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You will hear from any decent voice teacher that the goal of voice lessons is to create a sound that is beautiful and easy to produce. That is a whole lot easier said than done, but it does beg the question - what exactly is a “free and easy to produce” voice?
As its core, a free voice is a singer that has no physical discomfort or pain when they sing. This is a bit more complicated as many singers are unaware of the physical discomfort they sing with because they assume that you always have that “feeling” when you sing a certain note or phrase. It takes a good voice lesson to reveal that there are better and easier ways to create that pitch. A free voice, in fact, has very little physical sensation at all. Most singers will feel airflow going through their instrument and perhaps some vibration in their chest or head, and that’s it! A free voice does not mean the same sound! Everyone has a unique instrument and when your voice is used correctly, you will have a different sound than any other singer. A free voice also means that your range and power as a singer are fully maximized. Most singers realize they have a half octave or more pitches once they “free up” their sound. A free voice, ultimately, is the best sound that your instrument can produce. It is unique to you, does not imitate another vocalist, and should be as easy as breathing! As I say to my students, singing requires a lot of mental concentration but should be quite easy physically when you are singing correctly. DWS One of the assertions I make in voice lessons is that a good voice teacher allows you to sing any style of music in a healthy, long-term way with great tone and range. That's a pretty big claim to make, since we typically don't think that genres like country music and opera have much in common. Therefore, I present to you the following evidence! It's a spectacularly fun song performed by a wonderful Broadway singer, Kelli O'Hara. This video was sent to me by a soprano voice student who thought I would enjoy it. What she didn't know is how great a teaching device it would serve for me. In the video, Kelli O'Hara moves effortlessly between country, musical theater, and operatic styles. She makes her money as a Broadway singer but because of excellent vocal training and talent, can quite literally sing any genre of music.
Vocal training, at its core, is not about teaching singers how to sing a certain song or even a musical genre. It's about teaching singers how to use their instrument to the fullest of its ability. Think of your voice as a guitar. Are guitars limited to country music? No! They are used in rock, classical, country, heavy metal etc....guitars are wonderfully versatile instruments, and the voice is the most versatile instrument of all! DWS |
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