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The Vocal Coach

Jul

2002

The Vocal Coach - August 2002

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Last month we talked about producing quality tones and we wanted to continue sharing some more information. It is very important that you can consistently sing on pitch, so let's look at some of the problems and how to solve them.

We mentioned the soft palate several times in the last article and I want to elaborate on this for better understanding. The soft palate plays a big role in the quality of our singing. It is located in the roof of the mouth. The soft palate is a muscle extension of the hard palate, or bony part of the roof of the mouth. To find this area, run your tongue or finger along the roof of your mouth until you feel the soft area or look in a mirror while saying "AHHH," the soft palate will arch upward. This arched position allows for the best resonance for each tone.

A lazy soft palate is caused by the singer not having learned the proper way to excerise the fine muscles that lift the soft palate. Building up these muscles will provide increased room in the oral cavity (mouth). To build and strengthen these muscles you have to excerise them. If you lift the soft palate all through the day this will strenghten the muscles that are necessary to obtain the proper tones. Keeping the soft palate lifted while you are speaking will help you get in the habit so that when you start to sing nothing has to change, you are ready. This will take the pressure off the vocal folds and let them work properly. As a singer you must think about this, since you speak more than you sing. We have to protect our voice.

To tell the difference between a relaxed soft palate and an active one, look in a mirror and see if the uvula (the piece of flesh that hangs down in the back of the throat) is lifted or pulled up. When you sing, the soft palate must be lifted at all times. The "inside smile" that I talked about last month will help you lift the soft palate and positon the tongue correctly for singing. You need to have an open or "dome" shaped feel in the oral cavity. I often use the example of feeling like you have an imaginary ball or egg on your tongue and you have to keep it on your tongue while you are singing. This allows for good resonance, articultion and aids in pronunciation.

The tongue directly affects the sound of a tone. The tongue has to be in the correct position to work properly. The lifting of the soft palate or the "inside smile" will give the tongue a sense of freedom and place it correctly for singing. When the soft palate is relaxed or falls, the tongue feels like it has just gone to bed and put out a "do not disturb" sign. The correct tongue position should be wide and soft against the lower front teeth, yet ready to respond. It should move freely with the jaw every time a different vowel is sung. If the muscles in the tongue are too tight, pressed down, bunched, or the tip pulled-up it will cause the throat to tighten. The throat must feel relaxed and open.

To complete this part of our study, I must mention the jaw muscles. The jaw must be relaxed and loose like that of a puppet. When there is tension in the jaw the tone produced will be formed in the back of the throat and will have a muffled, husky or covered sound. The jaw should always swing straight down from the hinge and never let the chin jut forward or move to either side. The key word is to RELAX the jaw muscles when you sing.

You have to practice applying these techniques to make the most of your talent. If you think that you have already arrived and you are the best that you can be, then you are in trouble. Second Timothy 2:15 tells us, "To study," and the third chapter and the fourth verse talks about being "heady and high minded." You have to study the word of God continually and the correct vocal techniques to develop the talent that God has entrusted to you. It is a lot of hard work but it will be worth the effort. We have to be ready when God opens our door of opportunity.

There is much more to learn about singing with quality tones and the problems in this area and we will continue with more information next time. Until then, keep singing His Praises!

You may email questions or comments to .

Reader Comments

:thumbsup: This is a very good article! I love the affect the raised soft pallet has on my tone. However, how do I keep it raised while I sing or talk? Thanks, Mitch.

Commented by On 04/22/2004

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