TechniqueMaintenonce

ou should now have a free. clear. flexible tone. with a blend of bothupper and lower resonance qualities. It shouldn't matter where in your rangeyou start your tone, because if you stay on your speech level, you should beable to just "talk on pitch."

However, bad habits die hard. As such, singing an actual song oftenbecomes complicated when the inclusion of certain consonants, vowel com-binations, and musical requirements threaten to disrupt your speech-leveltechnique. When this happens, there are several things you can do to helpyou keep your speech-level production intact. You have done most of thesealready in some of the earlier exercises. Now we will do them with songs,

103

S/NG/NG FOR THE SIABS

Exercise 27

Instructions:listen to tape

Bend forward as you approach the problem note(s) of the song. This willhelp you break your anxiety about accomplishing that note. Remember toreturn to a standing position at the completion of the note(s).

Notes.'

104

Annie Laurie (Traditional)

PART THREE: TECHNIQUE MAINTENANCE

And it's

87

her prom

c#.

l y fa l l s dew.

ton braes

S/NG/NG FOR THE SIABS

Exercise 28

Instructions:listen to tape

Use a little "cry" in your voice to discourage outer-muscle activation.However, only do this temporarily to "remind" your neuromuscular systemthat assistance from your outer muscles is unnecessary.

Notes.'

106

EA

do

E

G

A

Qa Trrrtry to coordinate rehearsal schedules between the end of one proiect andI- the beginning of another can be hectic, There neuer seems to be enough time

to prepare as well as you would like.One morning in 1967, Allan Cat called to tell me he had found a

oocal technique teacher who taught a technique that was efficient and quicklylearned. The teacher wqs Seth Riggs. The technique has seraed me well, has keptme together oocally through many difficult and trying situations. ) )

Ann-MargretActress, SingerLos Angeles

The Streets of Laredo (Traditional)

l - walked out

G

do, as

--------7

walked out in La day ;

spied a young cow - boy wrapPed l n white

As

Ff,'

rf.

up

E7

l i n - e n , a l l

A

dressed in white l i n co ld the c lay .

the streets of La

107

S/NG/NG FOR THE SIARS

Exercise 29

Instructions:listen to tape

If the problem vowel is:

a (as in"may")

a (as in "cat"

eh (as in "let")

ih (as in "sit")

ah (as in"father")

uh (as in"mother")

oo (as in"foot")

Try:

ee (as in "we")

eh (as in "let")

ih (as in "sit")

ee (as in "we")

uh (as in"mother")

oo (as in"foot")

oo (as in"toot")

Sometimes it's hard to sing a certain note because the vowel you need tosing it with stays "anchored" to the lower part of your range. You canremedy this by starting with another vowel that, by its acoustical nature,makes it easier to sing that note without activating your outer muscles. Afteryou use that vowel to start the problem note, you can substitute the originalvowel for the temporary one, keeping it in the same "place."

Notes:

108

House Of The Rising Sun (Traditional)

There

Em

A7

the R is - ing Sun.

PABT THREE: TECHNIQUE MAINTENANCE

New Or - leans they

been the ruin of

a house

G

I t ' s

87

ca l l

A7

m a n - y

S/NG/NG FOR THE STARS

Exercise 30

Instructions:listen to tape

Finally, you can sing the pocal line higher than it's written. If you transposethe notes of your song higher, you will avoid getting locked into any onepart of your range, and the problems that can arise from doing so. You mayeven want to do this occasionally with songs you aren't having any par-ticular problem with, just to double check.

Alotes:

1 1 0

Shenandoah (Traditional )

you ro l - l i n '

Shen-an-doah, - | long to hear You. -

'cross the

PART THREE: TECHNIQUE MAINTENANCE

way

c

Oh, Shen-an-doah,

way, we're bound a-

Mis-sou

1 1 1

S/NG/NG FOR THE SIABS

Generally speaking, though, if you remain sensitive to any excess pressurebuilding up in your voice and do what's necessary to release that pressure,you will always promote and maintain a natural speechJevel sound.

112