Everybody is aiming for the best vocal training they could possibly have.  The following conversation might be helpful.

Q     What good would it do a singer to know all that? Or a teacher either?

A      The first thing that is significant about this information is this: the vocal mechanism is so complicated that any direct physical control of the vocal cords is impossible. The second thing that is significant is that the only possible control must be an indirect or a mental control. It is also sig­nificant that the sets or the shapes of the vowel sounds in the pharynx are reflected in the shape of the larynx - the voice box in which the vocal cords are located - and in the shape of the vocal cords themselves. Flexibility of the pharynx will also be reflected in laryngeal flexibility. In other words, phonation, the action of the vocal cords, can be consid­ered as a part of enunciation, the production of the vowel sounds.

Q     You have listed range as a part of phonation.   Why?

A      For the reason that a wide range is dependent on the adjustments the vocal cords should make for different parts of the singing range. This may be divided into at least three parts: a low voice of an octave above the average normal pitch of the speaking voice, a middle voice of a fourth or fifth above the first octave, and a high voice of a third or fourth above the octave and a fifth. These are all approximations. This makes a total range of two octaves.

Q     What are these three groups of notes called?

A      These are called registers, which can be defined as groups of tones produced by a particular adjustment of the vocal cords, and reflected in a particular quality .

Q      What connection do registers have with such things as the heavy and light mechanisms, the thick and thin mechanisms, and the chest and head voices?

A    Actually these terms indicate whether there are wide and deep, or nar­row and shallow vibrations of the vocal cords.

Q     What is meant by the chest and head terminology?

A      It also describes vibrations: the chest tone or chest voice describes the result of a wide and deep vibration of the vocal cords; the head tone or head voice describes the result of shallow and narrow vibrations. In other words, these terms describe the results of the vibrations of the vocal cords. The chest voice or tone is a heavier, the head voice or tone a lighter quality of tone.

Q     What do the terms chest and head have to do then with voice production?

A    Actually nothing. The fact that the singer may feel vibrations in his chest does not mean that this is chest resonance; or the fact that he may feel stronger vibrations in his head does not mean that this is head re­sonance . When the heavy or thick mechanism is used in the lower part of the voice, strong vibrations can be felt in the chest. These vibra­tions are the result of bone conduction of sound, and are mistaken for chest resonance. This has been termed sympathetic resonance. When the narrow or thin mechanism is used in the middle and upper part of the voice, there would seem to be stronger vibrations in the bony struc­ture of the skull. These are mistaken for head resonance, but this is another form of sympathetic resonance.

Q     Why use the terms “head” and “chest”?

A    Because of the limited number of descriptive terms available for use without becoming too involved.

Q      According to the terminology then, - chest and head, thick and thin, and heavy and light - there would seem to be only two registers?

A    For all practical purposes there are at least three: low, middle, and high voice mechanisms. Actually there are more than three, when the coloratura register and the low bass register are included.

Q     What do you mean by the high-voice mechanism?

A      It can be described as the register above the head or middle voice regis­ter which uses the entire length of the vocal cords. The high voice mechanism uses only the front or anterior part of the vocal cords for vibration, while the back or posterior part of the vocal cords is damp­ened or held.

Q     What do you mean by dampened?

A     Not allowed to vibrate.

Q     How can you prevent the back or posterior part of the vocal cords from vibrating?

A      An indirect method must be used. This is necessary because the vocal cords have a limited number of nerve centers, and are not subject to direct control. To make a long story short, the singer must approach his high voice as if he were going to sing it open, and then change the resonance placement without losing the basic vowel tension.

Q     How does one change the resonance placement?

A      One approach is through vowel modification, modifying ee and ay toward ih ; and ah, oh, and oo, toward uh.

Q     What effect does vowel modification have?

A      It tends to change the resonance placement of the vowel sounds. This change brings in a coupling of the mouth cavity with the pharyngeal cavity, which makes possible a change to the high voice mechanism. This allows for the vibration of the front part of the vocal cords and the dampening of the back part.

Q     What is this called?

A     One term for this process is covering; another, closing the voice.

Q      Does the register theory follow any definite pattern?

