Quote Of The Day:
“Always end the name of your child with a vowel, so that when you yell the name will carry.”
Oh my gosh, how true is that? Maybe that’s why when we are little, our names get changed to one that ends in an “ee” sound: Billy, Bobby, Timmy, Angie (I’ve never liked that short form of my name). It’s so that when our parents are calling us, we hear them as it has a nice decay just like a cymbal. But I digress. This blog is about vowels, particularly the “ee” vowel sound when singing. The “ee” sound is a very interesting vowel sound that you will need to learn to manipulate especially in your upper-mid-range or what I call Diva or Rockstar range.
Apart from the original vowel sound, there are numerous vowel combinations known as dipthongs that end up sounding like “ee”: the long “I” sound as in the word “night” or “I” (one letter with two vowel sounds eye-ee),“ie” as in “fried”, and another straight “ee” sound as in “baby” to name a few. Speak these words that I just mentioned. Take particular notice of how the sides of your mouth pull back when you get to the “ee” part of the vowel sound. You will also notice that there is a tension that is created all the way down the front of your neck.
Next, picture yourself going for an incredible Diva or Rockstar note on a word with this vowel sound. I can pretty much guarantee that unless you “modify” the vowel sound to take away the tension it creates, it will cause strain and tension on that particular word because it’s too tight. The goal of a singer is to have effortless, floating phrases that can still kick ass, especially in the upper-mid-range where our most powerful and emotionally charged notes can reside.
So, how do you “modify” the vowel to make it less tight and easier to sing in all ranges, especially the Diva and Rockstar ranges. It’s a pretty simple fix – just drop your jaw on the vowel sound. I know it sounds weird, but all you need to do is “think” the vowel sound “eh” but still sing the vowel sound “ee”. This tricks your brain into opening up your throat and relieving all tension on any words that have the tight “ee” vowel sound. Try it. If you need a visual, here is a link to a video from my 5 Point Singing System Digital Vocal Program that I did demonstrating it.
Experiment with vowel modification and be amazed at how much easier it is to sing in that Diva Rockstar range that we all strive to nail effortlessly and impress our audiences with.
Until next time… Breathe and Happy Singing!
Angela
P. S. Go to the link below for a 5 Point Singing System
Special Offer of $39.95. (Regular $97.00)
http://5pointsingingsystem.com/live/manual-001d/
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