Vocal 'Onset'

The vocal onset is simply a short way of saying - "the noise, if any, you make before you start producing a musical pitch.'

A good voice teacher can listen to a singer and instantly tell if the singer is producing a vocal onset that has extra noise in their sound.  Now, it is VERY important to understand that an 'inefficient' vocal onset is not necessarily undesirable.  Certain genres of music want extra noise in a person's voice.  For instance, we have all heard a breathy voice in pop or a rocker's growl before they start to sing.  For those genres, noise in the pitch is ok and, with proper technique, can be done in a healthy and sustainable manner.

However, if you are studying musical theater or opera, a 'clean' vocal onset in which you produce no extra noise before producing musical pitches is necessary.  There are several teaching tools that I use to help my students produce a clean onset.  While it takes practice, producing a clean onset is an achievable goal for all students.

DWS