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Sustaining the 'Ah' sound.


dimebucker

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Hi there,

Im not really a singer, but do backing vocals in a band. The time has come to record our stuff in a real studio and I couldnt do it! My voice was all over the place, shaky, wobbly, pitchy and embarrassing!

 

We have got another day next week to get it right, I have attached a clip of our demo in which i thought I managed it OK, its not perfect... but I was able to hold the note!

 

 

Are there any tips for sustaining that 'ah' sound, i seem to have a lot less trouble with other vowels!

 

Thanks in advance :)

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The AH vowel needs to be wide open and tall in the back of the throat. It is one of the tallest vowels. It's wide, but even taller than it is wide.

 

You need to support the breath on the AH or it will wobble and pitch will be uncertain. Use diaphragmatic breath to sustain the note. Make it nice and bright, and especially AH, not uh. Make it really, really AH!!!

 

Bob

 

 

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@dimebucker,

 

What I mean is that the AH vowel is one of the most important vowels in singing and a proper AH is very wide and open, in both the horizontal and especially in the vertical axis. I mean it is WIDE OPEN. You should be using an Open Throat technique to make a good AH.

 

The back of your throat should be like the beginning of a YAWN.

 

Don't just imagine that shape. Make it. AH!!!!

 

: ^ )

 

Bob

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I recall Pavorroti on youtube discussing the aahh sound and that it takes a long time to do it without that gutteral phlegmy tone but he didn't go into what exactly you do about it. so I'd sing low aahhs and listen to the distortion and that was the extent of that exercise lol.

On a slight tangent, You and Davie both mention open thrroated tone. I take it this is independent of vowel sound?

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On a slight tangent, You and Davie both mention open thrroated tone. I take it this is independent of vowel sound?

 

An open throat can be maintained for all vowels. The integrity of the vowel is determined by the way you shape and position the pharynx and tongue. The difficulty of certain vowels varies from person to person. Generally the "Ah' vowel is commonly the most difficult to balance out. The "Ah" vowel heavily chest-dominant as oppose to the other vowels. A good way to develop the balance between vowels is a concept called "vowel tracking", you simply cycle through each vowel (u, i, e, o, a) as you repeat a scale.

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