Singing For The Stars

f f i 4 F h t
I
Foreword
rT
'-lhe
wide diversity of singing styles that exists in the world today demands a
singing technique-a way of using your voice-that can be applied in the
performance of all those styles. If a singing technique can't be applied to eaerystyle
of singing, something is wrong with that technique.
That's the premise we began with when Alfred Publishing Company's editors
and discussedthe development of a totally new kind of book about singinS. We
I
wanted to do something that had never been done before-publish a book that
actually taught people how to sing.
But where would we find the author? There was only one PersonI knew of
who could fill such a tall order-Seth Riggs, consideredby many to be the best and
most successfulvoice teacherin the United States. He is certainly the busiest. No
other teacher,past or present,has ever matched his phenomenal track record. His
"Who's Who" of singers,actors,dancers,and entertainers
students are a veritable
throughout the world.*
When you first meet Seth Riggs, you are overwhelmed by his dynamic
personality, his flair for the outspoken, but most of all, his senseof purpose-his
"mission" to clean up the messbeing made of singers' voices by voice teachersin
schools,colleges,and private studios everywhere.
The day I met with Seth about the possibility of putting his method in writing
"Impossible,-
so more people could benefit from his work, his initial reaction was,
you can't learn to sing from a book!" Well, I could understand his point of view.
When Seth Riggs teaches,it's strictly on a one-to-onebasis. He quickly diagnosesa
singers'svocal problems and then prescribesspecific exercisesto correct those
problems. It's a very individual Process,one not easily adapted to the printed page.
But we decidedto give it a try. Ithad to be done.
I proceededto do my researchand to observehim closely over a period of
severalmonths, trying to find a general or systematicapproach to something that,
there was no question about it, was working miracles!
The first time I sat in on a lesson,I thought I had gone to singers'heaven! Seth
had his students doing incredible things with their voices-things you would have
thought only those with a great natural gift could do. In the weeks that followed,
"star" clientele he has
most of the students I observedweren't even part of the
becomeso famous for. But they soundedlike stars.
Like so many others,thesesingers-young and old-had struggled un-
"voice teachers"to increasetheir range and
successfullyfor years with other
*
SeeAppendix for a listing of his clienteleon pg. 138.
vii
S/NG/NG FOR THE STARS
improve their tone quality. with Seth Riggs,however, the resultswere very
different, and achievedin a very short time. You see,the Riggsmethod is
application.Although he likes his studentsto understandthe basicprinciples
underlyinghis method, he feelsthat just telling you how your voice *orit
doesnothing to help you sing. You have to know how to get it to workt
Well, finally the "impossible"had beenaccomplished.The manuscript
was complete,as well as an audio tape that actually demonstrateshow to do
the exercises usedin the training program. Yet, somethingwasn't right. oh,
it was all there-the theory, the exercises,all the facts. But that special
quality of the man you experiencebetweenthe actual momentsof instruc-
tion-his charisma,if you like-was missing.
To remedythis, we includeda sectionentitled "The Author Speaks
out," in which seth talks more informally about his method and responds
very frankly (that is his way) to the controversialissuessurroundingthe
teachingof singing in this country and abroad.
I am confidentthat readersof this book will appreciateand utilize its
direct, no-nonsense approachto developinga workable vocal technique-to
begin Singing For The Stars.
The Editor
vl|l
Preface
"Place "Open
Oi.,g from your diaphragml" the tone fonn'ardl" your throatl"
"Keep your "Give
tongue downl" it more supportl" Sound familiar?
The language of voice teachers and choir directors abounds in such
confusing and dangerous clichds. Every day, singers who never question
"wisdom"
the of their teachers manipulate and strain their voices until one
"burned
day they discover their voices are out."
What most teachers never seem to understand is that you don't need to
think about twenty different things every time you open your mouth. And
you don't need to study singing for more than a few weeks before you begin
to experiencepositive results.
It doesn't matter whether you sing pop, rock, opera, or musical
theatre. You should sing with a technique that allows you to just relax and
concentrateon performing-which is what it's really all about, anyway-
right?
This author has worked successfullywith hundreds of singers, actors,
and dancers-top professionals-in all areas of musical performance and
entertainment. And although some may not sing as well as others, all have
achieved the ability to always sound confident and natural when they sing.
Their secret is a technique called speech-leuelsinging, which allows
you to sing with the same comfortable, easily produced voice you use, or
should use, when you speak. No matter if you sing high or low, loud or
soft, nothing feels different in your throat or mouth. Your tone and the
words you sing always feel natural to you, and sound natural to your au-
dience.
With this book and the accompanying cassettetapes, you can now
learn the same singing technique the pros use-one that will let you sing
with a strong, clear, and flexible voice over a range that you never dreamed
possible. But it does take patience and the ability to follow instructions
carefully.
Good luckl I wish you all the successin the world.
Jn,b
tx
Contents
Foreword vii
Preface ix
About theAuthor
Introduction
How To Use This Book 11
Basr, Principles 13
How Your VoiceWorks:The Creationof VocalTone 13
V o c a lC o r dV i b r a t i o n- W h e r eY o u r V o i c eB e g i n s 1 4
B r e a t hS u p p o r t 1 6
VocalCord Adjustment 23
Resonance - W h y Y o u r V o i c el s U n i q u e 2 5
PhysicalSensations 26
W h a tT o R e m e m b e r 2 7
H o w Y o u r V o i c eW o r k sB e s t :T h e N a t u r a T l e c h n i o u eo f
Speech-leye Sli n g i n g 2 8
Your Speech-level - A FoundationFor Vocal Freedom 29
Speech-leve Sli n g i n g- F e e l i n ga n d S o u n d i n gN a t u r a l 32
S i n g i n gL o w N o t e s 3 2
S i n g i n gH i g h N o t e s 3 2
The PassageAreas of Your Range 33
S i n g i n gT h r o u g ht h e P a s s a g eA r e a s 3 3
V o c a lC o r dT h i n n i n g 3 5
VocalCord Shortening 35
What to Remember 35
How To Get Your VoiceTo Work For You: The TrainingProcess 36
DevelopingCoordination-TheFirstStep 36
B u i l d i n gS t r e n g t h - A l l i n G o o dT i m e 3 7
What To Remember 37
xi
d*ttl ffis conftdence
Exercise1 40
Exercise 2 44
Exercise 3 46
Exercise 4 48
Exercise 5 52
Exercise 6 54
Exercise 7 58
Exercise 8 60
Exercise 9 62
E xe rcise
10 64
E xe rcise
11 66
12
E xe rcise 70
13
E xe rcise 72
Qart:/ Toward Speech-LevelSinging 75

14
E xe rcise 76
15
E xe rcise 78
E xe rcise
16 80
17
E xe rcise 82
18
E xe rcise 84
E xe rcise
19 86
Exercise20 88
Exercise 21 90
Exercise 22 92
Exercise 23 94
Exercise24 96
Exercise25 98
Exercise 26 100
xll
tuuJTechniqueMaintenance 103
E xe rci se
27 1 04
E xe rci se
28 1 06
E xe rci se
29 1 08
E xe rci se
30 110
TheAuthor SpeaksOut 113

G e n e r aQ l uestions 113
C l a s s i f y i nV
g o i c e s 11 3
R a n g eE x t e n s i o n 1 1 4
T o n eD e v e l o p m e n t 1 1 6
U s i n gM i c r o p h o n e s 1 1 7
S i n g i n gi n D i f f e r e n S
t tyles 117
S i n g i n gO u t d o o r s 1 1 8
C h o o s i n ga T e a c h e r 1 1 8
E x p l o i t i nSg tudenV t oices 119
V o i c eS c i e n c e 1 1 9
Performersas Teachers 121
S i n g i n gi n C h o i r 1 2 1
Choir Directorsas VoiceTeachers 123
P o p u l a rM u s i ca n d T r a d i t i o n aTl e a c h i n g 1 2 3
S e l e c t i n gM u s i c 1 2 4
S i n g i n gi n F o r e i g nL a n g u a g e s 1 2 5
Practicing 126
S i n g i n gi n R e h e a r s a l s 1 2 8
VoiceCompetitions 129
The YoungVoice 129
T h e A g i n gV o i c e 1 3 1
xill
Hmlth and Carcof theSingefs Voire 132
YourPosture 133
BadHabits 134
UsingAlcoholandDrugs 134
Smoking 135
EatingBeforeSinging 135
Shocking YourCords 135
UsingExcessive Volume 135
OtherFactors 136
of OtherSingers 136
lmitation
Remedies ThatDon'tWork 136
Unnecessary VocalRest 137
Emotional Stressand Fatigue 137
Hormones 137
YourEnvironment 137
Appendix 138
Glossary 142
CassetteTapeand Compact DiscIndcx 149
xiv
Aboat theAuthor
.Ir, ,t " middle of his concert at the famous Forum in Los Angeles, superstar Stevie
Wonder stopped the show to acknowledge, in front of thousands of fans, a man
who has had much to do with the successand longevity of his vocal career. He
wasn't referring to his manager or record producer. He was referring to Seth
Riggs-his voice teacher.
And, this isn't just an isolated case. Grateful stars often give credit to this
man whose unconventional methods allow them to use the main vehicle for their
talent-their voice-to its maximum degree of efficiency and effectiveness.
Whether he has to go on location to a movie set, a concert date, or a recording
studio to help a Natalie Cole, a Jeremy Irons, or a Michael JacksorySeth Riggs has
helped many a star-and nervous producer---out of a jam. Recently he gave
Waylon fennings a voice lessonby telephone. The country singer was in Tahoeto
open a show with his wife JessieColter and his voice was ailing. It was Jennings'
first contact with Riggs. However, Riggs was able to get the singer's voice in shape
quickly with just a few special exercises.
Seth Riggs's vocal technique and the methods he uses to teach the technique
were forged and tempered by the fierce demands placed on the world's top
performers, who must often perform several shows a night-night after night! A
great deal of money is always at stake, so his clients' voices must be able to
function easily,without strain. It is no wonder that whenever singers come to Los
Angeles from other parts of the world, producers, directors and fellow performers
send them to seehis master vocal technician.
Seth began his careerat the age of nine as a boy-soprano singing music of
Bach and Handel at the Washington National Cathedral in Washingtory D.C. His
later training, however, reached into all areasof the performing arts. He studied
acting with Lee Strasberg,Sandy Meisner, Bobby Lewis, and Frank Silvera and
dancing with Peter Gennaro, Matt Mattox, and Luigi. He studied voice with John
Charles Thomas, Robert Weede,Tito Schipa, and Keith Davis, and did repertoire
coaching with Pierre Bemac, Matial Singhea Leo Thubman, Charles Wadsworth,
fohn Brownlee, Hans Heintz, and Louis Graveure. He joined his first professional
union, Actor's Equity, two years before completing his undergraduate degree.
After that, he becamea member of all the performing unions: AFTRA, SAG,
AGVA, AGMA, as well as ACRA (the Association of Canadian Radio Artists).
1
S/NG/NGFORTHESTAHS
on
He spent ten years in New York City' For three years he performed
New York City Opera'
Broadway, and for six seasonshe was a guest artist with the
that his greatest
Yet, in the midst of pursuing his own singing career,he discovered
After taking a few lessons with him, singers
talent lay in his ability to help others.
and consistently than they could
were able to use their voices^*or" "g'nfitely
usinganyconventionalapproach.Tnrsencouragedhimtotaketeachingmore
seriously.
so well-
rarty in his new career/seth's successwith his students became
to study wiih him. He tried to convince
known that many singers left their teachers
but without success.
other teache* oith" merits of his teaching method,
were frowned on by
Nonconventional methods, no matter how well they worked,
Associationof
the teachingesiablishment. He was kicked out of the National
he taught' Rejectedby
Teachersof singing and lost positions at the collegeswhere
he has establishedthe
the establishment, Riggs heaied west to Los Angeles, where
most versatile school of vocal technique of our time'
and music
with $330in his pocket, and.a rented truck carrying his motorcycle
Ann-Margret (sent to
scores,he arrived ln l.e. His first show business client was
"belting" too hard-while singing and dancing in
him by Allan carr), who had been
St{ley
iut V"gut. Next, Bob Fosseand Gwen Verdon hired him to prepare -
voice for the movie Sweet Charity. He was also retained in New York by
Maclalne's
and Hal Prince to
Richard Rogers,Alan Jay Lerner, Jules styne, David Merrick
results grew, so did
teach their irincipal ,ir,!"rr. And, as his reputation for getting
to recommend a
his list of star clientele. br"gory Peck once asked Frank Sinatra
sent him to see seth Riggs' Mr'
good voice teacher for his son Anthony-sinatra
Geoffrey to study with
sinatra also suggestedto Roger Moore that he send his son
voice teacher'
Seth. Mr. Rlggi is considered the entertainment world's top
known for the stage, screen, recording, and
But, altlh'oughSeth Riggs is best
students have won over a half of a
television p"rroriuliti"s he il"orks with, his other
over the last ten
million dollars in prizes, grants, scholarships,and fellowships
Winners, Chicago's
years. These u*urd, inclide four NationaiMetropolitan Opera
Awards, Young Musicians
wcN, Rockefeller Foundation Grants, the Frank sinatra
National opera Award, and
Foundation Awards, salzburg Mozart Festival Award,
have successful
Fulbright and Rotary Scholar:shipsto Europe' Se1tr1opera -pupils
Staatsoper, La
careerJsinging in lf4unich, Hamturg, Frankfurt, Saltzberg,Vienna,
Europe'
Scala,CovJntbarden and other mafor opera houses throughout
two international voice technique
In the summer of 1982,Mr. Riggs replaced
where he was in charge of
teachersat the Banff Centre near Lake Lolise in Canada,
Government' He was also
vocal technique for 33 opera singers for the canadian
His diversity of students-
asked to work with 20 yon"s uJott from stratford'
singersofpop,oPera,andmusicaltheater,aswellasactorsanddancers-
his technique'
con"stantlyr"uffir*r the universality and practicality of
of
He draws over 1000new voice students Per year without advertising'
mixture of musical theatre and pop
these,40 percent are opera, and 60 percent a I
to a 75-seatrecital hall
students. He teachesirom his privite studio, which converts
with a 20-foot stage.
2
ABOUTTHEAUTHOR
He lecturesand conductsMaster Classeson vocal techniqueat collegesand

universities throughout the United Statesand Canada. He also has assistedsome
of the country's foremost doctors who specializein organic and functional
disorders of the voice in vocal therapy (the elimination of vocal nodules,polyps,
and various conditions of fibrosis).
Consider a man who believeshis best credits include being kicked out of a
national singing associationand severalcollegemusic facultiesfor encouraging
pop and musical theatreteachingon an equal footing with opera,and you have
seth Riggs. In the pragmatic world of show business,where time is money,seth
Riggs,whose studentshave won 90 Grammy awards,is the man professionalsturn
to for results.
Seth Riggs
{**
* # 'lx='
^*,*
ai'lata
Kathleen Riggs
EaelynHalus
Associate
VocalInstructor
LosAngeles
lohn Fluker
GospelStyleInstructor
LosAngeles
WendyWarshaw
Associate
VocalInstructor
LosAngeles
3
Introduction
hat do Michael Jacksonand

BernadettePetershave in common?
They, and many other music professionals
and celebritiesin the entertainmentfield, have
endorsedthe author'smethod of
vocal training as a key to their vocal success.
Here. thesecelebritiestell how this method helned
them use their voicesmost effectivelyand
survive the vocal stresses of live perfor-
mancesand long recordingsessions.
,l
''i."i;j:iii(Ji ' :11;1t :,r;;:;:'i

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iii!ti
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S r r i /iit l , ' r ; i l r r ' ; ' ,i i j : ; ; i : r S t S i l l i r . ' ! . : t i i i ! i ; i i i i r ; l r ; r : , ] , ] ' , l.
T h i i i l e r , l - ' , r i 1l,; t i l t r ) ; i n g l r o l s , r l r i j l i ; " r i i ' . i r t i i ' l a { ' i l 1 ir)
1 ' d c r ! i l ' i t : i i t " , r ' i t t i i i i t t : r " , i , : . : l r l i i , i l ; ii .e
t l t i r r i ii l t f j i i i S '.ir':.
.',,
i r " . . i l l , ' . , , ' ; i : . . . . , , . , r t,.' . .
\lich at i ;rrtr,.-I oI;,

tr
R.,-0r'ii il i,lr 1t'; ! i :;i, !, i t t 1.1
Prir,irrcL'r',
li s ,iirlrli'r;
SING/NG FOR THE SIAFS
nyittg rlor.utrttocnltrncksbt'ttt,t,r,rl
12 A.M.
orrcday tutd4 A.M. thc rttxt, crutkill vour
uoice. Sinct beginnittguocal strLdrlruith Seth
Rrrggs, I trcter losemq ability to sirtgnt nt:lrly any
luxrr. I'ttr a ytinnist,sttd uheu it cotncsto sittgittu,
I't't olrm.rls l,rt:rrct'lrncnSnrrl.Ncrrctlnl I'uL'
Iesrnednbout taking high pitthes irt n cttnnecttti
"lrcud" "chest"
cottrLiiuntion,l don't lnue to prill
ttoicclikt l hsuein the 1tast.lt's n ottcsltlirectittrt
I'zteneeded,bcciltseit lttLysn longcr sttstttirtittg
Irnlllr for rrrrt,'oicc.
lnmes Ingranr
Rccording Arti st, Shryer
l.,.rs
11l11t'1t'.
t t ; t n I L ' r! r / r ' l l r ' r { .tl1i l t Ll tll t i p r 'i1t tt t t u s l n , qt t t t i r t ' r r t r r l i ut,'?r r r n i s1. t t : , , 1l ,1t, q c tn t . v s t l ift tl r o t t l , l t /, r t l i r r ql r r r i r i ,
Ittttrnttcltnntl ltelting too,hard.Sethtnught me t0 u-ctt my lrcnrluoiccftr tnkc tlrcstmitt orL,rttl
"up." t't'omptiling irrl'
[tottttrtt rtul?e I can stry ft'eshr nou,,tt,ithltetter qualityand more corrtrol,ruithin a singlip|rfarrnruryi,
, it i | i i l g r r/ , r i i ,cqr l , t n , ( { ' r n cl ot ttlr r .
L ' l i n tH o l m e s
Sirtqer
I-r.s,4rrfr'/t's
xer lhe years,l ltauestudid on aud ot'futith -ooice tenclrcrsin the

LLS.and Europt. Llmlttrto CsticLt,riy engineer,hnrlspoke n to rne
tthoutScthRry.gs,I ttegnrrto luL)rkrLtith lfun. For tltc first time in rnq aocal
"
Iift , I Lliscttttered my countctat{headt)oice." I hegttnlo sirrq lt'rror,lriq/l Cs
ttttd q!1lttt. The neutpower,rcnge md confrol zLlas fiftr(t.zitlg.Thnnky ou,
5 i l l t .f t t r. U t r t !nri i i r l a i l c eo r rH o m b r e S o l o .
lulio lgtesias
.(inlrr
ltl,t,lritl
6
INTHODUCTION
began tostudywithSethwhenI was14yearsold.

