Singing Tips from Annette Palmer

About the Author

Vocal Coach Annette Palmer While studying music with voice as her major at the University of Southern California, Annette was also a private classical student with renown solist, Suzanne Wilke of "Roger Wagner Chorale" fame. Annette's credits include big band performances with the Harry Hershey Orchestra and the Capri Band of Cleveland, and has held leading roles in musicals such as "Carousel", "Show Boat", "The Music Man", "Cinderella", and others. She teaches beginning and advanced music theory at the HEARTS Institute of Cleveland, and has been a private vocal coach for 10 years in Ohio.

Feature Article with Singing Tips

THE BIG FOUR PRINCIPLES of SINGING

by Annette Palmer

1. SINGING IS INTONATED SPEECH.

You must use YOUR natural vowels. If it doesn't sound natural - it's wrong!

Many people make perfectly trained tones when speaking. But when singing, often they put their voice in a different "place" in their body, distorting the tones or allowing them to fall back or lose support. If one can imagine calling out to friends down the street "Hi.........!!" or "Hey!.....!" this usually ends up perfectly placed in a forward position and supported, which is the ultimate goal of singers. . Singing is a VERY natural function - as natural is speaking! Stay lose when you sing, as when you speak! Relaxation is key!

2. SINGING TAKES GUTS!
Speaking with support usually happens naturally, BUT sustaining tones as in singing, takes energy, strength, determination, and allot of guts! There is no place for timidity for singers! Moreover, performing requires an even more determined person! Sometimes, one may pursue voice and performance, but if not driven naturally, this may take years to develop, if at all.

3. WE HAVE TWO VOICES - HEAD AND CHEST VOICE-

The speaking area is commonly called "chest voice". The head voice starts with an "mixed" area called "Passagio". A small amount of "true head" voice is added to the chest voice as it progresses upward until it ends up truly in the pure head range. The passagio, in this teacher's opinion is the most powerful and emotional range for a contemporary singer.

For tenors, the passagio area begins around Eb above middle C . For Baritones, around middle C. For sopranos, aprox F or G above Middle C - For contraltos, (they are rare!) somewhat lower, possibly around D.

For men, "Falsetto" is the area higher than G or A for Baritones and B or C for Tenors, that is their "unnatural" speaking or singing voice. It is high and often sounds womanly. Men often use this in jesting or for special effects in some songs.

4. TWO MAIN MUSCLE GROUPS PRODUCE A TRAINED VOICE -

First the diaphragm which is located in front of the stomach area and allows for not only protection for main organs, but also allows air to flow in and out of the lungs. for singers, this breath generated from the diaphragm, allows the best support (as opposed to a short breath, generated high in the chest). When the diaphragm is used, the stomach area expands and the rest of the body stays dormant. If other muscles get involved to create the breath, the support is not maximized.

Second, the throat area, where the uvula is located is a cluster of muscles that must arch the throat area enough to produce the proverbial "open" throat for singing. This becomes then, a perfect open pipeline for voice produced from the vocal chord vibrations, supported by the breath created from the diaphragm.

My best to you in your singing pursuits!
Annette Palmer
voiceteacher@webtv.net

For Annette's students spring 2006: Recommended Karaoke - FROM POCKET SONGS: Sing the Songs of WICKED $24.95. This CD uses synthesizer-produced tracks and attempts to simulate the cast album, while the Stage Stars version includes an orchestra and some fresh orchestrations. The "For Good" on the Pocket Songs CD is a little smoother than on the Stage Stars version (In the webmaster's opinion). It is non-graphic - i.e. without the lyrics.

Buy it from Amazon.com: Sing The Songs of Wicked

OR check out Pocket songs huge collection: search for "Wicked" at: Pocket Songs- Visit Pocketsongs.com for an Wide array of albums - Sing the Songs of the Shows

For Wicked sheet music see

Musicalschwartz.com/wicked-piano-vocal.htm

See also Crowd-Pleasers - Songs for Piano Bars/Open Mics - by Eric Brown

To send suggestions, comments, or questions write to info@musicalsingers.com with QUESTION or COMMENT in the subject line.