THE ROAD TO THE VOWEL
(ISO of Bel Canto)
By E. Perryman
2.7.2026 #akintsucrooner
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” R. Frost
OR MY VOCAL VERSION:
“Two vocal folds vibrating, and I-I phonated these twin bands with core balance and efficient breath and that has made all the difference.” E. Perryman
Today, two of my naturally gifted voice students Lorinda Walker & Allyson Carvajal worked with me to adapt their most efficient vocal technique on specific repertoire. One thing stood out as we cleared the path for uninhibited and balanced singing. Yes, we as singers regardless of genre, need to find our most effective bel canto sound. However, we have to figure out how to contend with the forest brush so to speak as we navigate the trail through musical repertoire. In today’s case, singing consonants below the pitch brought up unhelpful weight and eclipsed the sound. Audiating directly on the pitch especially when we sing in the passaggio creates the most healthy conditions of singing and increases our singing stamina.
In layman’s language, be diligent about singing the initial consonant of the text on the pitch especially while you are building muscle memory. Elaine Rinaldi coached me to sing Oo before W, Patricia O’Neill showed me how to audiate consonants sans NG crutch on pitch, and Mark Thomsen worked with me to make sure to give consonants careful attention as we do our Italianate vowels. These essential object lessons have stayed with me. Thank you, vocal village.
akintsucrooner 