A      Generally speaking, yes. The average individual potentially has a low, middle, and a high voice. When vocalizing on a broad ah vowel sound in at least a mezzo-forte tone, and beginning on the average, normal pitch of the speaking voice, an individual can vocalize approximately two octaves. About an octave above the speaking pitch there will be a slight change in resonance placement, which has been called the first lift; again, about a fourth or a fifth higher, there will be another change in resonance placement, which has been called the second lift. The term “lift” is based on the sensation of the tone being higher in the head and should not be confused with resonance.

Q     Does this pattern make any sense scientifically?

A     It is my belief that the range of the singing voice follows the overtone or harmonic theory of an octave, a fourth or a fifth, and a third or a fourth -a total of two octaves.   I believe that the average, normal person has potentially a range of at least two octaves above the average,   normal pitch of the speaking voice.

Q     If that is the case, why don’t more individuals have two octaves range?

A    The first reason is that singing throughout this range, particularly in the high voice, calls for technique, a way of doing it. Since we are not born with technique, we must be taught one. Then there are compara­tively few teachers who know how to teach singing in the high voice mech­anism. Even those who can teach it are confronted with unbelievers, who, because the tone sounds different, because the vowels are modified and sound different, and because the tone feels different, think this tech­nique is wrong.

Q     Do artists follow this technique of singing in the high voice?

A    To the best of my knowledge, most of them do. I can’t say that they are aware of how they do it, but I know it is impossible to sing the lit­erature for a particular type of voice without it for any length of time.

Q     It would seem to me that the register changes would be obvious to the average listener, and any student of singing could imitate them.

A    The well-trained singer doesn’t show his register changes. The aver­age student will say that there were no changes. In imitating what he thinks he hears, the student will try to sing open, that is without change, throughout his range.

Q      Can you say that these changes in register come at exact places on the scale?

A    The first lift tends to be quite definite. This is basically the middle of the singer’s singing range. The second lift is a variable, depending on the vowel sung, and upon the loudness with which it is sung. The vowel-sounds tend to modify or close in this order: ee, oo, ay, oh and ah. They tend to modify or close earlier in the scale when sung softly.

Q     How do the chest and head qualities, and the thick and thin, or the heavy

and light mechanisms, fit into the pattern of the low, middle, and high registers?

A     There seems to be considerable confusion about it. This is due to the fact that the registers can be made to overlap, that is, the low register quality can be carried into the middle register; or the middle register quality into the low or the high register; or the high register quality into the middle register.   The term for this is “mixed registration.”

Q     Is this good or bad?

A    Overlapping may be said to be good if it is not carried too far. The idea of overlapping is to blend the qualities of the different registers into an even scale, so that the singer sounds like the same person through out his vocal range, without the register changes showing. It may be said to be bad if there are noticeable changes in quality, and obvious changes in registers, and if the singer’s range is limited, either in the high or low registers.

Q     How do you go about establishing an even scale?

A      Through the use of vocalization,- singing scales, arpeggios and porta­mento sin normal quality, using only one vowel sound for each exercise, open ay, oh, or ah, in a mezzo-forte voice. The same position of the lips and the mouth should be maintained without strain or rigidity, so that changes in voice quality due to changes in registers are hardly noticeable.

Q As an introduction to the vocal training, where does the voice originate?

A Voice is said to originate in the voice box, or Adam’s apple. Voice or vocal sound is the result of the vibrations of the vocal cords, which are actually more like lips than cords, which are stretched from front to back in and at the top of the wind-pipe just in back of the Adam’s apple.

Q What causes the vocal cords or lips to vibrate?

A Actually the vocal cords do not vibrate of themselves, but are forced into vibration by a pressure flow of the breath. In the production of singing or speech, mental impulses from the brain cause the vocal cords to close or approximate partially, thereby offering up resistance to the flow of the breath. The result is sound which we call voice. At the level of the mouth voice becomes speech through the action of the arti-culators - the tongue, the teeth, the lips, and the pharynx; and the re­sonators - the mouth, the nasal passages, and the pharynx.

Q Can the action of the vocal cords be compared to the action of any in­strument?

A It has been compared to the action of reed instruments or violins. In reality the action of the vocal cords is very similar to the action of the lips of a bugler, or the vibrations of the lips in a Bronx cheer.

Q Are the vibrations of the vocal cords nothing more than simple vibra­tions, regardless of pitch, loudness, quality, and duration?

