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Here we are starting a brand new year. That means we will be making resolutions and I hope practicing the new vocal techniques will be one of them. We have covered a lot of information this passed year and yet we still have a lot more to share with you, so let's get started on 2003.

In the last two articles we have talked about most of the vowels but there are four more we want to add to those. The first one is the "Short O" sound. We want to sing it as "AH," such as the word "lost", we would sing it "L-ah-st." When you hold on the word "lost" you would hold on the "AH" sound and sing the "st" as you come off the word. One more example is the word "for," to modify it you would sing "f-ah-r." You can not sing "f-or." When you do it will bring the tongue and the soft palate together and we know that we can't do that when we sing.

The next sound is the "Long U." To change this sound we want to use "oo" instead. For instants the word "you" is sung "y-oo". Singing the letter "U" closes everything down, again. Another example is the word "true." We want to sing "tr-oo." I know it sounds strange to say the word but when we sing it the audience will hear the word "true." Remember this is for pitch purposes and when you are talking the word pitch is not envolved. Diction is what will make the difference to your audience.

Let's talk about a sound now that you will find often in songs that we sing and that is the "Short U or UH" sound. This will be changed to "AH." Like the word "Jesus", we want to sing "Je-z-ah-z. Remember we want to change "s" to the "z" sound so that we take the "hiss" out of the word. And the "UH" becomes "AH." This keeps the jaw from jutting forward, that we don't want to do. Try another word like "but," change it to "b-ah-t." The "ah" keeps the mouth open and the placement in the same area. We don't want to move the placement around once we have it in the right area.

The last sound we want to cover is "OW" (ah-oo). You don't want to close the mouth until you are coming off of the word. Think of it like a clock and sing the sound all the way around from 12:00 to 12:00. Don't stop singing at 6:00, but continue all the way around and be sure to keep the mouth in the same position as when you start and that will keep the placement in the same area. And example would be the word "sound". Sing it "s-ah-nd", be sure to put the letter "N" and "D" together just as you are coming off of the word. The second example of this is the word "how". Sing "h-ah-w", leaving the "W" sound as you close the word off and start to go to the next word in the phrase.

I know that it takes a lot of thought and practice to change to the correct modifications. But it will make your singing so effortless that it will be worth it. This will keep it out of the throat and will stop that throat
pain and fatigue that you have been experiencing.

Next month we will cover some of the consonants that must be modified. We will also modify a verse of a song for you so that you can see how it all comes togther. May God richly bless you this next year. Until next month, keep singing His praises!

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I can't believe that Christmas time is here again. It is time for all the Christmas Music and a great time to start using those vowel modifications that we have been talking about in last months article. We want to continue with more of the vowels this month,too. I hope you have been practicing the ones that we covered last month.

We want to pick up with the "Long I" (ah-ee) sound. We change it by singing "AH" and omitting the "ee" from the sound. We want to sing it almost as a single sound rather than a word. An example would be the word "I", we sing it "I-AH." Simply drop the jaw and make the "AH" sound, do not close the mouth or change the position once you open for the "AH". By changing the mouth position you will go flat on the note. Another example is the word "my," sing it "m-ah." Do not sing m-ah-ee. This closes the mouth and lets the soft palate fall and the tongue go up to meet it and that makes the tone go flat. A third example is the word "lie." Sing the word "l-ah." Remember to drop the jaw straight down and keep the lips in verticle position and do not let the lips go horizontal.

The next vowel is the "Short I" sound. We want to change it to"EH" sound. Change words like "if" it is to be sung "eh-f." The short I sound makes the mouth go horizontal and makes it impossible to drop the jaw. Another example for this is the word "this," we want to sing it "th-eh-s." Try changing the word "hill" to 'h-eh-ll" and the word "spirit" to "sp-eh-r-eh-t." I know these words look and sound strange to say them but it is almost like learning a new language. But you will be surprised how fast you will catch on to the new pronunciation. You will find you are singing with a lot more ease and less work than before and that will help to continue working.

The next one takes a little concentration to modify. "Long O" is many times followed by the letter "w" and it makes us purse the lips together at the end of the word. For us to keep the mouth open and drop the jaw we have to sing it "OH" and leave off the "w" sound. Examples of this is the words "know" sing it "kn-oh," and "show" is sung "sh-oh," and how about the word "owed," it has to be sung "oh-ed."

When modifying words we have to remember that we use the vowel we modified for holding a note, not the consonant. We want to more on the modified vowel and color the sound with the consonants. As we sing we are really singing sounds that come out sounding like words. That may sound like a strange statement but think about it for a while. I know you are thinking, "how can anybody understand us when we sing like this?" But let me assure you that to your audience they will the hear words but on pitch with the music.

Remember to keep the spirit of Christmas all year long and not just in December. Let's think about what we are really celebrating, the birth of our Lord Jesus. Keep singing His Praises! And have a Blessed and safe Holiday.