altthe"breaks'"
'{r'#:: ;'!'::;::::
:t::;#;;::#'
andsuened
octaues
roday,y;;:';::;:i,3r',,1t
d singing.RecentlyI hadthepleasureof playingthe title rolein a BBC

lactiinilmeMikado and thnt the rol.eof Tnyo in Fiddler.
explainsthatthese arenotexactlybreaking-into-singing roles,but he
mmtionit until theyhadbeencompleted. In anycase,Ihauea aocal
't'or
singingnow,whichwasbroughtaboutby a decentknowledge of
aoice works
for singing.I thankSethRiggst'orthis training
S/NG/NG FOR THE SIAFS
hen I write s song,I needa uocalrangettnd corrtrol
teatingsr:!;',:!,it'-;i:iH:::h7:,'L:i::'***'
Sofar, therelnue beenno uocallimitationsfor mein my
work. Withlhispnrtinilarapproach to singing,I canadaptmy
aoiceto sirrgGod'spraises
in a Gospel
style,singa romantic
I;:H;;ri::i;';iif
xltfX;!o:f;::::,::;:'urn(candAand
Deniece Williams
?::ii:;:i,:''"'
Ircnhebelieues
in your uocalabilityheis relentless
in makingsureyou neucrbackawayfromyourt'ull
potmtial-instilling cont'idence
is lhetruc giftof a great
teacher.Becsuse of SethRiggs,I'm meeting any uocal
challengeI'ueeuerwarttedto-relaxcdandhauingsomuchfun.
\'^:!:'*r*
f:!:';;r,,,,
henthe" tracks"archot,sweetening and

balance still to consider,andrelease
datespending,thcreis precious little timeto
accommodatean srtist'suocalindisposition. lt has
beenmy experiencethatmyriadproblems suchas
,,7"'
;";:l,l;':#';,'::1,:!"":;'::';,i
knowing,practicalaocaltechnique. SethRiggshas
an uncsnnyabilityto prepare uocalists
sothatthere
is little timelostto theusualuocalproblems.His
assistance duringtheMichaelJackson 1988World
TourhaskeptMichaeltunedup likea Ferrari.
QuincyJones
'J::;';;;,:'ranser
.l: '{ *S
*!v
Np
{
ffi
-,i:
, . , 1
, ]
\-..17
inging iazz means a great many syncopated rhythms and a uide range of pitches. Ozserthe years I'd
pirUia up some bai oocal habits u:hich began to cause uocal strain and fatigue. ln other words, I'd
"trash"
begunto my ooice. By helping me take pressureoff mV chest range and getting into my head
coordination,Seth Riggscontributed a relaxation and, ultimately, a better longeuity for my caleer.
Al Jarreau
Recording Artist, Singer
Los Angeles
"utobble"
eth was my 74th poice teacher.I came to him uith a minor third.
and neuer singing aboue a high F. After a couple months, I was taell into my
head uoice, and Seth suggestedthat I go into the Metropolitan Opera auditions.
(Actuallv, he bet me $700 I could utin it.) I uas a pop singer and hadn't sung in
foreignlanRuag,es.
'Metipolitin In fiue more months (seuenin aII), I uent into the'72
iuditions. I came in second in the N.Y. finals, the only male finalist
that Vear. (There u.tere2,000 applicants.)I sang operain Belgium, France,Germany.
Italy and lreland for seueral years. I enioyed singing opera, the big sounds, ex-
tended ranles and precisecontrol, but I returned to my first loue-musical theatre.
Seth is an old time BeI Canto feacher,perhaps the first to extend Bel Canto into
pop and musical comedy styles. I knou his uocal approach works.
Thomas McKinney
Baritone
New York City
P.S. There hatre been three more of your studenfswho haue been National
Metropolitan winners sincemy uitt in 1972. They are all singing in maior
housesin Europe.
s a ilntfoft.r., tlou usttnllylmuenrt idenof
ttou,you d Itkey(tttrtnusi( strng.I like lltt,
.
sntSC.rto cotntnunicalc lhe textu,ithss bcntrtiftrl a
t,ocnlsortndas possibfu.Hou,cuer,if t ocat
p,roblems grt in tlrc wn.ry, tlrctt'fcctit,tnestcan bc II
d$troyL,don tnany leuals. !,uenlwnqsttriovrd Sallr
Riggs's.singers, becttuse they singeierrly'iri tnntry
kt'ysiuith ptttwerarrdcontroi. Ttir., I trit,c thc
"preserrce,,
freedomto t'ind the best t'or tlte text, the
aoice,aild the chnrt.
Msrain Hamlisch
Cornposer,
Pianist
NezuYork Cittl
'ke
all y.oungsingers,Iwantto getmy uoict'togtthcrtt,itltrtsmtrch
strength,qualityandcontralnsI catr.It scentsto tnethnttlrcreis
alwcysso:ne,neru style,neu soundor newdirectiortin poTuilttrnrusic.I'd like
to bcrearlqfor rchntcut'r
hnppers.workirrg tpirhsrtltis itritdir4q
a uocnr
caordination whichprepares meto meetall thtsechnllengt:s.
{(onn2
Ac I rcss.Composc
r, Si n cer, Dnrrct'r
-Los
" - Anqeles
' -o--'"
'd
netter.3tutg
bet'orc,uty ttoiceis aslazuass bass,['d nettertried "higtrcr
ranges."I bagana t'ilnt whtret\rc scriyttcalletion trrycharacterio siir.g.
,
I figuredthevruoultlprobchlydubmy uoice.ThestuLlio sentmeto stilr. Nit
ortlydil IuittLlt4tsiri{ur{'ffiy 07r1sottqs,btrlwealnrt,s! tlidn songfront
LeonnrdBernsfuiris Mass.I knozunou,haztr to gtt fromntydeeprmtgeintothe
highutithnochunge in quality, In skort,I'tn not neru(n$aboti singing
tltrytw)re,
Whoopi Goldberg
Come,lintt,Actrcsi
LosAngeles
]tttr yL'nrs
o.qotu(nt,'dt'ri0 r,oict'conch
lo nssistSltirlcrl
MncLnitre to gttlrcruocnl
cltopsirrslnpttfor tttafilursweetcharity. BohFossi nrrdGrcrttve'rl,rott
rccommcrrdnl Srl/rRiggsfrrtlrcTtrpjy;1. Wrlr I nrriueditt LosAngtlcslo ssllfieuocalktlls
for Shirlcy, I dccidd fhntshautnsshleto usen*icJteaer keysttitedtlrcailian of thechar{lcier
in thescene.Thatnernt shecotid singin seuercl Llit'ferent
keys.I nlwnysnppreciated the
qunlitytcorkthaf SltirltvntrtlSctltpttlitrtul,rop,trti'prrcltrrri,rruoicalr,t
tl'rcroltof
Ctnrity
Cy Coleman
Crrnrpost'r,
Pimrist
Nrw YorkCitrl
How To UseThisBook
C(lnlike the starswhoseendorsements

appearat the front of this book, you
may not be able to arrange for a personal lesson with the author. But this
book and accompanying tapes can be the next best thing to it. Here are
some guidelines and suggestionsto help you get the most out of this training
program.
1. Is this book meant only for those studying a certain kind of music, such
as classical music or popular music?
No. This book teachesa vocal technique based on speech-levelsinging.
Speech-level singing is a way of using your voice that allows you to sing
freely and clearly anywhere in your range, with all your words clearly
understood. Since you are not learning what to sing but rather how to sing,
you can apply this technique to any type of music.
2. Can anyone learn this technique?, or do you need prior singing ex-
perience or musical training?
This book has been designed to be used by singers at any level-from begin-
ner to advanced.
3. Can I study this book without a teacher?

Yes. You can study either with or without a teacher. You can probably pro-
gress more easily and faster if you can find a teacher familiar with this
method of teaching to guide you. Otherwise, you should be able to
study successfully on your own by following the instructions in this book
and on the accompanying cassettetapes. But you should pay special atten-
tion to the precautions advised.
4. What are the precautions advised in learning this technique?

As valuable as the exercisesin this book are for training your voice, any
exercise can be overworked or misused to where it will do you more harm
than good. You don't develop your voice by pushing it to its limit. You
develop it by gradually conditioning it to work efficiently with a balanced
coordination.
When doing the exercises,please follow along with the material in the book
and the accompanying tapes as my students and I demonstrate how each of
11
S/NG/NGFOR THESTAFS
shouldbe done. It is important that you do eachexercise

the exercises
correctlybeforeyou proceedto the next.
5. Do I need to study the "Basic Principles" before starting the practical

exercises?
That's really up to you. If you are working with a teacher,you should
follow your teacher'srecommendations. However, if you are working on
your own, the "BasicPrinciples"sectionwill help you better understand
how your voice works and how this method of voice training works. You
will then be able to progressmore quickly.
Don't worry about memorizingevery detail. When you feel you understand
the material,go on to the exercises. As you do the exercises, if you find an
instruction unclear or have difficulty carrying it out, go back and study
more closelythe text or illustration that applies.A glossaryhas beenpro-
vided at the end of the book to make it easierto locatedefinitionsof un-
familiar words.
5. Are there any guidelinesfor doing the practical exercises?

Theseare suppliedon the tapesand in the accompanyingtext.
If you have personalquestionsabout your training or career,or how to take
the best care of your voice, you may find some answersin the two sections
"Health
at the end of the book-"The Author SpeaksOut" and and Care of
the Singer'sVoice."
first metSethin thelate40safter WorldWar lI, whenI wastrying to

learnto singat thePeabody Conseraatory in Baltimore,Maryland,and
studyingundertheGI bill.
"passagio"
I neaergot the right. I hada gooduoicebut gettingthroughthe
"bridge"
consistentlywasalwaysa problem.
In my late60s,afteryearsot'frustration,I traaeledto LosAngelesand
beganto studywith Seth.My passaggi arenoTtrintactand,at 72yearsof age,
my aoiceis assteadyasa rockthroughoutmy rangefrom bass-baritone low E
flat to the tenorhigh A. In my confusion, a major careerwas neaeraaailableto
me,but I'aeaccomplished my lit'e's dream,that is,to learnto singeasily
,
confidentlyandconsistentlythroughoutmy operaticrepetoire.Thankyor.r,
Seth.
Gaspari Vecchione
Bqltimore,MD
12
BasicPrinciples
Before you begin your training program, we should first go over somebasic
principlesabout how your voice works, how it works best, and then finally,
how you will get it to work for you.
How Your Voice Works: The Creation of Vocal Tone
There are two factors involved in making vocal tone-aocal cord uibration
and resonance.
1. Vocal cord
vibration
Theair you exhale
from your lungs
workswith your
vocalcords to
createan initial
tone.
2. Resonance Vocalcords
That tone is then
modifiedand
as it
travelsthrough the
spacesabove your Exhaledair
vocalcordsbefore
Ieavingyour
Let's examinethesefactors more closelv.
13
Vocal cord Locatedat the top of your windpipe (trachea-pronouncedtr6y-key-uh)

vibration- is a group of cartilages,ligaments,and musclesthat functionsas a single
where your unit. This unit known commonly as your voicebox,is your larynx
voice begins (pronounced16las in cat] -rinks). Insideyour larynx, attachedfrom front to
back, are the main musclesof your larynx-your vocal cords.
The location of your vocal cords
Larynx
Topview
Vocalcords
(openfor
breathing)
Trachea
(windpipe)
Esophagus
(passageway
to yourstomach)
Epiglottis
Vocalcords
(insidelarynx)
Trachea
(windpipe-
passageway to
yourlungs)
Larynx Larynx
Side view Frontview
14
8AS/C PRINCIPLES
If your vocal cords are closed (or almost closed) at the same time you
exhale, air'pressure builds up below them.
cordsclosed
vEw
Vocal Cords
Trachea
When the air pressurebecomestoo great for your vocal cords to hold
back, the cords are blown apart. The suddenreleaseof air pushesthe air
moleculesabove your cords together and.oututard, creatinga wave of com-
pressedair molecules-a sound u)alJe.
cordsopen Waveof compressed

air
Once the air pressureis released,your vocal cords spring back to their
closed(or almost closed)position.
15
lr S/NG/NGFOR THESTAFS
As your vocal cords come back together again and again, they are
blown apart again and again-creating a seriesof sound u)Aoes'which is
picked up by the listener'sear. This processis called ztibration.
But, now let's examinevocal cord vibration as it relatesto the more

d"tn".di^s.eq.rit"-et tt of ln" singer'svoice. To do this, we must consider
breathsu/poi and pocal cord adiustment.
Breath support
Normally, your respiratory system-which you use to send air to your v
.ordr-opetates automatically,without any'consciouseffort. Its primary
function'is to supply your body with the life substance,oxygen, and
eliminate the waste product, carbon dioxide.
Inhalation beginswhen too much carbon dioxide builds up inside
body.
16
Tft-
rgli sltousn u,eakzttitlrs Brttadzuay
or fotrrtcanslu'tuts
slrazu,
n u,eakitt Los Vegnsor
to besecweuocallrlto
Aii;triticCitt;--yt,-trlrnLtt:
",,;W.
"e
.. t:::
fr
. t i r t ' i ,i ' .
SelhlittsLttlpt:tirnecstahlisltn solidt'oundatiotrol
: t n l i t r ' l t t t i t l i l rc' ,. t/ . r 7 1t,tlt t t lo n y . t r r n /r / t r t l [ ' t t t r
:'iunrclys"ndnritlt cottt'idence. Singerssre nlrtaVs
!,riirgdiruted musknllq lttl sonrrcne.It's great ta
hnlcrritittnttledgenble ttoctrlpoittt of oieu to prLttccl
1/L)urFcrf{n'mnnce t10urt)acalhealtk. afid
t s e r r t n i l r t lIe' a f c r s
\ 6 1 i , ' . : r$ i 1 1 g p r
\.'ii' ) .rrk Cilrl
* + , , i . . *; ' , . * ;
t tltis titne of nrv lile I'm iinnlltlgetflrg ntq uoirc togrtht'r. I

hnrltliuurls tltttu;4lrtthnt sirtgirtghigh C's urd nboztttLtsslike
":t':::":'tt:t':)'
lifting zue ights,nuLlthttlI iustntav't strttngenoughLtrjustdidrt't
:,jisqsa ' Irtructhe gilt. ThnnkGoil, neithtr re(ts()tt Lt){ts the cnse .
ta:..:.
Sethtnught trrctltnt tht top af my rnnge(ntrortgotlrcr thirtgs)iL,tts
deTtLtrdent on tht rel(asrof nry middleuoitt. Tltut zttttlI didtil lnle
\ t:l it,, to hreak intot'nlxtto nhrtacLtcartsin point, Nort,I cnrl5i17g to thc liglt
C nnd E flrttnltoae, in ofi euul line zttitltotrtstrctin.
Wutt I smrgtlrc lend rttlt i n Phantom of the Opr.ra, /lrls
fechnityrareallqctunethrorryltfor nte. Tlrc Pluntturt, htsitles|he
i , (l i t i ' r ' (r , / . i i r t i r r s
I t t n , ' .,t t1t t t r , l i o r l sr i|lr ' n k i i t li f . t t M t t L l{>t ),( ' ( ' r/s? { ' o
j
rnnge.Thank tlou Scth. I iuishI hsd mtttrl()us;()trcr.
,,,&
'rl.
,,:;
RobcrG
t uillsume
ACTOT
LosArtgtles
or 21ftrlecrsl had tlrcgrcnt oprportunityto

plny the lettLlrolc iruEvita nt the Aktin
T l t , n ! l t t t B r a n L l t L , nFur.i l a i : t t t t tt l t l u ' t t r o s t
t l t : r t n t r l i ttr,ta c n rl o l t si r r n r , ' l c r t tr r t r r s i t '!ol tlt n l t r .
Thueis itospokantlialLtgrrc htt tlrcrcore 2'f ' lttnts
"bclted
ofhnrtlsinging;incltttling n high middle,"
'hl,tck,qos;,r'l"
: r l t i t l rt i d t . l t i g l ri t t l on i t t u t r r l .I l i ;
*citiniq,but yttttt"ouldnunihilttteryourztoice unlcss
youkttoiuztlmt tioil re doirrg. SetltRrggsgrnrerte r.;
t h tl , ' t l t n i q t rnr r r dy t r c o r t nt l t i l i l v t o . q r r i Jttt t v s c l I
tocnlhlLtrtdgrwrd cgninstztttctrl nbuseand t'atigue.
Duin Alltty
4 ,/ ; . ' s - , 5 i r r { , ' r ' \
\ r ' t t 'Y r r r kC i i t T
S/NG/NG FOR THE SIABS
lnhalation:Normal
1. Signal
Your brain signals
your breathing
Brain
musclesthat your
body needsoxygen.
2. Action
Your diaphragm
-your main
breathing muscle Signal
-descends (flat- from
tens), enlarging brain
your chestcavity at
the bottom, while
your rib muscles
lift your ribcage,
enlarging your
chest cavity at the
sides.This crebtesa
vacuum inside your
chestcavity.
3. Result
Air fills your lungs,
as the outsideair
rushesin to fill the
vacuum.
Exhalationbeginsas soon as inhalation has taken place.
18
8AS/C PRINCIPLES
Exhalation:
Normal
1.Signal
Yourbrain signals
yourbreathing
muscles that your Brain
bodyneedsto get
ridof carbon diox-
ide.
2. Action
Yourdiaphragm Signal
andrib muscles from
relax.The dia- brain
phragmreturns to
itsup positionand
yourribcagecomes
down.This allows
yourlungs to
shrinkback. I
3. Result
-l
Air is squeezedout
ofyour lungs.
J
In singing and speaking, however, you can regulate inhalation, as long

as it doesn't interfere with your body's requirements for life support.
19
S/NG/NGFORTHESIABS
lnhalatlon:Slnging
1. Signal
Your brain signals
your breathing
musclesthat you
need a suPPlYof
air to make sound.
vrG5t
2. Action
Sameas normal in-
halation, except
Chestshouldbe
you regulafehow "comfortably
much air you need high'l
and at what rate
you will take it ih.
Be sure your chest
"comfort-
remains
ably high" (see
p.132) and that
your abdominal RibMuscles i
(stomach)muscles
are relaxed to let
qiu"g*-l
your diaphragm
descendeasilY,
without any
resistance.
3. Result
Air fills your lungs.
You can also regulate exhalation.
20
BAS/CPRINCIPLES
Exhalation:Singing
1. Singing
Yourbrain signals
yourbreathing Brain
muscles that you
needto send air to
yourvocal cords. Air
2. Action
Not the same as
normalexhalation. Signal
from
To be able to
brain
regulatethe
amountof air you
sendto your vocal
cords,you must be
ableto control
yourrate of exhala-
tion,Your rib
muscles, therefore, RibMusclesI
continueto keep ryil
yourribcage (thus
yourlungs) ex- -J
Diaphragm
panded,while your
abdominalmuscles
takeover control.
Yourabdominal
muscles push your
diaphragm(in a
stateof flexible ten-
sion)up steadily
andslowly against
yourlungs.
3. Result
Air is releasedto
yourvocal cords as
needed.
21
Balanceeguars
Support
Breathingfor singing is a very relaxed process.When we say you can

regulateit, we only mean you allout it to happenso that inhalation and ex-
halation are done in a way that best suitsyour musicalneeds.You do not
have to uork at breathingcorrectly, unlessyou have poor postureor a
tendencyto raiseyour chestand shouldersand take shallow breaths.Nor do
you needto do any specialexercisesto strengthenyour breathingmuscles.
Your diaphragm(pronounceddie-uh-fram),rib muscles,and abdominal
musclesare already strong enoughfor your needsas a singer.
If you maintain good posturewhen you sing, and are carefulnot to let
your chest "collapse" as you exhale,your diaphragm is able to move freely
and be regulatedby your abdominal musclesautomatically. There is no need
to consciouslyexert tension in those muscles.If you try to directly control
your breathing muscleswhen you sing, the extra tension in your body will
only causeyour vocal cords to overtense-to jam up.
V'ery little air is required to produce a good tone. Even for a loud
tone, the amount of air you use need only be enough to support the vibra-
tion of your vocal cords-no more, no less-so that your tone is produced
without any effort or strain. Justas trying to control your breathingmuscles
directly will causeyour vocal cords to jam up, so will using too much air.
That's because,when you sing, your cords are instinctivelycommittedto
holding back (or at leasttrying to hold back) any amount of air you send
their way. And, the more air you sendthem, the tighter your cords have to
get to hold it back.
You know you have proper breath support when there is a balance
betweenair and muscle.There will be a mutual and simultaneouscoordina-
tion of the proper amount of air with the proper adjustmentof your vocal
cords.
Imbalanceequals
Effort and Stlain
Air
22
8AS/C PRINCIPLES
Vocal cord adiustment

