I’ve spent a lot of time on both sides of the audition table, and, as you can imagine, I have a few opinions.  Here are a couple of points I’d like to make about what people sing.

Point 1 – Having technique problems does not mean you’re a dramatic sized voice.

I’ve seen this countless times – someone sings too heavily, pushing the voice in a way that sounds big on the inside, but outside?  Not so much.  Because of this, they cannot sing works that are lyrical and demanding and appropriate for them, and so feel they are ready for the dramatic sized roles.  They are aided and abetted by teachers who only know voices in small rooms, who went to one school for undergrad, grad, and then joined the faculty at that same school.

If you can sing Puccini, but not Verdi, you may need to fix things.  Puccini fits very easily into the voice – his phrases tend to start high and descend.  That is why everyone starts with “Caro mio ben” – it is easy to sing those lines.  Verdi, on the other hand, starts in the middle and goes up, which takes some real chops.  You can’t get away with anything in Verdi, or Mozart, or a lot of French rep, and so they come highly recommended!

How to know?  All the big-voiced people I know and have worked with say they feel like they’re doing nothing, not working at all.  If you feel like you’re pushing your voice, if you get tired before three hours, if you can’t sustain the high-flying phrases, get some help.  Look in the mirror.  If everything in your neck is sticking out when you sing, if your tongue is up like a cobra, you need to fix it.  Find someone, a conductor, coach or teacher, who has experience with real world voices.   Bob Spillman said it at Eastman years ago, and it still holds true:  When you get to a new city, work with the coaches first.  They know who the good teachers are.  And contact me

Point 2 – Who will hire you for what?

This will take some real soul-searching, but can help tremendously in repertoire choices.  When you look at a role, ask yourself what companies do this opera, and whom do they hire?  You could also ask yourself if you want to sing in big houses or small houses.  I think it’s better to do small roles in big houses than large roles in little ones.

Now, there are some arias that are good for Opera Pops events and the like, but are from operas that are seldom done.  I’m thinking pieces like that baritone aria from Die Tode Stadt.  First of all, the opera is never done.  Second of all, it has nothing to do with the rest of the baritone repertoire.  So, don’t bring it to an audition, unless they’re doing Korngold.  Same with “Zaza, piccola zingara” or “Nobles Seigneurs” etc.  Good arias for a party, but not for auditions.

In master classes I’ve given, auditions I’ve heard, and opera concerts I’ve conducted, I’ve had lots of mezzos want to do Dalila.  So, who does this opera?  Big houses with an orgiastic ballet.  There are only three roles in it, basically, so they’ll spend real money.  Also, the orchestra is big and thick, so even for opera love-ins it is difficult.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t experiment, explore new repertoire, find some new niche.  But, you should do your homework, and research the companies you’re auditioning for.  What operas to they do?  Who have they used in the past? Where would you fit in?

In the end, what to bring to auditions?  Some questions to ask yourself:

What do I do best?

What are they hiring for?

Who have they cast in the past?

For me, I’d rather tell someone, “Hey, you should try this” instead of “You shouldn’t have done that.”

As you have probably guessed from Breath #2, I’m a believer in abdominal breathing. There is some expansion of the rib cage and lower back when you inhale, but there just aren’t the muscles there to get the air out again and support a singing tone.

First, to recap:

Posture:
• The ribs are lifted and loose, and the shoulders are relaxed. If you’re wearing your deltoids as earrings, all is not as it should be!
• Lots of room between the ribs and the pelvis.
• Nothing is locked. We’re talking Opera – you must be able to move!

Inhalation:
The diaphragm flattens out, expanding the lungs to bring in the air, and pushing out everything beneath the ribcage.

And now, Exhalation:
The abdominal muscles are the major muscles of exhalation. Yes, the intercostals can squeeze the ribcage, but not much, and without a lot of control. When you pull in the abdominals, the lower abdomen acts like a piston, pushing up on the diaphragm and expelling the breath.