A The general impression is that they change very little in their general characteristics. The fact of the matter is that they vary in size, shape, and speed of vibration? For example, since they are more like lips or wedges they can vibrate deeper and wider, or shallower and narrower. The resulting vibrations have been considered to be the results of a “heavy and a light” mechanism, or a “thick and a thin” mechanism. The vibrations are reflected indifferent qualities which have been term­ed the “chest” tone and the “head” tone. Finally, the terms “chest resonance” and “head resonance” have crept into the terminology. Neither the chest or the head is a resonator as such, but both are sym­pathetic resonators through bone conduction of sound vibrations. The vocal cords vary according to pitch. If the singing pitch is 256 vib­rations per second, the vocal cords vibrate 256 vibrations per second. They vary according to loudness: the louder the tone, the greater the displacement of the vocal cords. They vary according to the quality of the vowel sung: their edges may be rounded or sharp.

Q             How does one go about establishing normal or bell quality?

A             Part of any singing lesson, especially for beginners, is to establish the basis for the conception of what the normal or “bell” quality sounds like. Listening to the voices of artists or others who are accepted as good singers is one approach. Then the student must have a teacher who knows what to listen for. By a process of trial and error the teacher must lead the student into what is called an even scale of normal quality, in terms of the singer’s vocal identity.

Q       What do you mean by that?

A      The singer should sound like himself instead of like an imitation of some one else.   This may be called “placing the voice.”

Q      I thought placing the voice meant putting it some place, such as in the head, or forward to the teeth.

A      It is impossible to place the voice in that way, since sensations of place­ment will vary with different vowel sounds, different pitches, different degrees of loudness, or different ranges of the voice.

Q      How do you go about tuning the resonators to the vibrations of the vocal cords?

A    The first approach, as mentioned, is to establish a conception of what is good quality. It is also possible to shape the resonators through lip positions, or different size openings of the mouth, or different positions of the soft palate.

Q     Do you mean that the position of the lips can affect vocal quality?

A      Very definitely. For example, a smiling position of the lips has an effect not only on quality but also on the action of the vocal cords. The result is a more metallic tone. A relaxed or closed puckered position of the lips tends to muffle the tone. The vocal cords are more relaxed. The open puckered or bell-like position of the lips tends to make the tone sound more mellow, and at the same time to have the quality of pro­jection. The vocal cords tune themselves more easily to the production of normal quality or bell resonance with this position.

Q    What have the other physical processes - respiration and articulation -to do with the proper tuning of the resonators with the action of the vocal cords or phonation?

A      They are a part of the co-ordinated action resulting in a particular tone quality. Breathing for singing calls for a different type of breathing than just breathing naturally. Both singing and speech call for a more forceful type of breath flow. Articulation, the basis of a singing speech must be produced in the normal quality.

Q  You have listed normal quality first. Do you consider quality the most important.

A  Yes. I consider normal quality as the single most important factor in singing. It is the end product of the processes of respiration, phonation, articulation, and resonation. It is the cornerstone or foundation of a good singing technique, which includes a resonance quality that people like to hear; a singing diction that people can understand; pharyngeal flexibility as the basis for dynamic control, agility and range extension, and artistic coloring of the voice, how to support your voice, and good vocal hygiene.

Q     What do you mean by “normal quality?”

A   By normal is meant the quality that one must sing to reach the goals or objectives. A psychological description may be stated as follows: a ringing resonant tone with a cover of beauty and a point or metal that projects. A physical description may be stated as follows: a singing tone that has a vibrato of 6 to 7 cycles per second; a low formant center­ing around 600 to 700 cycles per second for mellowness and beauty of tone; a high formant centering around 2800 cycles, a little higher for female voices, for metal or ring; and intensity.

Q     How can one tell when he is singing in the normal quality?

A   The singer is dependent on the “vocal ear” of his teacher. The singer is not in a position to judge his tone since he does not hear himself as others hear him. He hears himself not only through the air from the outside, but also through bone conduction to the inner ear. This has the effect of making the voice sound deeper. Tenors think they are baritones, baritones think they are basses, sopranos think they are mezzos.

Q   Does this normal quality apply to everybody? It was my impression that everybody’s quality was different?

