Principles Of Good Singing Pt. 5: Voice Control

Singing well implies controlling the various elements of vocal expression
to achieve maximum communicative impact. And what are these elements?
Volume, resonance, flexibility, and range. The crucial piece of information in this regard is that voice control is possible only because these elements are based in muscular action. We can see that voice control has a very precise meaning: it indicates having the ability to manage the vocal muscles in an efficient, coordinated fashion.

The hallmark of voice control is a capacity that I call “vocal cruising.” In
vocal cruising, a singer is able to sing at comfortable dynamic levels and meet with awesome accomplishment even the most difficult vocal and artistic challenges at the same time, a la Aretha Franklin. Put differently, it means discovering ideal stress levels at which your voice is able to perform power, resonance, flexibility, and range requirements efficiently with the desired artistic effect. Many singers never establish their vocal cruising levels because they are either hobbled by
weak and uncoordinated vocal muscles or practice poor singing habits such as singing in keys that are too high for their voices, which creates nonproductive, unhealthy stress levels. In both cases, singing comfortably and reaching artistic goals is difficult at best, if not impossible.

One of my former students and one of America’s most esteemed singers, Andy Williams, once gave me his opinion on the subject: “On a scale from one to ten, ten being the most you can give vocally, a singer should hover between six and eight and go for a nine or a ten only occasionally, when the music requires it.” I think that this is sound advice and, at the very least, offers a helpful insight into the meaning of vocal cruising—the greatest indication of successful voice control.

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