FUNDAMENTALS OF VOCAL PRODUCTION

IN A CHORAL SETTING
Dr. Debra Cairns, clinician
Department of Music
3-82 Fine Arts Building
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2C9
Phone: (780) 492-2384
E-mail: dcairns@ualberta.ca
Website: www.debracairns.ca
INTRODUCTION
Singing is a complex combination of physical and psychological processes. This session will
touch on some of the fundamental aspects of vocal production within a choral setting in order to
facilitate more effective singing, and provide a framework for further exploration and study.
1. VOCAL PRODUCTION FUNDAMENTALS
Posture:
! Strive for sense of buoyancy and freedom of energy in the posture
! Feet slightly apart
! Weight evenly distributed on both legs
! Centre of gravity in solar plexus area
! Torso tall and wide
! Shoulders comfortably down and back
! Head comfortably high (as much space between ears and shoulders as possible)
! Chin parallel to ground
! Eyes alive!
! For sitting position, sit at front edge of chair, both feet touching floor and placed slightly
apart (as in ready position to stand)
Breathing/Breath Support
The foundation of good singing is proper breathing and breath management.
! good breathing habits
" improve tone and intonation
" reduce tension
" develop vocal agility
" extend the range
" provide smooth legato lines
" clarify articulation
" should allow sense of being flexible and alive, not rigid
! the type of breathing used for musical activity is called diaphragmatic-intercostal
breathing and primarily involves the muscles of the lower abdomen
! such breathing involves a feeling that
" the ribs and abdominal area (lower torso) are expanding
" there is life/motion in the ribs and lower torso
" the centre of activity is the solar plexus area

Vowel Production/Tone/Resonance
Good vowel production is central to good choral tone, blend and intonation.
! vowels should to be sung with same fundamental formation and sound within each
section of choir, and throughout ensemble
! vowels should have a round or vertical space rather than wide or flat
! vowels should have a common quality/thread between them (however, certain colours
within that evenness are also important)
! there should be a general sense of forward placement in mouth and mask for all vowels
! breaths should be taken with mouth shape and pitch placement of first vowel of phrase
! lips should be slightly puckered to help improve tone and resonance
! avoid confusing physical effort (ie amount of air/breath expelled) with volume; a larger
sound is created through presence of resonance in tone, not a lot of air
! creating resonance requires physical and mental effort, but breath must be gauged/
balanced rather than forced
! feeling in throat should be the same for all pitches (especially upper notes)
Note: do not think of excessive expansion on upper notes!
! a soft sound requires as much resonance and energy as a loud sound
Consonant Production
Consonants provide meaning to the vowels, colour to the words, and rhythmic and expressive
interest in the phrase.
! consonants should be articulated with the lips and the tip of the tongue (if not actively
engaged, the consonants will sound indistinct and lazy)
! consonants need to be supported with the breath (for clarity and to maintain good
intonation of the following vowel)
! consonant should be short and crisp in order to be clearly heard
! initial consonants should be sung before the beat not on the beat; otherwise the
following vowel will be delayed and the musical pulse late
2. DICTION FUNDAMENTALS
Good diction requires good vowel production, including placement of diphthong vowels, and
clear, accurate consonant production. Good diction is an integral part of choral music making,
and can positively contribute to intonation, text comprehension, and expressiveness of
performance.
! vowels can generally be categorized as either lip vowels or tongue vowels based
on which part is predominantly engaged in creating the sound
" lip vowels: oo, uh, oh, open oh, ah
" tongue vowels: ee, ih, ay, eh, , ah
! when singing diphthongs (2 consecutive vowel sounds that combine to create one
vowel ie in the word day the vowel is ay + ee), sustain the first vowel sound
throughout the note value and place the second vowel as you would for a final
consonant
! consonants can be voiced or unvoiced:
Voiced Unvoiced
b p
d t
g k
v f
z s
! "
SELECTED BOOKS ON VOCAL PRODUCTION
Dayme, Meribeth, and Vaughn, Cynthia. The Singing Book. 2
nd
ed. New York, NY: W.W.
Norton & Company, Inc., 2008.
[Excellent book that discusses the fundamentals of vocal production in understandable terms. Includes a wide range
of solo literature arranged by category, as well as helpful appendices on warm up exercises, IPA, basic music theory.]
