Welcome

I know! This is mind-blowing information for a lot of people! But the diaphragm is an INHALATION muscle. We don't sing on an inhale (usually). Our singing is done on an exhale, and the diaphragm does not engage during exhale. It relaxes! So, if you've ever been confused by buzz word terminology, you're not alone!

So, wait, what the heck do people mean when they tell you to engage the diaphragm or sing from the diaphragm? Usually, they mean inhaling into a low place and then gently resisting the exhale so it doesn't all come out at once or shove forcefully.

The best way to find this is to simply inhale low and moderately to where you can feel the abdominal region expand and then exhale on a sustained hiss, Z, V, F, SH or TH sound. This will pretty much guarantee breath support!

How would you define breath support?

Let me know in the comments or reblog with your answer! Looking forward to seeing some of the differing responses!

Amid the possible shutdown of tiktok, I've decided to move some of my stuff here! Horray! What does this mean?

Tips on singing

Cool random voice facts like:

Did you know your vocal cords vibrate almost 2000 times per second when you sing a C6??

My own singing shenanigans

Free resources you can use to better your practices!

All ya gotta do is smash that follow button! If you're a voice person, sign off in the comments or in a reblog!

GROWING UP

The fixed fascination of watching pancake batter bubble

Begging to add more chocolate chips to the mix

Waiting to lick the sweet contents of the bowl where the coca powder still clings

Marveling how the sink spray erases the evidence

And how soft the towel feels while you rub the dishes dry

Clinging to mom or dad's legs

Shrieking like a banshee at 8 am

Insisting that you too attend the morning office meeting

That you too don the tie or business blouse

And count Volkswagens as traffic builds along the bridge on the way

The tentative tapping at the surface of the car window

As soapy suds overtake your view

Your mouths agape at the plethora of rainbow colors

Your ears enamored at the roaring woosh of the sprinkler jets

As the vehicle rolls along the conveyor of the car wash

The pestering you do to your parental caregivers

At the ungodly hour of 9pm

Fruitlessly begging for just 5 more moments of exploration

Before you are tucked away under a scratchy wool blanket

And imagination quiets behind closed eyelids for 8 hours

Years pass, and no one is sure when or why it really happens

Perhaps it's just cynicism that forms with age

Or the unrelenting trials and tribulations we face

Or that "want to's" turn into "have to's"

But there's a threshold where perspective shifts

The dreading of early rising to prep a meal

And the aching impatience of watching batter bubble

Worrying that the sweet chips will cling to your hips later

The annoyance of scraping its contents off the griddle

And ultimately "leaving it to soak" in a lukewarm basin

The sheer fatigue that wraps you in a vice

As you pull on your flats and button your shirt

As you sit in the same spot on the street for over an hour

As you stroll to your cubicle and stare numbingly at a screen

Knowing that the work you do will never be done.

The last minute dash to Raceway

Fingers drumming impatiently on the wheel

As the dull mechanical thuds pull you forward

Eating away at time that could be spent in a book

Just to look presentable to prying neighbors

The frustration from lack of energy by 9pm

Knowing that this all repeats tomorrow

Needing the comfort and bliss of rest

Wanting the cacophony of noise to still

If you're like me, you've likely been told the terrible lie of how singing through one's nose is bad technique. Or perhaps you've been told you should always lift the soft palate, and you're also tired of hearing the phrase "you sound nasal" but no matter how much you try to lift the soft palate, it isn't working on changing the sound. You've come to the right place. I am here to tell you why not only is singing through the nose not a bad thing, but also how you can help fix the sound that people often refer to as "nasality", when in reality, they are two entirely different things.

First of all, let me start by saying that almost every contemporary singer who has any exposure of fame or skill in the modern day world uses nasal resonance. Nasal resonance is often incredibly subtle. Ariana Grande uses it quite a bit. Taylor Swift, Sam Smith, the list could go on and on. Why do they use it? Because it makes things so much less complicated.

Nasal resonance, true nasal resonance, comes from the nasopharynx and a lowered soft palate. And let me tell you the great joys of why it's so beneficial.

A) It protects the vocal cords from unnecessary strain. Since the airflow is going through the nasopharynx and not solely on the cords themselves, it takes the pressure and work off the cords a bit.

B) It helps decompress the cords. If you're feeling tight and need a bit of a looser quality, add an M or N to the end of the word your singing and notice how immediately easier it is to sing said word. That's because nasal consonants (M,N,NG) promote nasal resonance which help loosen up the vocal cords by pushing them apart.

C) It makes high notes easier. Looser cords in a higher part of the range make those crazy high notes feel much more free.

D) It blends registers a bit better. If you're struggling to move between chest voice and head voice without a crack, throw in a nasal on a slide. It works wonders.

E) It cancels out consonants. Especially R and L. Both of those consonants retract the tongue, blocking off the sound and making it incredibly hard to sing words with those sounds. Adding a touch of the nasal to that helps to muffle the effects of the L or R and make it smoother and easier.

