reality, having enough technical knowledge gives a performer the real confidence to know what is going to happen when they open their mouth, which leads to more experimentation, more confidence and often to a higher level of artistry.

I have also had experience of teachers attempting to start from scratch with new students who are already performing professionally. While this is great for the teacher's ego, it does nothing for the client except cause more anguish and concern. The singers we work with usually have long-term commitments to shows or companies, and find themselves having trouble in the middle of a run. They simply don't have the time (or money, or reputation) to put a hold on their contractual obligations. Of course this can mean that in the short term, quick fixes are often the order of the day. But in these circumstances each role will have its particular problems and quirks which needs specific answers.

And the best quick fixes are based on a profound knowledge of physiology and its appropriate application.

So in answer to the opening question, if you're a singer, no, you don't need to know what all your muscles are doing - you'd go insane if you tried! But if you are having problems with your singing (and who doesn't at some point in their lives) specific, technical and muscular input can revolutionise the way you understand the craft of performing.

And if you're a teacher - absolutely!


Vocal Process is running two courses in October:
Vocal Anatomy for Voice Professionals with Dr Meribeth (Bunch) Dayme
Singing and the Actor Training with Gillyanne Kayes and Jeremy Fisher


Visit http://www.vocalprocess.co.uk for the latest downloads:
the Vocal Process eZINE (free electronic magazine)
86 things you never hear a singer say (free ebook)
Looking at a Voice (endoscopy video download)
Constriction and Release (opening the throat on video - the latest endoscopy video download)

Working the song to suit the role

Back to audition coaching. One of my clients has been auditioning for the role of Mama Morton in the musical Chicago. She already had a song in her portfolio that she thought was suitable, and came for a coaching session to polish her performance.

We talked about the role of Mama Morton in general - she is the warder in a ladies' prison, and in her dialogue she alternates between support for her 'family' and hard-nosed business dealing. The feel of the music is pure vaudeville, so we needed a performance that would bring all those elements together.

The song my client intended to use was a Fats Waller song, "Find out what they like" - an excellent choice. The opening lines of the chorus sum up the song "Find out what they like and how they like it and let them have it just that way". The song is often sung as a tease, but we came up with a different subtext and scenario for the audition. We needed something very strong and direct - Mama Morton does not pull her punches, and is a very powerful figure. And the result was something that is not for the easily offended!

In searching for a context for that curious combination of family and business, I came up with the madam of a brothel. This particular madam takes care of her girls, but will have no nonsense - they are there to make money for her. She has seen everything, done everything, and has the t-shirt to prove it. I wanted my client to use as little movement as possible in the verse, so I asked her to perform the song as a to-camera piece. The camera is in extreme close-up, so the head fills the screen. Any extraneous movement would cause the face to disappear off camera, so the performer needs to stay very still and focussed.

Moving the scenario on further, we decided that this was the filmed introduction to the brothel training video that the madam hands each new girl as they arrive. This final tweak to the scenario gave real bite to one line in the verse "Ladies! I will show you how". I predicted that my client would get the recall just on the way she said that one line. And apparently in the subsequent auditions she got to that line and the panel's heads all shot up.

Although this is an extreme example of changing the context of the song without changing the song, it was absolutely appropriate for the audition and for the role. And the client was capable of carrying the idea through.

The result? Performances starts this month.

Visit http://www.vocalprocess.co.uk for the latest downloads:
the Vocal Process eZINE (free electronic magazine)
86 things you never hear a singer say (free ebook)
Looking at a Voice (endoscopy video download)
Constriction and Release (opening the throat on video - the latest endoscopy video download)