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VOCAL SKILLS AND HOW TO IMPROVE

9. IF YOU WANT YOUR VOICE TO BE MORE INTERESTING

To keep people’s attention, you need to have a voice that moves easily over your whole range in a natural way.  Working with the resonance exercises throughout your range will help you to achieve this.

Exercise:

  • Breathe in, then release your voice on a long slow Ha, sliding from the very top of your range down to the bottom.
  • Don’t push up the high note at the beginning.  Take it from that gentle, child’s voice you used in Exercise 3.
  • Repeat as many times as you like, but always choose to breathe into your lower ribs, diaphragm and abdomen first.
  • Send your voice away from you into the distance.  Look at a spot across the room and focus the energy of your voice to that point.  Try to keep the vocal energy up and out without pushing it.
  • Choose to keep your throat and mouth open all the way to the end of the sound.

 

Articulate the words you speak – make them have energy and clarity.

 

Exercise:

Move your tongue around in your mouth and with the tip explore every corner.

  • Stick the front of your tongue out of your mouth – just as far as it’s comfortable.
  • Make a point with the tip, then flatten it.  Alternate between pointing and flattening a few times.
  • Make small circles with the tip in both directions.
  • Make big circles using the whole tongue.
  • When you have finished, relax the jaw and connect to your breathing.

 Exercise:

  • Count to 10 aloud and focus the resonance into your forehead.
  • Count to 10 aloud and focus the resonance into your nose.
  • Count to 10 aloud and focus the resonance into your lips.
  • Count to 10 aloud and focus the resonance into your chest.
  • Count to 10 aloud and focus the resonance into your abdomen.
  • Count to 10 aloud and focus the resonance on to the top of your head.
  • Repeat and try to feel the resonance in al the areas at once. 
  • You should now feel that your voice is fuller and more colourful.

 

Exercise:

  • Count to 10 in a ‘sing-song’ way swooping and sliding around all the notes of your voice.
  • Use the whole range: high middle and low notes.
  • At the same time, imagine the resonance of your voice moving all around your body.
  • Then count to 10 normally and you will feel that you have more range in your voice.
  • It will sound more interesting and expressive.