A       It is my belief that everyone must sing basically the normal quality if he wishes to reach the goals or objectives as set up by the literature. Identity of voices differs as individuals differ but the singer’s identity must be established in normal quality. It would be impossible for the great artists to reach the artist status unless they were singing in their normal quality.

Q             Is it possible to list or describe different qualities?

A          At least five resonance qualities can be listed: metallic, nasal, denasal, muffled, and normal. There are at least four vibratory qualities: breathy, harsh, hoarse, and normal. In addition, approximately sixty adjectives describing quality can be listed.⁴⁰

Q             Can another more descriptive name be given to normal quality?

A          Normal quality has been described as “nasal” resonance by many teach­ers.   Actually it is not nasal except in the nasal sounds, m, n and ng.

Q             What do you mean, it is not a nasal quality?

A          It sounds as if it were nasal, and the singer has the feeling that his nose is open. However, x-ray pictures of the head showing the positions of the tongue and hard and soft palate indicate that in the production of good tone, the nasal port is closed, except on the nasals.⁴¹

Q             What test can be given to prove this point?

A       The so-called nose test: hold the nostrils of the nose closed and repeat a phrase with no nasals, such as “Tell her the day.” If there is no breath passing through the nose then there is an absence of nasality. Now repeat a phrase with nasals in the words: “My time is your time,” still holding the nostril closed. The nasals require a puff of breath through the nose, which may be continuous, thereby giving an objection­able quality to the whole phrase.

Q          Other than being objectionable in quality, what else can be said against nasality?

A       Nasality limits the flexibility of the voice, and in so doing limits the control of agility, loud and soft singing, and range.

Q          You have mentioned the use of the term “normal” and also “nasal” re­sonance as describing the quality that should be sung to get the best results. Can you suggest some other term that might be more descrip­tive and more easily understood?

A       I use the term “bell resonance.” The voice with this quality rings like a “bell”.

Q       What should a teacher know about the causes of good quality?

A       The teacher should know that the basis for normal quality is in the larynx. The vibrations of the vocal cords give off more than just puffs of sound. They give off a whole series of overtones, which are amplified or modi­fied by the resonators. In other words, the resonators - the pharynx, the mouth, and the nasal passages must be tuned to the vibrations of the vocal cords until the normal or “bell” quality is established.

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Q     As a teacher of singing, what are you trying to accomplish?

A     First, I am trying to help singers develop their vocal talent.

Q    How do you go about it? It seems to me that singing is so complex, that is, such a complex combination of physical and psychological factors, that you wouldn’t know how or where to begin. The generally accepted idea is that no two individuals can be taught the same way.

A    What you have said seems to be the generally accepted idea. However, from a singing standpoint we are all the same in part and tend to function in the same way. This applies to child, adolescent, and adult, male or female. In other words, there are individual similarities that make possible a definite basic approach to vocal technique. From a psy­chological standpoint we are confronted with individual differences which complicate the teaching problem; yet there are individual similarities as well.

Q     What do you mean by physical processes?

A    The physical processes involved in singing and in speech may be de­scribed as follows: respiration, including inhalation and exhalation; phonation, the production of sound at the level of the larynx, called voice; articulation, the breaking up of the phonated orunphonated breath stream at the level of the larynx, called voice, or at the level of the mouth, called speech; and resonation, the modification or amplification of the vocal sounds by means of the resonators - the pharynx, the mouth, and the nasal passages.

Q     Do these processes present any unusual problems?

A   Very definite problems. The fact is that the size, musculature and de­velopment of the mechanisms that bring about the processes vary with different individuals. The problem is to co-ordinate the processes to obtain the best results. Improper balance between the processes due to inferior mechanisms, or weakness of the mechanisms creates pro­blems that are peculiar to each process.

Q    What do you mean by “best results?”

A   This question involves a consideration of the goals and objectives. The ultimate goal should be the ability to sing the literature for ones’ par­ticular type of voice. The technical goal maybe stated as follows: a pharyngeal control of the vowel sounds, balanced by lip action when necessary, with a clear and accurate articulation of the consonants, supported by a variable pressure flow of the breath, with a ringing re­sonant quality.

Q Let us suppose that I came to you for voice training: how would you begin?