Meredith, Victoria. Sing Better As You Age. Santa Barbara, CA: Santa Barbara Music
Publishing, 2007.
[Provides basic information on how the voice works, and many exercises with detailed and helpful suggestions on
how to sing them.]
Miller, Richard. The Structure of Singing. System and Art in Vocal Technique.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Group/Thomson Learning, 1996.
[A detailed book about the physiology and mechanics involved in the development of singing technique. Contains
many vocal exercises.]
Trusler, Ivan, and Ehret, Walter. Functional Lessons in Singing. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1972.
[Discusses the fundamentals of vocal production in understandable terms. Includes some vocal exercises and many
solo art songs and folk songs.]
SELECTED BOOKS ON DICTION
Marshall, Madeleine. The Singer's Manual of English Diction. New York:
Schirmer Books, 1953.
[Currently the only book focusing specifically on English diction.]
Moriarty, John. Diction. Boston, Mass: E.C. Schirmer Music Company, 1975.
[Provides detailed rules and guidelines rules for singing in Latin, Italian, French and German.]
Sheil, Richard F. A Manual of Foreign Language Dictions for Singers. Fredonia,
NY: Edacra Press, 1984.
[A handbook providing clear, brief outline of diction in Latin, Italian, French and German.]
BASIC GUIDE TO INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ALPHABET (IPA) SYMBOLS
(from Cairns, Debra. Elements of Conducting. An Instructional Manual. pp 76-77.)
Vowels
Single
IPA Symbol Example English Word
[#] father
[] cat
[e] chaotic
[ ] exists in French only; is a nasalized [#]; be careful not to close lips
to m or tongue to n at end of syllable; ex. dans, encore
[$] pet
[%] earth
[&] schwah vowel: an indeterminate vowel sound found in unstressed
syllables; ex. father
[ ] exists in French only; is a nasalized [$]; be careful not to close lips
to m or tongue to n at end of syllable; ex. faim, timbre, pain
[i] see
[I] hit
['] glory
[o] open
[ ] exists in French only; is a nasalized [']; be careful not to close lips
to m or tongue to n at end of syllable; ex. ton, ombre
[] does not exist in English; formed by simultaneously forming the
lips for [o] and the tongue for [e]; ex. French word feu, cieux
[] does not exist in English; formed by simultaneously forming the
lips for ['] and the tongue for [$]; ex. French word coeur
[ ] exists in French only; is a nasalized []; be careful not to close
lips to m or tongue to n at end of syllable; ex. un, parfum
[u] too
[U] foot
[(] up
[y] does not exist in English; formed by simultaneously forming the
lips for [u] and the tongue for [i]; ex. French word tu
[Y] does not exist in English; formed by simultaneously forming the
lips for [U] and the tongue for [I]; ex. German word zurck
Diphthong
Two consecutive vowel sounds that together create one complete vowel; formed by sustaining
the first vowel sound as long as possible (indicated by : following the vowel to be prolonged)
before pronouncing the second vowel as a glide off at the end of the syllable or word.
IPA Symbol Example English Word
[#:i] my
[#:u] now
[$:i] day
[':i] boy
[o:u] no
Glide
Like the diphthong, it is two consecutive vowel sounds that together create one complete vowel;
however, it is formed the opposite of diphthong vowels in that the first vowel is sounded as
quickly as possible in order to arrive at and sustain the second vowel.
IPA Symbol Example English Word
[j] is an intensified ee; ex. yes
[w] is an intensified oo; ex. we
[)] is an intensified [y]; does not exist in English; ex. French word nuit
[*] is an intensified [l]; does not exist in English although million and real
union are quite close; ex. Italian word foglio
[+] is a combination of [n] and [j] pronounced almost simultaneously; ex.
onion
Consonants
IPA Symbol Example English Word
[b] baby
[] human; also ex. in German ich
[d] dad
[d,] gem
[dz] adds
[f] foe
[g] go
[h] home
[k] kitchen
[l] love
[m] mom
[n] nanny
[-] sing
[p] pop
[r] ruffle NOTE: all rs are either flipped or rolled when singing in any
language
[s] sister
[.] shoe
[t] tight
[ts] sits
[t.] church
[v] love
[x] blown sound as in the Scottish loch; also ex. in German ach
[z] rose
[,] pleasure