As your exhaledair reachesyour vocal cords, your vocal cords, assistedby
the other musclesof your larynx, adiust with your breath flow to createthe
pitch and intensity of your tone. When we talk about the action of your
vocal cords, we are actually talking about the combined efforts of all the
musclesin your larynx that influencetheir activity.
musclesof
larynx
Larynx Larynx
Muscles (voicebox)
Larynx
Muscles
Trachea
(windpipe)
S/NG/NG FOR THE SIARS
Pitch (lrequencyof vibratlon)
Definition Pitch is the frequency of completedvibration cyclesin a given tone. It is

measuredin hertz (cyclesper second).The human ear has a rangeof 20 to
20,000hertz.
How pitch Pitch is determinedby how often, or how frequently, your vocal cords
applies to your vibrate (open and close),which is determinedby the tensionin your
voice cords. The more tensionthere is in your vocal cords, the more quickly they
will return to their closedposition once they are blown apart. The greater
the frequencyof vibration, the higher the pitch.
When we talk about vocal cord tension,however, we don't meanthe
type of tensionthat resultsin vocal cord strain. They are two different
things. Vocal cord tension,which you shouldn'tfeel if you are singingcor-
rectly, is createdby the interactionof the muscleswithin your larynx as
they help your vocal cords balanceagainstthe air pressurefrom your lungs.
The kind of tensionthat can lead to vocal cord strain, on the other hand, is
createdwhen you use the musclesoutside your larynx to pull on and tighten
around your larynx to control the pitch and intensity of your tone.
lntensity(force oI vibration)
Definition Intensity is the force of each sound wave on the ear. It is measuredin units
of loudnesscalled decibels.The relative degreesof loudnessare called
dynamics.
How intensity Intensity is determinedby the force of the air releasedby your vocal cords,
applies to your which is determinedby how long your vocal cords can hold back the
voice mounting air pressurebefore they finally blow open. The louder the tone,
the more air pressureand vocal cord resistanceis neededto produce that
tone.
In softer tones,your vocal cords (offeringlessresistance)open sooner
and stay open longer in eachvibration. In louder tones,your vocal cords
(offering more resistance)take longer to blow open but then closeagain
almost immediately.
You don't necessarilyneed more air when you sing loudly than when
you sing softly-just more air pressure.Becauseyour vocal cords stay closed
longer in louder tones,little air escapesunused.Air pressure,therefore,has
a chanceto build up to the point where, when it finally doesblow your
vocal cords open, the force of the air released(and thus the soundwave)is
much greater.
Pitch also affectsloudnessbecausethe ear is more sensitiveto higher
frequencies.
24
8AS/C PRINCIPLES
Although your vocal cords continually adjust to meet the pitch and
dynamic (the degreeof intensity or loudness)requirementsfor each note you
sing, we simply refer to all vocal cord adjustmentsin terms of the physicil
sensationsthey produce in the singer. Youl- chestooice, or chestrigiiter,
refersto the lowest tonesin your range,while your headuoice, or-head
register, refers to the highest ones. The part of your range where qualities of
both head and chest overlap is called your middle uoice, or middli register.
Yet, the sensationsyou feel are not the result of vocal cord vibrationlthey
are the result of resonance.
Resonance- Between the time your tone leaves your vocal cords and the time it exits
whyyour your mouth, it goes through a process of transformation. The interconnected
voiceis unique spacesabove your larynx-including the surface condition of the walls
which define those spaces-reinforce and augment sound waves of certain
frequencies, while damping or even eliminating others. This process is called
resonance.
Yottrresonance
Soft palate
Resonancesoaces
(wheretone is
transformed)
Vocalcords
(wheretone
begins)
Trachea
25
SING/NG FOR THE SIAFS
Physical sensations
A by-product of resonanceactivity, as we have already mentioned, is the
creation of physical sensationsin the singer. Low tones feel like they are in
your throat and mouth and, at times, can even be felt in your chest-thus
the term chestuoice. As you sing higher, your voice (if you are singingcor-
rectly) feelslike it leavesyour throat and mouth and goesmore and more
behind your soft palateuntil, finally, it feelslike it goesout the back of
your head-thus the term headaoice.
But the physicalsensationsyou experiencehave nothing to do with
what the listeneractually hears.What thesesensationscan do, however,is
help guide you in the correctand consistentuse of your voice. There will be
more about this in the training program itself.
Physicalsensations
ol the singer's voice
MiddleVoice
A blendof chestand
headsensations.lt's
in themiddle.
HeadVoice
Highesttonesfeellike
theytravelout the
backof yourhead.
Chest Voice
Lowesttones
feel like they
travel out of
your mouln.
26
BAS/C PRINCIPLES
Vocal cord vibration determinesthe initial quality of your tone, but

resonancedeterminesthe final quality-the quality that makesyour voice
sound different from anyone else's.That differenceis due mainly to the
unique sizeand shapeof your own resonancesystem.
perconhas a
voice
Both vocal cord vibration and resonanceshould work independently.

Yet, problemswith one always affect the ability of the other to do its job.
Fortunately,theseproblemscan be avoidedwith good singingtechnique.
The two factors involved in creatingvocal tone are:
1. Vocal cord tsibration.The air you exhalefrom your lungs works with
your vocal cords to createthe pitch and intensifyof your initial tone.
Breathing for singing is a very relaxed processin which very little air is
requiredto producea good tone.
2. Resonance.The initial tone is modified and amplified as it travels

through the spacesabove your vocal cords before leaving your mouth.
Each person has a different resonancesystemthat makes his Or her own
voice unique. Physicalsensations,which are a by-product of resonance
activity, can help guide you in the correctand consistentuse of your
voice.
27
S/NG/NGFOR THE SIAFS
How Your Voice Works Best: The Natural Technique of

Speech-LevelSinging
Most singers use excessivemuscular effort when they sing. Muscles the body
normally uses to chew and swallow food, as well as open the throat wider
when it needs to get oxygen into the lungs quickly, are used to manipulate
the larynx-forcing it up or down. This is done to accomplish a difficult
"improve"
pitch, increase intensity, or the quality of one's tone. We call
these muscles the outer muscles, becausethey are located outside the larynx.
q:
Wrong: Right:
for highnotes
Reaching Speechlevel
Whenever you use your outer muscles to control your voice in any
way, however, you prevent the free vibration of your vocal cords inside
your larynx, and alter the relationship (and the over-all condition) of the
resonance spacesabove your larynx. The result is a labored and unbalanced
sound.
Only when your larynx is in a relaxed, stable position can your vocal
cords adjust easily with your breath flow, to create the pitch and intensity
of your initial tone. And, only when your larynx is in a relaxed, stable posi-
tion will your final tone contain a balance of top, middle, and bottom
harmonic qualities-like a good stereo system-so you never sound
"muddy" "splatty"
on low notes or on high ones.
Yet, there's another important reason why your larynx must be kept
free of outer-muscle interference. Many of these muscles are involved in the
production of speech sounds, and their interference in the tone-making
process inevitably disrupts the word-making process as well. It's hard to
form vowels and make consonants when the muscles controlling the move-
ment of your tongue and jaw, for instance, are also trying to control your
tone. Hence, voice production using the muscles outside your larynx is a
hopelessbattle in which both your tone and your words become the
casualties.
28
BASICPRINCIPLES
Yourspeech Generally, when you speak in a quiet, comfortable manner, your outer
level- muscles do not interfere with the functioning of your larynx. That's because
a foundation for tone is not your primary concern-communication is. Therefore, your lar-
vocalfreedom ynx is allowed to rest in a relatively stable, or what we call a speech-leuel,
position. This is the ideal vocal condition or posture with which to sing.
If you can learn to initiate and maintain your tone with this comfor-
table speech-leuelposture when you sing, you can sing with the same easily
produced voice you use-or should be using- when you speak. Nothing
will feel any different in your throat or mouth. Both your tone and words
will feel natural and sound natural.
"sing
But be carefull Speech-levelsinging doesn't mean like you
speakt"
29
Singing High Tones
production
RIGHT:Speech-level
Larynxstays
relaxedat
speechlevel.
"full."
Result:Toneis "bright"and
Wordssoundclearandare easyto produce.
WRONG:Larynxforcedup.
Larynxis forced
up. Swallowing
muscresmay
also be
squeezing
arounoyour
throatand
rarynx.
and"brittle."
Result:Toneis "strident"
Wordssounddistortedandaredifficultto produce.
30
8AS/C PRINCIPLES
SingingLow Tones
production
RIGHT:Speech-level
Larynxstays
relaxedat
speechlevel.
I love you-
"fqll."
Result:Tone is "bright"and
Wordssoundclear and are easyto produce.
WRONG: Larynxforceddown.
Larynxis forced
down.Muscles
may also be
squeezrng
arounoyour
throatand
rarynx.
tove you-
Result:Toneis "dark"and "throaty."

Wordssounddistorted andaredifficultto produce.
31
When you talk, you only use a limited pitch and dynamic range of
tones, so it doesn't require a great deal of cord tension to create those tones.
In order to meet your needsfor the higher pitch and greater dynamic levels
often required in singing, howevef;,your vocal cords must be able to achieve
greater degreesof tension. Increasedcord tension is what brings your cords
back together more quickly each time they are blown apart, when you need
to sing a higher tone. Increasedcord tension is what enablesyour cords to
hold back that extra bit of air pressurebefore they finally blow open, when
you needto sing a louder tone.
If your vocal cords and the other musclesin your larynx are unable to
provide the requiredtensionthemselves,you can be sure that your outer
muscleswill volunteer their help. But, that's the kind of help you don't
wantt Any outer muscleparticipation in the vibration processwill only
causeyou vocal problemsby pulling you off your speechlevel.
Speech-level You should be able to sing through your entire range-from the lowest notes
singing-feeling of your chestvoice, up through the highestnotes of your head voice-in a
and sounding smooth, even, or what we call connectedmanner, and still maintain a re-
natural laxed speechlevelposture.
Singing low notes

The lower part of your range is never a problem as long as you are careful
not to pressdown with your larynx in an effort to scrapethe bottom of
your range to get your lowest notes, or do anything in your throat or
mouth that alters your speech-levelposture. An exampleof the latter would
"creating more space"in your throat or mouth, to achievea "deep, rich,
be
resonant"quality.
To begin with, the lowest note in your rangeshould be the lousestnote
you can sing easily while still maintaining your speech-levelposture. As far
as the resonancequality of your voice, it should be whatever resultsnatural-
ly from that samespeech-levelposture. You should never try to make yout
voice resonant.You should never try to make it do anything.
Singing high notes

It doesn't take a genius to know that a singer'sbiggestproblem, at least
from a vocal standpoint,is singinghigh notes.Therefore,we will be most
concernedabout extendingyour range upward. As you free your upper
range, your lower range will also increasebecause,when your outer muscles
are relaxedin the vibration process,they allow your larynx, thus your vocal
cords, to relax as well.
32
BAS/CPRINCIPLES
The passageareasof your range

As you sing higher into your range,,you quickly encounterareaswhere
muscularand/or resonanceactivity make it difficult to negotiatesmooth
transitions betweenvocal cord adjustments.Most singersknow theseareas
all too well. They are placeswhere the voice iams up, suddenly shifts in
quality, or even breaks-things that can discouragesomeonefrom ever ex-
ploring the full potential of his/her voice.
We, however, refer to theseareasas passageareas.That's because,
when you approach them the right way, they becomepassageways between
zphereyou are comingfrom and whereyou want to go in your aocal range.
Singing through the passageareas

Your first passageareais the most critical. It's where your outer muscles(if
they haven't done so already) are most likely to enter into the adiustment
process.When they do, they pull on and tighten around the outside of your
larynx in an effort to stretch your vocal cords to get the necessarytension
for the pitch or dynamic level you require. But, as we have said, stretching
your cords in this manner causesyour entire singing mechanism-tone and
words-to jam upl Fortunately,there is a better and much easierway to
stretch your vocal cordi to achievethe necessarytensionswithout disrupting
your tone-making processor your word-making process.
The key is to do lessin order to do more. To be specific, the higher
you sing, the lessair you should use.When you reducethe amount of air
you sendto your vocal cords, you make it possiblefor the musclesinside
your larynx to stretch your vocal cords by themselves.Your outer muscles
are lesslikely to interferebecausethere isn't as much air to hold back.*
Your outer musclesuill interferein the aibration processuhenezteryou use
more air than your oocal cords and the other musclesinsideyour larynx are
able to handle.
*You "Intensity"
don't need a lot of air to sing loudly (see on page 24).
33
S/NG/NG FOR THE SIAFS
The PassageArcas: Women
-Rppro*itut"
I
Performance
{
Ranges
t
The Passage Areas:Men
Tenor-i
.nppro"imate
I ,--f-- Baritone - t i
Performance
{ i---l- Bass-----.
Ranses
t
*These.are approximate ranges. There are individuals whose ranges extend beyond, but they
are exceptions.
BAS/CPRINCIPLES
Vocal cord thinning

When your vocal cords are stretched, they begin to thin. And the thinner
your cords get, the less cord "weight" there is for your exhaled air to move.
When the thinning takes place at your speechlevel, however, your cords are
able to thin without disrupting your tone or words.
Vocal cord shortening

Then, something very interesting takes place when your vocal cords reach
the point where they can't thin (be stretched) any farther-the vibrating
"shorten."
length of your cords begins to Let me explain why and how it
happens.
Your vocal cords never open all at once and then close all at once
when they vibrate. Even in your lowest tones, your vocal cords open frorn
front to back and close from back to front. That's because they are more
flexible the closer they get to where they attach to the inside front of your
larynx (where your Adam's apple is), and air breaks through that point first.
If you continue to use less and less air past the point where your cords
have thinned as far as possible, the back ends of your cords stay together,
with less and less of the front part opening and closing. This also means,
however, that they open and close much faster, increasing the frequency of
vibration which continues to raise the pitch of your tone.
If, like the initial thinning, this shortening can take place at your
speech level, you can continue to sing easily through the rest of your
passageareas with your tone and word production intact. You will be able
to extend your range far beyond what most singers can only dream about.
As your vocal cords begin to thin and shorten automatically when you
sing, you become less aware of your passageareas. Eventually you come to
think of your chest, middle, and head voices as a single uoice-connected in
the way it's produced and connected in qualityl
"natural"
Speech-levelsinging is a technique in which your voice is:
'1,.
Produced tuithout effort. When you don't allow the muscles outside your
larynx-your outer muscles-to interfere with your tone-making process,
your vocal cords are able to more easily balance with your breath flow.
Also, when you free your tone-making process, you free your word-
making process as well, letting you produce all your words easily and
clearly.
2. Balanced in quality. A relaxed and stable larynx results in a stable
resonance system in which your voice always contains an appropriate
balance of top, middle, and bottom harmonic qualities, no matter where
in your range you sing.
35
S/NG/NGFOR THESIABS
How to Get Your Voice to Work for The Training Process
Training your voice, as you may have guessed, means learning to

and strengthenthe musclesin your larynx so you can sing with speechJevel
posture over a wide pitch and dynamic range. Coordination and strength
most easily developed by doing special exercises.You don't control your
voice directly by working on or thinking about breath support, vocal cord
adjustments,or resonance.Thesethings are all by-productsof speech-level
singing.They happenautomaticallywhen you condition your larynx not to
move, by relaxingyour outer musclesand by allowing your vocal cordsto
thin and then shorten for higher notes to insure that your outer muscles
relaxed.
As you do the exercisesin the training program following this section,
you will memorize the physical sensationsyou experiencein your voice as
you do each exercisecorrectly. Everything else will take care of itself.
Developing coor- Coordination of your voice at your speech level must be developed before
dination-the first you can begin to build strength in your voice. As you do the exercises,
step don't feel you have to sing them loudly. That's not important. If you try to
sing too loudly (using too much air) too soon, your outer muscles will
give up their pulling and tightening reflexes. Have patience.
You must first eliminate any outer muscle activity that interferes with
your tone. This will free your tone and, consequently, free your ability to
produce words easily and clearly.
Your body's neuromuscular system, however, has been programmed
by years of poor singing habits to activate every muscle it can to help you
control your voice. It will attempt to resist any changes in muscular coor-
dination you try to make. For a while you may feel tension in the muscles
under your jaw, in your neck, in the back of your mouth, and in your soft
"wrong"
palate. These tensions are caused when the muscles (your outer
"right"
muscles) are reluctant to give up control to the muscles (the muscles
of your larynx) in producing tone.
Never work around these tensions by doing things like changing the
position of your tongueand jaw, raisingyour soft palate, making more
spacein your throat, or changingthe pronunciationof your words. You
only createother tensions.Justfollow the instructionsin the training
program and do the exercises.Once you have successfullyreprogrammed
your neuromuscularsystemto acceptyour voice'sfunctioning at your
speech level, these tensions will disappear. You will then be able to sing
release,a condition in which your voice works without your having to f
about it, or'do anything to it.
36
hauehadthepleasure ot'associating
with Mr. SethRiggsfor thepast20
years.Sethis oneof themostoutstanding teachers
of aoicein thezaorld
today,teachingthe majority of thepop singersthat areamongthe woild's most
famous,as well as tainnersot'theMetropolitanOperaAuditions in New York
City. His understandingof the natural deuelopment ot'the singing aoiceis
much neededtoday,with all the inept teachersthat arehelpingto bring about
thedeclineof the OperaticVoice. His book,Singing for the Stars, is oneof the
mostoutstandingtreatiseson aoiceproductionaaailabletoday.
I wasa memberof theMetropolitan Operafor 14 yearsas oneof their
Ieadingtenorsandfor the last 28 yearshaaeseruedasArtist Teacherat
SouthernMethodistUniaersitain Dallas,Texas.I haoestudiedaoiceusith
someof thegreatestteachersoi thepast including Frank La Forge,Renato
Bellini, EdnaForsytheand DeIIaHayward. TheyaII stressedthnt "singing and
speakinglspeaking and singing" is oneot'the mostimportantfunctions of the
gifted singer. This is discussedthroughoutSethRiggs'sbook. Sincemy tenure
at SouthernMethodist Unioersity,zuehaaehadsomeof the mostoutstanding
teachersin the world giaing Master Classesin aoiceincluding LiIy Pons,
Eaelyn Lear,I eromeHines, RamonV inay and, of course,SethRiggs. Mr.
Riggs'sbookis usedby many of our studentsand teacherszaithoutstanding
results,and I can only giae thehighestpraisefor Mr. Seth Riggs.) )
ThomasHayward
Tenor
Professorof Voiceand Opera
Dallas
Buildingstrength Don't be concerned about building a strong voice right away. The ability to
-all in good time increase the loudness of your tone will come by itself, after the coordination
of your vocal muscles has been established. Once the "crutch" of depending
on your outer muscles to help keep your vocal cords balanced with your
breath flow is gone, your vocal cords will develop their own independent
strength.
Little by little, your vocal cords will be able to hold back more and
more air in the vibration process, eventually providing you all the dynamic
(loudness) flexibility you'll need. In the meantime-or at any time, for that
matter-you should sing only as loudly as you are able to stay on your
speech level, with a clear, connected, and easily produced tone throughout
your entire range.
Voice training:
'J-.
Deuelops coordination. The first step in training your voice how to
function at your speech level, is to condition your vocal cords to adjust
with your breath flow without interference from your outer muscles.
This frees your tone and, consequently, your ability to produce words
easily and clearly.
2. Builds strength. Once you have conditioned your outer muscles not to
participate in the production of your tone, your vocal cords gradually
develop their own independent strength. This allows you to sing louder
"outside"
without your vocal cords needing any muscular assistance.
37
PracticalExercises
Caution
Pleasefollow along with the material in the book and the accompanying
cassettetapes as my students and I demonstrate how each of the exercises
should be done. It is important that you do each exercisecorrectly before
you proceed to the next.
As valuable as the exercisesin this book are for training your voice,
any exercisecan be overworked or misused to where it will do you more
harm than good. You don't develop your voice by pushing it to its limit.
You develop it by gradually conditioning it to work efficiently with a
balanced coordination. IMPORTANT: You must stop doing any exercise
whenever you begin to lose your speechlevelposture, lose your connection
from chest to head voice, or feel any strain or effort in production. Do not
continue the exercisesif you feel your voice is being damaged even slightly.
Seea doctor before proceeding. It'is not necessaryto go as high as the
piano.
The exercisesin this book will work best if you are relaxed-mentally
as well as physically. Singers who have not yet achieved confidence in their
instrument will often develop a nervous tension-a fear of failing to make a
good sound. It is this fear, however, that sets up even more tension
throughout your body, which in turn exerts more tension (the wrong kind of
tension) in and around your larynx, which makes you more tense, and so
on, creating a vicious cycle of fear and anxiety. There are ways to minimize
this and other tensions.
As you practice the exercisesbe sure you:
1. Maintain good physical posture. Stand comfortably so you don't place
stress on any part of your body. For example, don't slouch or lean on
one leg. Seepage 132.
2 . Practice in as quiet an environment as possible. Try to eliminate any
surrounding noise.
3 . Keep a positive mental attitude. These exercisesreally work. If you
follow instructions, you will accomplish your goal.
4. Stay relaxed. Induce relaxation, if necessary,by deep breathing, and by
doing any stretching or other exercisesthat promote blood circulation
and eliminate nervous tensisn.
We have used a variety of different voices to demonstrate the exer-

