Skip to main content

Opera and Vocal Technique

Opera and vocal technique require the same basic fundamentals.

Whether you want to be a general singer or specialize in opera, there are basic techniques that will help you increase your skill and ability in both fields. Opera training and vocal technique, at their roots, use the same concepts to teach vocalists how to breathe, project their voice in a safe manner and proper pronunciation. Taking the time to study these techniques will ensure a safer and more fruitful vocal experience.

Warm Up


A proper warm up must be completed before every vocal practice session. This is true for all singers. Warming up the vocal cords can be done in several ways, through exercises designed to slowly warm the voice and through the ingestion of warm liquids such as tea with honey. The honey will help to coat your throat and the tea will help loosen phlegm and warm your vocal cords. Some good warm ups include singing the first five notes of a scale at a medium volume and yawning on the syllable "hmmm" downwards.

Buzzing


Buzzing the lips helps to warm up the vocal cords in a safe and low-impact manner. Press your lips together and buzz a major or minor scale within your comfortable range. For most sopranos and altos, a scale starting on middle C will be fine. For tenors and basses, try starting an octave lower than middle C. The important thing is to sing on a scale that fits easily and comfortably within your vocal range.

Breath Control


Breath control for a singer requires careful practice and basic knowledge of a concept called diaphragmatic breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing occurs when you consciously control the breathing mechanisms of the diaphragm. Normally, the diaphragm controls breathing involuntarily, however, the diaphragm allows for voluntary control of breathing to an extent. To breathe correctly, you must breathe into the diaphragm, feeling the stomach and sides expand. Practice this by breathing in for four beats and out for six beats. As you improve you will be able to take in more air, thereby, improving your tone production.

Register


Increasing the vocal register safely takes patience. Practice vocal extension exercises every day to gradually and consistently increase your high range. Increase your high range by practicing low and high pitches. For the low pitches, start an octave above the lowest note you can sing comfortably, then, sing chromatically down a fifth. Start one-half step lower and sing down another fifth. Continue until you can sing no lower. For the high range, do the same thing, but start an octave below your highest comfortable pitch. Sing up a fifth and then repeat a half step higher. Chromatic singing means to sing all the half steps between the starting and ending note.

Diction


Diction will greatly help the clarity of your voice and ability to audibly pronounce words to the audience. Diction requires the vocalist to learn how to pronounce words correctly. In singing, the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is used to teach singers how to pronounce words correctly in every language. IPA provides examples of words in your native language and teaches you how to pronounce foreign words using words you already know how to pronounce. See Resources.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

List of Musical Techniques and Their Meanings

Musical techniques are the building blocks of any basic music training. These techniques allow performers to improve their coordination and develop accuracy through repetitive daily exercises. Musical techniques progressively build upon previously learned techniques. Scales Scales form the basis for other musical techniques. Student may study major and minor scales as well as modern scales, such as the whole-tone and octatonic scales. A scale consists of patterns of half steps and whole steps. These whole steps and half-step arrangements will be different for each scale. Scales are musical techniques that can help a performer to play faster and more accurately, and make learning new pieces easier. Chords Chords require knowledge of major and minor scales. Chords come in several different forms that affect the sound. Triads consist of three notes spaced a third apart and classified as major, minor, augmented and diminished chords. Seventh chords build on triads and have an additional no
Post a Comment
Read more

Why Claude Debussy Never Cared About Music Theory

  Claude Debussy was born on August 22, 1862. So, I felt writing a blog post to celebrate would be appropriate. Debussy was a revolutionary composer who challenged the conventions of Western music. He was influenced by the impressionist painters, the exotic sounds of gamelan music, and the symbolist poets. He created a musical language that was expressive, colorful, and atmospheric. One of the most remarkable aspects of Debussy's music is his use of harmony. He did not follow the rules of tonality and functional harmony that dominated the music of his time. Instead, he used modes, scales, chords, and parallel movements that created a sense of ambiguity and fluidity. He also experimented with timbre, texture, rhythm, and form to create musical images that evoked moods and emotions. Debussy's music can inspire us to think outside the box and explore new possibilities in our own compositions. We can learn from his innovative techniques and his artistic vision. We can also apprecia
Post a Comment
Read more

Similarities of Classical and Baroque Music

Music has evolved through the centuries and undergone drastic changes. One of the most significant transitions was from the Baroque to the Classical period of music. In this paragraph, I will compare and contrast some of the main features of these two styles, such as ensembles, instrumentation, and counterpoint study. The Baroque and Classical periods of music have many similarities. While the style of music changed drastically, certain key elements remained the same between the two styles. Composers in the Classical period sought to simplify music and create clearly audible musical lines. In contrast, composers from the Baroque period were interested in creating complex and highly ornamented musical lines. The Baroque period occurs from approximately 1600 to 1750, and the Classical period extends from 1750 to 1820. Ensembles Ensembles are groups of musicians that perform together. Both the Baroque and the Classical period had similar types of ensembles, such as operas, orchestras, str
Post a Comment
Read more