Author Archives: Susan McAllister-Bee

The benefits of vocal fry when singing

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What is vocal fry?

When speaking, vocal fry is simply the vocal cords coming together with very little air passing through, usually at a lower-than-your-normal speech pitch. It sounds like a gritty, broken up, growl….usually at the end of your sentence, and happens frequently in the morning when you first wake up. I hear it frequently, mostly in women. Now that it has made top-headline news recently, I’m sure everyone will start noticing the people around them who speak with some vocal fry.

But now I want to talk about vocal fry from a singing point of view. This is much, much different!

The ability to create vocal fry as you ascend in pitch is one of Brett Mannings’ top three vocal exercises. Why? Because the ability to keep the vocal cords connected with vocal fry as you ascend, is a challenging balance between thinning out the cords and controlling the amount of air passing through. With the correct balance, the cords will touch and vibrate on the edges creating a vocal fry sound. Too much air will either blow the cords apart, or not allow the fry sound to happen. This is the challenge to be able to decrease your air flow just enough to maintain the fry connection in the higher register.

I challenge my students with vocal fry exercises regularly. It really enforces the “less is more” mentality. You should try it. It’s not as easy as you might think. But, let’s be clear we are talking about vocal fry in your “higher” register….not lower.

Please let me know your thoughts!  Check out Brett Manning from Singing Success here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mtp8qqo3qm8

I’m not a big fan of commercial radio…..

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You are not going to hear the best singers in the world on commercial radio. Oh, don’t get me wrong…there are loads of great singers making a living on commercial radio….but there are loads of mediocre singers making a fortune. It really is sad how the industry has progressed.

My concern is for the young and ill-informed singers of the future. Where are they going to hear great singing to learn and copy from?

There are great singers all over the world who work hard everyday at their craft. These singers will never sing on commercial radio. They may never make a living with their beautiful instrument.

I encourage all singers to explore and expand their thoughts about what makes a great singer. Go to coffee house, theatre productions, local concerts of all genres and styles of music. If you only listen to the radio, you are missing a world full of great singing.

And more importantly, learn from the variety of voices available. Recognize that your voice is as unique as theirs is. Explore many styles.

In the end, be yourself….be your own voice….be your authentic self. That’s great singing.

The show must go on!

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I woke up yesterday with a cold and hoarseness in my voice. I had three hours of performance to do later in the day, so I knew it was going to be a tough one with a lot of careful attention and energy to complete the job!

First, I had a hot shower and my usual … pot of coffee. I didn’t utter a word until 2:00 pm. I did a few exercises of lip trills and light sirens. I took a moment to gauge where I thought I was with my voice, compared to my “healthy voice”. I was somewhere around a 6 or 7. My goal was to be 8 or 9 before leaving for my gig. I had two hours.

I continued to warm up my head voice lightly. I paid acute attention to my body and energy to make sure I wasn’t putting any undue stress on my vocal cords. I did some sit ups and took a walk around the block. I continued to sip water all day.

This has happened many times before and I have learned over the years how to pace the day and night. It’s a delicate balance. I don’t talk. I only sing ….. when it’s absolutely necessary. In this case, it was necessary or else I would be letting down many many people who simply wanted to enjoy their Christmas party!

I made sure I could hear my voice well in the monitor. I would be singing at about half volume, so this was doubly important for this gig. I chose my repertoire very carefully…no “big” songs during this show. Instead, I focused on my “presentation” with by body and with my facial expressions.

When the night was finally over I was totally spent. I had maxed out my vocal cords for this gig, and I was mentally and physically exhausted from the energy it took to maintain a careful journey to get me through to the end of the night…..but it worked! As I headed out the door with my car jammed pack with my gear, my employer waved goodbye and said “see you next year!”

Play Piano by Ear … There’s Never Been A Better Time to Learn

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The 21st century…..aaawwwweeee….there has never been a better time to learn about something you always wanted to do! The free content available on the internet can teach you to do almost…anything!

So, why not take advantage of it?

Recently, I started to post videos teaching you how to play piano by ear. If you have never played the piano, then trying this method may be easier than you think. If you can only play piano with music in front of you, then follow me through my videos and I’ll set you up nicely to be able to throw away that sheet music for good!