A First I would listen to you sing a song, any song that you might be able to sing. In the course of a few minutes I would be able to make a pre­liminary appraisal of the following:   type of voice, quality, type of dietlon, sense of pitch, dynamic control, agility, breath support and breath control, range and artistic sense.

Q     Then would you tell me what you thought of my singing?

A    I might ask you first what you thought of your own singing, what you expected voice lessons to do for you, and what your ultimate*goal was. Then I would tell you what I thought I could do for your voice.

Q   Let us suppose that I had had previous training, with which training you might not agree, would you say that I would have to begin over again?

A   I don’t believe that I would ever say that any singer would have to begin over again. Any past experience in singing or training should be help­ful in making an advance in technique or vocal style, or in learning what to do or what not to do. I would be teaching you how to sing so that you might be able to guide yourself.

Q   How much should I know in order to know how to sing and how to guide myself?

A   Basically you should know four things: your normal quality; how to sing vowels pharyngeally; registration; and where to breathe and how to sup­port your tone.

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The solution of the problem of how to teach a student to sing in his normal quality is dependent first on building up in the student’s mind a conception of what normal quality sounds like. The hearing of models of good singing, including records of voices similar to that of the student; the singing of three contrasting qualities such as “the singer’s in his nose” (nasality); “the singer’s in the well” (muffled) and “the singer’s in the bell” (normal) - these are indirect techniques. Calling “hey” in a loud voice to bring about a balanced co-ordination of the dynamic processes of respiration, phonation, articula­tion, and resonation, is another indirect approach to establishing normal quality.

The psycho-physiological approach to the development of the singing voice is a matter of training the vocal mechanism to respond to the dictates of the mind.

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I’m willing to learn everything. (I’m a girl btw)

1. I know this has been asked a lot but, how do I properly breath when singing? How do I properly breath using the diaphragm? Anything about proper breathing in singing would help a lot.

2. Can you suggest some breathing and vocal exercises I can do? (I have a keyboard so I can use it on some exercises if ever it requires)

3. How do you warm-up?

4. Tips for “beginner”’s like me please! Some things that would be helpful!

Thank you!
oh, and some people say that you should inhale from your nose AND your mouth? what do they mean by that?

I’m by no means a master, but I did a huge, year-long project on this! Hope it helps!!!

Proper breathing should always be supported breathing. This means you shouldn’t put any stress on your throat! If your throat hurts when you sing, you’re probably straining to hit the note, using proper breath support. The easiest way to train yourself to breathe properly is to practice in a fairly large mirror. When you breathe, you want to use your diaphragm! When you do this properly, your shoulders shouldn’t move like when you do “chest breathing.” That’s where the mirror comes in handy.

The way I learned to breathe with my diaphragm was first watching someone while they sleep (creepy, I know!) When we sleep, we automatically use the diaphragm. When you breathe in, the area between your stomach and your ribs should extend outwards, and when you breathe out, it should move inwards.

Here are a few exercises to try and really hone in on the breathing technique!

1. Pretend that you’re sipping air through a straw. You’ll really be able to feel the diaphragm moving!

2. Use the first exercise while holding an innertube around yourself. You’ll be able to feel your diaphragm and ribs extending out against the sides. If you don’t have an innertube, you can lay down on your front on top of an exercise ball! (Hint: When you breathe well with your diaphragm, you should feel extension in your back as well!)

3. When singing and/or warming up, wrap your hands below your ribs on each side to monitor your breath-support.

Scales are the best way to warm-up. You always want to make sure that your vocal chords are hydrated and clear of phlegm! To get rid of phlegm healthily (clearing your throat isn’t necessarily healthy) try humming! It’s a safe way to do it! Arpeggios are my favorite way to warm-up. It’s simply going up and down the keys of the piano in different patterns, and simply using the sounds La-le-lee-lo-loo to sing with. Of course lip-trills are also fantastic for warm-ups! To find more exercises, you can check out a couple books on the Bel Canto technique (the Italian technique) for singing. It’s the more predominantly used, and more smiled upon technique for singing. It’s less guttural and less stressful on the voice than the German or English techniques.

Some simple heath tips. Smoking is a no-no. Belting all the time isn’t great for your voice. It can lead to vocal nodes and polyps, which have a long and sometimes indefinite recovery time (AKA no singing at all)! Some people argue that drinking caffeine and other citrus drinks are bad for your chords, but that’s generally right before singing.

