Nov. 28, 2014: Shrillness in the Dramatic-Voiced Singer It happens frequently these days. A dramatic voice auditions and they get the feedback that their voice is too ‘shrill’ or ‘unpleasant’, especially in the high range, where the upper frequencies of the dramatic voice are much more intense. So WHAT is the problem? On major problem is that many of those in a position to hire do now hear dramatic voices properly because they have had their ear spoiled by amplified music. Another major issue is that many are not trained to hear voice types or vocal fach and know that a certain amount of ‘cut’ or what the British call ‘blade’ in the voice is normal and warms in the theater. I have had one dramatic soprano who auditions in Europe and they tell her that her voice is too ‘sharp and cutting’. She auditions in America and her feedback is that her voice is too ‘back and out of the ring’. So WHAT is a singer to do? Well my solution in this case is to have her soften her ring factor by softening the tongue-root and this seems to have solved the issue to a great extent. But what if a singer IS shrill in the upper range? What is the cause? Realize that there are several factors that can take away the warmth of a voice. Whatever the cause, the listener usually finds it hurtful to the ears to hear loud unprotected shrill sound, especially in a small rom. It can be an unpleasant experience to hear a voice that lacks color and warmth and exemplifies mostly higher overtones and intensity. Making the excuse that large voices are just full of high overtones is not the right answer here. When sound is hurtful to one’s hearing, it is pushed and forced. The causes of this vocal disorder can be varied, but it is important to identify how to solve this issue because it can block a singer from being hired. Many classical singing jobs are offered in Europe, where the opera houses and concert halls can be smaller. There is a new trend in hiring smaller voices to sing dramatic roles. While I do not agree with this practice, much of the reasoning behind it could be that they want a warmer sound without shrillness, especially in a smaller opera house. Can You Only Sing Loud? One big red light for the dramatic singer is if he/she can ONLY sing loud or louder. This was my fate when trained in the wrong vocal fach, even though I am a lyric baritone. Shrillness in singing often takes away one’s ability to sing varied dynamics within repertoire, which basically mirrors a lack of musicianship. I have had so many singers come to me that I thought were bad musicians. But when their voices released, I heard a great musician that had been hidden by a past dysfunctional vocal production. The causes of shrillness can be varied, which will be covered later in this post. Tongue-root tension plays a major role in causing shrillness. Often accompanied by the employment of too much breath pressure, it can mirror the amount of lower body tension, including a locked solar plexus. Tongue-root tension can also be related to a history of high larynx singing, which was my personal case. When too much breath pressure is employed, the resulting gag reflex blocks resonance, inviting the singer to ‘push harder’ on the breath. This breath pressure often is in the form of sudden expulsions of breath, rather than an even controlled breath-stream. The locked solar plexus makes it impossible to move the small breath stream on which we sing and pronounce healthily. This is because the glottis is over-squeezed, blocking free airflow. Locking the even breath-flow causes the singer many issues over years of singing because the ‘push reflex’ is already set up directly after inhalation when the tends to tongue-root lock. The larger-voiced singer does this in an attempt to find the sub-glottic compression. But taken too far, and this habit can cause a lack of breath-flow. The forward thrust of the jaw is another side effect of the push reflex that adds to the toxic recipe. At one point, the singer feels as though he/she is running in circles feeling as though they are getting nowhere. More later! Have a great day!..........................David
Posted on: Fri, 28 Nov 2014 12:30:40 +0000
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