The Singing Line is a series of lighthearted but informative articles
on many facets of singing technique. New articles appear regularly

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Talking is to Singing like Walking is to Ballet.  The average person walking down the street makes a decidedly different impression from that of a ballerina walking across the stage.  In singing, the short clipped words of normal speech have to give way to sustained vowel sounds.  And those vowels have to have resonance power to carry that singing line.  That is why you hear those mysterious ni-ne-na-no-nu sounds emanating from the noisy voice studio upstairs.  The vowels sounds carry the singing line. Got it?  Now you try it.  

First, try speaking these words normally :  O Shenandoah, I’m bound to leave you.  
Now, try stretching things out and simplifying the vowel sounds….something like:

Oooooooooooh Sheh  nahn doooh ahhhhh.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhim baaaaaaaaaaound tooooooooo  leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeave youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.
Feels weird, eh?

So, now, try singing it to the tune.  Nice!  You can try this approach on your favorite song by pretending to have a European accent (any country will do).  It is no substitute for actual voice lessons but it will give you a head start on the whole idea.

In  an earlier column you will recall some mention of The Singing Line.   This article builds upon the idea that singers must sing a "line" instead of thinking of one note at a time. We learned that Vowels carry the line.  So, the question which instantly presents itself is: "Where does that leave the consonants?"  Never Fear!  There is room for Consonants on the singing line.   There are two loose categories of consonants.  Each group of consonants interacts with vowels in a unique way to help perpetuate the line.  You may ask:  What are the two categories?  Salt and Pepper?  Well not exactly.  However one could easily draw a parallel or two in that direction!    In non-culinary terms, however, we could divide our p's and q's into Voiced and Un-Voiced groups.  So, what is a Voiced Consonant?  It is one that can vibrate at a pitch.  Try these for example… L, M, N, R, V, Z.  Go through the alphabet out loud and you will find some more.  Any of these can be sung on a pitch.  So, in practice, these consonants can share the breath energy of the vowels.  They both vibrate on a pitch and so can be joined, nay, united! on the singing line.  Un-Voiced Consonants, such as F, K, P, S, T, do not vibrate on a pitch…and so must receive a different - some might say more concentrated breath energy in order to function as part of the singing line.   Oooooh, things are getting pretty technical all of a sudden.  Suffice it to say, all consonants, of whatever flavor, must receive adequate breath energy in order to be good citizens of the line.  A neglected consonant can become a drag on the singing line!  So get out there and energize your consonants, people!  Long Live the Singing Line!

In the last issue of Take Note we discussed “The Singing Line”.  The more you think about the singing line….the more beautifully you will sing.   Now, I think it is high time we get to the root of the matter and discuss breath which is the foundation of the singing line.  Breath can be a tricky subject in itself….depending upon whether you decided to indulge in that Starbuck's Garlic-Tofu Latte as a part of your New Years Resolution to eat healthy.  All of that aside (please!), let's talk about breathing for singing.   Voice teachers all agree on at least one thing:  singers do breathe!  HA!  There are many ways to describe the process.  Here is one approach.  Try to make a sound without using breath.  If you manage it, I dare say it won't be a very pleasant one!  The vocal bands must receive the energy of the breath before they can vibrate.  That vibration is the beginning of the singing sound. First we will look at breathing from a physical point of view.  Try this: stand up and do a little panting….in-out in-out just a few times…the action centering down near your waist.  Relax a moment and silently let a breath come in right where that pant action took place.  This should cause a nice expansion of your “tank”: all around your body from sternum to hip.  Now, see if you can sigh this breath out in one big puff without collapsing around the ribs!  If you did this successfully, you probably noticed your lower abdominal muscles spring into action.  Aha!  Try that whole cycle again…except this time, hiss the breath out slowly….stretching out the exhalation as long as possible while maintaining your feeling of expansion.  If you did this successfully you have just started up the engine which makes the breath energy which in turn supports The Singing Line!  This breath energy must constantly respond to the needs of the line.  But that is not the end of it!  Breath is more than just a physical exercise…it also has a tie to the emotions.  I have come to believe that breathing for singing also requires major quantities of both optimism and stubbornness!   Optimism - to believe the breath really can last as long as you need it.  Stubbornness to maintain the breath energy even if your optimism runs low!  So ladies and gentlemen - singers all - start your engines….crank up the optimism…get out there and Sing!

Stay tuned next time for:  Are all words created equal?

