Do you want to know how to develop a strong and powerful voice when singing?
In this video series, I am talking about resonance in singing, why your voice needs it and how
to improve vocal resonance.
In this video, I’ll also share a quick vocal resonance exercise.
Let’s start.
Hi and welcome to this video series about voice resonance.
If we haven’t met yet, my name is Katarina and I am a speech-language pathologist from
How 2 Improve Singing and on this channel, I share tips on how to sing in a healthy and
efficient way.
So, if you don’t want to miss any of my future videos, consider subscribing to my
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What is vocal resonance?
That is the question.
First, let’s turn to our good old Google for some answers.
Google’s resonance definition is “the quality in a sound of being deep, full, and
reverberating”, which is really cool because that is the goal of every singer, right?
To have a full, ringing, and rich voice.
But this definition really does not help us understand how to get resonance in voice.
So, let’s continue.
Google also says that in the field of physics, resonance means “the reinforcement or prolongation
of sound by reflection from a surface or by the synchronous vibration of a neighboring
object”.
What???
I know.
This is not the clearest definition but bear with me.
The most important word in this definition is “the reinforcement”.
One of the key ideas about singing resonance is making the sound bigger and louder.
How?
Let’s look at a swing.
If you push a girl on a swing at the right time, the swing will go higher and higher.
If you use the natural frequency of the swing, you reinforce it and make the swing go high.
If you push at the wrong time and go against this natural frequency of the swing, you will
interfere and the swing will not go high.
What does this have to do with a singing voice?
You can use similar principles in singing to achieve louder, stronger, richer sounds
without pushing your voice or taxing the vocal folds.
Vocal resonance is a process during which the fundamental frequency created by vibrating
vocal folds is enhanced by passing through the air in the vocal tract.
If we could take the vocal folds out of your throat and make them vibrate, the basic sound
would be very ugly, buzzy and weak.
Something like this.
But let’s put the vocal folds back into your throat and this ugly and weak sound has
to pass through the air-filled vocal tract.
The sound energy is boosted and the character of the sound is changed due to the presence
of overtones.
The vibrations from the vocal folds travel through the air in the larynx, throat, mouth
and nose.
Yes, the magic lies in the vocal tract.
It is a complicated and complex structure.
The final sound will depend on the size and shape of the vocal tract, on the type of openings
to and from these resonating spaces, on the thickness and surface of the walls of the
vocal tracts.
That is the reason why we all sound different.
By manipulating the vocal tract, we can change our voice and sound like someone else.
Just look at some amazing impersonators.
They have the ability to change their vocal tracts to resemble voices of other people.
By the way, if you know some really good impersonators, let me know in the comments below.
But singers can manipulate the vocal tract and sound louder, richer and better.
Humans have several resonators that can be adjusted to serve this function.
For example, the position of the larynx, movements of the jaw and tongue, the shape of the lips,
the position of the soft palate and coupling of the nasal cavity are just a few examples.
And these adjustments have to be done at the right time with the right fundamental frequency,
which means that there will be different adjustments for high and low notes, for different vowels
and consonants, as well as for different styles of singing.
Classical singing will require different vocal tract adjustments than musical theater or
pop singing.
As you can see the possibilities are endless!
And it is only up to you to discover what works best for your voice, and your repertoire.
In my next video, I will share with you the most important vocal resonators (and by the
way, it is not your chest), but you can start playing with vocal resonance today.
How?
Here is a simple resonance exercise to improve singing tone.
Start with simple humming.
While humming, change the position of your jaw, tongue, shape of the lips, position of
the soft palate, then change the pitch and observe where you feel the vibrations.
Find the most resonating hum at each pitch level and become aware of how you need to
adjust your vocal tract to achieve that.
Now, if you liked this video, click the like button and share it with your singing friends.
Check out my other videos right here below and I will see you in my next video.