… insufficient opening of the larynx or by stoppage of the throat passage, due to the root of the tongue being forced down and back too hard or possibly to a low, soft palate. In order to have the throat perfectly open it is necessary to have the jaw absolutely relaxed. – Luisa Tetrazzini, one […]

…while you sing.  This is one way to lower the ‘floor’ of your mouth, which creates more room in your mouth for resonance and getting your tongue out-of-the-way.  This is one way to achieve a more open throat which creates better tone and less vocal fatigue.

What follows is Cornelius Reid writing about the “break” from his article “Functional Voice Training”which originally appeared in Journal of Orgonomy; Part 1 in Vol. 4, No. 2, November 1970, and Part 2 in Vol. 5, No. 1, May 1971 “Almost all voices of any stature present a problem during training because of the break […]

… they attack or start the note in the throat. Sooner or later this attack will ruin the most beautiful voice. … But to have the attack pure and perfectly in tune you must have the throat entirely open, for it is useless to try to sing if the throat is not sufficiently open to […]

She has been singing most of her life. Like most female singers who do not read music, she ended up in the soprano section of the choir, as they typically sing the melody of the song and it is easier to follow. At the completion of her first six lessons, this semi-retired woman has discovered […]

Being confronted with a male student who didn’t know what his falsetto was, or how to make a sound with it, was confounding.  I tried several typical ways of accessing the falsetto register with complete failure!  What to do? “Have you ever watched the Simpsons?  Do you know the character ‘Nelson’?  The bully who always […]

I had a student tell me how drinking a glass of very warm (like a fresh cup of coffee) water made singing much easier for him.  This makes sense to me, as the opposite is also true (very cold water causes the throat to restrict). I don’t suggest using a caffeinated beverage, though, as the […]

Achieving the ‘Ring’ is for advanced students who have already achieved balanced registers (signified by the ‘break’ disappearing and an extension of range).  I taught an advanced male high-school student about the Ring today, and he achieved it!  His voice gained brilliance and his high notes became practically effortless.  He said, “I felt this buzzing […]