» Are all Words Created Equal? «

Where were you when you took your last expansive breath?  Hopefully it wasn't too long ago.  In the last issue of Take Note we talked about how the breath supports the "Singing Line”.  If you've been an ardent reader of this space, you have begun to build an idea of how vowels and consonants inhabit the singing line which thrives on the energy of the breath!   I think you've got it!  Now, it is all well and good to sing beautiful vowels and spicy consonants on the ever expanding breath energy.  But what is one to do when faced with words and music?  How do we make the words and music live together on the singing line?   First, let's take the words.  In the classical tradition it is almost always true that the words were written before the music, and the music was, in turn, written for the words.  This order eliminates a lot of problems that would crop up if things were reversed.  But, even in the best compositions there are occasionally places where the word accent and the musical stress do not seem to agree.  Who wins?  In almost every case, the words have to win!  What we usually discover, when we follow the natural accent of the words, is that the composer was there before us and has actually used this little "pressure point" to create a nuance in the musical phrase.  Danger! This does not always apply to songs that have been translated out of their original language.  Depending upon the translator, you might find a bit too much nuance on your nuance!   I could give you all kinds of esoteric examples, but I'm saving that for my Doctoral Thesis: "Putting the emPHAsis on the right syLLAble".  Meanwhile, I challenge you to try this for yourself.  When you're singing along to your favorite song on the radio, be ever alert for the contest between words and music.  Remember, if you let the Words win, you may find a hidden clue to the real direction of the musical phrase! 

Stay tuned for the sequel……Are all Syllables Created Equal?

» Are all Syllables Created Equal? «

I readily admit that I am no constitutional scholar!  As such, I am not prepared to speak on the constitutional value of equality.  I can tell you that on The Singing Line, equality is a pretty scarce commodity!  In a recent column we learned that, when push comes to shove, words have clout over music in deciding where the stress lies.  We were relieved to learn that not only do most composers know about this contest between word accent and musical stress - they actually exploit it to enliven the Singing Line.   It is a true joy to sing music which is written with this awareness.  Thank you, Bach, Mozart, Mahler, Brahms, Schubert, Schumann, Wolf, Puccini, Poulenc, need I continue?   But I digress!  Equality can be a great thing when applied to "equal pay for equal work", or "equal protection under the law", or even equal division of candy bars among siblings.  The Singing Line, however, suffers a most grievous indignity if all syllables are sung as equals.  The artful singer must decide what will receive stress and thus….what will NOT receive stress!   Here is an exercise:  Take one phrase (the notes you will be singing on one single breath) and choose the word in that phrase which holds the greatest emotional power- the Color.  If it is a two syllable word, only the accented syllable will be the Color.  All other syllables in the phrase either lead up to or flow from the Color.  Please note:  The Color is not accented as such; it just acts as the focal point for the energy of the phrase.  This practice eliminates those pesky false-accents that steal the energy and poise from the Singing Line.  We'll try it on something familiar by Stephen Foster.  First, let's sing it as badly as possible with a big ol' stress on each and every syllable. 
Beau - ti - ful - drea - mer wake un - to me
I'm afraid the dream just changed to a nightmare!  Now we'll choose the Color.  It can be the accented syllable of any word in the phrase except, maybe, "unto".  
Beau-ti-ful Drea-mer, wake un-to me  With the first syllable as our Color…the rest of the words follow dreamily on the singing line, giving just the feeling the composer seems to want.  Or change to:  Beau-ti-ful Drea-mer, wake un-to me.  The phrase has a different emotional slant but still preserves the dreamy quality.   

When last we looked in upon The Singing Line we were busy with issues of syllables, stresses, and constitutional equality.  But it is February now.  And between the Super Bowl and Super Tuesday…it seems like a good time to leave the subject of stress for awhile.  HA!   Speaking of time, let's talk about late, early and right on time as it relates to the singing line.  Every musician is eventually faced with this issue of timing - how to arrive at the appointed place and time, sounding good and ready to be musical!  Anticipation of the movement of the musical line is a requirement for all musicians.  We require adequate lead time to be physically, mentally and cosmically ready for a musical entrance.   (Pause here for aura adjustment as necessary.)  While this lead time may be only an instant in linear time (where did I leave my quantum physics handbook?) it is crucial in making an effective musical entrance.  For singers, things such as breath preparation, diction, pitch, rhythmic preparation and the emotional climate of the text may make it a challenge to actually be on time.  The singer who does not develop this internal timing will embody that old Pennsylvania Dutch saying…"the hurrier I go, the behinder I get."  Musical singers start the initial consonant early enough so that the ensuing vowel is heard on time.  While this is especially important to the beginning of a phrase, it applies to every word in the phrase as well!  Pianists who are skilled at collaborating with singers learn to listen for the vowel when determining what the singer is doing with the musical line.  If the singer persists in putting the consonant on the beat - thus making the vowel late, the pianist will dutifully slow down, waiting for the vowel to appear.  If this practice continues….a formerly recognizable song may begin to resemble Theater of the Absurd….see Waiting for the Vowel.    Speaking of waiting…I am anxiously waiting for Spring to appear.  When it does, we will continue to unravel this mystery of musical time and timing as it relates to the Singing Line.