Marti Ledford[/url]

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I hope you have been working on all the things that we have covered up to this point. It all builds on top of each other like building blocks to get that quality vocal sound. This month we want to start talking about vowel modifications. This is very important and we will probably take two or three months to cover this information completely. Be sure to read the next few months. Okay, let's get started.

The basic idea for modifying your vowels is to change the vowels so that the mouth remains open, placement of the tongue will be correct, and your pitch will be accurate. Many singers think that modifing the vowels is a waste of time or that it will change their singing style. The only thing that it changes is the quality of their singing. The pitch problems will instantly be corrected. If singing under pitch is your singing style, then yes, it will change your style. But it will be for the best and your audience can enjoy your singing rather than endure it.

The first vowel sound we want to talk about is the Short "U" or "UH" sound. You can NOT sing "UH" sounds. Words like; JESUS are sang "Jezahz." The letter "S" is sang like "Z" so that it takes the hiss out of it and the "U" is sang like "AH" so you pronounce it; Je-z-ah-z. Another couple of "UH" sounding words are "but" and "the." To modify them you sing them; "baht" and "thah." If you notice when you sing the "UH" sound it makes the jaw jut forward but when you modify it to the "AH" sound it makes the jaw drop straight down and the tongue will be in a down position and the soft palate will be in a lifted postion as it should be. The mouth will be open to let the full sound out which will double your volume with half the work.

The next vowel sound is Short "A". This sound should be changed to "EH" sound. A word like "that" is sang "theht" You change the "a" to "eh" making it "th-eh-t" Other words are "sad" and "glad". Modify them by changing the "a" to "eh" also; like "s-eh-d" and "gl-eh-d." When you sing the short A sound it pulls the mouth together,drops the soft palate, and make the corners of the mouth pull backward. This closes everything down instead of opening everything up as it should be. I hope you are beginning to see what a difference this can make in your singing. Let's do one more for this time so you can think on these and next month we will do some more.

Long "E" sound is changed to Short"I" and is modified by changing the "E" to "IH". For instance the word "Me" is modified to"Mih." A couple of other words are "see" and "king", we change them to "s-ih" and "k-ih-g. If you notice we dropped out the "n" in king and we will explain why in a later article. Again if you notice when you sing Long E's this closes everything down and makes it very difficult to stay on pitch and also cuts off your sound by cutting it in half. By changing to the Short I sound it drops the mouth open in a verticle position snd opens you up. I call this singing "open vowel sounds" and it will correct a lot of vocal problems instantly.

This month look for these vowel sounds in your songs and try modifing them and feel the difference it makes and how much easier it is to sing, stay on pitch and have correct placement. This will make the biggest difference in your singing and will make many of the other things that we have already talked about automatically start happening. It is worth the effort to try and understand and incorporate them changes into your singing. Remember that keeping the mouth open when holding notes and the jaw dropping in a vertical position is or goal.

Until next month, keep singing His Praises!

Marti Ledford

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We are going to continue talking about vocal problems and how we can correct them. This month we will be discussing vibrato and singing under stress. So let's get to it.

What is vibrato? It is the shaking sound you hear in a singer's voice.

There are several different kinds of vibrato. Sometimes you will hear very fast or rapid vibrato that almost makes the voice sound like it quivers or has a tremolo effect. Then there is the very slow and uneven vibrato that seems to lope along. You want to be able to control the amount of vibrato in your singing. When singing in a group where the vibrato of each singer is very different it makes the vocals sound messy and the blend or harmony does not come together. That is why family groups have a better blend, the vibrato will usually match more evenly because their voices are very much the same.

What makes an irregular vibrato? It is poor breath support and a weak soft palate. The tones must be supported by an even flow of controlled air.

Doing the exercises that was talked about last month, to strengthen the abdominal muscles, will go a long way in correcting a vibrato problem. The exercises in last months article will help strengthen the soft palate, too.
The best way to retrain yourself is to work at singing straight tones until there is no vibrato in your voice then slowly add the amount of vibrato that you want back into your singing. Don't get discouraged, you can do it.

Something that is rarely considered a vocal barrier is emotional problems and stress. When you are under a lot of stress the vocal cords tend to stiffen and they will not function the way they would under normal conditions. The muscles in the body must be relaxed to sing properly and they usually become tight and rigid also when under stress. You may continue to sing but you do not want to make excessive demands on your voice. Sing more in the middle range where the voice can coast along without straining. When the stress is reduced your voice will return to normal. Seek counseling if you can't seem to get past the problem by yourself. Keeping your body under this tension for long periods could lead to vocal health problems as well as physical ones.

The past few months we have concentrated on the technical side of singing and we have covered a lot of information. Next month we will begin talking about vowel modifications and this is lessons that you do not want to miss. It will change everything about your singing and correct a lot of problems for you. So, until next time, read James 1:5 and ask God for his wisdom and understanding so that you can grasp the knowledge that God has for you in each of these articles. And as always, keep singing His Praise!

Marti Ledford

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