Try this: Take a loose, low breath as I have described, using the diaphragm to fill the lungs and push out the abdominal muscles. Then, from about your belt buckle, make like you’re blowing out a candle. Not too hard, but you can get the air to move pretty quickly, while keeping your throat, jaw, tongue, etc., loose. It may take a few tries to keep it all loose, but this is important!

This action should use all of the abdominal muscles, all the way to the pelvis. Although she was not overly shy, Miss Repp would say, “I breathe so low, I can’t tell you.”

Control:
Now, just using the abdominals would cause the lungs to empty pretty quickly, and without a lot of control. This control is imposed by using the diaphragm as well as the abdominals to control the airflow. It must not be a tightening of the throat, or hoping the vocal cords can control it.

Now, try this: Take another nice, low breath, then tighten your abdominals and your diaphragm at the same time, so that no air escapes. Keep your neck loose and don’t try to stop the air with your vocal cords. I’ve fixed many damaged voices, and don’t want to cause any!

Do it again, but first put your fingers just below your sternum. When you tighten the abdominal muscles and diaphragm, that part just below the sternum, called the epigastrium, will push out. There are no muscles right there, and so nothing to resist the push of the abdominals. (This is where you push for the Heimlich Maneuver)

So, using the ‘dynamic tension’ between these two sets of muscles (with a nod to Charles Atlas), you can control the airflow to a very fine degree.

Here’s an exercise: Take a nice low breath. Engage the abdominals and diaphragm, then make a long, light, smooth “ssss” while trying to keep everything from the neck up loose and easy. If you do this without engaging the abdominals and diaphragm, you will probably hear your heartbeat in the hiss. This will really show you the control you have, and the control you may need to work toward.

In conclusion:
• Keep the posture up, open and loose
• Use the diaphragm to expand everything between the ribs and the pelvis unopposed for inhalation
• Use the abdominals to get the air to flow through the voice, controlled by the diaphragm

Using the diaphragm and abdominal muscles to control the breathing in this way will allow the rest of the vocal apparatus to relax and do its work – creating beautiful, expressive singing.

In a future posting, I will talk about when there are problems in the way. Not just bad habits, but injured abdominals, asthma, pregnancy, etc.

But next time, I think I’ll talk about repertoire.

Let’s start with generalities, and then get more specific.  Again, this is an experiential approach – what the singer should feel – but informed by the technical knowledge of what is actually going on.

• Air flow makes the sound, not air pressure.
• Faster air makes for higher notes.
• More air flowing makes for louder notes.
• If the breathing apparatus isn’t controlling the flow, the singing apparatus has to, causing tension in the tongue, jaw, throat, etc.

Let me dilate on these a bit:

“Air flow makes the sound, not air pressure.”

This is true not only of the air flow sustaining the pitch, but air flow starting the note.

Air flowing through the vocal folds keeps them flapping in the breeze, causing the vibrations that come to us as a singing tone.  If there is a feeling of pressure in the throat, that feeling comes from tension.  Of course there is a pressure differential across the vocal folds, or there would be no air flow!  However, if you feel that pressure, you are either extremely sensitive, or tight.

Starting the tone should involve air flow as well.  This goes back to the Bernoulli Effect, where air that’s moving has a lower pressure than stationary air.  Essentially, if the vocal folds are close but not touching, and the singer causes the air to flow between them, the moving air will suck the folds together to start the sound.  Otherwise, the vocal folds are closed, pressure builds up, and the air punches through, causing a glottal plosive or glottal slap, which is as violent a process as the name sounds.  This will harm the voice in no time, and it is about the only thing I won’t let anyone get away with.

These next two are from Miss Repp.  I have not yet found reference, one way or the other, in Vennard, Tosi, etc.  However, they do work!

“Faster air makes for higher notes.”

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  Like the pig in the ad.

When you slide the voice up and down like this, loosely, you can feel how the air moves as you get higher.  Try it with a variety of vowels!

Now, the air doesn’t speed up as you get higher, the pitch gets higher as the air speeds up.  That may seem like picky word play, but the concept is very useful, especially if someone seems to approach high notes like squeezing toothpaste out of a tube.

“More air flowing makes for louder notes.”