cises.Our purpose in using them is not to give you vocal models to copy
but rather to demonstratehow each exerciseshould be practiced.
38
Building
Confidence
1rI ou will begin your voice training by developing the confidence that it is
possible to increaseyour vocal range to its full potential and to sing from
the bottom to the top of your range without your voice jamming up, shif-
ting in quality, or breaking. Some of the exercisesare designed to directly
bypass your neuromuscular reflexes--they won't work unlessyour outer
musclesare completely relaxed. some, on the other hand, are designedto
deliberately activate certain musclesin order to deactivateothers, or to
demonstratean important concept.
Just keep in mind that ail the exercisesin this first part of the training
program are only temporary devices to help you begin the process of freeing
your voice and keeping it connected through your passageareas. They may
sound somewhat peculiar to you, but that's part of what makes them work.
You can rest assuredthat how you sing theseexercisesdoes not represent
the way you will sound by the end of the training program.
5rr
- -J
39
S/NG/NG FOR THE SIABS
Exercise1.
Instructions: Placeyour fingertipson your cheeksso that you pick up the weight of
listen to tape yo.r, ,ki., frorr, ar.,ut d your lips. Feelwhere your teeth come together.You
push the skin in that far. This keepsthe musclesrelaxed so you don't feel
you have to use a lot of air to move them'
"UH" sound, (listento tape),Iet your lips "bubble"as
Then, using an
looselyand as evenly as they can as you sing the exercise'
i.et the air do ihe work. Justrelax your lips as well as the rest of your
face and throat muscles.The slower you can control the vibration speedof
your
- lips, the better.
Don't worry too much about pitch accuracyat first. The relaxation
and freedomof your lips, as well as the maintenanceof a connectedtone,
are what's most imPortant. "disconnecting"suddenly into a
Try to do the entire exercisewithout
lighter production. (Listento tape,)
In Exerciset and in all your exercises,you must get used to the
your
transferenceof resonancesensation.In the lower part of your range,
tone will appear to go straight out of your mouth, while, as you sing higtrer,
into your h"ud t'oicl, yorrrlor," will appear to go more and more behind
palate. Whai you feel are the iound waves from your vocal cords
Vorrr'r"ft
activating thoseresonancespaces'
Notes:
40
PARTONE:BUILDINGCONFIDENCE
( L i pr o l l )
Approximatestarting pitch:
T-r- T"t-
ar ar
io'
=
Soprano Alto Tenor Bass
Practicelog:
Datestarted
Dateaccomolished
41
S/NG/NGFOR THESIARS
ExerciseSuggestions(L-4)
If you use too much air or anticipate the higher notes in Exercises1 th
4, your outer muscles will activate thus stopping the movement of your
and tongue. When this happens, bend forward as you approach the top
notes of the problem exercise, returning to your standing position at its
pletion. Your concern about singing the higher notes will be lessened
the oncoming floor will make you think you're going "down" instead of "
You can use this bending technique whenever you find yourself "tightening"
"reaching"
for notes.
l/)\
+' / t
\
42
ee usedtosingwhenlwas akid. I thinklwasa tenor.I eaenflirtedwith
f
L theideaofsingingfor a liaing,butI couldneverfind anylneto helpme
get into my high aoiceproperly.
Acting taokoaerand,lo and behold,lgot into a part whereI had to sing.
Theproducerscalledin Seth,and,t'irst lesson,Iwaswell into my headaoiceand
"transition," "passaggio,"
beganto learnhow to makethe through the t'rommy
"where going"
chestinto theheadaoice. It is still deaeloping,butI know I'm
whenI sing.
Thsnkuou Seth.) )
Armand Assante
Actor
LosAngeles
Problem note(s)sung
at thisooint.
43
S/NG/NGFOR THESIABS
Exercise2
"[JH"
Instructions: Let your tongue lightly flutter as you make the same sound as you
listen to tape made in Exercise1. The notes are the same. (Iisten to tape).
Remember, the object is to keep the tone connected as you sing into
your head voice.
lVotes.'
44
( T o n g u et r i l l )
-r-
Tfi-
a)
io'
Soprano
F
o
Alto Tenor
Practicelog:
Datestarted
Dateaccomplished
45
S/NG/NGFORTHESTARS
Exercise3
Ingtructions: The instructions for Exercise3 are the same as for Exercisel-only the
listcn to tepe skips between the notes are larger, covering a wider area of your range morc
quickly. Exercise L gave you a running start, so to speak, because the notcs
were closer together. In Exercise3 the interfering outer muscles must let go
even more. Your cords must be free enough to adjust to the wider skips.
Don't slide from one note to the next. EaChnote should be done clear-
ly and cleanly. (Listen to tape.)
Sornetimesit helps, whenever you sing from one note to another note
that ie higher in pitch, to approach the second note as if you were going to
sing the same pitch as or lozner than the one you are corning from. This
helps to keep you from reaching.
46
ee singingwhenI utasll yearsold. Besides
T first beganto study "head"coordination,
L connecting my "chest"and Sethtrickedmeinto
nn extremelyhigh area,zohich,as we continuedto work, beganto join into the
rest of rny aocalrange. I signedwith my t'irst major labelat age11. From that
earlyage,I alwnysaocalizedand performedoaer3'lz octaaes.Thesedays,when
singershauebegunto usestratospherichigh notes,I'ae neoerhad to fear
exiemely lout io extremelyhigh notes. Tiank you Seth. ) )
ShaniceWilson
Singer
LosAngeles
r
L
{.,
t' (Liproll)
*
l.
r
I
i,
4_
T--- T-t-
U a t
o U
Practice log:
Datestarted
Dateaccomplished
47
S/NG/NGFOR THESIAFS
Exercise4
Instructions: The instructions for Exercise4 are the same as for Exercise2. Again, only
listen to tape the notes and rhythms are different.
lVotes;
48
(Tonguetrill)
Approximatestarting Pitch:
t-
4 L
zr- _
a1A-- TFr--
T i
- du o
Practice log:
Datestarted
Dateaccomplished
49
S/NGINGFOR THESTAAS
ExerciseSuggestions(5, 6)
Once you can do the lip rolls and tongue trills with little effort, it will in-
dicate that you aren't gripping your larynx with your outer muscles(it's
hard to roll your lips or trill your tonguewhen the musclescontrolling them
are aleo trlnng to control your larynx to make pitch). It will also indicate
that your cords are thinning and their vibrating length is "shortening"as you
sing higher, and that you are using just the right amount of air to support
their vibration.
The lip rolls and tongue trills, however, rely on the closing of your lips
and tongue to lrclp counteract any excessair pressureyou may be using.
Therefore, coordination of air and rnusclecan't yet be said to be taking
place solely at the cord level. Developingthe coordinationthat allows your
cords to thin and shortenat your speechlevel (usingjust the musclesof
your larynx to do the work) takestime. Unfortunately,your motivation can
run out beforeyou get to that point.
So, beforeyou go any farther in the program, it's important that you
get to expertencethe concept of cord thinning and shortening at the cord
level-even if it meansactivatinga few unwantedouter musclesto do itl We
will do this in Exereises 5 through 1-L.You must quickly abandontheseexer-
cisesas soon as they seruetheir purpose!
Exercises5 and 5 are called high larynx exercises.They use the muscles
above your larynx to pull it up. A raised larynx will stretch, and thus thin
your vocal cords, making it possiblefor them to go into the shortenedcon-
dition necessaryto sing high pitches.But again, you are only using these
musclestemporarily, iust to demonstratea concept.You don't want to use
this teehniquewhen you sing. This is not yet speech-leveltone production.
50
S/NG/NGFORTHESTAFS
Exercise5
"nay nay" sound into your nose. It will be nasal enoughwith
Instructions: Don't iam the
"n" sound.
listen to tape the exaggerationof the
Also, be careful not to reach up in chestvoice.
l\lofes.'
52
Q Q (rr,
Riggsteachesa technique that doesn't detract from the basic qulitv of
Wl the actors' spokm sowtd. Actors Studio West b most appreciatioe of hb
classes,and lack of intimidation for actors uhm approaching the act of singing,) /
Muk Rydell/Mutht Landu/Morth Rltt
Actors Studio West
Los Angeles
Approxlmatestartlngpltch:
-at i , _ _ aJf;e
f,e
Practlcelog:
Datestarted
Dateaccomplished
53
\
S/NG/NGFORTHESIARS
Exercise6
Instructions: The instructions for Exercise6 are the sameas for ExerciseS-the
listen to tape notes and rhythms are different.
IUotes.'
54
PARTONE:BUILDING
CONFIDENCE
nay nay nay nay nay nay nay nay nay nay nay nay
+-
I - =( E
t i =u
Soprano Tenor
Practlce log:
Datestarted
Dateaccomplished
55
S/NG/NGFOR THESIAFS
ExerciseSuggestions(7-lT)
Lout-larynx exercises(Exercises7 through 11) use the muscles below your

larynx to pull it down. They also get your cords to thin and shorten. Yet,
they do it with your larynx in a low position. It's lower than actual speech
lerrel, but it's closer to speechJevelposture than the high-larynx coordina-
tion.
As you sing into your head voice, the feeling of thinning and shorten-
ing-if the exerciies are done correctly-is similar to the high-larynx thin-
niig and shortening. That is, you will experiencea connected production of
tone from chest into head voice. Yet, it's different enough so that you have
to work through the connection all over again. Your cords will still thin and
shorten as you sing higher, but this time without any assistancefrom the
high-laryni muscles. In fact, the low-larynx exercisesactually help deactivate
your tendency to use your highJarynx muscles.
Just remember, if you operuse either the high-larynx or the low-larynx
exercises,there is the danger that you will lock into one or the other of
those extreme vocal postures, producing all your pitches off your speech
levell So again, once you get yourself through the passageareas with a con-
nected tone, you should discontinue Exercises5 through 11. ExercisesL
through 4, however, can continue to be used. They make good warm-up
exercises.
56
, w
57
S/NG/NGFOR THESIAFS
Exercise7
Instructions: As you do 7-a through 7-e, put a little "cry" in your voice-but don't over-
listen to tape do it. (lrsf en to tape.)
This little cry slightly imposes your larynx down by activating the low
larynx muscles, and deactivating the high larynx muscles.
"imposition"
But this is only temporary. You want to cancel the
tendency of your larynx to rise as you sing higher-the opposite of what
you did in Exercises5 and 6.
"imposition"
You will discard this low larynx by the time you get to
Part Two of the program, because you neper want to force your larynx
down when you sing, just as you never want to force it up.
When you do 7-a, make sure your soft palate stays very relaxed, with
the sound going behind it more and more as you sing higher. And, make
"Mum"
sure you continue to say as you sing higher. Don't go to
"Mam"-that
would mean your larynx is starting to come up.
In Exercise7-b through 7-e, don't take the exerciseas high as you did
"G" "K"
with 7-a. The sound (7-b through 7-d) and the sound (7-e) are
"Mum"
much more difficult to sing than the sound because of the motion of
your tongue. Only take them as high as is comfortable.
l\lotes.'
58
utantedto takethis momentto thankyou t'or helpingmy dreambecsme
a reality. Throughyour wonderfultechniqueand teachingI wnsableto
builda firm foundationuponwhicht0grour.
Thankyoufor beingtherefor mewhenI wasexperiencing dit'ficultyin
certainpassages of music.Afterall, Aida ls noutalkin thepark.
AlthoughI wassome3,000milesau)ay , youcalledor I calledand'wewere
" problems
ableto soluewhatseemed to meto be enormous ." Then,on the
phone,you reminded meof thingsyouoncetaughtmebutI hadforgotten.
Suddenly those"enormous problems" wereno mlre.
You'reagem.))
PriscillaBaskeruille
asAida Piscilln Baskeruille
Aida-M et ropolitan Opera
Drawingby Selene Fung@1991. Soprnno
Usedby Permission New York City
( a )m u m mum mum, etc.

(b) guh guh guh, etc.
(c) so go go, etc.
(d) gee gee gee,etc.
(e) koo koo koo, etc.
Approximate
Practicelog:
Datestarted
Dateaccomplished
59
S/NG/NGFOR THE SIARS
Exercise8
Instructions: The instructions for Exercise8 are the same as they were for exercise7-
listen to tape only the notes and rhythms are different.
l\lotes:
60
(a) mummummum,etc.
(b) guh guh guh,etc.
(c) go go go, etc.
(d) gee gee gee,etc.
(e) koo koo koo, etc.
startingpitch:
Approximate
_0_ 0
a-- t--
r-- -l-
a J v
U l U
Soprano Tenor Bass

)
Practice log:
Datestarted
Dateaccomplished
61
Exercise9
Instructions: As before, use a slightly imposedlarynx as you do the exercise.
"hootier" or more "hollow" soundingyou
listen to tape The higher you go, the
should get to keep from grabbing.Don't worry if your tone soundsbreathy
or weak on the higher pitches.Iust try to stay connectedfrom the beginning
of the exerciseto the end of it.
Even though you are imposingyour larynx down slightly, you must
sing eachvowel with the samepronunciationyou would useif you were
"Oh" sound incorrectly, it will
speakingit. For example,if you do the
"splat" as you take it higher. You've got to keep your larynx slightly im-
posedto keep it from raising. (Listento tape.)You may want to think of
"Oh" through "Oo" lips.
singing
As you get into the upper part of your range,let your jaw drop just
slightly to give the sound more space-but don't grab with it.
62
la
'a'f,a , +
p or 2/z years I had the great opportunity to play the role of Eaita on
L broadtoay... Seth Riggsgaue me the technique and personal ability to
guide myself oocally and guard against oocal abuse and fatigue') )
Derin Altay
Actress,Singer
New York City
(a) Oo
(b) oh
(c) Uh
(d) Ee
(e) Ah
-^- -:'T 't'
?FT- YFT-- -
a, ar
i u =
Soprano Alto Tenor
Practicelog:
Datestarted
Dateaccomplished
63
S/NG/NGFOR THESTAFS
Excrdgc 10
krbucdm: Thc instructions for Exercise10 are the same as they were for Exercise9-
lletca to tapc only the notee and rhythms are differmt.
Illotcc:
64
PARTANE:tsUILDtNG
CONFIDENCE
(a) Oo
(b) oh
(c) Uh
(oEe
(e) Ah
Approxlmatestarthg pltch:
+
i l i l
o o o a o o
Soprano Tenor Bass
Practlcelog:
Datestarted
Dateaccomplished
65
S'NG'NGFOR THESIAFS
Exercise11
lnstrucdons: Still keep your tone a little breathy, as before.
listen to tape The obiect of the larger skips between the notes is to increaseyour
ability to releasethe tone. You have to let go of the pressure of one pitch so
your cords can re-tune to the next one. But, don't releaseso much that you
disconnect into falsetto. You must continue to connect your chest voice into
your head voice. (Lbten to tape.l
IYoles.'
00
e C 'zte "belter"
f beena aII my life. I didn't eaenthink I hada headuoice.
L WhenSethconnectedmy middleaoice,I wasableto drop the wearof 20
yearsof hard singing. ) )
Carcl Burnett
Actress,Singer
Hautaii
(a) Oo
(b) oh
(c) Uh
(d) Ee
(e) Ah
Soprano Tenor Bass
Practlcelog:
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Dateaccomplished
67
FORTHESrABS
S/A/G/NG
ExerciseSuggestions
"muscled
Occasionally,an individual'svoice is so up" that it is very
difficult to get the cords to thin and shorten enough to achievea connected
sound from chest into head voice. When the exercisesprescribedso far fail
to accomplishthe task, you may have to start with the "disconnected"con-
dition of cord vibration, usually calledfalsetto.If you have alreadyachieved
a connectionin your tone, you may skip Exercises 12 and L3, and proceed
to Part Two.
The disconnectedfalsettovoice, like the connectedhead voice, lets you
experiencethe freedom of singing in the higher part of your range without
strain. But, unlike your head voice, falsettocannot blend with your chest
"disconnected").This, and the fact that it is impossible
uoice (thus the term
to increaseintensity past a certainpoint, makesfalsettoimpracticalto use,
except for occasional special vocal effects. Falsetto, however, is easier for
untrained voice to sing. Becauseof this, it can be useful in leading you into
the preferred connected condition of head voice.
Equalintensity
capability
Chest Head(connected)
capability
----t'"1"1'ntensity --> (disconnec
Farsetto
Same resonanceareasactivated
68
S/NG/NGFOR THESIABS
Exercise12
Instructions: Start with a falsetto sound. As you come down into your chest voice, try to
listen to tape make the transition as smooth as possible. Come down gently so you don't
"fall"
into it. Then try to bring in your chest voice more firmly each time
you do the exercise.You want to replace your falsetto production, wh,ich
can't blend, with head voice (which can).
As you do the exercise, don't panic when you feel the chest voice
come in.
Come in lightly, till you feel it start to take-don't grab it in (listen
to tape), and don't fall into it (listen to tape).
"Gee"
When you do L2-b, with the sound, be careful. It's not as easy
"Wee"
to start it as high as the sound becauseof the activity of the tongue.
Remember, you may feel you are making your falsetto stronger-but
you're not. Falsetto production merely gets you to relax in the higher part of
your range so you can work on your head voice.
Notes.'
70
e' o
t n
\ ometime ago,MCA Recordssuggested I work with Seth Riggsin order to
"gospel
lJ get my chops"in shape.In the middleof our work, alongcomesthe
role of Charity ln Sweet Charity t'or the LosAngelesand New York reaiaals.
"belter," "get "high
Charity wasa but now I can't wnit to dotan" with that
gospel"soundand style. Seth'stechniquemakesit easy.) )
DebbieAllen
Director,Actress,Singer
LosAngeles
(a) Wee wee wee Wee wee wee wee, etc.

(b) Gee gee gee Gee gee gee gee,etc.
-i---sl-- +
trTr--
u a )
Practicelog:
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71
S/NG/NGFOR THESTAFS
Exercise1.3
Instructions: You will now start in chest voice, go into your head voice and then back
listen to tape into chest voice.
"Gee"
And, again, don't take the sound in 13-b as high as you do the
"Wee"
sound in 13-a.
Note: Once you can make a smooth transition from head to chest and chest to
head voice, you may want to try Exercises5 through 11 again.
72
(a) Wee wee wee, etc.

(b) Gee gee gee,etc.
Practicelog:
Datestarted
Dateaccomolished
73
hen I was 13 yearsold, Quincy lonessuggestedI work with Seth
"boy
whileI mademy change t'rom soprano"to my adult aoice.
Mostpeopleadaisedmeagiinst siudying uoiie duing this dilt'ficultperiod.
Sethnot only knewhow to balancemy unruly uoicebut, whenI cameout on
theolhersideat 75 yearsold, my uoicewaseasyand eaenlytogether.What
usedto be,theboysopranourasnow a man'sconnected headaoicewith no
strain. Thankyou Seth.
T.E.V.l.N, Campbell
Singer
LosAngeles
ftrst cameto-Sethwhen.I.w.as-19 ye.ars o!d..Weco_nnected my uoiceup

