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Secrets of a Powerful Vocal Range
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By Jeannie Deva
August 2010
In teaching thousands of singers around the world, I have never met one who did not have more potential range than they were using or even knew possible.
If wider range is desirable but seems out of reach, it’s likely there are certain unknown influences inhibiting your having it. Sometimes factors such as smoking cigarettes or marijuana or heavy drug/alcohol use can barrier a singer’s range. But in the absence of such inhibitors, an increase of range, power, control and flexibility with expressiveness can be achieved. With knowledge, understanding, and the right exercises you can do this while supporting your own unique style.
FIVE PRIMARY BARRIERS TO A FREE EXPRESSIVE VOICE AND WIDE POWERFUL RANGE- Lack of adequate vocal warm-up and cool-down
- Air over-blow (pushing out too much air as you sing)
- Over articulation (emphasizing tongue, mouth, lip movements when singing)
- Using muscle effort in your throat rather than resonance for volume
- Compensating for under-developed vocal muscles
In this several part vocal tip, I’ll discuss each of these five elements one at a time.
1. Lack of Adequate Vocal Warm-Up and Cool-Down
You may be the kind of singer who, with no warm up launches right into singing. Perhaps you think the first few songs will be your warm up. In performance, the audience expects your best from the first song. Proper warm-up will get you there.
To understand why vocal warm-up is important, let's take a look at certain realities of muscles. First, you need to know that the sounds of your voice are created by small internal muscle movements. In fact, your vocal folds (often inaccurately called “vocal cords”) are muscles. To work properly, muscles need an adequate blood flow rich in oxygen and nutrients to provide them with energy. Also, your muscles need elasticity which is partly dependent upon fluid levels. In other words, they need to be hydrated (containing adequate water).
If you were an athlete or dancer and attempted your performance without proper warm-up, you would likely overexert your body or strain muscles that would otherwise perform well if properly trained. Just as an athlete would not expect to perform without a warm-up, neither should you. Gentle stretching of the muscles increases the blood flow into the muscles. Once limbered, the muscles are awake and ready to perform the functions you need that are within their native capability.
It is so much easier to sing after a correct warm-up. If you've never experienced this, you'll be surprised once you try it. In fact, after doing the vocal warm-up routine I’ve created; tonal qualities automatically get better, as does ease of range and volume projection. The reason: Your muscles are awake and better able to do what they're designed to do naturally!
Vocal Cool-Down
After using your voice for a long time or in any demanding way, cooling down the muscles is greatly beneficial. Since the vocal muscles “pump-up” from all this demand you’ve placed on your voice, you need to get them back to their “every day” state. As long as you are also working with your voice well when you sing, a vocal cool-down helps ensure you don’t suffer from vocal blow-out. Usually done for only a few minutes, you would end when you feel your voice go “back to normal.”
What to Do
Of course, it is important to know what to do. You need a program of correct, easy and fast-acting warm-ups and cool-downs. Here’s a couple you can explore right away:
Tongue Relaxers: Singing and speaking with relaxed muscles of the back of the tongue plays an important part in your voice sounding resonant and free. These next exercises will assist in opening the tone of your voice and increase ease of voice function and projection.
- Open your mouth slightly. Slowly stretch your tongue out of your mouth and over your bottom lip while letting it remain as relaxed as possible. Once extended as far forward as possible, slowly stretch it over to the right side. Return it to its stretched and forward position. Next slowly stretch it to the left side, and return it to center. Now slowly return it to its position within your mouth. Swallow. Repeat this for a total of three times.
- Place the tip of your tongue behind your lower teeth. Roll the body of your tongue forward until you feel a slight stretch of the middle and/or back of your tongue. Hold it there for a moment. Now slowly return it to its normal position inside your mouth. Swallow. Do this for a total of 3 times only which will limber it. More may create muscle strain.
Receiving interactive coaching as you exercise offers the fastest gain for time spent. Knowing this to be true, I’ve designed my “Deva Method Vocal Warm-Ups and Cool-Downs” CD to be as close as I could make it to an actual in-person coaching experience with me. You can practice this CD routine seated or standing and also practice it in the car on the way to your performance, rehearsal or audition. Here are a couple of audio samples from the CD.
In following sample from The Deva Method Vocal Warm-ups and Cool-downs CD, I discuss the difference between warm-ups and vocal exercises in general.
Vocal Warm-Ups
The next sample is a simple warm-up called "The Scoop."
Vocal warm-up should be done close to the time you sing. The idea is to stretch and limber your vocal muscles so that they are ready to respond instantly and easily to your needs. Treat your voice with respect. Warm-ups and cool-downs help you save, not wreck your voice, assisting in performance excellence and vocal longevity.
Enjoy the results and, until next month, may you SING!
Jeannie Deva
Since introducing the world to her innovative Deva Method of vocal training in the mid-'70s, Jeannie Deva has become one of the most respected and in-demand vocal coaches, a top clinician, recording studio vocal coach, trainer of voice teachers and published author of The Contemporary Vocalist book and CDs, The Deva Method® Vocal Warm-Ups and Cool-Downs CD. Her latest work in progress is a handbook for vocal performance skills.
Deva’s client list includes numerous Grammy Award winners (such as Aimee Mann, Patty Griffin), American Idol finalists, Felecia Howes of the Multi-Platinum Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, South American Superstar Ruddy Rodriguez, Singer/Actress Lynda Carter, plus leads in Broadway’s Wicked, Rent, The Lion King and Grease, members of the legendary rock bands J. Geils Band and Foghat, and backup singers for superstars Celine Dion, Pink, Christina Aguilera, Stevie Wonder and Janet Jackson.
Recently Ms. Deva helped prepare performer Kuba Ka for signing with Michael Jackson’s former manager Frank DiLeo now preparing him for his new Las Vegas show Kuba Kingdom.
As a celebrity vocal coach she has appeared on E! Entertainment and TV Guide Stations. As a session coach she has been endorsed by producers and engineers of Amy Winehouse, The Rolling Stones, The Cars, Aerosmith, Fleetwood Mac and others.
Teachers around the world base their teaching on Jeannie’s method. Jeannie teaches in her private Brentwood and San Fernando Valley, California studios and coaches singers around the world via Internet Video.
Jeannie Deva on YouTube
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