WHY IS IT CALLED ‘ENERGY SINGING’?

The name ‘Energy Singing’ is inspired by the teachings of one of the greatest vocal masters in history, Francesco Lamperti, and his equally admired son, Giovanni Lamperti.

In Vocal Wisdom, the author mentions how “Lamperti never intended his students to relax, but accumulate the outermost energy and then release it as demanded by word and tone”. This concept of energy as breath forms the basis of our vocal technique, as we try to automate as much of the singing process as possible through the use of breath energy, leaving our muscles free to move as they are designed to. The less ‘doing’, the better for our voices.

The placing spots as described by Frederick Husler in Singing: The Physical Nature of the Vocal Organ. A Guide to the Unlocking of the Singing Voice.

Placements are  key to unlocking the human voice

Placing the voice means to direct the focus of your phonation to a certain part of the body in order to create different vocal qualities. This is because the muscles in the layrnx respond to the focusing of the voice in certain areas in order to rouse a variety of functions. Singers that always sing breathy or never sing breathy can benefit by ‘placing’ their sound at either a closed glottis or open glottis placement to unlock the parts of the voice that they are missing.

The placing spots in full (1-6)

At first glance it can be overwhelming to the singer, particularly those with little to no prior knowledge of the usual placements associated with singing. Let’s break it down as concisely as possible:

1. Brings the vocal folds together with a simple glottal stop - needs no additional attention.

2. The ‘V’ shape - the suprasternal notch - used for getting fuller notes and associated with 'appoggiare la voce' (to lean the voice) on lower chest voice pitches and in and around the ‘passaggio’.

3a. Chest voice - nasal-dominated register for lower pitches and belting in the ‘passaggio’. The most effective placement to strengthen the voice. Location of the ‘false’ mask.

3b. Mezza voce (‘half voice’) uses only the edges of the vocal folds to create a lighter chest voice sound at the front of the top jaw. Required in order to navigate through the ‘passaggio’. Foundational placement.

4. Head voice - stretches the vocal folds for higher pitches above the ‘passaggio’ - loud and airy but with little substance unless combined with other placements. Felt at the top of the head or in the middle of the skull.

5. Falsetto - A reinforced falsetto in the old sense of the word; light and thin head voice but can still be connected with other parts of the voice without cracking. Location of the ‘true’ mask when combined with other placements.

6. Nape of the neck - Anchors the larynx downwards to allow for both chest and head registers to converge, using the head voice placements of No. 4 and No. 5 on higher pitches. The loudest and most thrilling notes are found here. Requires the singer to inhale the voice (‘inhalare la voce’).

It is important for each singer to understand that each placement is able to combine with others, as well as being roused individually in a more ‘collapsed’ (i.e. unconnected) manner.

Find your 'mezza voce' (3b) - the starting point for any singer

The most important starting point for a singer is finding their 'mezza voce' (half voice), the register in which only the minute muscle bundles at the edge of the vocal folds vibrate. The sensation is that of a falsetto tone placed at the front top of the jaw, yet can be easily brought into full voice on any pitch within reason. Once acquired by the singer, it makes it possible for them to take an enormous breath (not necessary for beginners) to make the core sound more voluminous without having to concern themselves with blowing too much air across the vocal folds, assuming they keep the voice light and in the ‘mezza voce’ state. The ‘mezza voce’ should always be the default option when singing in chest voice or attempting to transition higher.

F. Husler writes that "In all schools of any standing this focal point is practised from the beginning as it provides a bridge to other tonal qualities."

Find your ‘true’ mask (5)

The most thrilling high notes all originate in the ‘true’ mask, which according to the greatest Bel Canto singers and teachers is located at the frontal sinuses in the lower forehead just above the eyes (for really high notes it is felt further bacl towards the top or the middle of the skull). The ‘true’ mask resonance placement deliberately avoids the nose, and as such is able to penetrate over a large area with considerable carrying power and colour. Therefore to find the ‘true’ mask, we must first remove all nasal resonance from the equation. A highly effective method for this is to do a reverse valsalva manoeuvre which helps one learn the correct ‘true’ mask sensation.

For those experiencing difficulty in sensing the different parts of their skull, a reverse valsalva manoeuvre that blocks the middle ear can be very helpful, as it temporarily reduces the amount of outside sound, thus increasing the sensation of bone conduction - allowing the singer to better feel the resonance.