to an E flat aboaetenorhigh C, with nofalsetto.Oaertheyears,as I
pursueda singingcareer,I usea lot ofi'throatgraael"t'or"et'fect.
It
,began"to
beganto hurt thequalityof my aoice,so Sethgaae
" me an alternatiue
cdrdination and i'm bick'inti aotalhealth.
lohnnyGill
Singer
LosAngeles
'ae "chest"
beensingingsinceI wasa child. Always,the into the
"head"
uoicewasa stickyproblem. I now hauea t'irm graspon the
"connection"
in my middle.I canleaninto a gospel,R&8, stylingwith much
"pure
morepower,and knowingthat I won't getcaughtin chestbelling"-
what a relief.
Marilyn
Singer
LosAngeles
'ue
alwayssung a kind of baritone-tenlrrange. At'teryearsof
in all kindsof conditions,lt'oundI washauingto work harderto
producethehigherpitches.Now that I'ue begunto usemore" heqdaoice,"I
sing purer aowelson thehigherpitcheswithout strain. My new aocal
techniquekeepsmet'resherand giuesme moreendurance.Workingwith Seth
madethe two-show-a-nightengagement in LasVegasa pleasureinsteadofa
fatiguingjob.
Geoffrey
Singer,Produce.*,
LosAngeles
TowardSpeech-Level
Singing
tjo fur, you have done exercisesthat let you experiencesinging with a con-
nected tone over a wide range of pitches, without much concern about the
overall quality of that tone or the way in which you achievedit. Each exer-
cise served as a mechanical assist, that permitted your vocal cords to main-
tain a connection through your passageareas and, in so doing, became a
psychological assistbecauseit gave you confidence that you could ac-
complish that connection.
We will now proceed with exercisesthat condition your voice to work
only at your speech level. This means from this point on we will only use
exercisesthat bypass your neuromuscular reflexes completely. We will
"edge"
basically use what we call an unfinished or sound. This sound needs
very little air and cord to work. Like the exercisesused in Part One, the
"edge"
exerciseswill assistyou in maintaining a connectedtone through
your passageareas-but this time, in a way that directly leads you into
singing with a speech-levelposture.
Your larynx won't raise or lower very much as your vocal cords make
their adjustments, so you will experiencea blending of resonancequalities.
Also, your vocal cords will begin to relax, allowing you to sing even your
lowest notes more easily.
- t
- --
75
S/NG/NGFOR THESTAFS
ExerciseL4
Instructions: This is the first time in your program you are going to be doing an exercise
listen to tape that gives you the feeling of where speechJevel sound is made.
Starting in chest voice, just below your break area, make a sound
(with your lips closed) like a squeaky door hinge and inflect into your head
voice. (Listen to tape.)
Be careful not to break into falsetto; you have to keep it connected.
(Listen to tape.)
IVotes;
76
e C ike mostnatural singers,I had no knowledgeof how to getfrom my
f "false" "break,"
J-/ chestinto my without a noticeable or changein
quality. As a pianisi I had no troublesetting the key to hidemy pribtem. When
I ioined Prince,the decisionof keysrnasno longerup to me. Princehnd worked
with Sethand hadsent SheilqE theretoo,soI wassent to him also. Halleluiah!
"break"
Not only was the mendedquickly,but my style hasbecomemuch better
because I had more notes with which to riff .) )
Rosie Gaines
Singer
LosAngeles
Mm
Practicelog:
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Dateaccomplished
77
S/NG/NGFORTHESTABS
Exercise1.5
"edge"
Instructions: Using the samesqueaky door or sound you made in ExerciseL4, start
listen to tape lower in the scale.
This time add a little "whimper" or "cry" to the sound to help keep the
cords connected-but don't overdo it. You don't want to overcompressthe
air so usejust enoughto keep the connectionas you sing higher. (Listento
tape.) More doesn'tmeanbetter in this instance.
The stopping and starting of the tone keepsre-establishingyour tone
at speechlevel so that you don't get off that level as you go through the
exercise.
Once you can maintain a connection all the way through Exercise15,
go on to Exercise1,6.At this time you may want to start monitoring any
speechmuscle activity by feeling the musclesunder your jaw. Thesemuscles
should always be soft, with no tensionwhatsoeveroccurringwhen you do
the exercise.*If there is any musculartension,listen to the tape again to see
if you have followed the instructionscorrectly.
/-. /\.
sb' r<*,
*This
doesn't include transitional tensions that take place as you change vowels and con-
sonants. It only refers to sustained tones.
78
PART TWO: TOWARDSPEECH-LEYEL
S/NG/NG
ar ar
o io'
Practicelog:
Datestarted
Dateaccomplished
79
ExerciseL6
Instructions: Exercise16 is the same as Exercise15, except you are reducing the number
listen to tape times you stop the sound to re-establish your tone at speech level.
lVotes.'
80
a e q/l u, all theactiaitiesonemust weighandbalancein our wildly
)
y y thereis neaerenoughtime to get your uoicein
fluctuatingbusiness,
shape.Singing seemsto be the last thing to consider,when that recordinggets
started.It shouldn'tbethat way, but...I'ttealwaysbeenableto maintain
confidencethat I can pull it togetherraith my own personalapplicationof a
practicalaocalwarm-up. Thankyou Seth,snd becool! ) )
MauiceWhite
Earth, Wind and Fire
LosAngeles
4_
IF'--IE--
O A
o io'
Practicelog:
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Dateaccomplished
81
S/NG/NGFOR THESIAFS
ExerciseL7
Instructions: This time you will take the edgesound straight through, only establishing
listen to tape your speechlevel at the beginning of the exercise.
Remember,you shouldn'tfeel any build-up of air pressure.It should
stay even all the way up and all the way down. If too much air pressure
starts to build, your voice will get stuck and you will start to "squeeze"
tone. You should feel as if you are using just a little pieceof the cords-
the insideedges.As you learn to do it better, you can involve more and
more air and cord as long as your outer muscles don't interfere. Keep
ing under your jaw with your finger to make sure the swallowing muscles
aren't tightening up.
82
PARTTWO:TOWARDSPEECH-LEYEL
S/NG/NG
A
--'- 0
-*--
rtF-
\-y IITT-
a) a)
ict IU
Practice log:
Datestarted
Dateaccomplished
83
S/I/G/NG FOR THE SIABS
ExerciseL8
Instructions: Still using the same edge sound-however, not as much-sustain the top
listen to tape note of the exercise.
When you get to the top note, be sure you don't prevent a natural
"pinched"
vibrato from occurring. There is a danger of producing a straight
sound if you use too much cord tension (which demands too much breath
pressure), or too much breath pressure (which demands to much cord
tension).
84
ee began singingon Broadway whenI waseightyearsold. Likemost
f
L children,I wasbeltingfor all I wasworth,andthenshiftingintoa "boy
"thing"
soprano"for the soft singing. I did this kind of aocal for seaernlyears.
WhenI beganto study with SethRiggs,l discoaered that thereroqsno needto
sing in tw"oaoices. I itarted to usei blendand connectionof the lrrororrrr.
This gaueme morepozoer,control,nnd znaslessfatiguing. Nout,as my aoiceis
beginningto brondennnd deepen,Iam easinginto my adult aoiceznitha
balanceand without that dnrn crackingwhich usually comeswith puberty.) )
Scott Gimes
Actor, Singer
LosAngeles
_0__
t--- .r--
U Q.t
O U
Practicelog:
Datestarted
Dateaccomplished
85
Exercise L9
Instructions: Your neuromuscular system should now be convinced that your vocal cords
listen to tape can function without any interference from your outer muscles. Therefore,
it's time to begin eliminating the edge sound, gradually allowing more air
and more cord to become involved in the vibration process.Eventually you
will reach a point of balance where your vocal cords can function efficiently
and independently of your outer muscleswithout the assistanceof the edge
device.
Each time you do the following exercise,let your vocal corfs relax
more by subtituting more air for the little edge sound. Take care not to
disconnectthe tone.
When you feel that your vocal cords have started to relax, go on to
Exercise20.
Notes;
86
PARTTWO: TOWARDSPEECH-LEYEL
S/NG/NG
Approximate
io'
Soprano Tenor Bass
Practicelog:
Datestarted
Dateaccomolished
87
S/NGINGFOB THESIAFS
Exercise20
Instructions: Start with as little of the edge sound as you need to hold the connection.
listen to tape As you sustain the top note of the exercise, open your lips slightly to
form each vowel sound.
If your throat begins to tighten when you open to any of the vowel'
sounds, don't blast more air through. Instead, relax your cords by making
your tone a little breathier. That is, don't make it so breathy that you lose
the connection in your tone or have to enlist your outer musclesto force the
connection to continue. Rememberto check the musclesunder your iatu for
tension.
Don't be concerned that some vowels will be easier to sing than others.
fust stay on your speech level and work on coordinating each vowel from
"home
that base."
When you have successfully completed Exercise2Q, go on to Exercise
21",this time starting with the vowel sounds.
Notes:
88
eC
f thankSethfor introducingmeto a superbaocaltechnique,
which
l- in musicaltheatreaswellastheextended
t'unctions rangedemandsot'
internationaloperaticliterature.) )
Angela Blasi
Lyric Soprano
Munich operahouse
La Scala
CooentGarden
Vienna Staatsopera
DeutscheGrammophonRecordingArtist
(a) Mm Oo
(b) Mm oh
(c) Mm Uh
(d) Mm Ee
(e) Mm Ah
-t-- -t-
d f;e c/fte
Practicelog:
Datestarted
Dateaccomolished
89
/:
Exercise21.
Instructions: Starting with each vowel, keep only the amount of edge sound you feel is
listen to tape necessaryto maintain the connection in your tone.
"splat"
Make sure that the vowels don't alter or as you sing higher.
When you stay on your speech level, your higher tones will have a
softer, less intense, feeling than will your lower tones. The lower tones will
sound a lot brighter and stronger to you. However, what you feel isn't what
the listener hears. The listener will hear a very free and clear sound when
you sing into your head voice.
90
PARTTWO: TOWARDSPEECH-LEVEL
S/NG/NG
(a) Oo
(b) oh
( c) U h
(d) Ee
(e) Ah
# #
o a )
Soprano
Practicelog:
Datestarted
Dateaccomolished
S/NG/NG FOR THE STABS
Exercise22
Instructions: Practice Exercise22 until the edgesound, which originally led you into a
listen to tape connectedspeech-level condition, is completelyeliminated.(Listento tape.)
This may also be a good time for you to becomeaware of any excess
body movement you may be using when you sing. Such facial motions as
frowning, raising your chin, and so forth can only invite the participation
your outer muscles.
lUotes.'
92
a
\ a\ T
I graduatedt'rom one of the maior conseraatories in the l.lnited States.I am
L a tenor, but afterfour yearsof training I could not sing oaer the F# aboae
middle C. I studiedzoith two major MetropolitanOperastars of the 1920sand
'30s. After graduation,I interaiewedaocaltechniquetedchersall across
the
United States.I decidedto study with Seth Riggs.After two years,I not only
had a completetenor rangethrough Eb abor:ehigh C, but I could sing the La
Bohemearia a wholestepup. ) )
James Wagner
Lyric Tenor
Munich
(a) Oo
(b) oh
(c) Uh
(d) Ee
(e) Ah
a h
4-
I'FT ^
TF
d d b o
Soorano Alto Tenor Bass
Practicelog:
Datestarted
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93
Exercise23
Instructions: By now, you should be initiating and maintaining your tone with a relaxed
listen to tape speech-levelposture anywhere in your range. Up to this point, though, all
the exercisesyou've done have featured only single vowel sounds.
You also need to be able to maintain your speechlevel production
when a vowel changes to another vowel during a sustained tone. However,
be sure you don't overproduce your vowels in the'process.
Keep the same position in your mouth for the second vowel as you
had for the first vowel moving your tongue and lips only slightly to change
pronunciation.
94
PARTTWO: TOWARDSPEECH-LEVEIS/NG/NG
(a) oo oh
(b ) u h Ah
(c) Ee Ay
(d ) o h Ah
4_
tr----o- 6rr--
a u o o
Soprano Tenor Bass
Practicelog:
Datestarted
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95
S/NGINGFOR THE STABS
Exercise24
Imtructions: This exercisecontinuesthe sameidea as Exercise23, only the number of
listen to tape vowels has beenincreased.
Alotes;
96
e e IT thought"high
all I had to do in this businesswas sing, sing, sing, but I needed
-L some gospel" soundstpith no strain. Seth shoued me hou to find
and strengthenthosesounds, Nou I am discooeringa tohole ne.u range, nevn
pouer and intensityfor my uoice. Thank you Seth.) )
June Polnter
Singer
LosAngeles
(a) Oo oh Ah
(b) Ee Oo Uh
(c) Oo (foot)- Uh Ah
r - =T--
o o ? o
Practicelog:
Datestarted
Daleaccomolished
97
Exercise25
Instructions: In Exercise 25, you are going to start in the middle of your first passage
"break"
listen to tape area, your main area, which is usually the most difficult place you
can begin a tone. You must learn to accept the split activation of sound
waves, with half in your mouth and half behind your soft palate.
Accomplishing Exercises25 makes singing with speech-levelproduction in
this part of your range easy, becauseyou get used to starting your tone in
"spot."
that
"headier"
As you do this exercise, stay on the side of the pitch with a
thinner piece of cord so you don't drop suddenly into your chest coordina-
tion. (Lr'sfento tape.) Let your chest voice come in gently, by degrees.
(Listen to tape.)
Don't be too concerned if the muscles under your jaw activate a little.
They will begin to relax as you get more comfortable with the exercise.
lVotes:
98
PARTTWO:TOWARDSPEECH-LEVEL
S/NG/NG
(a) Oo Uh Oo Uh Oo Uh
(b) Oo oh Oo oh Oo oh
(c) Ee Ay Ee Ay Ee Ay
4_
#- tki
o a )
Practicelog:
Datestarted
Dateaccomplished
99
S/NG/NGFOR THESIAFS
Exercise26
Instructions: In Exercise 26, you will take every vowel individually through your range
listen to tape until, with each one, you get the greatest amount of tone with the least
amount of effort. Remember, you must pronounce each vowel exactly as
you would if you were speaking it. Nothing-absolutely nothing-should
feel any different in your throat or mouth. Only then can you be sure you
are singing with speech-levelproduction.
l\lotes.'
100
Q
- Q
' T
t n the Spanish-speaking
countries,the Mariachi singersare the most
l- numerous.The Spanishlanguage,zoith the shallout'ah' oowel, tendsto
puII the larynx upwards.Thosetwo t'actsassistthoseof us who sing pop to belt
too much. Seth got my larynx down and built a whole neutmiddleooicetoith
which I can soundlike "chest," but not damagemy aoiceor oocalenergyin my
concertsand recording.) )
Daniela Romo
Singer
Mexico Citv
(a) Ah
(b) Ay
(c) Ee
(d) oh
(e) A (eat)
(f) Oo
(g) Oo (foot)
- ----
TFI- TFT--
U a r
( ' G
Practicelog:
Datestarted
Dateaccomolished
'101
hadheardaboutSethRiSgs'suocallechnique t'romindustry.
nrofcssionals for uears ' 1 bought his bookand cameto seehrmas s00nas
did thl cxercis, *o\r,-upt helpme relieac bttt
uocalt'atigue,
I could.'ii,iirtv
his assistance in"applyingit to my songshelpedm7. the
m1in.la.i.n same ease'
and powerthat I'd
'- "-"''
control in theexercisel'm butldtngmore
": "";'- ' 'ifound
dependabtlircs tn mY uotc bv trving to singmorecorrectlv'Thanks for making
it e&sier,Seth.
tffi**oo'u
LosAngeles
coupleof vearsago,SteuieWonderput meon a counse!phonehoak't

with Seii, nnd ie atanged to startsomeuoicestudy' SoonI bunnu
inuoluedin Seth'stechnique.Ibought thebookand slsos{ttin onlessons'l
jtmior " Star Search"winner u'ho.1btq.'con.tra,ctwith CBS Recards(whom
producinil. aocal
Seth's approachmakesthehigh notessolid,easyandno
'lo
(unless o.,*!!:
approachi,t
resorl'to t'alsetlo t'orsomespccialeffect)'.This
additionto'makingyour stylingeasy, alzuays and
naailqble, the
extends
y o u ra 0 | c e .
Luther
Producer,
LosAngeles
studiedwith oII thebig retiredMetropolitanstar singersand repertoire

coaches on the WestCoast'After two yeatsof not getting into the
I
semifinalsof theMetropolitanWester:n Regionalsuditions,Iquit the ^
competition hnLl furthcraocalstudyfor a yrarl' ThenI catnet?,Se:l:li88l,tl0
stuiy uocaltechnique . Wehadonly i'l' monthsta prepnrtfor.tnet!e,tr1y1i,1an
"Let'snot learnany neToarens,let'srebatance ttrc
Opeiaauditions.Sethsaid,
the competitiott(ouer 2,000 singers from the 50 statei. I
ol'd ones.,,I enteyed
u]\nontheWestCoast,zuenttoNewYorkCityandwonthet'inalstherealso.I
signeda th.ree-year
fletuto Zurich and won a two-yearcontract' Next,I
'contract . .
at theMr.michaperaiuhere I'm singingmajor lyric and lyricospinto I
roles.Notu,l am guestittg at manyot'thet'inestEuropennopera,houscs I
It is excitingtiat the il,lestCoist hsssuc'ha maraelous aocaltechnique , I
teqcher aaaiy$iein thearea.It alwaysamusesme that old operastarsfu-nd I
mastacademic neaer-was-beens) describehow theysangand caIIit ttocal
'pctlagogy.
,;k;i ilteyt'ailto tmderstandis that if a youngsingerdoesn'thaaehis
teacher,s hecan't sing like theteacher
paitirulor aocalt'acilities, sang,thus aocal =
techniquesessions become repertoire 2essions'..
Thanktlou,Seth.I could still be diggingditchesand layingcinderblockm
SnnlaBnrbaro.
Eduardo Villa
Lyric Tenor
Munich
Technique
Maintenonce
ou should now have a free. clear. flexible tone. with a blend of both
upper and lower resonancequalities. It shouldn't matter where in your range
you start your tone, becauseif you stay on your speechlevel, you should be
"talk
able to just on pitch."
However, bad habits die hard. As such, singing an actual song often
becomescomplicated when the inclusion of certain consonants,vowel com-
binations, and musical requirements threaten to disrupt your speech-level
technique. When this happens, there are several things you can do to help
you keep your speech-levelproduction intact. You have done most of these
already in some of the earlier exercises.Now we will do them with songs,
10 3
S/NG/NGFOR THESIABS
Exercise27
Instructions: Bend forward as you approachthe problem note(s)of the song. This will
listen to tape help you break your anxiety about accomplishingthat note. Rememberto
return to a standingposition at the completionof the note(s).
Notes.'
104
PARTTHREE:TECHNIQUEMAINTENANCE
Annie Laurie (Traditional)
ton braes
c#.
ly falls dew. And it's
87
her prom
S/NG/NGFOR THE SIABS
Exercise28
"cry" in your voice to discourageouter-muscleactivation.
Instructions: Use a little
"remind" your neuromuscularsystem
listen to tape However, only do this temporarily to
that assistance from your outer musclesis unnecessary.
Notes.'
106
Qa
Trrrtry to coordinaterehearsal schedules
between theendof oneproiectand
I- the beginningof anothercan behectic,Thereneuerseemsto beenoughtime
to prepareas well as you would like.
One morning in 1967,Allan Cat calledto tell me he had found a
oocaltechniqueteacherwho taught a techniquethat was efficientand quickly
learned.The teacherwqs Seth Riggs.The techniquehas seraedme well, has kept
me togetheroocallythroughmany difficult and trying situations.) )
Ann-Margret
Actress, Singer
Los Angeles
TheStreetsof Laredo(Traditional)
As l- walked out the streetsof La do, as
Ff,' G
--------7
walked out in La do day;
A E A E
spied a young cow - boy wrapPed u p ln white lin - en, all
rf. G E7 A
dressed in white lin cold the clay.
107
Exercise29
Instructions: Sometimes it's hard to sing a certain note becausethe vowel you need to
"anchored"
listen to tape sing it with stays to the lower part of your range. You can
remedy this by starting with another vowel that, by its acoustical nature,
makes it easier to sing that note without activating your outer muscles. After
you use that vowel to start the problem note, you can substitute the original
"place."
vowel for the temporary one, keeping it in the same
If the problem vowel is: Try:

"we")
a (as in ee (as in
"may")
"cat" "let")
a (as in eh (as in
"let") "sit")
eh (as in ih (as in
"sit") "we")
ih (as in ee (as in
ah (as in uh (as in
"father") "mother")
uh (as in oo (as in
"mother") "foot")
oo (as in oo (as in
"foot") "toot")
Notes:
108
PABT THREE:TECHNIQUEMAINTENANCE
HouseOf The Rising Sun (Traditional)
A7
There a house New Or - leans they
Em G
c al l the Ris - ing Sun. It's been the ruin of
A7 87
man-y
S/NG/NGFOR THE STARS
Exercise30
Instructions: Finally, you can sing the pocal line higher than it's written. If you transpose
listen to tape the notes of your song higher, you will avoid getting locked into any one
part of your range, and the problems that can arise from doing so. You may
even want to do this occasionallywith songsyou aren't having any par-
ticular problem with, just to double check.
Alotes:
110
PARTTHREE:TECHNIQUEMAINTENANCE
Shenandoah (Traditional )
Oh, Shen-an-doah,
way you rol - lin'
Shen-an-doah,- | long to hear You.- way, we'rebounda-
'crossthe Mis-sou
111
S/NG/NGFOR THESIABS
Generally speaking, though, if you remain sensitive to any excesspressure

building up in your voice and do what's necessaryto releasethat pressure,
you will always promote and maintain a natural speechJevel sound.
112
TheAuthor
SpeaksOut
The questions in the following section are the types of questions most
frequently asked of the author during his private lessons, and in his many
lectures and master classeson vocal technique.
GeneralQuestions
Questions How do you define singing?

and anstuers
Well, artistically speaking, singing is using your voice in a musical manner
to communicate ideas and emotions to an audience. Technically, however,
singing is nothing more than sustained speech over a greater pitch and
dynamic range.
What is the key to singing well?

The ability to always maintain a speech-levelproduction of tone-one that
"connected"
stays from one part of your range to another. You don't sing
like you speak, but you need to keep the same comfortable, easily produced
vocal posture you have when you speak, so you don't "reach .rp" for high
"press
notes or down" for low ones.
Is singing really that easy?
Yes. There's no great mystery involved. But although it's easy to under-
stand, it takes time and patience to coordinate everything so that you can
do it well.
ClassifyingVoices
Questions How do you classify a singer's voice?

and ansuers
I don'tl At least not right away. It's wrong to prematurely classify a voice
before you really get to know what it can do. Too often, existing range is
the sole determining factor in placing a singer into a certain category. The
most important factor to consider is the basic quality of the voice. Assuming
that your speaking voice is clear and unforced, your singing voice should be
based on the quality of that speaking voice.
113
S/NG/NGFOB THE SIAFS
Range Extension
Questions What do you expect the performing range of singers to be once they have
and anstoers studied with you?
Everyone has a different vocal ability, but, on the average.
Bassesshould be able to sing:
q---r--- n l
e
t-
t-
from to
Baritones should be able to sing:
Tenors should be able to sing:
M i d d l eC
114
I
THEAUTHORSPEAKSOUT
Altos should be able to sing:
M i d d l eC
trom <t
Mezzo-Sopranosshould be able to sing:
I
I M i d d l eC
_{__i_
A I
Izf, I
a)
io'
from
Sopranos should be able to sing:
I M i d d l eC
^ l
ffi a ;
from to
And, all voices should be able to maintain a connected, speechJevelproduc-

tion of tone throughout their entire range.
115
S/NG/NGFOR THESIABS
Aren't those extremely high notes for voices in those classifications?