Again, it is not the amount of muscle that someone is using, but the amount of energy in the airflow that determine the basic volume of the sound.  This is not to be confused with the resonance that gets the voice to carry over an orchestra, which must be there from ppp to fff.  That is for another discussion altogether, but the breath has to be working well first.

Putting these two thoughts together, singing high notes softly requires less air going quickly.  We’ll talk more about this when we get to registration.

“If the breathing apparatus isn’t controlling the flow, the singing apparatus has to, causing tension in the tongue, jaw, throat, etc.”

Something has to control the sound.  If the control is not from a well formed breath, then vocal tension will happen.

The flip side of this is that if you try to loosen the tongue, for instance, and don’t replace whatever control the tongue was trying to exert over the sound with well formed breath, then if you can get the tongue loose (which is unlikely) something else will take over, moving the tension to the jaw or the throat.

Well, I had hoped to get to the physicality of breath, but this post is already too long!  Next time, we’ll talk about just where and how to breathe.

Inhalation

Breathing?  Nothing to it!  Just in, out, repeat, right?

Generally, yes.  However, for singing we need a bit more control.

The breathing process I will describe here is operatic, designed for voices that need to fill a theater of 4,000 seats with full orchestra, unamplified.  A lot of breath energy is needed.  At the end (probably next time), I’ll talk about differences in breathing for what good opera singers call “microphonistas,” or those who operate in the opera world relying on amplification, as well as many theater, jazz, etc., singers.

I had planned to have this posting just about inhalation, but I find it hard to talk about “in” without some “out.”  I’ll see what I can do.

Okay – we have a lifted, loose, energetic posture, with room between the ribs and the pelvis.  When the lungs fill, everything around them is pushed out – the ribs will expand a bit, the stomach moves out and even the lower back will expand a little.  For the anatomically curious, the intercostal muscles (between the ribs –  what we munch on when we order spare ribs) help expand the rib cage, and the diaphragm muscle expands everything below the ribs.  This expands the lungs, drawing in a lot of air.  (For anatomical geeks like me, read Vennard)

The shoulders must not rise.  The only muscles that can pull up the shoulders are in the neck, which needs to stay loose.

Let’s talk diaphragm.  It’s a dome shaped muscle at the bottom of the rib cage, basically horizontal, that separates the heart and lungs above from the stomach and everything else below.  It is the major muscle of inhalation – when if flattens out it opens the lungs, sucking in air.  In the process, it pushes out everything below:  abdominal muscles, sides and back.  If you put your hands on your waist, thumbs forward, fingers toward the spine, bend over 90 degrees, and inhale, you will feel the back expand.

Some people talk a lot about back breathing.  As we saw above, the back will expand when you inhale correctly.  I sometimes will use this with new students – have them go through the exercise at 90˚ to feel the back expand, then have them try for the same expansion standing up.  It is useful to get a low breath and stop a heaving chest.  However, there are no muscles of exhalation in the lower back, which we will talk about more when we get to exhalation next time.

Likewise, the sides will expand a bit, but the bulk (personally, pun intended) of the work is done in front.  The abdominal muscles will distend, and it is helpful to think of the expansion all the way from the ribs to the pelvis.  My last teacher, Miss Ellen Repp, used to say, “I breathe so low, I can’t tell you.”

Breathing in this manner can be very relaxing.  Think of it – if you’re breathing with the shoulders raised, every inhalation produces tension.  Not so good for the beginning of a phrase.  However, if, at the end of the phrase, your ribcage is still open but your abdominals are pulled in, if you just let go of the abdominal muscles, your belly will drop and your lungs will fill, assisted by the diaphragm flattening out.

Try this – stretch out your arms to keep your ribcage up and open (and loose!), and exhale by pushing in your abdominals.  Really give them a squeeze!  Now, when your lungs are empty, drop your belly and get a good breath.  Relaxing, isn’t it?

Now that we have a good breath, next time I’ll talk about the use of the breath in singing.

Breath gives us life.  The German word atmen, or breath, is closely related to the Sanskrit atman, or soul (originally, breath.  They noticed that when someone dies, the breath leaves the body, hence, soul.).  We get the English word atmosphere from this root.

