Home GENERAL SINGING - Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy Forum

Hello KTVA!

I know I'm posting this under General Singing Category, but that's because I would like to ask a question at the same time I introduce myself a bit xD

I am 22 years old and am finding myself becoming more serious and serious about singing as I watch what exactly it is that Ken is doing. My hope is to save enough money--I feel bad using my parents' money all the time :P--to actually buy the program, from when on I will be improving like I'm on vocal steroids! Well, I hope xD I don't believe that I am completely talentless because I was born with musical talent--mostly instruments other than my voice lol. So... yeah! Nice to meet you all!

Until I can afford How to Sing Better than Anyone Else, I am currently taking a lesson from a vocal coach who, as Ken said, demonstrated his ability to sing. Now, I had researched the methods and know that my throat has to be open. The technical stuff is where my questions originate hehe

When I keep my uvula up--and I am becoming more and more fluent in keeping that up through the scale and singing--my larynx also lowers, which is natural from what I've learned. The problem is that when I do keep it up and my throat opened, I sound like I'm swallowing the sound--I hope this is the proper expression. Froggy is the word I am looking for, I think. The sound that is not really clear.

Obviously, that is not the bright timbre Ken has talked about. My vocal coach told me to sing like I am gently placing the sound at the tip of my nose, and my sound did brighten a bit. My question: Is it the same concept as the bright timbre that Ken emphasizes? I hope I am making sense. I will be posting a video in coming days!

Thanks!

:smiley:

Comments

  • EnglishTea123EnglishTea123 Enrolled Posts: 80
    Hmm I suppose sounding too dark is better way to describe it.
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    edited October 2015
    @EnglishTea123,

    We would have to hear a demo, preferably a video demo so we can see and hear what you are doing. "Froggy" often is used to describe a raised larynx, dark is often a lowered larynx. It could be something entirely different. There are too many possible variables for us to misdiagnose from a verbal description.

    Give us an example. Preferably a scale on a LAH. Songs won't give us enough of a standardized consistency for these purposes. A 1,3,5,8,5,3,1 scale on LAH would be perfect, moving up a notch for each successive scale.

    The same scale Ken demonstrates in his How to Sing Better for Guys videos. Use that as a guide. He also demonstrates how to properly do the "AH" vowel. Do your scale like that, and you'll be on the right track.

    All the Best.

    Bob
  • EnglishTea123EnglishTea123 Enrolled Posts: 80
    edited October 2015
    Thank you, Bob, for timely response!

    I have uploaded a short "LAH" scale as you have suggested. It is very, very short and my mouth isn't visible in it because this was taken today shortly before an audition at a vocal academy that I'm currently attending.

    I tried to brighten up the timbre. Could you please give me feedback? Whew. As you may hear in the video, I was very nervous hahaha. This was my very first audition and I kept getting nervous! xD If I remember correctly, I only went up to F4 or F#4 because this was done mainly as a warm-up.

    Haha I must be very serious about singing because I shy away from feedback a lot of time, but here I am, asking for it :P I guess I am prepared to improve just like others who have gone through my stage!

    Thank you.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_iEQentJko

    (Note: I wanted to upload this to "Student Progress" section, but whenever I log in, the section disappears, so I just decided to post it here. Any help would be appreciated!)

  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    Your tone could be brighter. You can smile a little more and raise your cheeks some as you smile to help lift your soft palate. As you get close to the D#, E, F, F# you need to push down on your diaphragm more to help support those higher notes.

    The bright timbre Ken refers to is good cord closure, along with good open throat, and a touch of mask. The smile will be helpful. The "aiming" the sound towards the tip of the nose is essentially directing the "beam" of sound toward the hard surfaces... back of the upper teeth, hard palate... this helps to reflect the bright sound.

    Your voice sounds OK. It's a little shaky, and that's mostly a support thing. Good support will stabilize the breath and improve your tone.

    All the Best!

    Bob
  • EnglishTea123EnglishTea123 Enrolled Posts: 80
    I see. Thank you for the feedback! I will work on having more support and work to have a brighter tone.

    As for support--I would like to make sure so that I'll be practicing it properly--I know Master Ken said that it should feel like doing a sit-up, but, since I don't have the program yet, it is a bit confusing to me as to which part of the sit-up he is referring to. It is when I go up from lying down, right? (This may sound a bit ridiculous, but I just felt like it'd be better for me to be safe than sorry :P) And when I'm singing, should I try to keep that pushing out sensation throughout the phrase?

    I do apologize for throwing so many novice questions at once, Bob! But I hope that you'll understand! :D
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    Support is something that is just too hard to describe in a single or for some, multiple postings. So for detailed information on that, you will have to enroll to access the additional videos and forums information available. Even with all of that, many have tons of questions and need for clarification.

    As to the comparison of support to a sit-up, a sit-up is not exactly like the feeling of support, but the amount of effort expended in the abdominal area is very similar, and that is the reason for the example of the sit-up. And to me, the most effort is needed at the beginning of a sit-up, however the entire process of going upward is pretty demanding.

    You will have to push down on your diaphragm with as much effort as you expend on a sit up when you raise your body up.

    Support is "like" a lot of things, but not "exactly like" anything (except support), and that's why it is so difficult to explain in a way that the person you are trying to tell about it will understand completely enough to do it.

    Before I found and then later purchased KTVA, I searched the internet for months trying to learn what support was. The closest and most helpful thing I found was explanations and descriptions of "appoggio".

    Support and true "appoggio" are pretty much the same thing. I studied everything I could find on appoggio. Same thing. Everybody talked about it, claimed they taught it, but nobody explained it in a way that I could "get it". They've been talking about appoggio for hundreds of years. You would think that something like that would be a simple explanation. Describing how to take control of autonomic muscle systems is not that simple.

    All the Best.

    Bob
  • EnglishTea123EnglishTea123 Enrolled Posts: 80
    I see. Thank you again! I will try to find support and post what result I get so I will know what else to work on!

    Thank you!
  • EnglishTea123EnglishTea123 Enrolled Posts: 80
    Hmm... Bob. I found that when I keep my throat open and start the scale from the 8th note, I don't have any problem keeping it open. The problem is when I start the scale from the low note. As is the problem for most people at my level, I can't seem to keep my throat as opened ascending TO the higher notes compared to descending FROM it (so, 8-5-3-1 instead of the usual 1-3-5-8).
    Now, when I start the note certain way, my soft palate is kept relatively raised. Would that be the correct sound? I'll post the clip when I get home.
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