They shouldn't be if the larynx stays resting in a relaxed, stable speech-level
position, allowing your vocal cords to adjust freely with your breath flow.
Those pitches are well within the technical ability of a great many more
people than you'd think. They may not sustain those notes constantly, but
they should be able to sing them with good technique. This way they will
always have a reserve of notes beyond the usual range requirements of any
song they sing.
Tone Development
Questions How do you determine what the tone quality of a singer's voice should be?
and ansrDers
Again, I don'tl A singer's tone should be determined by his or her own in-
dividual vocal anatomy and not a predetermined ideal held by a teacher-or
the student, for that matterl It should be a blend of the top, middle, and
bottom resonance qualities that results when the singer's larynx remains in a
relaxed, stable position.
What about breathing? Doesn't correct breathing play an important part in

your ability to produce good tone?
Of course. But the importance of breathing in singing has been over-

emphasized by voice teachersfor too long a time. Correct breathin g is a by-
product of good technique-just like one's resonance quality is a by-product.
You should never work directly at developing your breathing. You indirectly
develop the proper breath support for your tone as you condition your
larynx not to move and your outer muscles to relax. When you use a
speech-levelapproach to singing, everything, including how much air you
use to move your cords, happensautomatically.
My teacher says I must overdo my articulation when I sing, in order to

make my tone clearer. What do you say?
Many singers assume that the reason their tone gets "muddy" is because
their articulation is wrong. Consequently, they change or overdo their ar-
ticulation. However, when you overdo your articulation becauseyour tone
"muddy," "muddy",
is all you get is well-articulated, but still tone. You
don't need to overdo your articulation if you maintain a speech-levelpro-
duction of tone.
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THEAUTHORSPEAKSOUT
What about using imagery to develop your tone?

Vocal imagery doesn't always work. Imagery that evokes a positive
muscular response in one individual's voice may evoke a negative response
in your voice. I prefer to use exercisesthat have a definite cause and effect
relationship, producing a desired result, rather than relying on the nebulous
descriptionsof someoneelse'spersonal experience.
Is humming beneficial to developing tone?

Well, it dependson hotu you hum. Humming, if done correctly, can
discourage many of the tone-manufacturing devices that singers think they
need to make sound. In fact, we use a form of humming in some of our own
exercises.
Does cupping my ear help me hear my voice better?

No. It doesn't give you an accurateaccount of how you sound. You are just
hearing the vibrations in your head.
What is the difference between projection and shouting?

Projection is the acousticalphenomenon that occurs when you produce your
tone with an efficient balance of air and muscle. Shouting, on the other
"blast," "jam
hand, implies the usage of air which causesyour voice to up."
Using Microphones
Questions Why should I bother so much about my tone quality if I'm going to be
and anstners singing with a microphone?
Electronic amplification and alteration of your voice have an important
place in the communication and entertainment media, but they must not be
thought to replace healthy and efficient vocal production.
Singing in Different Styles
Questions Do you have to change your tone production when you perform different
and ansuers moods and stvles?
No! Most differences in singing styles are built into the music itself-the
sequenceof notes and certain conventions of singing that are popular during
a particular place and time in history. When you adjust your voice to
117
S/NG/NGFOR THESIAFS
"ideals," you
accomplish certain tonal run the risk of interfering with your
speech-leveltone production, which is very dangerous to your vocal health.
"colored
Your voice can, however, be by your mind." If you are thinking
about what you are singing, there will be slight differences in your deliuery,
not in your basic production.
Singing Outdoors
Questions Do you have to modify your production when you sing outdoois?
and anszuers
Not really. Singers should always use resonance sensation to govern their
tone production. In this way, they can be consistentin their ability to sing
"enclosure"
no matter what the or lack of it.
Choosinga Teacher
Questions How does one select a voice teacher?

and anstoers
First of all, you must be able to discern whether or not a teacheris primarily
a voice technique teacher-one who shows you hou to sing, or whether
he/she is primarily a voice coach-one who shows you tahat to sing. Of the
two types, the voice technique teacheris the most important, because
without the technical ability to sing flexibly and clearly in all parts of your
range, you are very limited to the material you can do.
For the initiated, a good voice technique teacher is hard to find. Many
"cheerleaders,"
so-called voice teachers are just vocal who bang away at a
piano while you follow along. That is not teaching you how to sing,
however. You just get a lot of practice following a piano, and memorizing
the notes of a song.
Furthermore, when the teacher'smethodology consists mainly of using
"give "sing
terms such as it more support," from your diaphragm" and
"open your
mouth," you know you are in the wrong company. If you don't
feel your voice improving in the areas of tone production and easily at-
tainable range extension within a few weeks, you'd better find another
teacher-fastl
Many teachersgive their students the same vocal problems which
killed their own careers and made them teachers. Before studying with a
teacher, ask for a simple demonstration of the teacher's own ability-
especiallyhis/her ability to negotiate their own passageareas.Audition the
teacher!
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THEAUTHORSPEAKSOUT
Is there anything else to look for in choosing a teacher?

Yes. Be wary of any voice teacherwho just teacheshis or her own sex, or
just the opposite sex. If a teacherunderstandsgood singing technique,
he/she can teach either sex, and at any age. Also, be careful of teacherswho
try to make you sound like they do or like they think you should.sound. A
voice teachershould only try to develop the vocal freedom that will bring
out the specialcharacter of your own voice.
Should a voice teacher know how to play piano?

He or she should have as much piano facility as possible,but never-
never-at the exclusion of a thorough knowledge of the voice. He/she
should at least know how to play all the scalesand exercisesused for vocal
training. However, be careful of the teacher who substitutes the plunking
"Sing
out of notes for knowledge of the voice. Anybody can say, this note."
Few teachers,however, can show you how. It is unfortunate that piano skill
often implies that a teacherhas a more comprehensiveknowledge of the
voice than he/she really has. Teachingsongs is no substitutefor uocal
technique.
Exploiting Student Voices
Questions Many singers seem to have more trouble with their voices after they have
and ansrDers been studying voice for a few years. Why is this?
In high schools and colleges, as well as in private voice studios, teachers
often exploit the talent of their students. Without really teaching anything,
they take bows for their students'own natural abilities. But, as you have
already indicated in your question, some students aren't fortunate enough to
"training"
survive the received by these teachers. Students come away from
their voice lessons thinking they are stupid when they can't seem to do what
the teacherasks them to do. Actually, the teacherdoesn't know what he or
she is doing, and, if they do, he/she hasn't been able to communicate that
knowledge to the student.
Voice Science
Questions How about teachers who say they teach the "scientific" method of singing?
and anszoers
Many teachers in recent history have fallen victim to what has been er-
"voice
roneously termed science." You see, any time you associate
119
S/NG/NGFOR THESIARS
"science,"
something with the word it automatically assumesan aura of
truth. That's very attractive to both teachersand students, who are anxious
to grab onto anything that offers them hope of understanding what has un-
fortunately become a very confusing subject.
Of course your voice works, as does everything else, according to
scientific principles. But those principles can be abused by those who aren't
"scientists"
able to apply them. Prominent voice have attempted for years to
translate scientific findings into a useable vocal technique. They have made
some remarkable observations as to what happens to voices during the pro-
cess of singing. But that's all they are-obseraations.
Science,however, is not only knowledge derived from observation,
but the skill resulting from that knowledge. In singing, that skill can only be
developed through special exerciseswhich balance your vocal coordination
so that speechJevel tone production is possible. The foremost vocal "scien-
tist" I ever knew couldn't even sing in his head voice, and the part of his
"dark," "throaty," "wooden".
range where he did sing always sounded and
Then how does the "scientific" method work?

There are many variations. However, all have in common the manipulation
"open
of the muscles in and around the larynx by telling students to your
"lower your
throat" and tongue," etc. Some even go so far as to manually
force the larynx into position, which is extremely dangerous, becauseperrna,
nent physical damage can result.
Shouldn't singers sing with an open throat, and a lowered tongue?

Yes, but that type of vocal posture is a result of good technique, not the
cause of it. Imposing any kind of posture on a voice creates tension that can
hinder the freedom of cord vibration, disrupt the balance of tone and make
speaking words sound unnatural as well-even if what the teacher asks for
"free"
sounds like a way to the voice.
But I've heard a few singers who studied with teachers who use those
methods. Why did they sound good?
It's very hard to know whether or not a singer already had a natural affinity
for good vocal technique before his/her study with a teacher. Many voice
teachersbuild their reputations around the successfulsinging of one or two
students. Other people then go to that teacher becauseof the way those
students sound, without knowing that those students would have sounded
good uithout that teacher.
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THEAUTHORSPEAKSOUT
Performers as Teachers
Questions Is it better to study with someone who has experienced successas a

and anstners performer?
Not necessarily.A lot of people, and many educational institutions, have

"star" performers
the mistaken notion that have a wonderful ability to teach
vocal technique. More often than not, however, a star's teaching method
consistsof a description of his or her own vocal ability. This is vocal death
to a singer of lesservocal ability and almost as bad for even a superior
voice. Vocal stars can be excellentfor teaching repertoire and stagetech-
niques, but unless their own voices are balanced, and they know how to get
the same balance in the voices of their students, they should be avoided.
It doesn't matter how many degreesa teacherhas, or how successful
he/she has been as a performer. A teacherneeds to know how to get each of
his students to sing through their range in a connected,easy manner,
"breaks"
without any or sudden changesof tone quality-again, speech-level
singing.
Singing in Choir
Questions Should your vocal technique be the same for choral (ensemble)singing as it
and anstners is for solo singing?
Yes, you should always use the same vocal technique, whether you sing solo
or in a group. However, choral directors sometimeswant you to modify
your tone (changethe way you sing) in order to blend with the other singers
in the group. This may be okay for those singerswho have developeda
solid vocal technique, but dangerousfor those-the majority-who haven't.
You blend, all right-but at what cost? A singer should never compromise
correct speech-leveltechnique.
Then how is a person able to blend with other singers and still use correct
technique?
In order to blend with other singers, you must give your interpretive powers
to the director, but only in matters of dynamics (within reason), diction,
and phrasing. That is, everyone must sing with the same volume, pronounce
words the same way, and begin and end together. However, no attempt
"brighten" "darken"
should ever be made to or the tone. Singers should
always maintain a clear tone with a normal speechJike depth.
It's not the vocal technique itself that should be modified or restrained,
but the degree of individual vocal expression put forth' If you're going to
121
SINGLIKETHE SIARS
have good ensemble, nobody can be sticking out. A singer shouldn't want to
"ensemble."
stick out-that would destroy the concept of
What about vibrato management?

Now that's an interestingcombination of words! Management implies that
you're going to have to "manage" or "manipulate" your voice - to do
something to it. Well, that's very dangerous.It's impossibleto get a large
group of singersto have the same number of undulations in their voices at
the same time. Yet, it's also very dangerousto try to take the vibrato
"flat"
out-to sing straight, sounds. To do so, your cords must be pulled so
tightly that there's no undulation in them at all. Choral directors really
shouldn't be messingaround in this area. A relaxed vibrato should exist
whenever you dwell on a note long enough for vibrato to take place. It is a
natural function of a free voice.
Are you saying that choral singing can be dangerous for the solo voice?
It can be, if the director isn't careful. Most choral singers tend to belt out
notes in their chest voice, without ever going into head voice as they sing
higher. This is death for the solo singer.
Is there a reason for the limited range development of choral singers?
Yes. Choral music is usually written so that each vocal part has a limited
range. The bassesnever have to go any higher than maybe a D or an E
natural at the most, right at the top of their chest register. The same goes for
tenors, whose part rarely goes above an A or B-flat. Consequently, there's
no effort to develop the upper part of their range. They never have to sing
through their main passaSearea, which in a man's voice begins around D or
E natural.
How about women's voices?

The same thing is true for women. It's a big deal if a soprano sings past an
A or B-flat in most choral music. But, you see, right at that high B-flat is a
critical passagearea in her voice, where she goes into a sort of overdrive.
"super-head"
You could call the area above that passagearea a voice. You
have your chest register, and you have your middle register, which is in the
head, but is definitely what you call a middle sound. You have your head
"super-head,"
voice, and then a which comes in around B-flat. But you have
to prepare for it early, by keeping your voice balanced up to that point, just
as with the other passageareas in your voice. If you are singing in an
"pounding
ensemble and go away" up to A or B-flat, I can guarantee that
you're going to ruin your high C and your D and E-flat in solo voice.
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THEAUTHORSPEAKSOUT
So this problem applies to all voices?

Yes. A singer has to be able to hear his own voice well enough to be able to
progress through his passageareas in a balanced manner. A solo singer can
hear himself during solos, but a singer in a group finds it almost impossible
to do so. He keeps singing louder and louder to be able to hear himself. This
"grip"
encourageshim to with his outer muscles,which prevents him from
ever exploring the head voice area of his range. Singerswith wide ranges
shouldn't be as rare as they are. Carelesssinging simply discouragesthe up-
per range development of those voices.
Is choral or ensemble singing any good for the solo singer?
It's good for general musicianship. That includes following a conductor's

direction, sight singing, and ear training. However, you could learn the same
things as an instrumentalist, then transfer what you learn to singing. Aside
from the development of musicianship, there is very little you can transfer
from what you get out of choral singing into solo singing, unless the director
knows what he is doing in terms of vocal technique.
Choir Directors as Voice Teachers
Questions Why aren't more choir directors good voice teachers?

and anstuers
It has to do with the system that trains them. When you go to school to
study to be a choir director-either undergraduate,or graduate-you are
generally given the poorest voice teacherson the staff. Even if you have a
good voice, the music department will figure that you don't need to have a
solo voice. Yet, most choir directors will meet hundreds of singersevery
week, when they conduct. They will also give voice lessonson the side. In-
evitably, they will pass along the same poor vocal technique they were
"support "place
taught, using terms like the tone," the tone further
"sing
forward," or from your diaphragm," without any real knowledge of
what those things actually mean.
Popular Music and Traditional Teaching
Questions Why has the attitude toward popular music been so negative in school?
and ansrDers
One reason for the furrowed brows when mentioning popular music in some
institutions is that many singers who record and make these songs popular
have had no training at all. But that doesn't mean there is anything wrong
with the music. A lot of it is marvelous. It's not all good, though, just like
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S/NG/NGFOR THE SfA,qS
music written in any style is not all good. Traditional styles just happen to
have had more time to screen out the bad material.
Another rarely admitted reason for the lack of attention to popular
music is that most teachers, quite simply, can't teach it. Although basic
vocal technique is, or should be, the same for all types of music, the stylistic
requirements for popular music are beyond their own background as
teachers. Interpretation of popular music is a very personal matter, with no
hard-fast criterion for judging the successfulperformance of a song in that
style. Tone quality and phrasing is determined by the singer. Often a teacher
will avoid his lack of ability in this area by saying that the student should
"right
learn the way" first, and then sing the songs they want later, implying
that any singing that isn't opera, or lieder is a prostitution of the vocal art.
Their usual methodology-badgering students about diction, breathing, tone
color, posture, etc-which may be barely tolerated in the "classical" idiom,
does not apply at all to popular styles such as country, rock, jazz, blues,
and gospel.
Then what should they teach, if they can't teach those things?
Vocal technique! Just vocal techniquel Teachers shouldn't substitute the
peripheral aspectsof style interpretation for basic vocal technique. It's a
totally different thing. Most pop singing has one thing in common, it's on a
conversational level. Opera and other forms of traditional styles are not
always that way, but you must still be able to go into your head voice
without leaving your speech level. Most students and teacherswho sing
opera base their modern idea of operatic tone on a concept of a"woofy,"
overproduced sound, which is dangerous to the health and longevity of the
voice. What is interesting is that the best opera singers (of yesterday and to-
day) sing in a clear, speechJevel manner that lets you understand their
words all the way through their ranges. This is the same ideal that people
listen for in any type of good singing.
Selecting Music
Questions When a singer first begins to study vocal technique, what type of material
and ansuers should he sing?
You should avoid any material that puts a great demand on your voice from
a dynamics standpoint. Select songs that are more melodic, not those that
"punch" "dramatic"
need or require a dynamic level. As I've said already,
singing songs is not vocal technique. Just becausea teacher encouragesyou
"sing
to out," or gives you hints on how to interpret what you sing, does
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THEAUTHORSPEAKSOUT
not mean you are learning vocal technique. Style and interpretation are no
substitute for vocal technique. Without good vocal technique, style and in-
terpretation are greatly restricted.
Singing in Foreign Languages
Questions Should beginning voice students sing in foreign languages?

and anstuers
I believe singing in foreign languages gives a singer too much opportunity to
sing incorrectly. The best way to tell if a singer is singing correctly is to hear
whether he or she is singing in a clear and unmanufactured manner. Very
few people are able to tell if a foreign language is being sung correctly. If
"Mary
someonesings Had a Little Lamb" in a garbled manner, someoneis
sure to notice-but not if it's sung in a foreign language,where there can be
"overproduce"
a tendency to tone. A person should not sing in a foreign
language unless he can sing in his own first.
Then why are so many songs in foreign languages required in schools?
One reason is that teachers in collegesand universities create work for

themselves by encouraging recitals and concerts, promoting the same vocal
literature they had to learn in school. Their students are usually being sup-
ported by their parents and the teachers are being supported by the school,
so nobody is ever required to learn anything which would enable them to go
out and earn a buck. You cannot earn money doing the art song repertoire
that you learned in school, outside of school. No one is interestedbecause,
even if they understood the lyrics, the subject matter doesn't relate to them.
Even when it does, the style or idiom often gets in the way of their
understanding the words.
Is that the only reason?
No. Colleges and universities must meet certain standards in order to

become accredited. You have to have so much French, German, or Italian
literature memorized or you can't be graduated.
whv?
We've lived in the shadow of Western European-based art forms for so long
that one is not considered learned or educated in the art of singing unless he
or she can sing these forms of music in the original languages. It's really a
ludicrous situation.
125
What can be done to change the situation?

Teachers should stop putting themselvesin ivory towers and acting as if
there were nothing else but opera, nothing else but musical theatre, or
nothing else but popular musicl A voice teacher must try to impress upon
his pupils, actually insist, that they sing in an uncluttered, easy manner
throughout their entire range-and be able to sing anything! Students must
be given repertoire in all areas of vocal music, traditional andpopular.
Practicing
Questions How soon in my training program can I expect to sing high notes easily?
and ansuers
Immediately, since in our approach there is no strain involved in the pro-
duction of tone anywhere in one's range. You must move quickly into the
extreme ranges to ensure that you don't get locked in to any one part of
your range.
What about teacherswho say you should build your middle range before
you try to extend it up or down?
That is a very popular, yet self-defeatingphilosophy. Singing in just the

middle of your range keeps you anchored to your chest voice, with a slight-
ly lighter approach maybe, but giving you no concept of how to get into
you head voice. You must expose the "break" area (the most critical passage
area in your voice) right away. Then, once you've established that it exists,
you must proceed to eliminate it. This business of working on your middle
range first is nonsense. With our speech-levelapproach to vocal technique,
there is no inordinate pressure either up or down one's range. A// your tones
should be easily produced, and you should begin training your voice with
that in mind right from the start.
What is a good dynamic level to practice?

Mezzo forte (medium loud) at the loudest. However, you must never forget
tohy you practice exercises.You do so to set up the correct balance between
your exhaled air and your vocal cords, allowing you to sing at a speech
level, and to then have your neuromuscular system live with that balance.
As far as volume goes, you should only sing as loudly as you are able to
maintain your balance with a steady, normal vibrato. The intensity, or
loudness, of that tone will come once the muscular coordination to produce
pitches freely is established.
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THEAUTHORSPEAKSOUT
There doesn't seem to be a great deal of variation in the types of exercises

that you use, compared to other books that contain vocal exercises.How do
you explain this?
Who's to know if you are doing the other exerciseswith the proper balance
in your voice? If just scaleswere all it took to establish a balanced voice,
you wouldn't need a voice teacher. You could just sing scalesall day.
The important thing isn't uhat you sing when you exercise, it's hou
you sing it. An exerciseshould help you connect your voice throughout
your range-to negotiate the passageareas. Almost any exercisecan be
used, if you keep your voice balanced.
Exercisesthat require you to sing pure vowels before you have
developed the coordination to sing them correctly, do absolutely nothing to
condition your larynx to function independently from your outer muscles.
As soon as you senseyou are going to have trouble singing a note, your
neuromuscular system activates those muscles, to try to make that note
beautiful, or to somehow fix it.
Of course, you may be able to temporarily muscle your tone, but all
you are really doing is reinforcing the same bad habits that got your voice
into the strained condition it was previously in. You will have done nothing
to train your voice. Your larynx should already exhibit a good deal of in-
dependencefrom your outer muscles before you begin to use pure vowel
"grip" "squeeze"
sounds. Otherwise, you will just and with your outer
musclesas you sing higher.
Should I practice agility and velocity exercises?

