How Singers Can Be Like Instrumentalists

The human voice is POWERFUL.?

In one moment, you can go from warm and gentle to bright and powerful, all just by changing how you form syllables and produce sound from within. It's like you have a built-in bank of sounds that instrumentalists, like electric guitar and keyboard players, dream they could have (and they usually invest A LOT of money into building that same bank).?

And yet, too many singers don't fully utilize the complete range of what their voice is capable of producing—and they're leaving a lot of creative options out of the picture that could transform their musical experiences.?

The Toolbox

OK, so let's circle back to guitar and keyboard players for a minute. In church music, these two types of instrumentalists pour a significant part of their time and money into shaping their sound through instruments, effects, amplifiers, etc. This is all done to near-perfectly pinpoint tones that are relevant and intriguing for the listener.?

These types of players not only focus on bringing unique and "cool" sounds to the group, but they also make sure that everything has characteristic tone for the situation and that everything blends well. The result of "chasing tone" is players accumulate hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in gear.

For the singer, you can adapt to almost any situation with your voice without the need for fancy tech to make it work really well.

And it all comes down to:

• Diction (how your mouth/tongue shape words)
• Resonance (how your facial structure influences tone)
• Breath support (how your airflow adds interest)

For instance, in classical choral technique, we tend to use a "long" and "tall" mouth shape to get a warm vocal tone that primarily focuses on blending with others. You can think of it like this:

• Sing the syllable "ah" with a fairly normal mouth shape, not too long or wide.
• Now, sing "ah" again, but this time with a long, tall mouth shape, and pretend you're trying to "fog" a window pane with hot air.
• Next, sing "ah" with a wide smile on your face; your mouth shape won't be nearly as long and tall as before.?

Can you hear the immediate difference in tone? Just by changing the shape of your mouth, you can shape how "dark" (long/tall) and "bright" (wide/smiley) the tone is. Do the same experiment with other vowel shapes.?

Let's try another activity. Sing a major scale in these two ways:

• First, sing the scale with a rigid mouth shape. (Use "ah" again.)
• Next, sing the scale with the same syllable, but has you get higher in pitch, let your jaw drop slightly.?

Do you notice how the higher notes have more richness and resonance to them? This is because as you change pitch, your inside mouth shape (i.e., oral cavity) greatly affects the tone. If you close the mouth off, then the notes will sound closed off. If you open as you get higher, then notes will blossom more fully.

OK, here's another thing to try out:

• Sing "ah" again, keeping the natural vowel sound consistently present for about 4 counts/clicks.?
• Now, sing "hah," where you let the "h" consonant color the vowel all the way through.?

The result you're looking for is a "breath-y" tone, where you hear "ah," but with a whisper-like effect laid throughout.?

Where You Need to Use the Tools

Not every situation calls for the exact same kind of tone, whether you're a "lead" singer, background vocalist, or choir member. For instance, the tone I would use for leading modern CCM would greatly differ than how I would sing in a Southern gospel vocal quartet. Same thing goes for ensembles, i.e., black Gospel choirs vs. Western classical choirs.

Each situation calls for adapting your voice to blend well with the other singers and be in line with the overall style that's being presented. There are some cases where your individual style can go unchanged, especially as a guest/lead singer, but overall, you should be able to flexibly change your approach at a moment's notice.?

There's a trend where up-and-coming singers really solely on their individual stylings to deliver what they to believe to a "good" performance, but when placed within a group, there's often a mismatch that deflates or confounds the listening experience. What really catches the attention of other musicians and appreciative audience members is when you can channel your individuality through a filter that fits the present situation.?

In other words, for me, I can still sound like "me," regardless of style. I do this all the time between rock/country music gigs, occasional jazz crooning, and the weekly worship sets I lead at church.?

How You Can Improve

The best way to improve your vocal stylings is to listen, listen, listen—you should get the sound of each style in your "ear" so you have the right mental picture of what it should be.?

Then, work with a mentor or vocal coach to fine tune your approach, especially if you struggle to bring it all together.?

But really, you should develop an intimate knowledge of your voice and how it works. Once you explore the different ways you can influence your tone, just like a guitar or keyboard player adds effects, then you'll be able to switch gears at will and create more special moments in the music.?

Be blessed ????