Choral singing – Keep your voice healthy
All too often singers develop problems with their voices which could have been prevented by a little knowledge applied at the right time. Today I’m going to try to provide a few simple guidelines that I hope will help spare some of you the frustration of having your voice go out on you at a […]
Choral singing – surviving the Long Concert
Most choir directors know better, but every once in a while they go a little crazy and put together a program that has the choir members singing at the extremes of their vocal capacity, both in terms of range and dynamics. As a singer, how do you cope with the fatigue? What can you do […]
Choral singing – what about the text?
Have you ever gone to a choir concert that seemed uninspired and lifeless? Chances are you have, even if the sound was well blended and perfectly on pitch. Today we’re going to take a look at another part of the whole puzzle – the text. As a singer the music you perform is more than […]
Blending the choir – part 2
Achieving a good choral sound can be a challenge, particularly in an amateur choir. Many of the voices are underdeveloped, or the singers have had little formal training since leaving school, and it can be somewhat like herding cats to get the choir to sound like an ensemble. Many choir directors try to accomplish this […]
Blending the choir – part 1
Many people who listen to our choir comment on how each section sounds like one voice. This is not by accident, or good luck, but is a tribute to the work our director puts in on fine-tuning the choir. It takes a well-trained ear to match voices so they reinforce the sound he is after, […]
Choral singing – How to have a productive rehearsal
If you have been singing very long at all you have experienced at least one rehearsal which frustrated you because of its lack of accomplishment. Today we’re going to take a look at what it takes to have a productive rehearsal – a necessity for producing an excellent concert. Be on time. One of the […]
Choral singing – Tone Production
Tone Production What makes a good tone? Generally, in Western culture a good vocal tone is considered to be one which is full, clear, and audible. A good vocal tone should not be stident, shrill, scratchy, or breathy. It should also not sound “forced” or “strained,” but instead should sound as if it flows effortlessly […]
Choral singing – Breath Management in Singing
Breath Management in Singing by David L. Jones Alan Lindquest once told me to take a thimble full of breath and put it in the lower back. It is important for us to understand what this statement really means. Most singers take “too much breath under the upper rib cage and blow most of it […]
Choral singing – Extending your vocal range (lower)
I am often asked how I sing so low. (I am a bass.) The short answer is that I just open my mouth and sing the notes. Of course, there is a bit more to it than that. A naturally low voice helps, but my normal range is not that much lower than most good […]
Choral singing – Extending your vocal range (higher)
One of the biggest challenges facing most singers is the high end of the voice: those notes which are at or slightly above the range where singing is comfortable. Often that part of the voice sounds strained, or if abused too often becomes permanently strident. This is not good. As a young bass, my voice […]