"What is Good Singing"

Written by Jay Willoughby, Classical Vocalist

(This article appeared in INTERMISSION a monthly publication devoted to live theatre 
and musical performance.  Jeannie Breeze is INTERMISSION's editor and publisher.) 

 "But, Jeannie B,"  I said;  "Your INTERMISSION readers are essentially actors.  Why would they have any interest in some old opera singer talking about beautiful singing?"   

"Don't you preach that good singing is ‘intensified’ speech?"  squeaked Jeannie, intensely!
            Readers!  Jeannie writes exactly as she talks.  If only you could hear the words on the page via the voice
                           that put them there.   From now on, when you read anything written by Jeannie Breeze, imagine you're
                                            hearing one of the Christmas Chipmunks chattering at you while chasing around in all directions.  

"You also said," she said, while waggling a finger and chirping at me,  "That a well sung note was first well spoke, then simply stretched!"
That does sound like one of my pompous pronouncements, I admitted.  "Well, lots of my INTERMISSION reader actors sing and are open to new ideas even from old sources."  "Hmmmmmmmm,"  I commented mellifluously,  with relaxed jaw, pretending there were pebbles on my tongue.  

"Jeannie,  I've been questing for forty years to sing well.  One INTERMISSION wouldn't hold all the highs and lows."  I droned resonantly in the mask.                       "What do you mean, ‘One INTERMISSION’?  You get one page!"  screeched Jeannie through a chest voice two octaves too high.
                                "Hamlet said it all in half a page.  'Speak the speech.......’  squeaked the screech.”    

I slowly began filling my singer lungs with air,  diaphragm descending,  ribs expanding,  head high,  tongue down,  throat open and cut loose with a sudden,  high,  ringing,  full-bodied,  "All R i i i i i i i i ght!"  After a moment of silence,  Jeannie cooed,  "Oh my!  That was wonderful!  Can you teach anyone to do that?"  "Sure! If they can get worked-up enough!  Your laconic hero, Hamlet, said it well: ‘Suit the action to the word, the word to the action.’” 

My definition of a wonderful singer is one who lays thoughts onto musical notes and projects them straight from the heart.A wonderful singer will release to us the just-right emotion each thought had wanted.  I believe the actor calls it, "connected."  

Notice that my definition doesn't speak about precise pitch,  any certain voice quality,  extended range of notes, etc.  but simply that one can radiate feelings.  

One of the worst sounding but wonderful singers I ever heard was the great actor, Walter Huston.  In his sixties, about the time of the filming of Treasure of Sierra Madre, he recorded September Song.  His singing voice sounded like a shifting gravel pile and the pitches were about as accurate.  But his poignant delivery would grab you and hold you enraptured.  

If you can do that,  you can become a wonderful singer!.  In the voice classes I conduct,  this is what I emphasize above everything.  The singer who can connect to inner feelings will see some technical difficulties just drop away.  And your audience,  carried along on your emotional commitment,  will be less noticing of vocal flaws.

In addition to being  "connected,"  there are some singers who want to be skillful;  to sing with clear,  consistent quality over a wide range of notes.  They want to be able to sing high notes with ringing overtones and in full control.  Those singers are like Olympic athletes wanting to be world class,  achieving greater stamina in order to do their thing faster,  further,  longer and higher.  Or, to emulate the Olympic figure skater and perform with grace,  subtlety,  finesse and even humor.  

During my forty years of study and practice I experienced alternating periods of singing acceptably and singing terribly.  I can only say now that I sing better technically than I ever have and I know why.  Mine is a story typical of many students of a highly disciplined skill.  I was too analytical and made things too complicated.  Several experienced, intuitive vocal and drama coaches I worked with during my years in New York City facilitated a turn around.  They helped me strip away artifice and emotional filters,  which are absolute impediments to being "connected."
 

My basic concepts are few:

1. Everything you sing,  songs or even vocal exercises,  should radiate feelings.  Your "Lah, Lah, Lahs," can be joyful;
              your vowel matching exercises, "OH-OH-OH-AH-AH-AH-OO-OO-OO,"  can be erotic Martian love lyrics, etc.
                              No sung sound should ever be only technical ! 

2. The way you use your breath while singing is direct evidence of your emotional commitment.  Good actors demonstrate
this aspect of being "connected."  How passionate is your breathing under a love song?  If it isn't there,  you aren't feeling passion, honey! 

"Hey Jay!  I never seem to have enough breath."  I answer back,  "You weren't emotionally ready!  If you saw someone trying to steal your BMW,  your shouting would be long,  loud and reach the heavens.  Surprise!  You had enough breath!"  The actor learns to turn that process around by inducing the emotion to well up inside and then release the phrase.  The singer needs to do that, too.  An added challenge for the singer, of course, is stretching the breath but that is the easier element to acquire.  

3. You learn to sing by imitating your own good singing.  Your full voice singing should be limited to the range of notes you do well.
                When you continuously sing full voice on high notes way beyond your easy range you are only practicing how to sing badly.
                                 Keep your full voice singing within a note or two of your easy range and feel for similar physical sensations.   

A good singing technique is built by adding half-steps above and below your current range of well produced sounds  

4. You can greatly facilitate your vocal progress by practicing your tiny,  falsetto voice, gliding seamlessly, up and down, through your entire range.  This sound has no muscle constriction and a person 10 feet away might not even hear you.  You allow this light sound to glide smoothly, very high and very low rejecting any muscle constriction, which would clamp onto it.  The goal of this type of exercise is to re-educate the “vocal” muscles  which, when constricted,  can cause shrillness,  screeching and  squeaking.  

Which brings me back to ......... Jeannie!  There's a whole lot more, Jeannie!  I'm really filled with it,  can you tell?