Voice Coaching For Singing: Method Vs. Vocal Style

In the ten years that I have been functioning as a vocal coach & vocal instructor, there seems to have been some consistent confusion about vocal technique; which method is right and which one isn't, which vocal technique works efficiently & which doesn't, what technique is actually for and how it relates to style, etc...

Some say method is not that important not very useful, some will even say doing voice warm ups and scales is wrong and is not beneficial at all. I've even heard some say performing stylistic nuances such as falsetto or the growl is wrong and should not be done, but yet there a so many singers that happen to be singing successfully for generations using these stylistic nuances and have done so without damaging their voices.

These ideas are consistently flying around and I have found that it can be a daunting experience for any singer who is trying to find the best course of action where voice instruction for singing is concerned.

So what is vocal style and what is vocal method? Which vocal strategy is the right one and how can you be sure that stylistically you are using your voice well and not damaging your voice?

I would like to break my humble opinion down like this:

Technique is about understanding your vocal instrument and learning to be in control of it skillfully. Style is about expressing yourself freely with the skill you have acquired technically. 'Good' technique is present to help explore & exploit your style and style can be implemented in a healthy or unhealthy way.

Good vocal technique

What is good vocal method and what does it look like, feel like and sound like?

Here are some pointers that can help guide you to answering these questions for yourself. Good vocal method should:

1. Work in alignment with how the whole voice system functions mechanically and should be supported by sound vocal science and logic.

2. Incorporate a sound understanding of the vocal organs and their functions.

3. Be free of any unwanted hindrances or interference: Freedom is a fundamental champion of good vocal technique.

4. Certify that singing develops breathing, not breathing, singing: breathing is not the be all and end all of singing, it is important but it is not the sovereign faculty that develops the voice.

5. Educate on understanding resonance & the law of vocal acoustics rather than on brute force in order to emphasize volume and loudness.

6. Encourage the use of the entire range of the voice from "chest" to "middle" to "head" and descending from "head" to "middle" & back to "chest".

Chest and head voice are terms universally adopted by singing teachers & vocal coaches to help singers understand what they are feeling but they are not correct scientific terms.

The term middle voice and the term mix voice are also common terms used to describe the sympathetic vibration singers feel when they sing certain higher notes.

7. Essentially good method should always aim to get the voice operating and sounding like one register or one even sound. Think of running your finger up and down the white keys of a piano and how the tone of the notes do not change but blend into one another as one.

Myth buster

Vocal exercises are great and an extremely useful tool in learning how to improve your voice and understand your voice particularly if you are new to singing but just because you can vocalize well does not mean that you are necessarily ready to handle a song just as well. It's certainly a stepping-stone within the right direction but they are usually still only routine based, isolated sounds.

The jump from isolated sounds to actual language can feel like a big jump, so when one is voice instruction for singing, your voice teacher should at the right time incorporate exercises that use different scales perhaps and that most importantly use language whether it is dummy language (just made up) or specific lyrics taken from a song you are studying.

Summary

In Part 2 of my Vocal method vs. Vocal style article, I'll be talking about Vocal style and what it looks like, feels like and sounds like?

Joshua Alamu is a professional voice coach with over ten years' experience as a singing teacher within the music and television industry and a voice coach for the BBC's talent show, "The Voice UK" - series 1 and 2.

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