Hope that answered most of your question. This is my favorite subject to gab about!

What a singer knows about acoustics is generally limited to what he has learned through experience. Eventually he becomes aware that some places are easier to sing in than others. What he unconsciously listens for when he sings is a reflection of how his voice is sounding. This reflection is call­ed reverberation, which may be defined as a reflection of sound waves in a confined area.^w The length of time that a sound can be heard in a closed area is called the reverberation time of that area. When applied to Free Singing Lessons Online, if the reverberation time of a room is too short, that is, if the sound waves die out too quickly, then the singer’s voice will sound lifeless and non-re son -ant to him and to the audience. If the reverberation time is too long, that is, if the sound waves keep sounding, then the singer’s voice will sound too live, and interfere with the sounds coming after. An optimum reverberation time, which will vary with the size of a room or theater and the character of the walls and furnishings, will be the most satisfying to the performer and to the audience.⁶⁴

There is usually no reverberation in outdoor singing where loud sounds are quickly dissipated. In cases like these, the singer wonders if his voice carries. In small rooms with hard surfaces there is usually too much re­verberation. Here the singer may well get the impression that he is better than he actually is. The most satisfactory situation is where the singer’s voice fits the optimum reverberation time of the room or theater. Here the singer’s vocal production will seem to be effortless.

In some instances it is possible to control poor acoustical conditions by sound reflectors and public address systems. Through the use of these aids a singer can learn to adjust his voice to fit the conditions, or depend on those operating the controls to do so.

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As far as dedication goes, I practice for hours every day, I even write my lines on notecards and practice them at work. According to a friend of mine, I was saying my lines in my sleep last week.
I still don't know them all. I know about 2/3 or more of them, and a lot of the stuff is just not sticking; especially long scenes where I need to memorize a lot of cues (respond to several different characters).
Furthermore, during rehearsals - and even just readings - I find myself stuttering quite often, during many lines - flubbing the words and tripping over pronunciations, and this is something I was good at to start. Are there any exercises I could try to loosen myself up so I stutter less?

Here are some memorization tips. Once you have your lines completely and totally memorized you will no longer stutter. You will be able to focus on the acting rather than worrying about forgetting.

Carry your script or speech with you at all times and read the full text when you get a chance to get a strong emotional "feel" for it.

Get to know your character. Understand why you say and do what you do.

Act out your lines as you say them, even if this is an unemotional speech. You can exaggerate your words with dramatic gestures. Of course, you don't want to do this during your actual speech, but you will be thinking about it.

Learn to think like your character (get a feel for him or her). This can save you if you forget your lines on stage. Simply think like the character and say what he would say as close to the real lines as possible.

Visualize other actors' faces saying your cues.

Draw a series of pictures that represent your speech or your lines. Remember picture stories from preschool? Be very creative and think of a picture story to go along with your lines. After you've created your picture story, go back and say your lines as you look at the pictures.

Say your lines in front of a mirror and move your face or your arms a special way to emphasize specific words or passages.

The teaching approach must be, for the most part, an indirect or mental approach through the use of the imagination. The reason for this is that the vocal mechanism is so complicated in its co-ordination, and so complex in its musculature, that a direct approach, except in rare cases, is impossible. The teacher needs to know, however, the physiological processes involved. This affords him a basis for analyzing errors in production, and a basis for working out ways and means of correcting these errors. This is the psycho-physiological approach.

For example, the problem of teaching a student to breathe deeply can be approached by having the student pant as after running, fast at first, taking in short breaths, and then panting slower, taking in longer breaths. This locates the process of deep breathing below the breastbone and above the waistline, where the greatest expansion of the thoracic or chest cage is possible.

The problem of how to support his singing tone can be approached by having the student place one hand on his mid-section and clear his throat, or call “hey.” In either case there is a contraction of the abdominal muscles, establishing what is called the abdominal press, which decreases the size of the abdominal cavity. The result is a pressure flow of the breath, which is called breath support.

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Either way, you will learn how to breath, you will “vocalize” (sing on “ah or other vowel”), learn how to make a good tone, explore your range, etc.

You will also learn a few pieces, I’m sure.