HOW TO DO A REVERSE VALSALVA:

1. Equalise - Valsalva - by plugging the nose and exhaling. (This instruction is for those whose ears are always partially blocked)

2. Reverse valsalva by plugging the nose and inhaling strongly. It does not work whilst lying down; always be upright.

3. The ears should feel as though they have been squeezed and outside volume should be greatly reduced.

4. Try to ‘buzz’ different parts of the face, particularly around the nasal cavity and internalise the different sensations.

5. Now try to deliberately get out of the nose and resonate the area above it in the frontal sinuses (‘true mask’).

5. Swallow and/or equalise through a normal valsalva manoeuvre to return hearing to its normal state.

It is also fascinating to see how Lilli Lehmann describes the resonance sensations in and around the skull for projecting the voice in opera singing. As shown in the diagram above, the higher notes penetrate more towards the front upper part of the skull (‘true’ mask) with more space in between each note for the higher pitches compared to the lower pitches.

Singing involves both inhalation and exhalation

It can be presumed for example, that simply exhaling air results in no audible sound as the vocal folds are drawn apart and the breath is dispelled instantly from the lungs. Meanwhile simply inhaling has the similar yet opposite effect in that the vocal folds are also drawn apart except that this time breath enters the lungs. Singing therefore, is a delicate balancing act that uses muscles involved in both exhalation and inhalation, and this is most prevalent when singing above but also in the ’passaggio’. Add in the fact that the vocal folds are well-suited to preventing inhalation (Husler) and that minimal air is required to phonate the vocal folds. We must therefore manage breath flow with great consideration.

Managing breath flow above and below: Two forces

The transversus thoracis muscle is one of the main muscles involved in active or forced expiration, such is the way with singing. When singing correctly, there is a build up of pressure at the transversus thoracis muscle precisely because it balances the efforts of other surrounding muscles that are attempting to keep the diaphragm in a descended state to keep the air in the lungs. This pressure increases with volume as more effort is made in delivering air from the lungs to the vocal folds, causing a greater internal reaction. To manage this pressure, breath flow must be managed both above and below the larynx.

The following terms rely on the other working properly. Therefore these two sections on ‘Appoggiare la voce’ and ‘Inhalare la voce’ are to be read side-by-side in conjunction with one another. A preference to one side will not yield a good voice.

ABOVE the larynx

‘Inhalare la voice’ (to inhale the voice)

In countless editions of Bel Canto singing maxims, there is talk of inhaling the voice (‘inhalare la voce’) while singing. The notion is that the singer should pretend as though they are inhaling the sound rather than exhaling when on higher pitches.

Inhaling the voice when singing unconsciously activates a placement at the nape of the neck that combines elements of both chest and head voice to create one mixed voice register. This is because the muscle crico-pharyngeus anchors the larynx backwards and down and as such requires an equal and opposite reaction in the muscles used in inhalation due to the increase in space in the throat.

BELOW the larynx

'Appoggiare la voce' (to lean the voice)

The vast majority of the greatest opera singers in history talked about 'appoggio' (to lean) and how they imagined their breath being leaned against the sternum area to create their tone.

Doing a correct ‘appoggio’ activates a placement at the suprasternal notch which both anchors the larynx down and keeps the glottis (space between the vocal folds) closed, all the way up to the highest pitches. ‘Appoggio’ increases subglottic pressure which must be subsided by a greater ‘inhalare la voce’ for it to not overwhelm the vocal folds.

Massive amounts of air results in a bigger sound

There is a limit to how much volume and colour a singer can create without deliberately inflating the lungs whilst leaving the belly totally absent of any bulging motions and directing the inhalation into the lower back. This should however, only be attempted once the singer understands and can demonstrate a mezza voce technique (for chest voice) and ‘true’ mask (for head voice) that allows them to have massive amounts of air without causing a glottal attack at the vocal folds. If done in the correct manner, a singer should be able to easily sustain notes without any sizeable effort.

Inhale the larynx prior to singing

M. Trimble, former operatic lyric tenor and current vocal pedagogue, teaches an expert way of lowering the larynx to open the throat in a way that requires no muscular effort. Trimble advocates for inhaling the larynx when preparing to sing, as it not only lowers the larynx but additionally relaxes the muscles in the throat to a considerable degree. The sucking-in power to draw the larynx down can be developed over many years, but should work immediately as a remedy for any singer suffering from a high or depressed larynx.