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March 2002 Table of Contents
Your Voice For God
When Less Is More
By Chris Beatty, Vocalcoach
Recently I was rehearsing with our church's small ensemble as one of the singers. In order to achieve a soft, but full-bodied tone I suggested that we use less sub-glottal pressure. Being a somewhat jovial bunch, they immediately started making jokes about sub-glottal this and that. After the laughing stopped (one soprano thought the term so hilarious she couldn't sing for 20 minutes) they wanted to know what I was really saying. In order to give what I am about to say more credence, I would like to give some brief autobiographical information.
I have taught voice for more than 35 years with regular, predictable success. That success is due in part to a God-given gift and natural curiosity. It is also due, in part, to my gifted teachers and coaches throughout my early years. In addition, the encouragement and education I received from my uncle, composer Samuel Barber, helped keep me on track. More to the point of this article is the fact that I have sung and coached a real-life cross-section of today's musicians and music. My own performance career has taken me from Town Hall concerts to Las Vegas shows and includes years of working with the Chicago Symphony and Lyric Opera as well as tours with the Ray Coniff Singers and the Norman Luboff Choir just to name a few. Add to that studio experiences and you see the variety.
As a teacher and coach I've worked not only with college students, church soloists and aspiring teens, but also with many successful recording artists. And whether helping guide singers from The Martins, Jars of Clay, Plus One or solo artists like Twila Paris, Cheri Keaggy, Ernie Haas, James Curlin or country singer Pam Tillis my first concern is always keeping the voice healthy. Perhaps that is why record companies are now using us to help their singers. In our worldwide workshops we've seen near-miraculous changes in choirs in a mater of hours. In summary, whether soloist, or group, whether rock or Bach, I'm comfortable.
Why the justification of my qualifications? Because what I'm about to propose might seem preposterous to some choir directors and voice teachers. (Those who have already discovered this truth will shout a big "Amen.") Are you ready? WHEN IT COMES TO BREATHING, LESS IS MORE; YOU ONLY NEED WHAT YOU NEED.
When it comes to breathing, less is often more. Why? Too much forced air serves no purpose. Less air, with more sound, results in more control. Singers who learn to limit wasted air, by expanding the back and sides during inhalation and keeping them expanded during the phrase, will experience a great delight. No shortage of breath and, if you allow it, a richer sound. This comes from having an open, relaxed throat and only necessary air. It's a dream come true.
"But," you might ask, "I don't understand where the volume comes from if we're using less air?" The answer: Acoustical efficiency. Consider a six-month-old child. Small lungs, small vocal folds and presumably no formal vocal training. Now consider the sheer volume that the little folks can produce. Small though they may be, babies can make more noise, pound for pound, than adults. Their heartfelt message ("I'm wet, I'm hungry and I want mommy NOW!") triggers a God-designed amplification system. One that can literally be ear shattering! Less air than adults and yet more sound? Yes, because they allow the God-given design rather than forcing.
Another common question is this: "Won't holding back the air cause tension in the breathing muscles? And aren't we trying to avoid tension?" Yes, good breath management does require a dynamic and ongoing expansion in the waist area, particularly the back and sides. But nothing is help tight, in a fixed position, and this does not translate into tension in the throat. Like a skilled dancer, pianist or even golfer, the skilled singer learns to maintain beneficial tension in one part of the body while keeping other parts utterly relaxed. For you sportsmen out there, how about the example of a pistol shooting? It's a great example of tension and relaxation coexisting. In my own experience with police and SWAT instructors, I have found that being consistently accurate requires the following: a strong, balanced stance; controlled, efficient breathing; a secure yet relaxed grips on the weapon. Otherwise you miss the mark. Just like a singer who misses the mark of tonal freedom or even pitch. And in all these examples, from dance and piano, to golf and shooting require a lot of repetition to perfect. Remember: Practice Makes Permanent, and Muscles Have Memory. When a singer finally "owns" this balanced freedom the feeling is almost beyond description.
