Principles Of Good Singing Pt. 1: Vocal Technique

What are the best techniques for executing high notes? How do I sing both powerfully and comfortably at the same time? How do I keep my voice from cracking on certain notes? How do I enunciate words when I sing high notes so they are understandable? How do I keep my vocal tone the same throughout my whole range? How do I move from one vocal register into another both comfortably and musically? How can I stop from losing my voice or going hoarse?

These are the sorts of issues that all singers face and ones that a good vocal
technique should address successfully. A technique is a typical—repeatable—
way of doing something, whether in singing or in any other activity. In singing, the
task is to create moving emotional experiences for the listener by a singer using his
voice in ways that achieve this end in an appealingly musical way.

There is a direct correlation between technique and artistic freedom. The
better, more effective a technique, the greater freedom the performer has to achieve
his goals. Moreover, unexpected creative expression in a singer’s performance—
say, for example, “hitting” a high note in a new and thrilling fashion or essaying a
beautifully decorated melody line—can arise only when a singer is being guided
by a reliable vocal technique, one that liberates him to sing spontaneously. A good
vocal technique eliminates nonproductive freedom, in other words, and allows the
singer to use his vocal skills in charming ways.

A poor vocal technique, on the other hand, does the opposite: it undermines
the very freedom necessary to permit the singer to bring to the surface compelling,
emotional moments in the listener. The fascinating irony of a technique, of any
kind, is that it creates freedom by eliminating it, by making the performer sing only
in specific ways, and not just in any manner than he wants.

Having argued for a reliable technique in singing, it must be said along
with the old, Italian masters that “Art begins where technique ends.” This idea
has two meanings: the listener must never be aware of any technical means (e.g.,
moving one’s head or body in distracting ways) a singer employs to achieve his
goals; rather, a singer’s technique must always be hidden from view, otherwise
the listener will be drawn away (distracted) from the pure joy of listening to the
singer’s voice and feeling the power of his interpretation. Second, a singer’s
technique must not only be invisible to the listener, but it must also remain
invisible to the singer himself during a performance; that is to say, when a singer is
performing, his attention should be directed to the meaning of words he is singing,
to the emotions that he is feeling during the performance, and to his listeners
themselves. Everything else for the singer should disappear, including his vocal
technique.

One final word on vocal technique. There is not one single vocal technique
that should be practiced by all singers, even those of the same style or vocal
category. Each individual singer—as a part of his growth—develops personal
singing habits that hopefully will become integrated into a personal and
dependable vocal technique. It’s only after a solid vocal technique is fashioned,
that a singer is able to grow into a genuine artist. On the other hand, if each
singer has his own individualized ways of singing—his own vocal technique,
the same should not be true when, as a student, he undergoes voice training. Voice training should be standardized and the reason is clear: the actions of singing, whatever they may be, are produced by anatomical structures and mechanisms that are shared by all people, taking into account gender differences. As a result, it makes anatomical sense that all singing students undergo a uniform regimen of voice building.

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