JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Microphone and Vocalist Forum How do you let loose?

I just wrote a post on a similar topic over on muse's muse, so I'm going to post it here as I think it applies to "letting loose".

If you're defining 'letting loose' as 'sounding powerful', then IMO no voice, no matter what type it is, should be pushed to sound big. The correct way to work on achieving a more powerful sound is to learn the skill of singing so that you get the most sound for the least effort. That means...

- breathing naturally & normally yet with awareness for singing
- singing on a free breath with an absence of tension in the body (particularly the neck & jaw)
- learning to focus your awareness and energy into your lips, shaping the vowels effectively to focus the sound & resonance so the voice sounds stronger but there is no 'effort' in the body
- learning to let the pitches flow on a well-supported phrase (legato)
- learning to rethink the position & importance of the pitch - think of all the pitches in one place, on a smooth plane
- explore your potential & learn to release the authentic voice with good support (as described above)
- work diligently for 1 to 3 years in this manner and you will accessing your entire voice, and singing with ease, warmth, resonance & a sense of power.... and then you'll know what your voice is.

Within voice types, there are 5 weights of voice
- leggerio (light weight) - which doesn't mean thin, it just means the colour is silvery - like Enya
- lyric (mid weight)
- spinto (dramatic - heavier than lyric)
- colouratura (light, agile)
- Wagnerian (extra spinto)

It's extremely important for lighter voices not to push to sing larger, or we will a) stress the voice, lose our top notes, c) get nodes. Thus, I may, as a lyric, be able to sing one spinto aria in a concert, but I could never sing that role - I could lose my voice or damage it.

A good example of this is when, on American Idol, they tell someone "that song is too big for you". That means, instead of working with what they have & say, doing a great Norah Jones, they are attempting to do Christina or Kelly & the voice just isn't up to it. Just because you like a song, doesn't mean you're cut out to sing it. Knowing your voice & choosing appropriate music (or writing appropriate music) is key.

Beyond that, 'letting loose' is something every performer wants - to look & feel relaxed and in the moment when on stage. Good preparation helps immensely with that, as does having confidence in the voice, liking & knowing the song, and having practiced it effectively. Thinking about who the character in the song is, and who she/he is singing to, and why, is also important.

Alexander Technique can also help to eliminate tension and make you feel looser and more fluid in your movements (and also helps your singing & instrument playing be more natural).

Just some thoughts,
cheers
Hummin'bird