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Chest Voice, need advice

BenGoBenGo Member Posts: 7
in GENERAL SINGING - Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy Forum
Hello, I started recently from volume 1 and I want to go further, but one thing bothers me: the chest voice. I mean, Ken writes, that at first workouts should be done in a chest voice resonance, but what should I do with higher notes? I mean, I'm stopping myself from using head voice when I'm trying to reach higher notes and try to do it from the chest. It feels really tense (but i'm trying to relax). But sometimes I just can't be sure if I'm really doing the chest voice and not the kinda mix of a head and a chest. What should I feel when I'm using only the chest voice on the higher notes? Or maybe I'm just overthinking all this?

Sorry for mistakes, english isn't my native language. Thank you for the answer :)
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  • vmalheirosvmalheiros Pro Posts: 105
    You should take your chest voice as high as you can before handing it off to the head voice. There should be no tension in the chest, neck or throat. In order to not build tension as you go up, use the vowel modifications.
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  • BenGoBenGo Member Posts: 7
    vmalheiros said:

    You should take your chest voice as high as you can before handing it off to the head voice. There should be no tension in the chest, neck or throat. In order to not build tension as you go up, use the vowel modifications.

    Yeah, I got about the vowels, thank you. I just don't know how to feel if I'm still using the chest sometimes. Just confused.
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  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,384
    You may feel a little mix in the voice. That's OK. You just want to avoid flipping into pure head voice.

    As the voice gets higher, it needs to taper down the chesty tone, so the sound WILL begin to sound less like chest and more like head, the higher you go... but not that hooty-flutey falsetto sound... you want pure head voice with cord closure and without an airy sound.

    Try to hold on to a little strand of pure chest within the sound you are taking up there towards C5, D5, etc... but it will be thin. Once you get all the way up there, you drop out the strand of chest. But it's so high, it's almost impossible to discern the difference of how it sounded a few notes lower with more chest.

    The more gradually you can do this, the more effective it is.
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  • BenGoBenGo Member Posts: 7
    edited August 2016
    >You may feel a little mix in the voice. That's OK. You just want to avoid flipping into pure head voice.

    Oh, I'm starting to understand now. Yeah, I try to avoid the flipping into pure head voice. On the higher notes I feel the sound somewhere near the soft palate - back of the throat. I found it easier that way. That's just how I used to sing before starting Ken's course and I don't know if it's right or wrong, but now I just want to make it all right and that's why I am bothered so much.

    >Try to hold on to a little strand of pure chest within the sound you are taking up there towards C5,

    That's what I tried to do yesterday. And came to the point where I've needed to find a certain "feeling" for the chest voice. Even thought, maybe I should reinforce the sound towards the lips and the front cheeks area. But that just causes the overuse of the air.

    But now I understand it more, so thank you very much!
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  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,384
    Where you need to "feel" the sound is to Feel your support as you press down on your diaphragm. When you are supporting correctly, you will realize that you are taking a big workload off of the throat and placing it on the gut.

    "Sing From Your Diaphragm" means that you will feel less involvement and less stress on your throat as you put more reliance on your real engine for your voice, which is your diaphragm. You will literally feel more involvement from your lower abdominal area, until you reach a point that you would never think to sing without this visceral feeling. As you do this, and your throat relaxes more, due to the lessening of trying to force notes from your throat, you will begin to hear a more beautiful tone emerging from your voice. You will use good cord closure and abdominal support to get a very timbral sound. This tone can only happen when you are supporting well. Once you find it and lock in to it, you will open the gates to great singing.

    Good support is essential to taking your chest voice up into the upper mid voice range. As you get better with controlling your support you will gain finer control over your breath, which will allow you to sing more consistently up into your higher registers.

    Bob
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  • BenGoBenGo Member Posts: 7
    And one more thing about the uvula: do I need to manually hold it up all the time? While singing I mean? Or at some point my body will learn to do that itself? Sometimes my uvula rises up by itself, when I'm singing, but other times - doesn't.
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  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,384
    The uvula should rise when you sing higher notes, not all the time. It's OK if it's high, but doesn't matter so much on lower notes. When you sing high, it is beneficial for the uvula to rise up out of the way and form sort of a dome in the back of the throat where the sound can resonate.

    When you replicate the yawning sensation, this can help the uvula to rise. Also smiling big, up into the cheeks and under the eyes can help to lift the soft palate some, because the insides of your cheeks connect with the soft palate.

    Ken sometimes speaks of "re-yawning" into the sound when you are getting up higher and needing to start using your vowel modifications.
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  • BenGoBenGo Member Posts: 7
    So, I shouldn't be rising it up myself all the time, right? I shouldn't help it to rise on the high notes too then? Because as long as I watched myself in the mirror, my uvula rises up on the high notes, but when I help it to rise even more, voice becomes brighter and clearer. But it feels unpleasant, like I do some heavy lifting. Maybe I am an overdoer :(

    Thank you very much, for your answers. You are really helping me to work through some moments.
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  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,384
    Yes, if it sounds better when you help it rise, then try to make that feeling and that sound, but don't overdo it so that it's uncomfortable. Do try to give yourself time to strengthen and you should be able to "help raise it" without discomfort after a while.

    Find a nice balance with a nice sound. Don't overdo to the point that it's awkward and uncomfortable. Just know that it will raise on its own for high notes, and if you can help it with greater ease and it sounds better, go for a good sound that is also comfortable.

    It does NOT have to be up all the time. It is natural for it to rise when you go high.
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