Without breath, there is no life or soul.  Without good breathing, there can be no good singing.

How

The ‘how’ can be easily conceptualized, but can be difficult to put into practice.  There are just a few parts to it, but they can be counterintuitive.  They are posture, inhalation, exhalation.  Easy, eh?

I’m going to discuss all this at the experiential level.  If you want to get into the exact musculature and skeletal structure, I couldn’t do better than Vennard.

Today I’ll talk about Posture

If your posture is like a question mark, there could be room for improvement.  You should have a lot of room between your ribs and your pelvis for the expansion that good breathing needs.

The ribcage should be up and open, like when you stand with your arms outspread. My massage therapist says, “Lead with your heart.”   It is a lifted, but loose and energetic, posture.  It must not be locked or tense.

The relationship between the head, neck, and ribcage is important.  Probably the most important part of it is that it should all stay loose and energetic.  If the head has to be locked in one position to sing, there is room for improvement!  I know, I know, some folks believe in the chin to the chest approach, and others like the shoulders raised, and yet others seem to only be able to sing if the head is slightly to the left or right.  To me, all of these seem to come from tension, and do not help a good singing tone.

I once performed with a baritone whose chin had to be pulled to his right shoulder when he sang.  If he was crossing from stage left to stage right, he sang upstage!  Not only did this get in the way of his performance, but he made an ugly noise.

So, what about the head and neck?  The head should generally be looking straight ahead, not up or down, but (dare I say it?) loose and energetic.  Watching singers I’ve admired, like Luciano Pavarotti or Theo Adam, the head is mobile and they are always moving side to side, at least a little.  We’ll talk more about this, but you should be able to move your head fully from side to side while singing throughout your range.

Once this relationship between the various parts is in place, the rest of the body can do almost anything.  When I sang Rodolfo, I used to play a game with myself and see just how far I could slump in my chair in Momus and still hit the high B at the end of the Quando m’en vo ensemble.  We’ve all seen operatic performances where the singers got into all kinds of positions with no problems singing, which is always better than those singers who always have to stand just so, and put on a veneer of acting.

So, the foundation of good singing is breathing, and the foundation of good breathing is the postural relationship between the rib and pelvis, and the head, neck, and ribs.  Next time, we’ll tackle filling the tank.

Breathing is good for you. Here’s why:

With good breath support, the voice can be free, resonant, clear, open, loose and beautiful. Without it, all of these are compromised.

“Support” is a great word for this process; it is the foundation of good technique.

Something has to control the sound, create the pitch, and fill the room. If breath support isn’t doing it, something else will take over. This will always lead to tension in the tongue, but also the jaw and throat. If you try to loosen the tongue without replacing that tongue control with breath, something else will just get tight.  Your range won’t be what it should be, dynamics and color will be monotonous, and vibrato will be out of control.

With good support, the larynx can relax open, giving the voice a clear, resonant sound. The open larynx (space between the hyoid bone and the thyroid cartilage) is what gives the voice that extra overtone (the singer’s formant, around 2800 cycles/second) that fills the theater over an orchestra. You may feel it in the “mask” but it comes from the open larynx.

With proper support, the tongue and lips are free to clearly articulate the vowels and consonants. Singing must be communication, otherwise, play the kazoo!

When the vocal apparatus is loose, it will respond to and express the emotions in the text and the music. You will then be able to fully engage your audience in the story, rather than the process.

That’s why. How is next time!

Sing well,

Phil

BTW, I can give footnotes, if you wish…

Back to Voice Studio

Luciano Pavarotti once said you should “always remember your first lesson.”  He must have had a terrific teacher, because I didn’t get what I now consider to be “First Principals” until well after college, many teachers after that first lesson.

For instance, it wasn’t until I was already singing professionally that a teacher told me the voice should be loose.  And it wasn’t until I worked with Ellen Repp in NYC that I learned what support really should be, and what an open sound really is.  Sure, lots of people talk about “support” and an “open sound” but without defining how it works, or getting the student to actually DO it.

So, this blog is to be a rumination and discussion about those first principals.  Let’s talk!