Chest Voice, need advice
BenGo
Member Posts: 7
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
Sorry for mistakes, english isn't my native language. Thank you for the answer
Comments
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.
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!
"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
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.
Thank you very much, for your answers. You are really helping me to work through some moments.
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.