What a great response, thanks very much some very useful tips..



I am from the UK and have been singing for 7 years. Our chorus (Thames
Valley) has come between 2nd and 5th in recent years at Convention.

We have a big bass section. Our quartet has made the final a couple of times
but our standard is some way below US quartets. We tend to speak back from
the mask so as not to stand out.



I too have been confused about different instructions. Having worked on
bringing my voice forward, I have been told to take it back and sound more
like Jeff Oxley. Trouble is our teach tapes don't include any great basses.
We bought Tim Waurick teach tapes so maybe I sound like a tenor !!!! One of
our ex members sings with the VM and tells of their great teach tapes from
Max Q - makes me turn a nasty shade of green. Their web site just offers 2
CD's & no teach tracks.



I have tried working with a few bars of Jeff Oxley but it isn't enough.
Where do you guys get your recordings including great basses?



Much appreciate the information. It's great when it comes in like this. I
put some of it in our club magazine. To really stir things up, we have been
working on what I called a tool box - putting into writing common singing
problems and tools to improve from our club vocal coach. I attach a copy -
what do you think?



Richard



THAMES VALLEY CHORUS TOOLBOX





FREELY PRODUCED?



This is keeping the throat relaxed, and an absence of tension in the

Neck.



PROBLEM? TOOLS
(solutions)




The sound produced should be without obvious effort and unobstructed

Listen & look

Tell them what they hear is not what you hear. Ask them if they have heard
their own recorded voice as an example




Pseudo operatic?



This is an easier way to get higher notes instead of relaxing - sound not as
good and strains the voice.

Real opera singers don't use false folds.

Say Day - then sing changing nothing.

Sing caressing throat - fingers to sides of throat




Bringing in false folds



Speak like John Major to demonstrate feel & sound.

Cluck

Yawn

Gentle laugh

Hot potato/bite apple




Tongue in the way?



Objective is to maximise space

Put it flat - as in yawn

Not "behind teeth" causes tension




Phlegm

Natural but hydrate (water) night before. Not too much on the day.




Teeth in the way?

Open mouth




Over enunciating /moving jaw too much?

Get their hand on their jaw - hear sound




Moving Jaw/neck muscles to get higher note?

This can usually happen during a jump to a higher note. Get them to watch
themselves in a mirror. Keep jaw still and relax. Use diaphragm to push to
the higher note.



WELL SUPPORTED?



It all starts with Posture and must be continuous throughout the 25

minutes. The more we can get people to use those muscles the stronger

they will become. Anything else that you can remind your group about

neck position, feet position, breathing from the diaphragm etc will

be helpful. It is easy to point out mistakes, so try pointing out

successes instead. You know "look at x's posture, he's been standing

like that for 5 minutes".




Comfortable? Look Good?

Upright posture?

Stand to attention - feel relaxed?

Lean forward in Barbershop pose - fee comfortable? Legs relaxed? Balanced?

Try standing straight & singing a note then relax hip - hear difference -
that is pub singing




Chest raised?

Arms raise over head then down but keep chest high. (increases size of the
bag)

Now try it without using arms.




Head up & level? Throat not constricted/Tube aligned?

Use hair/string from top of head up

Head up, eyes level, relaxed

Lean forward - fee the tension. Can affect throat.

Avoid varifocal & reactolight specs

Don't change physical position to look at CD




Chin sinking or raised?

Check this in course of singing

Basses sink chin

Leads/baritones lift to strain for high notes or if short - used to looking
up

Try it with and without moving head.






Knees relaxed?

Stand with them braced, now relax




Feet comfortable

Flat on floor, one can be slightly in front of the other


Noisy intake of breath ?

Not free & open

Exercises above


Vibrato?

Not supported ?

" & se below under tuning



RESONANT?



Keeping forward placement using Zoo or new or moo. One technique I

heard a while ago was the speak-sing technique. If you say a line of

a song, feel where it resonates (hopefully at the front of the

mouth). Ask your student to say a phrase 3 times, then sing it

(perhaps on a monotone) with the same resonant feel. You can ask them

to reverse the procedure i.e. sing a phrase, then talk it with the

same feeling. You should be aware of talking at the back of the

throat, which feels very odd.

We also have the witches cackle, angry duck etc from Mike Taylor, and

mmmm-pizza from John Palmer.




Producing sympathetic tones e.g. octave, 5th,3rd, bouncing off a hard
surface? Volume for free.

Does it sound resonant?

Use vvving - Put the teeth on lower lip and use v to buzz and sing




Forward Sound?

Use the speaking/singing test above. Speak like John Major to demonstrate
use of false folds.

Use the cluck demonstration (tongue on roof of mouth

Yawn

Gentle laugh

Hot potato/bite apple

Use hengee, hengaa etc to show the mechanics of producing forward sound -
the closing/opening of soft palate - same as cluck.

Try them with witches cackle, angry duck.

Try oo, then Zoo






Pseudo Operatic?

See above - use of false folds.































IN TUNE?



The answer is usually support. Chest breathing or shallow breathing causes
the pitch to sag at the middle or end of every phrase. A freely produced,
well supported, resonant quality tone with a good head voice will solve many
tuning issues. Poor posture, mental and/or physical fatigue can also have
significant influence on horizontal and vertical tuning. Spend time on good
diaphragmatic breathing exercises every day to help develop better support
and, therefore, better tuning.



To demonstrate tuning and lock and ring, sing a static fundamental pitch in
unison to establish similar tone. Then ask the other person to sing the
major third you would expect to hear above it. Then ask them to take that
major third and very slowly glissando up a half step and down a half step,
and then as they come back up, stop when they can hear the sympathetic fifth
sounding. Do it again. After a few tries, when you can lock into it
consistently, they'll probably find that it's lower than they originally
thought. This example impresses those who are experiencing it for the first
time.

You can do the same exercise with a fifth, a fourth, and either a major or
minor sixth. The sympathetic tone to listen for changes depending on the
interval you're tuning,. But start with a major third. It's a more
pronounced difference than for the 5th and the 4th




Failure to achieve pitch?

Are they listening to pitch pipe. Get them to think coming down to pitch not
sliding up.




Chest breathing?

Get them to stand with back to you and watch for rise of shoulders. Not
using diaphragm. Get them to stand against wall - have to use diaphragm




Can you hear Vibrato?

They will be unable to achieve lock & ring and stand out. Impossible to
achieve just intonation Use support exercises above. For a lead, vibrato can
be OK to finish a phrase but this is very skilled.




Heavy tone?

Can cause flatting particularly with basses. Lighten up & use head voice
throughout range. Ue of warm air to support every pitch of every phrase
will open up all the spaces needed for quality singing




Out of tune on scales?

Taking too small a step in an ascending line, or too large of a step in a
descending line. Spend time singing major, minor and chromatic scales, both
ascending and descending, with accuracy. Relaxing support when you're
singing descending lines can cause you to flat. Reaching for high note
without lightening up and using your head voice can also cause flatting..




Scooping?

Prevents tuning at start of phrase. They are feeling for the note. Think
coming down to note and use support. Practice pitch pipe and interval
singing.











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