I have only just begun, but there is a lot to get started on. I show you how to make chords that provide the harmony (backdrop) for all music! Once you learn how to make a chord, invert the chord, colour the chord, and understand the chord, then the next step is turning that chord into some amazing rhythmic patterns! These patterns will make you sound like you have been playing piano for years!

Once we get the chords working with rhythm, I will start to show you how to break down a song into easy, manageable parts, including how to find the melody, and how to add it to the chords you are learning.

You can find me at beemusicstudios on you tube.

Feel free to ask me any questions, and …. don’t forget to have fun!

What age should your child start taking singing lessons?

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Singing lessons for young children are controversial. Here at Bee Music Studios we start studying the voice as young as 5 and 6 years old in a small group setting.

The class is meant to be fun, yet educational. We sing about cats and dogs, mom and dad, colors and animals. We twirl, skip, jump and even crawl sometimes!

We do lots of actions in our songs. This helps children stay engaged, and in the moment. We move fairly quickly from one song to the next. Children also learn how to write, read and sing back patterns such as do, re, mi, fah, so.

All the while, the children are learning about their voice. We experiment with our chest register by making certain sounds. We learn about our head register with sirens and “meows” like a kitty for instance. We experiment with differences in volume and intensity.

All these activities can tell me quickly where each student is in the development of their voice. My goal is simply to help them engage in exploring their voice and lead them away from any bad habit that I see pending.

This is why singing classes for young children are a very good thing. Encouragement to make sounds that they would otherwise not make helps them match pitch and discover their voice.

Belting….is it safe?

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Well, that’s a good question. It is…..and it isn’t!

The voice is a fragile instrument, however it can hold up to elements of abuse at times. If you think of your vocal cords as the movements of a dancer, you can visualize the motion and flexibility that is required for good singing.

A good dancer makes movements look so easy and graceful. They can move their muscles in a sustained flow that allows challenging moves to happen without harm. They are trained and conditioned to do this.

Singing is simply the dance. Without the conditioning and training, the cords get “banged up” and abused. The cords can handle this intermittently. Just like a bruise on your body will heal, so will your voice. But repeated movements, without the conditioning and effort of the correct muscles throughout the entire body, will inevitably hurt the singer.

Knowledge is your best friend. Learn how to condition your voice. It’s your instrument of choice. Just like a piano player practises scales, the singer must “practise” as well.

The Middle Voice…..

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Do you ever notice that it feels like you have two voices? Well, you actually do have two “registers” and they feel very different. You have your low register (chest) which is used when you are speaking. Try it, put your hand on your upper chest and feel the vibration when you talk. If you don’t feel any vibration then talk a little louder until you do feel it.
Next you have a high register. Try to make a sound like a fire siren. Do you still feel the vibration in your upper chest? Are you feeling your throat strain as you try to make a high sound? Do it again, but this time look at the floor. Make your high fire siren sound, or a baby kitty meow. Check and see if you still feel vibration in your upper chest, or feel a lot of effort in your throat. If so, then you are having trouble accessing your true high voice. Your upper register should only vibrate in your head and sinus area. Try the same thing only lighter. Did that help? Do you get a sense of your voice being in your head? If yes, then you are able to access your high register. If you feel the effort in your throat instead, then you are having trouble.

It’s a common problem among singers so don’t be dishearteneed. Generally speaking, you are probably trying too hard. In other words, you may be blowing too much air, or singing too loud. Again, try the lighter approach (which may be breathy and weak at first), and see if you can make a high sound without all the volume and weight of your low register joining you. You may feel “the flip” and that’s OK. This is necessary so you can learn how to differentiate between the two registers. Once you are able to access your high voice (even if it’s lightly), then you can take steps to strengthen your vocal cords to hold back more air which will strengthen your high register. This is a necessary first step in moving ahead to the next step…………..the middle voice!

