Voice and piano - diction

Continuing the session with the singer-pianist.

His diction is good, although his voice quality is a little too gentle and "defocussed" to truly carry.
Rather than change the voice quality, I work with him on upping the diction.

There are two ways to create clearer diction as far as I am concerned: louder consonants or longer consonants. The first version is well-known, and I see a number of singers in my studio who have been told to "spit the consonants". Personally I think this is only useful in extreme circumstances. I prefer the second alternative, elongation.

In order to elongate consonants, you have to know where they are made. Each consonant is a partial or complete obstruction, and each obstruction happens in a specific place. A "b" is bi-labial - both of the lips come together to block the exit of air momentarily. Incidentally, your nose is also closed in a "b"; if it wasn't, you'd have an "m"!

A "v" uses the top teeth against the bottom lip. The "v" is a good example of how a consonant might be "spat". Most singers when told to emphasize a "v" will simply bite harder between the lip and teeth to produce more back pressure in the mouth and throat. This can be painful, although it can produce a louder sound temporarily.

Since all consonants are essentially cues to the audience that something is happening to the vowel, there is a much easier way to emphasize the "v". By elongating the cue (the sound of the airflow travelling through the gap made between the touching lip and teeth) but not increasing it with speed or volume, the audience picks up that the consonant is a "v" without you having to work as hard. In essence, you are starting it earlier in the bar and singing it longer. The partial obstruction is there (the lip to the teeth) and does not need to be exaggerated - the simple act of holding the sound longer will create the emphasis. Try it out yourself.

Again, this is a co-ordination thing, and can cause a bit of brainpain when you first try it out, but it is amazing how crisp diction becomes when the movements are made precisely and without pressure, and then elongated for distance hearing. Life becomes so much easier.

There is another gain, as my client pointed out. When you are working with a microphone, the last thing you want is spitting consonants - they'll pop the mike. So the elongation works really well for clarity without force.

More later...

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)

The Vocal Process website has a series of free articles on style, memorising and musical genres. Click on this link to find out more.

Voice and piano - a balancing act

So back to the singer-pianist.

He's been working on his voice with Gillyanne, and has come to me for some sessions on integrating singing and playing. Coaching singer-pianists is one of my favourite things to do. They are usually good musicians (see previous blog What Do They Teach Them At College) open to new ideas. As I have intimate knowledge and a muscle awareness of the trials and joys of playing for my own singing, it's interesting to see how other people cope with the problems.

He's an excellent pianist, and can be heard playing at major London hotels like the Lanesborough. He has a smooth bass voice and can switch between jazz standards and comedy patter songs, so is pretty versatile.

The problems: balancing voice and piano (the usual one), diction and projection (with and without the mike).

I suggested that he began by rebalancing the piano playing. Solo pianists tend to amplify the upper right hand, so that the melody shines out above everything else. Accompanists can't afford to do that, as the melody is usually allotted to someone else. So in my own case (and I am an accompanist by training and by inclination) I emphasise the lower left hand, to create a really solid foundation for the rest of the harmonies. This means that you can make the right hand harmonies more transparent, yet get a richer sound. Rebalancing like this will mean that the voice is supported from underneath (yes, even a bass voice), without too much going on in the same pitch range to blur the sound.

Although this is a bit of a brainpain to begin with for him, the effect is pretty instant - his voice begins to come to the fore, and he "gets it" that vocal life becomes easier.

More later...

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)

The Vocal Process website has a series of free articles on style, memorising and musical genres. Click on this link to find out more.