Now if you've ever been told you sound "nasal" when you sing, let me tell you a mind-blowing secret. It's likely not nasal, but rather, bright. A bright sound doesn't come from a lowered soft palate. You can have that SpongeBob like sound with your soft palate raised up. Now you may be wondering, Melissa, how do I know? Put your fingers on the sides of your nose while you sing. Do you feel a buzz? Is there a vibration feeling? Does the sound you are singing have more of a humming quality to it or just a bit cartoony or bright?

If there isn't a buzz or vibration in the nose, then you my friend, have a lifted larynx creating that bright sound, and it's not actually "nasal." And how do you fix an overly lifted larynx? Dark vowels, inhaling through a yawn, or yawning in general. You'll feel that larynx drop down immediately. And you'll feel space open up in your throat, or your laryngopharynx. You'll notice the sound gets warmer, fuller and less bright. If you say the word "yuuh" with the same inflection as Patrick Star, you'll feel the larynx drop down. Now of course you aren't going to be singing like Patrick in the context of a song in a performance, but the more you train the extremes if your larynx is always too high and your sound is too bright, the easier it is to build that coordination and then pull back on the goofiness of it.

Is there such thing as too much nasal resonance? Yes, but it really doesn't happen as often as you might think. If you are indeed using nasal resonance with the buzz in the nose and humming quality confirmed and it is causing your vowels to be muted or muffled, then you might want to consider trying to lift the soft palate a bit. Some K words will help with that, especially when followed by a pure EE or OO vowel.

Spinning wildly here, attached to this machine that spews out its results

I can’t remember the last time I was content not moving

Can’t remember the last time I didn’t need to hear the sound of metal clanging 

Or didn’t need to smell the smog that it produced

Day in and day out, no matter how many orders I’ve helped fill

Or how much surplus stock overflows this store room

I’ve never felt like it’s enough

I’ve never felt like what I’ve produced is at its best

More to be done, more space to clutter

I run myself to the point of rust, to wear, to strain

And when I finally do take a second to pause and glance

All I see are spaces that need to plugged

Bare spots on the floor that need to be covered

Room for a box more here, a pallet there

Even when the boss comes in waving their arms

Proclaiming that I’ve done enough, there is enough

I never believe them. 

Even when the room is finally stacked to the brim

And there is no work to be done, no space for that work to be placed

Any fulfillment I feel is short lived compared to the unbearable darkness when the warehouse lights go out

And those mountains of boxes seemingly vanish in the shadows. 

I feel exposed, agoraphobia creeping in

Left alone with nothing but my thoughts, terrifying thoughts that overshadow the tangible darkness

And I question my value, pondering what I am and what I can do if not move, work, grind. 

Every moment in this state is agony

Every moment in this state is numbness

Every moment in this state is emptiness

Every moment in this state is restlessness

How long do I sit here? Is it mere minutes? Hours? Days?

I have an itch, one that cannot be soothed.

I want to move, need to move. 

The silence is deafening. 

And then the lights suddenly flicker back to life

The boxes are gone, the store room empty

Except for an endless list of orders I need to fulfill

And suddenly it’s just too much, too overwhelming

And now the boss is yelling, screaming at me to get back at it

But I can’t move. I’m paralyzed. 

Anxiety floods my senses, guilt wracks my conscience. 

The list growing longer by the second

But here I sit, frozen.

Knowing the minute I start up again, I won’t be able to stop

Not for nourishment. 

Not for my sanity. 

LARYNGEAL VIBRATO-

Vibratro type that involves the larynx moving up and down to aid with the changing pitches. The pulse of the vibrato is emphasized with this laryngeal movement. Not necessarily desirable, but can still sound unique and be used stylistically.

To prevent this, place a finger on the larynx and monitor it while you use vibrato to make sure it’s not bobbing. Requires some level of larynx control.

DIAPHRAGMATIC VIBRATO-

Vibrato type that involves the pulsing of air in the lower abdomen to aid with the changing pitches. Can feel the pulsing there with the air flow. Not necessarily desirable, but can still sound unique and be used stylistically.

To prevent this, place hands on your abdominals and ribcage and make sure they aren’t pulsing while you use vibrato.

TREMOLO

A “machine gun” “staccato” vibrato sound. A rapid fire articulation of the arytenoids and articulation of the pitch rather than movement of the pitch. Considered a “fault” in singing, not necessarily desirable.

Ex- "If I Were the King of the Forest" from The Wizard of Oz

To prevent this, use a wobble, or a very slow up and down pitch movement to exaggerate that movement of vibrato.

REGULAR VIBRATO (CORD INVOLVED VIBRATO)-

Vibrato that uses the movement of the vocal folds to move between two close together pitches rapidly. When done accurately, it does not involve the larynx moving up and down, or the pulsing of the abdomen. Considered the most desirable type of vibrato.

To do this kind of vibrato, start with the wobble from above and as you get more comfortable moving between pitches, gradually increase speed.

DELAYED VIBRATO

Cord involved vibrato that starts off as a straight tone pitch and gradually eases into the moving between pitches as the sustained note progresses.

To do this kind of vibrato, start with straight tone pitch and gradually incorporate vibrato into the sustain as the pitch progresses.

STRAIGHT TONE

A singular sustained pitch with no movement or vibrato incorporated into it.