Yes, but only when they can be done accurately with balanced tone produc-
tion. It doesn't do you any good to plow through an exerciseat a fast speed.
Exercisesshould not be done quickly until you are able to sing each note
clearly at a moderate speed, at your speechlevel. Otherwise, you only touch
the notes so briefly that strained production is not detected.
How much should I practice?

You should practice as much as you perform, even more. They are not the
same thing. Performance is the culmination of your vocal conditioning to
meet the artistic demands you place on your voice for the purpose of com-
municating and projecting ideas and emotional experiencesto your listener.
Regular vocal practice keeps your voice aligned for efficient coordination, so
that any temporary diversion from good technique can be recognized easily
and corrected quickly.
127
S/NG/NGFOB THE STABS
When should I not practice singing?

Whenever you are indisposed with such things as a head cold, fatigue, etc.,
that could interefere with the physical sensationsyou use to judge your
vocal coordination.
How often should I have a voice lesson?
That depends upon your ability and the demands of the particular music
you are singing. A professional opera singer, for example, may have his or
her technique checked by a teacher once or twice a week. For a beginner,
though, or someone learning correct technique for the first time, I would say
a minimum of two lessonsa week, three days apart to start. Such a schedule
should continue until the singer begins to grasp the fundamentals of the new
technique. Depending upon the teacher and the student, this can take as lit-
tle as one or two lessons.
A teacher shouldn't lead you by the hand every day unless you are
"crashing"
both on certain problems that need to be solved quickly because
of professional commitments. Preferably, you should have time alone to
make mistakes and work them out for yourself. Eventually you can wean
yourself from your teacher.
You should only study regularly with a teacher until you are able to
apply your technique to your songs. Then, all you need is an occasional
check-up. Another pair of ears can be very valuable.
Singing in Rehearsals
Questions Should you sing differently in rehearsal than you do in performance?

and anszners
Yes, especially when learning something new. In rehearsals,all wise singers
satsetheir voices-not in the sensethat you only have just so much to give,
but to keep your voice relaxed during a potentially stressful situation.
Rehearsalsby nature are very demanding on a voice. It's stop-and-go as you
learn notes, check pitches, work on blend, and everything else. This makes
it very easy to fall back into old habits. Therefore, you should do what is
"marking"
called your music-singing lightly or even dropping the high
notes down an octave, until all the notes are learned and you know what's
expected of you. Once you know where you are going with your voice,
your neuromuscular system will be much more cooperative in helping you
sing the right notes with the proper technique.
128
THEAUTHONSPEAKSOUT
Voice Competitions
Questions What do you think about vocal competitions?

and anstuers
Competitions can provide scholarships,some prestigeand national attention,
and also an occasionalbeginning contract for performers. Yet, many of the
world's best singershave never won a competition.
Decibel (volume) level, not a balanced vocal technique, seemsto be
the main criteria of the judges. Thus, lyric singersare passedover in favor
"blasters"
of who are headed toward vocal ruin. It has been my experience
that most judges aren't good enough to have pupils in the very conteststhey
are called upon to judge.
The Young Voice
Questions How do you teach young voices, say under fifteen years of age?
and ansTzers
For both boys and girls, basic musicianshipshould begin as soon as possible.
A stringed instrument such as violin, viola or cello is good to learn. It gives
"vibratoed"
the youngster a feeling of long, continuous, bowed lines, and a
quality of tone which is indeed similar to the singing voice. Piano and guitar
are also very good as they will help in the later study of harmony and be
useful as a means of self-accompaniment.Naturally, with all instruments,
the involvement with reading music and rhythm is invaluable.
Then, as the voice becomesmore responsivewith age, the already acti-
vated musicianshipsupports and enhancesthe overall musical ability.
As far as actual voice training goes, however, one must be careful. In
girls, it is not uncommon to find youngstersaround ten years old who can
vocalize easily from low G and A to E-flat above high C and above. And it
is possible to maintain that marvelous start if those handling that voice are
careful not to require any heauy singing. That is, competition in groups of
older voices or participation in school musicalswhich require belting. These
young voices will become fuller (rounded out), without loss of range,
power, and quality, if care is taken to keep strain absent.
in male voices, the change from boy soprano to the beginningsof the
adult male voice can be traumatic. It can happen dramatically (overnight in
"cracking
some cases),or hang in a limbo," bobbing back and forth within
an octave range for a period of time. It is both embarrasingand bothersome,
and indeed (if the young boy has experiencedsome successwith a beautiful
soprano voice) a horrifying experience.There is no promise that his voice
will return in any consistentstate of well-being.
129
S/NG/NGFOB THESTA,9S
ihis is a difficult period to live through, unlessyou have knowledge-

able and patient vocal guidance from an expert voice technique teacher.The
youngster must be monitored regularly to insure that he is keeping his voice
coordination as balanced as possiblethrough the change.
"grab"
There is always the danger that a young singer will onto any
"grind
part of the coming mature voice and begin to away" in an effort to
retrive some of the vocal control he enjoyed before the maturation process
began. It is therefore complete lunacy on the part of a choir director to ask
a boy to dig for low G's or even A's in an effort to sing the bass line in an
ensemble. Just because the boy soprano has been forced to temporarily
retreat from singing high tones, it is assumedthat he is going to be a bass.
Actually, when this happens, he should sing baritone, taking the low notes
up an octave, or down an octave, should the vocal line become too difficult
to sing comfortably.
It is interesting-and there are always exceptions that disprove the
rule-that most boy first sopranos drop to bass or baritone, and the boy
second sopranosmove into tenor. Occasionally there is a boy soprano voice
that deepensslightly and moves into tenor or male alto, with no apparent
"change"
or drastic reaction. It has been my experiencethat all young voices
are subject to the same vocal principles as adult voices.
There seems to be numerous children's singing and performance

workshops in most cities, any opinions?
Children, with their undevelopedvoices and lack of maturity to make

decisions,are the easiestprey to poor voice teacherswho use "performance
"shill"
workshops" as a to acquire vocal clientele.
Children are allowed and encouraged to "belt" their brains out, trying
to sing adult ranges or yelling shows like "Annie," which can have
disastrouseffects on the eventual balanceof the "midrange," which
everyone strives for as the maturation processcontinues.
It is extremely rare to find any children's vocal performance workshop
which is knowledgeableenough to encourageproper balancein the
young voices,and set vocal keys whlch contribute to a youngster's vocal
growth and understanding.
Do you believe in student loyalties?

Absolutely-loyalty to themselvesand their voices.If the student's voice
has a wobble or a tremolo, leavetheteacher.lfthe musclesunder the
chin reach down and tense as the pitch rises, leaoetheteqcher.lfthe
student's voice has no vibrato,leaoetheteacher.lfa woman has all
130
THEAUTHOASPEAKS
OUI
head voice and no connected chest voice, leauetheteacher.Ifthe man has

chest voice and no connected head voice, Ieaoetheteacher.
The above situations are what I call student loyalty, that is, loyalty
to common sense. There should never be loyalty to a teacher who
doesn't produce improvement within a short time. If the pupil's vocal talent
is poor, that student should never have been encouraged to continue
in the first place.
The Aging Voice
Questions Is it natural for your voice to get weaker as you get older?
and anstuers
No. Not if you sing with a balanced speechJevel technique. Your voice
should only get better as you get older. There will be no loss of range,
quality, or power, if you haven't relied on raw physical effort to sing.
Otherwise, over a period of time, the extra muscles you've used to build
your vocal technique will break down. That's when the wobble starts to ap-
pear, as well as other signs of labored singing.
131
Heahh and Care of the
Singer'sVoice
Your voice is not something isolated from the rest of your body. Singing in-
volves the coordination of many muscles-whether it's the musclesof
breathing, or the musclesin your larynx. These musclescan get tired, weak,
and out of condition from lack of generalphysical exerciseand/or poor
nutritional maintenance.
The overall health of your body is always the primary consideration
for good vocal health. To give your voice the best opportunity to function
at its maximum level of efficiency, your body must always be functioning at
its maximum level of efficiency.
As a singer, you should maintain a daily program that not only condi-
tions your voice, but also helps to keep your body fit, rested, and well
nourished, for both your health and physical appearance.You must also use
good posture, avoid bad vocal habits, and be aware of any other factors
that may affect the well-being of your voice.
132
HEALTHAND CAREOF THE SiNGEB'SVOICE
Your Posture
Your spine contains your body's primary network of nerves-the spinal
cord. The nerves for every limb and organ in your body are connected to
your brain by this one network, which runs through the center of your
spine. This main nerve cable branchesout into smaller nerves, and then into
still smaller nerves, until they reach out into every part of your body, in-
cluding your larynx.
The function of your nerves is to pass along signals from your brain to
other parts of your body. When your body is not aligned correctly, these
signals become weakened or interrupted, becauseabnormal pressure is
placed on your nerves as they pass through the openings in your spine. Poor
posture inhibits not only the physical movement of your breathing muscles,
which affects the air supply to your vocal cords, but also the nerve signals
from your brain.
/>
133
S/NG/NGFOR THESTABS
"comfortably
Your head, chest (always high" so you can get a fuller
and quicker supply of air), and pelvis should be supported by your spine in
such a way that they align themselves, one under the other. You shouldn't
stand rigidly, but comfortably prepared to sing. Your posture can work
against you if you concentrateon it too much.
Modifications in your basic posture can be very effective in the perfor-
mance of certain styles of music, helping you to create specific moods.
However, until you have developed and feel confident with your basic vocal
technique, you should avoid any type of extreme posture when you sing.
Bad Habits
Your larynx, like any other organ of your body, is composed of living
tissue, which makes it susceptible to injury and abuse. Often, you can abuse
your voice without even realizing you are doing so. Things you do can
directly or indirectly affect the healthy functioning of your voice. They can
be just as harmful as using poor singing technique.
Using alcohol Stimulants and depressants,whether or not prescribed by a physician, can

and drugs disrupt your neuromuscular system, reducing the ability of your vocal cords
to function as you would normally expect them to.
134
HEALTHAND CAREOF THES/NGEB'SVOICE
Smoking Besidescontaining chemicals that can cause muscle and nerve problems,
smoking dries out the mucous lining of your vocal cords. Without this
natural lubrication, the edges of your cords can swell, making vibration very
difficult and allowing air to escapeunused. And it doesn't matter whether
it's vour smoke or someoneelse's.
Eating before It is suggestedthat you don't eat before you sing. After a meal, your body
singing tends to slow down, because the body's energiesare directed toward diges-
tion. This inhibits your mental alertnessand the vocal coordination you re-
quire during a rehearsal or performance. Also, the excessmucous that
secretesonto your vocal cords can interfere with the vibration process itself .
Shocking your Excessivecoughing, sneezing, forced throat-clearing, and starting your tone
cords with a sudden burst of air can strain or even damage the delicate muscle
tissueof your vocal cords.
Using excessive When you can't hear yourself sing-or talk for that matter-there is a
volume tendency to overcompensate by using more muscle to control your larynx,
which in turn requires that you use more air to move your cords. A
"battle"
muscular soon begins to take place between your vocal muscles (in
your larynx) and your outer muscles to resist the escalating air pressure.
This leads to hoarsenessand added tensions that cause the muscles in and
around your larynx to become sore and painful.
135
S/NG/NGFOB THESIARS
Other Factors
Imitation of other Often singers try to imitate the voice or singing style of a famous entertainer
singers or other person they admire. A sound that's appropriate for one person's
voice, however, is not necessarilygood for another's. When you try to
adopt vocal qualities that your own vocal equipment is not designed to
handle, you only abuse your voice.
Remediesthat Sprays, lozenges,hot tea, etc., do not help you sing better. They only
don't work soothe irritated membranes when you have a sore or irritated throat. Most
of them have no effect on the vocal cords themselves,becauseyour vocal
cords are located below the point where most of these preparations can
reach. But even when they do reach your vocal cords, these "remedies" do
nothing to correct the problems that put your voice in the condition that
prompted their use.
136
HEALTHAND CAREOF THE S/NGER'SVOICE
Unnecessary It isn't natural for your voice to become hoarse or tired with normal
vocal rest (optimal) usage. However, if you abuse your voice, either through poor
vocal technique or anything else, it will not work its best for you. When
you find that your voice becomeshoarse, weak, or too painful to use, vocal
rest may eliminate these symptoms temporarily. But don't think all you need
is vocal rest. Eventually the problems will return unless you eliminate the
cause-vocal abuse.
Emotional stress When you are tired or your body is under emotional stress, your neuro-
and fatigue muscular system can't function properly. Under such conditions, you run the
risk of overexerting your vocal muscles and using the muscles outside your
larynx for assistance.
Hormones For women, natural changesin your body's chemistry, during pregnancy,
menopause, and even menstrual cycles, will cause your body's tissuesto
thicken-even your vocal cords. Be careful at these times, becauseyour
cords will not respond or move as quickly as they do when they are thinner.
Your environment There are a great variety of environmental factors that can affect your voice
(not to mention your general health). Dust, fumes, smog, smoke, or any
foreign substancesyou come into contact with can affect the muscular tissue
of your vocal cords directly, or indirectly by affecting your neuromuscular
system.
137
APPENDIX
SethRiggsVocalTherapyandTechnique
Stage,Screenand TelevisionPerconalities
Current and former students of Seth Riggs:
Bryan Adams Natalie Cole Lani Hall Eloise Laws
Donnie Ray Albert Gary Collins Monty Hall Emmanuel Lewis
Edward Albert William Conrad fonnie Halliday Anne Lockhart
Muhammad Ali Rita Coolidge George Hamilton Heather Locklear
Marcus Allen Tom Cruise Dorian Harewood Lorna Luft
Loni Anderson MacCauley Culkin JessicaHarper
Edward Andrews Tim Curry Barbara Harris Madonna
fulie Andrews Tony Curtis Greg Harrison George Maharis
Luci Arnaz Lisa Hartman Steven Torme March
Armand Assante |ohn Davidson Goldie Hawn Ann-Margret
Billy Davis )r. Howard Hewitt Cheech Marin
Jim Bailey Pamela Dawber Clint Holmes Martika Marrero
Philip Bailey SusanDey Linda Hopkins SteveMartin
Anne Bancroft Patty Duke Thb Hunter Mireille Mattheiu
Kim Basinger Sandy Duncan Ron Husman Les McCann
Tony Basil Nancy Dussault Marilyn McCoo
Priscilla Baskerville ]ames Ingram Shirley Maclaine
Alan Bates Emanuel Jeremy Irons Geraldine McEwan
Brian Bedford Richard Eastham Ed McMahon
George Benson Lisa Eichorn JanetJackson Barbara McNair
Angela Blasi Joe]ackson Bette Midler
Michael Bolton Lola Falana La Toya Jackson Liza Minelli
Debbie Boone Sherilyn Fenn Marlon Jackson Manuel Mijaris
Pat Boone George Firth Michael Jackson Mary Anne Mobley
Tom Bosley Jane Fonda Randy Jackson Shirley Murdock
kacy Bregman Steve Forrest ReebieJackson Eddie Murphy
Eileen Brennan Connie Francis Tito fackson Don Murray
Didi Bridgewater Sonny |ames Jan Murray
Carol Burnett Rosie Gaines Al jarreau
Levar Burton Peter Gallagher Anne jefferies Leslie Nielson
Terri Garr Waylon Jennings Olivia Newton-John
Tevin.Campbell BenGazzara Ann Jillian Nick Nolte
Didi Canova Marla Gibbs Don Johnson
Irene Cara fohnny Gill Sinead O'Conner
Belinda Carlisle Sharon Gless StaceyKeach Pete Onorati
Vicki Carr Andrew Gold Sally Kellerman
David Cassidy \tVhoopi Goldberg Lynn Kellogg Ceci Peniston
George Chakiris Leslie Gore Paula Kelly Monica P6ge
Richard Chamberlain Kathryn Grayson Nicole Kidman Donna Pescoe
Stockard Channing Melanie Griffith Val Kilmer BernadettePeters
Cher Robert Guillaume CassandraPeterson
Stanley Clark FlorenceLa Rue (Elvira)
fames Coburn Gene Hackman Piper Laurie fune Pointer
138
APPENDIX
Stage,Screenand TelevisionPerconalities(continued)
Ruth Pointer Cybil Shepherd Liz Torres Ted Wass
JanePowell Talia Shire Tina Turner Jody Watley
Prince ReneeSimard Patrick Wayne
Helen Slater Tracy Ullman Carl Weathers
Anthony Quinn David Soul Raquel Welch
Dusty Springfield Brenda Vaccaro Maurice \tVhite
Bonnie fkitt Rick Springfield Frankie Valli DenieceWilliams
Molly Ringwald Robert Stack joan Van Ark Lenny Williams
Lionel Ritchie Sylvester Stallone Gino Vanelli Paul Williams
Chita Rivera Frank Stallone Sylvie Vartan Fred Williamson
Jimmy Rodgers Connie Stevens Ben Vereen Angela Winbush
Daniella Romo Sharon Stone Eduardo Villa Paul Winfield
John Rubinstein Bo Svenson Stevie Wonder
JamesWagner Syreeta Wright
Telly Savalas Toni Tenille fessicaWalters Ren Woods
John Saxon Tiffany RachelWard
William Shallert Lilli Tomlin Leslie Anne Warren PiaZadora
Groups
Kiss Eurythmics Supremes Toto
Paul Stanley Annie Lennox Cindy Birdsong Brian DuPlessis
Linda Laurence
Stevie Wonder Chicago joanne Turrell Red Hot Chili
Ben Bridges Peter Cetera Mary Wilson Peppers
Greg Phillinganes Bill Champlain Anthony Kaedis
Ray Pound JasonScheff Marvin Gaye
Hank Redd |ohnny Simon Aerosmith
Mike Sembella Bob Dylan Florence Lyle joe Porter
Nathan Watts Carolyn Dennis
Helena Springs Ray Charles Mozart
Lou Rawls joAnne Flarriss Madeline Quebec Adam
Judy |ames
Yvonne Wright Fleetwood Mac Lionel Ritchie
Billy Burnett FlorenceLyle
Earth, Wind & Fire
Philip Bailey Shalimar
Verdine White Howard Hewitt
Maurice White
139
S/NG/NGFOR THESIARS
BroadwayShows
Rothchilds, 1972 Fiddler on the Roof, Festival, 1978 Evita, New York
1974 Gregg Harrison Company
Ioel Parks
Richard Balin Lynn Cole Adcock Leslie Easterbrook Derin Altay
Michael Kermoyan Pamela Cordova
No, No, Nanette, 1972 Peter Kavoian Roger Case Little Johnny Jones
Bill Biskup Aleko Korallis David Cassidy
Dennis Atkesson Timbuktu,1979
Michael Mitchell Priscilla Baskerville Pirates of Penzance,
Macbeth, 1974
Los Angeles
Iason Holt Patricia Wynant King and I, \979 Company
JeannieMoore Leslie Easterbrook
Robert Vega Pam Dawber (Mabel)
Sound of Music, 7972 Michael Kermoyan
Camelot, 1975 Cho Yung Kim They're Playing our
Jani Eckhard
Leslie Easterbrook Lauretta Giles Song, New York
Steve Ward
Charles Bergman Company
Don Shrump
Karen Yarmat Ron Husman Tempest, 1979 Ted Wass
Marvelee Cariaga Priscilla Baskerville Diana Canova
Odyssey, \975
Cyrano de Bergerac Evita,1930-81(LA. Co.) Can Can, New York
Martin Vidnovic
Richard Chamberlain Cynthia Hunt Company, 1981
Linda Vidnovic
(Cyrano) Bob Slater Angela Blasi Ron Husmann
Leslie Easterbrook Suzanne Sponsler Sharon Scott
Harold Clausing Sophisticated Ladies,
Gerron Douglas 1982
Gone With the Wind Derin Altay
Leslie Anne Warren Vincent Pirillo Hinton Battle
lltonderful Town, Dee Dee Bridgewater
(Scarlett) Deena Su Cilmore
1975 Lauretta Giles
Udana Powers Evan Richards
(Melanie) Leslie Easterbrook Bruce Senesak
Chorus Line, 1982
Larrie Miles Julia Hannibal
How To Succeed In Los Angeles Company
Gigi, 1973 Business...1975 Let's Call The ll'hole Richard Orbach
Gordon de Vol Thing Gershwin, Daryl Yaeger
Charles Bergman
Udana Powers 1980 Deborah Hahn
Janis Eckhard Jubilant Sykes Joe Farris
Purlie, 1975
Larry Ceder Kevin Blair
Oliver, 1973 Helen Gelzer Bob Amarante
Dennis Williams Barnum, National Kevin Blair
Cherie Davis
Leslie Easterbrook Company, 1981. Iillian Walke
The Lltiz, \976 Stacy Keach (Barnum) Jaymi Marshall
King and l, 1974 Carolyn Dennis
Kutee Georgia Brown Royal Opera, 1984
Leslie Easterbrook
& Friends, 198'J. (Olympic)
Eric Silyu Charles Harris
Steve Ward Marcie Thomas Georgia Brown Lawrence Dale
140
APPENDIX
Film-Vocal Consultant
New York, Netp York Victor Victorta Mambo Kings Dickkacy
Liza Minelli Lesley Anne Warren Armand Assante Madonna
SuteetCharity RhinestoneCowboy Tommy The MarryingMan

