Thank you for the detailed response to my previous question. It was quite a pleasure to be able to read something of a scientific and analytical approach.
I was wondering if you could give me advice on a more personal vocal problem. It seems that I am unable to sing past my second passagio, quite a frustrating phenomenon! After some careful observation, it seems that if I adopt an open relaxed throat, I consistently flip into my falsetto around the primo passagio. This seems to indicate to me that I have been muscling my way up. This becomes evident the closer and closer I approach my second passagio, as my voice begins to show audible signs of strain until it cannot phonate properly. Is there any advice you can give that possibly can help me sing above the primo passagio and eventually the second passagio with a relaxed throat?
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I’m glad you appreciated my answer. This next question about the passaggio is really the fundamental issue to resolve for all of us. It is the answer to completing our voice throughout the range.
Unfortunately there is no one answer to this issue. It is dependent on the overall coordination. The perfect attack has an important role. As does proper resonance form and breathing coordination. All of these are influenced by our posture as well.
So there is no short answer to your question except to just do everything correctly. A couple things that I can say to explore that can help would be make sure to round your vowel form/mouth as you ascend. This will help to keep the resonance inside, which reinforces the upper register and will help to allow the voice to adjust.
Also, learn to listen to what your body is telling you, like you are starting to do. On the surface it seems like flipping into falsetto is a problem. But really the body is telling you what it needs to do. The voice can’t go through the range in just one register. The upper register needs to be strengthened and connected. Otherwise you will have to resort to muscling the lower register up. Which is strenuous and uncomfortable.
In a way it is similar to what other wind instruments have with their register key. I also often compare it to a string instrument in the way they change strings for a new range. We change the adjustment of the voice. This allows us to phonate a new range of pitches without strain. If we don’t make the adjustment we will feel discomfort and hit a ceiling.
Another point I want to make is be clear about what you mean by “relaxed throat”. Of course we don’t want the strain you describe. But we also don’t want the larynx to be asleep. There needs to be free activity in all of the parts of the body involved. If something gets lazy it will cause the other parts to have to work harder. That is ultimately what causes strain – inappropriate relaxation.
So make sure your larynx is freely pronouncing the vowel/pitch at all times. Never rely on just the breath to do the work. The breath works with the larynx. Together they create the tone. If the larynx is not active the registers will be unlikely to adjust. That is why the perfect attack – or coup de glotte – is so important. Without it the larynx stays passive and doesn’t make its adjustments.
I hope this helps some. I did my best. But we are starting to get into the territory that cannot be answered only through words and descriptions. It has to be experienced with a guide. Best of luck. Let me know if anything doesn’t make sense.
Hi Bart, thanks for your questions. I don’t know if I really have answers for you. Everyone has their own opinions and beliefs based on what makes sense to them. And that is what I recommend to others. Concepts that don’t make sense don’t really help anyone. So it needs to make sense to you.
Having said that, there are some things that we can observe while we use our voice that seem to be natural behaviors of the voice. One thing is slight changes in the sensation of the resonance as well as the vibration as we ascend in pitch. That is generally what people have referred to as registers.
A key thing to recognize, though, is the amount of change is dependent on how balanced the production of the voice is. If there is a big change it is a symptom of a lack of completeness in the function of the voice. This is why it is recommended to not try to make the registers exist and strive for a feeling of continuous, balanced vocalization.
A pitfall with that objective is the tendency to keep a fixed, stiff condition of the mechanism while singing higher. This causes discomfort and difficulty getting through the range.
So the general opinion that I have found to make sense is that there are different conditions of vocal cord vibration and resonance in the different levels of the range. These have traditionally been called registers.
But they should not be obviously noticeable. That for me is the key. They exist but shouldn’t be noticeable. But if we don’t allow slight changes we will risk losing flexibility and ease of the voice.
So I don’t really agree that there is only one register. There is only pure vibration, but that vibration changes size for pitch and there are noticeable degrees of difference.
But a lot depends on how we are defining these things. And people tend to not define things in the same way. So I recommend doing what makes sense and works for you.
The throat should be open. I don’t think that is something anyone can argue with. But again, it depends on how that is defined. The modern approach tends to try to control and determine everything consciously. We have lost a lot of sensitivity and naturalness of behavior.
I think that is a big reason why there is so much confusion about things. Most attempts to open the throat actually just change the condition of it so it is essentially closed in a different way.
I find it best to establish a clear sensation of relaxed breathing and train ourselves to keep that condition while singing. Including the whole airway, especially the nasal passages like when breathing through the nose.
The issue with vibrato is again, one of definition. What passes as vibrato very often is too large to qualify as a natural vibrato. This kind of movement is closer to a wobble or tremelo.
A natural vibrato has a shimmering quality that was often referred to as “spinning”. So there is definitely a good kind and a negative kind. But I don’t believe anyone ever intended the voice to be completely “straight” with no vibrancy.
This is a common mistake made by “period” musicians trying for an accurate representation of early music singers. The problem is straight tone is accomplished by holding the throat closed to some degree and this can be harmful to the voice. I always encourage a “steady” tone but not straight.
The issue with singers using more breath is because there is no longer an emphasis on pure vibration. In fact, the opposite is often encouraged. This is the problem with too much flow of breath in the modern model of vocalism.
It is this excess breath in the production of the voice that causes the excessive vibrato that is disagreeable. It also causes the voice to be unsteady and lack ease. Then there is the obvious effect of more breath means difficulty with long phrases.
Hope these ideas help with these topics for you.
Hi,
I have a couple of questions.
I always find it strange when modern vocal teachers talk about chest, middle and head voice when the old school belcanto teachers said that: “Hence the tone is always pure, floating on the breath and there are no breaks in the voice, as there are sure to be when the training if the voice is based on three separate registers. There is only one register, one place, one way to sing.
There are three different resonances, which have been misunderstood for registers of the voice. Chest resonance, medium resonance, right in the face, and head resonance.”
http://www.voice-talk.net/2013/05/the-lamperti-method-of-singing-resume.html
So how come modern vocal teachers use the idea of separate registers when this conflicts with the natural functioning of the voice (one register, 3 major resonances)?
One other thing that i don’t quite understand is open throat: modern teachers talk about establishing an open throat when the old school belcanto teachers believed that the throat is always in an open position when functioning normaly, could you shed some light on this.
http://www.schoolofoldbelcanto.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=3&Itemid=3#The_open_throat
I would also like to ask you something about vibrato. This is also a topic the old school belcanto teachers and modern vocal teachers differ on. Modern teachers seem to think that vibrato is a byproduct of the natural functioning of the voice but the old school belcanto teachers didn’t.
http://www.schoolofoldbelcanto.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=3&Itemid=3#Vibrato
What’s the truth about vibrato?
What also puzzeles me is that modern singers use more breath then the singers form the 15 to 18 century era. How come modern singers need more air then the old generation singers.
Thanks in advance for answering my questions