Here's the step-by-step procedure for implementing the Less Is More technique:
- As always, be sure that your posture is upright and aligned by lifting the hands straight up over your head. As the arms come down, make sure the tale bone is tucked under, and allow the ribs and chest to remain upright. They are no longer part of the process. They are structural and provide space for lung expansion.
- Test the breathing with several short sipping breaths in and hissing breaths out, keeping the posture stable throughout.
- Here's where the rubber meets the road. With stable posture, and expanding back and sides, take a comfortable breath in, then hum a five-tone scale up and down USING AS LITTLE BREATH AS POSSIBLE. Be stingy! Pretend you're paying for the breath you use. And here's the key: At the same time allow an easily buzzing, resonant tone. You are asking your body to give more sound, with less air flow. Think it, desire it, and don't just do business as usual. Say to your body, "I want more sounds with less air, and the throat is to stay relaxed." If you honestly ask your body to do something different, it will strive to accomplish it. If you don't, it won't.
- Apply the above principles to short, simple phrases with yourself, your soloists or choir. As the freedom, and in the case of groups, better blend becomes secure, do longer and more complicated phrases. But, don't be in a hurry. This is a process.
Case and Point #1:
A five-girl group we coach for a record label was needing a better sound and blend. When you have five good soloists singing together, everyone needs to get on the same page. I asked them to sing a phrase they had just sung, only this time using half as much air. "I'll never make it," said one. Another said, "I can barely make it with a full breath, how can I do that?" I'm sure it won't surprise that they suddenly sounded like "one voice" with many parts, rather than like a group of soloists singing at the same time. They were very excited at the result and now sing with less air, getting more sound and better blend than before.
Case and Point #2:
Bill was an honest-to-goodness low bass and could easily sing the Ab below low C. The problem was that the tone quality he produced at that end of his voice was totally disconnected from the tone quality of his middle and upper ranges. I asked him not to "reach" for the note, but to "speak" the word on that pitch using no more air than when speaking. Once he was comfortable with that, we started expanding upward. 20 minutes later he was singing a very connected three octave range.
Case and Point #3:
Chris is 18 and just finishing a very successful four years of high school. He sings, writes songs, plays keyboards and generally flourishes in the arts. His last year, however, has not been a joy vocally. He has been plagued with sinus trouble leading to insecurity in his singing. He was at the point of not wanting to sing any more, and what was at one time a strong, confident voice, had become very tentative. This throat became sore after just a few songs. After reinforcing the foundations of posture, breathing and tone resonance we started warming up. As I continued to stress the "Less is More" principle, his eyes lit up and his voice freed up. He was experiencing the "You Only Need What You Need" principle in real time.
Case and Point #4:
Sarah and Stacy are teenage brother and sister and they sing together. As siblings, they have the potential for a unique "oneness" of sound often only found in those within a family. But, because both voices are in transition, finding a pleasing "middle ground" of tone quality took some work. The approach? You guessed it: Less In More; You Only Need What You Need. The result is easier singing and much more pleasing sound. Needless to say, they are now both "believers."
These are just a few of dozens of examples I have seen in just the last year. My challenge to you, as singer and leader is this: Don't force more air through the larynx than absolutely necessary to get the pitch and tone. Less is more. You only need what you need. Avoid words and phrases like, "Push. More air. More pressure." Posting some signs reminders your singers: LESS IS MORE. YOU ONLY NEED WHAT YOU NEED. ALLOW IT, DON'T FORCE IT.
I await your testimonies of new freedom, blend and overall communications.
Chris Beatty
Vocal Coach/Upright Foundation-Life Coaching
P.O. Box 2144, Brentwood TN 37024
Office: 615-331-1080
Fax: 615-331-8847
E-Mail: chris@vocalcoach.com
Web: www.vocalcoach.com
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