Shirley Maclaine Sylvester Stallone Tina Turner Kim Basinger
Ann-Margret
CoolWorld Sluggers Wife losephineBaker Story
Kim Basinger Rebeccade Mornay Color Purple Carol Dennis
Margaret Avery (Voice for Josephine
Wild at Heart Ruby Rae Dawn Chong Baker)
Nicholas Cage Sherilyn Fenn
The Doors I'll Do Anything
Penniesfrom Heazten Newsies Val Kilmer Nick Nolte
Steve Martin Ann-Margret Tracey Ullman
Bernadette Peters Christian Bale Rondhouse
BenGazzara SisterAct
ldol Maker For the Boys Whoopi Goldberg
Ray Sharkey JamesCaan Swizzle
Peter Gallagher Loni Anderson Boys on the Side
Songwfiter Whoopi Goldberg
Lesley Anne Warren
141
Glossary
Adam's Apple Common term used Blasting See belting.

to describe the part of the larynx
(voicebox) which protrudes from the Break A sudden shift in your tone
front of the neck. Not noticeablein caused when excessiveair flow
everyone, least noticeable in overcomes cord tension, which
women. causesyou to lose the continuity
(connection)of tone production.
Air Blast Excessiveair flow which This can be avoided, however, if
either overpowers your vocal cords your cords are allowed to gradually
"shorten"
or causesthem to overtighten in thin and then their
resistance. vibrating length with a corre-
sponding gradual decreasein air
Air Flow The amount of air you flow, so excessiveair pressure or
send to your vocal cords. Generally muscle tension never gets a chance
implies the correct amount of air to build up.
needed to coordinate with the pro-
per vocal cord tension. Excessiveair Break Area An area in your vocal
"air range where your voice is most like-
flow is called blast."
ly to break. Seebreak.
Alto Low female voice.
Breath Flow Seeair flow.
Balance Occurs when air flow and
Breath Support The amount of air
cord tension produce tone with the
your vocal cords need to vibrate
least amount of effort from your
efficiently. It should never be con-
speech level, allowing you to sing in
trolled directly. It should be a by-
an easy, connected manner from
product of speech-levelsinging.
your chest voice through your head
voice.
Cause and Effect Exercises Ex-
ercisesdone in such a manner that
Baritone Male voice located be-
the desired vocal coordination is
tween bass and tenor in range and
achieved directly as a result.
tone quality.
Chest Register The term tradi-
Bass Low male voice. tionally assignedto the lowest part
of your potential range.
Belting Using excessiveair flow
(air blast) and vocal cord tension in Compression Caused when air
an attempt to sing louder. pressure builds up against your
142
GLOSSABY
closed or nearly closed vocal cords. just the inner edges of your vocal
A certain amount is neededin order cords, so the full bulk of the cords
to blow the cords open to produce is not activated. Used as a device
sound waves. However,-when too for re-balancing an incorrectly pro-
much compression is allowed to duced voice so that speech-level
build up becauseof too much cord production of tone can be possible.
tension, or not enough air flow (see
breath support) is provided the Epiglottis The leaflike cartilage
cords, you feel a pressure build-up that separatesthe functioning of
in the voice (in the throat and soft your esophagus(channel to the
palate areas,etc.). When air flow is stomach) from the functioning of
balanced with proper cord tension, your trachea (channel to the lungs).
you do not feel any pressure.
Esophagus The food channel to
your stomach.
Connected Tone Tone that is pro-
duced evenly from chest through ExcessiveMuscular Effort The
head voice, so there is a consistency primary cause of all vocal trouble.
"break"
of production with no or Occurs when one tries to control his
sudden change in your tone produc-
or her voice with the wrong
tion or quality. muscles.Seedirect control.
Consonant A speechsound pro- Exercise In singing, a device (a

duced as the result of a temporary note or sequenceof notes sung in a
partial or complete constriction of certain manner) used to condition
air flow (b, d, f , g, etc.). and/or strengthenyour vocal
muscles to work with the proper air
Diaphragm The large dome-shaped flow in a speech-levelmanner.
muscle that separatesyour chest and
stomach cavities. Its main function Falsetto A type of vocal produc-
is to initiate inhalation by contraction that, like head voice, lets you
ting (flattening), thus enlarging the experiencethe freedom of singing in
chest cavity so your lungs can fill the higher part of your range
with air. without strain. But, unlike head
voice, falsetto cannot blend (con-
Direct Control The attempt to nect) with your chest voice. There-
"discon-
control your breathing and/or vocal fore it is referred to as a
musclesby consciouslytensing those nected" type of tone production.
muscles or any muscles that may af- This, and the fact that it is
fect them. An incorrect way to sing. impossible to increase sound intensi-
ty past a certain point, makes falset-
Edge Sound A term used to to production impractical to use, ex-
"unfinished" cept for occasional special vocal
describe the type of
sound that involves the vibration of effects.
143
S/NG/NGFOR THESIARS
Flexible Tone The result of a it upward in an attempt to tighten

balanced vocal coordination which (stretch) your cords by force.
allows you to move easily from the
pitch and intensity of one tone to Indirect Control The type of con-
the pitch and intensity of another trol you develop after conditioning
tone. your voice to work properly.
Forced Larynx A condition in Larynx The organ at the top of

which the muscles outside your your trachea (windpipe), made up
larynx (muscles primarily used by of cartilages, ligaments, and
your body for chewing and swal- muscles.Inside, attached from front
lowing food) pull your larynx up or to back, are your vocal cords. Cer-
down when creating tone. However, tain muscles of your larynx affect
this is the wrong way to produce the tension of your vocal cords as
tone. Seehigh larynx, low larynx. they work with the air from your
lungs in producing vocal sound.
Free Tone Tone that is produced Functions best when in a relaxed,
as a result of speech-levelsinging, speech-levelposition.
where your vocal cords work with
your air flow to produce tone with- Low Larynx A term often used in-
"relaxed"
out interference from vour outer terchangeably with or
"stable"
muscles. larynx, in which case it is a
by-product of speechJevel singing.
Free Voice See free tone. Sometimes, however, it refers to the
condition in which the muscles
below your larynx are used to pull
Full Tone As loud as a person can
the larynx downward in an attempt
sing without creating an imbalance
to increase resonance space. This
between air flow and vocal cord
should be avoided, except when
tension. Also refers to a tone that
done as an exerciseto counteract a
has a balanced resonancequality.
highJarynx condition. You should
always sing with a speech-level
Full Voice See full tone.
coordination and accept what you
get as being the true tone quality for
Head Register The term tradi- your voice. See forced larynx, high
tionally assigned to the highest part
larynx.
of your potential range.
Manipulation Consciously or un-
Head Tone See head register. consciously using your outer
musclesto control the tension of
Head Voice See head register. your vocal cords in your larynx
and/or the shape of your resonance
High Larynx A condition in which areas, instead of allowing your
the muscles above your larynx pull larynx to function on its own. Also
144
GLOSSAFY
refers to the techniques used by Repertoire The songs a singer is

some teachersto supposedlyget prepared to sing publicly.
their students to free their voices.
The latter is not only dangerous Resonance The reinforcement of
(i.e., pulling down on the larynx by initial cord tone in the cavities
hand or grabbing the tongue)-it above the larynx. A secondary
doesn't work! See direct control. vibration factor. Should be a by-
product of speechJevel singing.
Mezzo Soprano Female voice
located between alto and soprano in ResonanceAreas Any of the areas
range and tone quality. (cavities) above the larynx which
reinforce the tone originally pro-
Middle Register The potential
duced by the vocal cords.
blend area between your chest voice
and head voice. "shorten-
Shortening Refers to the
ing" of vibrating length that occurs
Middle Voice Seemiddle register.
once the cords have thinned to their
Natural Singer An individual who maximum degree. The cords do not
has acquired a balance throughout actually shorten in length-instead,
his or her entire range or singing less of the overall cord length is in-
area without formal voice training. volved in opening and closing.
PassageArea An area in your Soprano High female voice.

range where muscular adjustment
and/or resonanceactivity make it Sound Wave A wave of compres-
especially difficult to negotiate a sed air molecules releasedfrom your
balance between air flow and vocal vocal cords during the'vibrating
cord adjustment. Men have about process and received by the ear of
three such areas in their range, the listener. Seevocal cord vibra-
whereas women have as many as tion.
five or six.
Speech-LevelPosture. See speech-
Range The extremes of level singing.
pitches-upper and lower-you can
sing. Your practice range is general- Speech-LevelProduction. See
ly greater than your performance speech-levelsinging.
range, however. Notes sung in per-
formance range should always be Speech-LevelSinging Generally,
balanced and feel very comfortable. when you speak in a quiet, comfor-
Seerelease. table manner, the outer musclesdo
not interfere with the functioning of
Release A condition in which your your larynx. That's becausetone is
voice works easily without your not your main concern-communica-
having to think about it. tion is. Therefore, your larynx is
145
S/NG/NGFOR THESIARS
allowed to rest in a relatively stable, to make your vowels and con-

or what we call a speech-leuel,posi- sonants without risking strain to
tion. This is the ideal vocal condi- your cords, producing a forced tone
tion or posture with which to sing. with limited range, or encouraging a
"break"
in the vibration pattern of
Super Head The area beginning the cords. Seebreak, breath sup-
around B-flat in the 4th passagearea port.
of the women's range (seechart on
page 34). There is a sensationof go- Technique The way in which one
"overdrive"
ing into an beyond produces vocal sound.
regular head voice-an additional
feeling of release. The next areas of Tenor Highest male voice.
releaseare in the 5th and 6th
passaSeareas. Thinning What happens to your
cords when they are stretched.The
Support Seebreath support. best way-and the only safe
way-for them to be stretched,
Support the Tone A phrase used though, is by allowing the muscles
by many voice teachers and choir of your larynx to do the work,
directors, along with similar without assistancefrom any other
"give
phrases,i.e., it more support," muscles. This way, your larynx can
"sing
and with your diaphragm." remain in a relaxed and stable
Such direction, however, implies (speech-level)position. The result is
that the singer do things that are ex- a lighter, yet balanced sound that
tremely dangerous to the voice, like allows you to sing higher more easi-
using direct, effortful control or ly. The self-containedstretching ac-
excessiveair flow. True breath sup- tivity in the larynx also frees the
port only exists when there is a musclesthat control your tongue,
balance of air flow with cord ten- jaw, etc. (which otherwise pull on
sion. You can have a tremendous your larynx from the outside to
supply of air and still not sing well. stretch your cords) to form vowels
To produce sound waves, your and consonants.This, and the
cords merely need to resist your air "shortening"
that takes place when
flow until just enough air pressure the cords have thinned as far as
builds up underneath to blow them possible, prevents a "jammed up"
apart. If you use too much air, vocal condition.
however, your cords are obliged to
increase their tension, which is cer- Timbre The quality of your voice
tain to enlist the help of the muscles that results from the resonance rein-
outside your larynx-your outer forcement of the tone initially pro-
muscles.And, if your outer muscles duced in your larynx. Best and most
are holding your larynx (thus your consistentwhen it is the result of
cords) in a certain tension to speech-levelproduction, which
stabilizeyour tone, you are not free stabilizesyour resonancesystem.
GLOSSAFY
Tone The overall term used to efficiently with your breath flow to
describe the pitch, intensitY and create the pitch and intensity of
resonance quality (see timbre) of your tone. Some adjustments are
your vocal sound. more efficient than others for pro-
ducing tone in different parts of
Tone Quality See timbre. your range. However, you must be
careful to never think in terms of
Trachea The air channel to your cord adjustment-just be concerned
lungs. with keeping the tone connected
from a speech level. All adiustments
Training The process of acquiring should take place automatically.
a skill through a course of study. In
the case of singing, the skill to be Vocal Cord Vibration The openirqg
acquired is speechJevel singing and closing of your vocal cords. If
technique. your vocal cords are closed (or
almost closed) at the same time you
Vibration See vocal cord vibra- exhale, air pressure builds up below
tion. them. When the air pressure
becomes too great, the cords are
Vibrato A slight, but regular fluc- blown apart. The sudden release of
tuation in your tone. Caused bY the air pushes the air molecules above
normal relaxation and contraction your cords together and outward,
of the vocal muscles as they are creating a wave of compressedair
activated by alternating nerve im- molecules-a sound wave. Once the
"energy" air pressure is released, your vocal
pulses. Gives an to the
tone during the vibration process. cords spring back to their closed (or
Not the same thing as a tremolo or almost closed) position. The fre-
a wobble, which are caused by the quency and force of the sound
instability of one's outer muscles waves determines, respectively, the
when trying to use those muscles to pitch and intensity of your tone.
control tone.
Vocal Imagery The descriptions
Vocal Cords Two muscular folds some teachersuse to conveY the
that connect from the inside front to physical sensationsone should feel
"mental pictures" one should
the inside back of your larynx. or the
"images"
Their change in thickness and see when singing. These
vibrating length, due to adjustment supposedly translate into the vocal
in tension, affects the pitch and in- coordination needed to sing cor-
tensity of your tone. See thinning rectly. Opposite of using direct
and shortening. cause and effect exercisesthat are
quicker and more accurate in train-
Vocal Cord Adiustment What ing a singer. See cause and effect
your vocal cords must do to work exercises.
147
Vocal Muscles All the muscles of altering the size and shape of the
your larynx, including the vocal mouth cavity and changing the posi-
cords, that control the tensions of tion of the tongue, which deter-
the cords as they coordinate with mines how the resonance cavities
your breath flow. will reinforce certain frequencies of
the initial cord tone. The result of
Voice Break See break. each alteration is a recognizable
"oh," "ee,"
sound ("ah," etc.).
Vowel A specific resonance struc-
ture through which a tone is Windpipe See trachea.
sustained. Produced primarily by
148
CassetteTapeand CompectDisc Index
Cassette Tapes
Tape 1, Side 1 Introduction and Exercises1-4
Side 2 Exercises5-11
Tape2, Side 1 Exercises 72-79

Side 2 Exercises20-30 and Closing Comments
Note to cassette
users:
It may be helpful to use your tape deck's counter while working with thesecassettes.However, sincetape deck
counters vary, you will need to createyour own index.
Return your tape deck's counter to zero at the start of each side. That way, you can list on the CD chart below the
counter numbers for the location of each exercise,and the location of your practice range within each exercise.
Whenever you want to listen to or practice a particular exercise,you can fast-forward or rewind the tape to that
number.
CDI Tiack Page Track Page

(andsupplemental (andsupplemental
information) information)
Introduction .........,,1 38 Exercise6 Instruction...........17 54 (50)

ExampIe...............18
Exercise1 Instruction...........2 40 (42) Practice......
...........79
Example...............3
Practice.............4 Exercise7 Instruction...........20 sB(56)
Example...............27
...........22
E x a m p l e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Practice.............7 ExerciseB Instruction...........23 60 (56)
Example...............24
...........25
Example...............9
Practice.................10 Exercise9 Instruction...........26 62(s6)
Example...............27
...........28
E x a m p l e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2
Practice.................13 Exercise10 Instruction...........29 64 (56)
ExampIe...............30
Exercise5 Instruction...........1.4 52(s0) Practice.................31
E x a m p l e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 5
P r a c t i c e . .. . . . . . . . . . . 7 6 Exercise11 Instruction...........32 66 (56)
Example...............33
Practice......
.........34
149
Tlack Page Track Page

CD2
Exercise 12 Instruction...........1 70 Exercise21 Instruction ........'..26 90
Example...............2 Example..............'27
Practice.................3 ...........28
Practice......
Exercise13 Instruction...........4 72 Exercise22 Instruction .......'...29 92

Example...............5 Example...............30
Practice.................6 Practice.................31
Exercise14 Exercise23 Instruction ......'....32 94

Example ...............33
Exercise15 Instruction ...........8 .........34
Practice......
Example...............9
Practice.................10 Exercise24 Instruction...........35 96
Example...............36
Exercise16 Instruction ...........11 .....'....'37
Practice......
Example...............12
Practice.................13 Exercise25 Instruction..'........38 98
Example...............39
Exercise17 Instruction ...........14 82 Practice.................40
Example...............15
.......,...1'6
Practice...... Exercise26 Instruction...........41 100
Example..........'....42
Exercise18 Instruction ...........17 Practice.................43
Example...............18
Practice.................19 104
Exercise19 Instruction ...........20 86 106

Example......,,.......27
........-.22
Practice...... 108
Exercise 20 Instruction ...........23 8B 110

ExampIe...............24
...........25
Practice......
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Singing For The Stars

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f f i 4 F h t

How To Use This Book 11

Qart:/ Toward Speech-LevelSinging 75

TheAuthor SpeaksOut 113

He lecturesand conductsMaster Classeson vocal techniqueat collegesand

hat do Michael Jacksonand

''i."i;j:iii(Ji ' :11;1t :,r;;:;:'i

ll,'i lrl lll {,'',.'ir:

, ; i i , t l I t i : L t i : ' , ii ] . l l f { . ' i i l l i l l l i , ' l ' t:t ilittr l.iit)i'i f{1

\lich at i ;rrtr,.-I oI;,

xer lhe years,l ltauestudid on aud ot'futith -ooice tenclrcrsin the

began tostudywithSethwhenI was14yearsold.

d singing.RecentlyI hadthepleasureof playingthe title rolein a BBC

hen I write s song,I needa uocalrangettnd corrtrol

henthe" tracks"archot,sweetening and

C(lnlike the starswhoseendorsements

3. Can I study this book without a teacher?

4. What are the precautions advised in learning this technique?

shouldbe done. It is important that you do eachexercise

5. Do I need to study the "Basic Principles" before starting the practical

5. Are there any guidelinesfor doing the practical exercises?

first metSethin thelate40safter WorldWar lI, whenI wastrying to

How Your Voice Works: The Creation of Vocal Tone

Let's examinethesefactors more closelv.

Vocal cord Locatedat the top of your windpipe (trachea-pronouncedtr6y-key-uh)

The location of your vocal cords

cordsopen Waveof compressed

But, now let's examinevocal cord vibration as it relatesto the more

t tltis titne of nrv lile I'm iinnlltlgetflrg ntq uoirc togrtht'r. I

or 21ftrlecrsl had tlrcgrcnt oprportunityto

Exhalationbeginsas soon as inhalation has taken place.

In singing and speaking, however, you can regulate inhalation, as long

You can also regulate exhalation.

Breathingfor singing is a very relaxed process.When we say you can

Vocal cord adiustment

Pitch (lrequencyof vibratlon)

Definition Pitch is the frequency of completedvibration cyclesin a given tone. It is

Vocal cord vibration determinesthe initial quality of your tone, but

Both vocal cord vibration and resonanceshould work independently.

The two factors involved in creatingvocal tone are:

2. Resonance.The initial tone is modified and amplified as it travels

How Your Voice Works Best: The Natural Technique of

Singing High Tones

Result:Toneis "dark"and "throaty."

Singing low notes

Singing high notes

The passageareasof your range

Singing through the passageareas

The PassageArcas: Women

The Passage Areas:Men

Vocal cord thinning

Vocal cord shortening

How to Get Your Voice to Work for The Training Process

Training your voice, as you may have guessed, means learning to

We have used a variety of different voices to demonstrate the exer-

Soprano Alto Tenor Bass

Lout-larynx exercises(Exercises7 through 11) use the muscles below your

( a )m u m mum mum, etc.

Soprano Alto Tenor Bass

Soprano Tenor Bass

Soprano Alto Tenor

Soprano Tenor Bass

(a) Wee wee wee Wee wee wee wee, etc.