The middle voice is simply the area which crosses over between you low register and your high register. Singers who have the ability to seamlessly connect the two registers are well on their way to accessing their entire vocal range with ease and clarity. Accessing the middle voice is relevant in all styles of singing…rock, pop, country, gospel, and musical theatre and opera. Without accessing the middle voice, the singer may get “stuck” and reach a ceiling. The singer will need to sing louder as each note gets higher. The throat will get tight and the singer will tire.

Developing the middle and high voice can give a singer an overwhelming sense of ease and control. Not all vocal teachers strengthen the middle voice in a manner that connects the two registers seamlessly. Talk to your teacher and be sure he/she can make the sounds you are trying to make. That’s a good start anyway!

Do I Just Vocalize?

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Although it’s very important to vocalize regularly, it’s also very important to put what you practise into song. It’s more difficult in song because “your muscle memory” will want to do what it has done previously with that song. However, with the right approach you can experience your song in a new way. I highly recommend this be done with a qualified coach. It’s important that you are actually singing the song with the correct coordination in order to overcome your previous issues.
This may mean that you need to sing the song in a consonant/vowel coordination that feels unusual, or a mouth/tongue position that feels different. This may seem odd, but performing a song with this new “feeling” engages the correct coordination and is a necessary step to singing better.
Remember, your job as the singer is to simply concentrate on the “feel” of your voice. This may seem like an unusual thing to do, but as a singer you are in control of 3 things…..your air flow, your vocal cord closure, and your vowel/consonant combination. As a singer you need to learn how these combinations “feel” to you, in order to overcome an obstacle that might be in your way.
Does this make sense to you? Let me know.

The big voice ………

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Do you have a loud speaking voice? Are you the one everyone can hear yelling at the local arena because it’s so easy to do? Do you get hoarse easily? If so, and you are a singer, you need to know about thinning your vocal cords in order to sing into your high register. Without the ability to thin the cords you will simply be yelling louder and louder to reach higher notes, and the stress and damage this causes is hard on the vocal cords.

The first thing a singer with a big voice needs to recognize is how easy it can be to overuse the vocal cords without even realizing it. Because you find it easy to speak loud or yell, you are not aware it is damaging your voice by stretching the cords frequently. If this has been going on for years, your vocal muscles may have this memorized, and you are now faced with the challenge of creating a new memory of thinning the cords.

It is a common problem among singers, both male and female, but steps can be taken right away. It starts with your speaking voice. Instead of simply allowing your voice to do what it has been doing for years, now you can take steps that will allow you to ascend higher in your register.

First, try to add a “cry” to your voice. Let your volume come down and be aware of your intent to add this sensation when you talk. Get in the habit of talking this way. Notice the cry with help you take control of your voice in a way that you can be aware of. Another sensation that will help you stay in this mode is thinking a silent laugh. This will relax the muscles around the vocal cords and give you an easier starting point to put a cry in your speaking voice.

The larynx….an interesting subject….

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As I study various singing methods, I realize that we are all trying to invent the same wheel safely…. just a little differently.

I want to talk today about one of the differences I see in Speech Level Singing and some other modern contemporary singing methods.

The subject on hand is the larynx.

From my experience with SLS, the larynx needs to remain stable and reasonably low (or neutral) as you ascend in pitch. However, in some contemporary methods it is said that the larynx will rise as the pitch ascends, especially around E flat above high C for women and A flat below high C for men. This is typically where the male and female 2nd passaggi are, or in other words the 2nd “gear change”.

This intrigues me and I explore it with most of my students.

In my studio, those who sing more “classically” are encouraged to keep their larynx low in song. This allows them to ascend higher with a nice warm, full and open classical tone. These singers have up to five octaves when vocalizing.

On the other hand, my students who sing rock and country in song are encouraged to monitor their larynx and surrounding muscles to ensure that there is no undue tension as they ascend into their 2nd passagio. The larynx will rise a bit as they belt out above their 1st passagio in song. However, they are encouraged to vocalize with a neutral larynx, which allows them to exercise in 5 to 6 octave ranges.

ALL my students under 16 are encouraged to sing with a neutral larynx, and a full balanced voice in exercise and in song.

The rising of the larynx is an interesting discussion among vocal teachers.

Is it safe and OK for the larynx to rise in rock/pop/belt singing? What do you think?