AU NATURALE
By E. Perryman

Today’s voice teaching takeaways:

1. Is this statement true or false? I just need a bigger breath to sing that phrase.
2. Would you say yes or no to the following? It’s hard to sound natural.
3. Does this resonate with you when you sing? I don’t know how not to try. My body gets involved in my singing to protect me from messing up and failing.

MY 2 CENTS:

1. I have found “just take a bigger breath” to be epically FALSE. In the past, the more I was strongly advised to take more breath, the greater I inhibited my sound and ran out of steam. I have found my breath flow and access to extended phrases when my registers were balanced with a flexible and energized breath flow and efficient adduction. Vocal repertoire and tessitura can also play a role on how well a singer is able to sustain long phrases.

Today, my gifted student Linda Garcia was able to sustain a challenging phrase in her piece when she used her most efficient vowel. It took balance, position, register, and a free breath to accomplish this feat. Depending on vocal health, we build our technique by knowing what vowels/consonants/approach we need to sing most efficiently.

2. My natural voice came after the following:

A. Finding my chest/head voice balance
B. Freeing my mask/embouchure
C. Implementing palate lift
D. Uninhibiting my jaw
E. Finding a flexible torso
F. Contacting optimal breath connection
G. Solidifying my ng throughout my range
H. Coordinating Italian vowels
I. Releasing my tongue tension

It tickles me now when people say “it sounds so easy” because it took years to sound easy. It takes a well integrated, intuitive, and personally adapted vocal technique to sound easy. So my answer to number 2 is a resounding NO.

3. IMHO, a cultural mindset that includes these type of questions can be demoralizing:

A. Are you working hard?
B. Have you done enough work today?
C. Do you realize that someone is working harder?”

I believe in the value in hard work. It’s necessary. However the culturally groomed shame element that creeps in is unfortunate. I resonate with the wisdom behind “I don’t know how not to try”. I’ve discovered so much when I am able lead with intuition and body awareness. Peeling back the armor I’ve put in place to protect is a challenging but rejuvenating process.

Maybe a better question to pose when encouraging work ethic would include:
A. What energizes you to make progress?
B. What can you safely let go that doesn’t serve you?
C. What does it sound like to fail?

Being able to try not trying is imo what brings a singer closer to sounding natural.

Giddy up. #akintsucrooner