By Jeannie Deva

Does singing powerfully mean you'll wreck your voice? Yes, usually unless you know how!

Many singers subconsciously associate tension with big emotion and a powerful voice. But for your sound to be big, just the opposite is needed. The louder and harder you sing the more resonance, not more tension, is needed. How to get this is the trick.

I have developed a number of techniques that permit powerful singing while eliminating the risk of vocal blow-out. Although all the techniques aren't possible to fully detail in this short article, you'll find it helpful to apply these exercises and tips.

Examining the Problem

When you sing, air is released from your lungs and vibrates two little folds of tissue inside the front of your throat. They lie horizontally inside a tube called the larynx (voice box) and are located just behind your Adam's apple. Most people call them "vocal cords,"but they are little folds of membrane and muscle called "vocal folds."

If you push out too much air up against and through these folds, too much pressure is created. As a reaction, the inner and outer throat muscles tighten, your voice strains, your range shortens, your pitch goes off and your problems begin.

The stress created by the push of excess air pressure and responding muscle tension can also cause an irritation and swelling of your folds. The result is usually: hoarseness, power loss, range shrinkage, and other difficulties.

Muscle tension or force in the throat will limit the vibrations of your voice and restrict the resonant power you would otherwise achieve naturally. If your throat and tongue tighten you shut down your acoustic chamber and there goes the resonance. This tension, especially of the back of your tongue, can make your voice unpleasantly strained.

Increasing Resonance

Here's an exercise which sounds ridiculous while doing it, but, will help you to sing louder and easier afterward.

1. Hold your nose.
2. Open your mouth.
3. Use the brattiest, most nasal voice you can possibly create.
4. Sing the melody (no lyrics) of a song using an "Ee" vowel (as in the word "seem.") Make the melody flow smoothly, with as few interruptions as possible.
5. Keep the sound of the "Ee" right in your nose. You'll feel the vibrations somewhere in the location of your nose if you are doing it right. Experiment as needed until you get it there.
6. Once you've gone through the song on an "Ee" - Go through the song again using an "Eh" vowel (as in the word "send").
7. Now, sing the song with lyrics.

You will notice a definite new ease in singing the song and any notes that seemed too high should seem much lower and easier and your voice will naturally come out louder. If you do not experience this result, go through the exercise again and make sure you are following the directions closely.

In part two of this article we will explore how the use of consonants and vowels effect powerful singing. Until then, the warm-up exercises on my Vocal Warm-up CD will help you reduce muscle tension and sing more freely.

Happy singing!
Jeannie Deva