How can I tell if I have the "bright" tone?

Girll12

To me, this means singing at speaking level, only using pitch and going higher with it, but it doesn't sound bright to me. Even saying Ken's phrase, "It's the La, Ah" doesn't help me to hear it. It almost sound nasally, though I'm sure that's not right. I've thought of recording myself to see if I hear it that way. Just before buying his Pro course bundle, I discovered how to raise my soft palate which helps, but like Ken says, I've been babying my chest voice by going to head too early. I managed to belt out a C5 in full voice but any higher than that I flip. Not sure if there's a standard females are supposed to sing to in chest (possibly G5?) but I'm trying and it's only my 4th day. I'm trying to do the exercises twice a day, though as a substitute teacher, I can usually only do them in the afternoons. So bottom line question, is there another way to be sure I'm using the bright tone? Thanks!

JonasFinnLarsson

Try this: Sing the scale once(notice how you sound) and then listen to Ken how he sounds when he does it. Then you try again and see if you can get that feeling/sound he has. It might take a little while but just sing, pause, listen and repeat. You might find that there is a placement for that bright tone and the more you feel it and sing it, it'll get easier to find it. For me it takes a while before I find that bright tone, especially when i'm not warmed up.

Girll12

Thanks I'll try it.

highmtn

The bright sound has a bright ping to it. You make sure you have good cord closure, not breathy. The sound kind of Pops, or Rings. You "direct" the sound to ricochet off of the hard surfaces, like the back of the upper front teeth and the hard palate. You smile into the sound, baring your upper teeth and raising your cheeks up into the area near your eyes.

When Ken demonstrates "It's the Lah!! AH!!!" that is the sound we want. The most direct way to get there is to simply copy his sound like a mockingbird. "AHH!! AHH!!!" Really bright. If it sounds too bright (to you) it's just about right.

Girll12

That makes sense. I'll have the place to myself tomorrow so I'll get to be as loud as I want and by recording I'll hear it. I thought I had it copied earlier but wasn't sure. Thanks for responding!

LisaG3479

This is Girll12, now LisaG3479.

timliu92

One indication of a real bright tone is that your singing has a lot of clarity to it, meaning that the sound is not muddy or muffled.

The 'aaaa' vowel helps in the sense that it guides you to place your voice forward, right in front of your face - when you can feel the resonance in the back of your upper front teeth and the hard palate with an open throat and decent support, you basically are unlocking that 'ping' in your sound that helps to not only improve your overall sound, but also increase your range healthily without resorting to choking and squeezing.