In order to make critical judgments, a teacher of singing must be able to distinguish between different qualities and their bases. He should be able to recognize and solve problems in diction, in range, in breath support, and in breath control.

A technique useful to the teacher in his critical analyses is “creative” listening. This approach is dependent on the ability of the teacher to re­create in his own vocal mechanism the same physical reactions set up by the performer in his singing. This is a form of empathy or imitation. If the teacher is successful in his imitation, it should help him get the “feel” of what the student is doing, correctly as well as incorrectly.

Once the teacher has analyzed, through deduction, what he considers to be the error in production, his work becomes a matter of induction. This involves the changing of one or more of the processes - resonation, arti­culation, registration, or respiration - to obtain a more desirable co-or­dination. It does not hold that an error in the production of one process upsets the correct or possibly correct production of the other processes.

The teacher must be constantly on the alert to know what the student is thinking, consciously or unconsciously, so that a correction can be made of any idea that is holding up the student’s progress. For example, in the de­velopment of range, he maybe trying to keep the vowel sound from modifying, or the quality from changing, or the so-called placement of the tone from changing. He may expect perfection in the beginning, when he is learning a new way of singing, which takes time to establish. He may be trying to pre­vent what he thinks is nasality, when actually his natural quality is basically in “nasal” resonance. He may be too precise in his diction, thereby setting up too much constriction in the oral cavity. He maybe holding back his breath support because he believes that he is forcing his voice. He may be trying to keep every tone forward in one place in order to keep his throat relaxed.

Printable music on computer CD-ROM–NOT a recording. Please go to http://www.cdsheetmusic.com for contents.

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They have audio excercises and warmups and most of all they are FREE!!

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I mention that I am a 14 years old male.

Thanks! Happy new year!

take a look at your local music store for a volume of vocal exercises by an old Italian master, Vaccai. ( Nowadays it comes with a CD so you can hear the music as well)
If you are tenro-ish, get the high voice volume, If you are a baritone already, the low voice. These seemingly simple exercises are little tunes that help train us in good singing habits. There are only 20 of them, so it's not like you're going to spend a long time learning them, each exercise is one page long.
After that, you'll want to look for either Arie Antiche ( used more in Europe) published by Ricordi or 24 Italian Arias of the 17th and 18th Centuries published by Schirmer ( used more in USA) They overlap, so it's no big deal if you get one or the other. These beginner arias have long been used as "first" songs as they present easy hurdles and pretty tunes. ( the one mentioned by another answerer" O cessati" is from one or the other of these volumes)
I remember a book by Dr. Van Christy, a compendium of easy songs for early level singers that contains mostly English and American songs if the thought of Italian is daunting.
Again, depending on where your voice level is, look for medium high or medium low.
Best wishes for 2008 and keep on singing

Singing is a psycho-physiological-acoustical phenomenon, a result of the motor co-ordination of the dynamic processes of respiration, phonation, articulation, and resonation. What is conceived in the mind in terms of qual­ity, pitch, duration, and loudness is produced by the co-ordinated action of the dynamic processes. Judgment on how successful this co-ordination has been is dependent first on the “vocal ear” of the teacher, who must train the “vocal ear” of the student, so that he knows what to listen for.

A listener’s judgment on how well an individual sings is dependent on what he hears, and how he reacts to this sympathetically. The average listen­er is not concerned with the mechanics of vocal production. What impresses him is whether what he hears pleases him and sounds effortless. His reaction to good singing should be that the singer is singing in a free and relaxed way.

Critical judgments on how well an individual sings are dependent on more than whether the singing is pleasant or unpleasant. Critical judgments should be based not only on a “good ear” for music, but also on a “good vocal ear”. A “good ear is generally thought to be a talent with which we are born, and tests have been devised to determine an individuals talent or musi­cal aptitude. These tests involve pitch discrimination, musical memory, time values, loudness or intensity, rhythm patterns, and quality or timbre. A low score cannot be accepted as conclusive evidence that an individual does not have a “good ear” and is lacking in musical aptitude. The tests can, however, show a decided deficiency, particularly in pitch discrimination. It was Seashore’s opinion that once an individual’s pitch discrimination was aroused, there could be no further development in this ability.

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Eric on iTunes
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