Question about the mechanics of the voice

[usususususnthem]

Hi.

 

I hope I can get this question out in a clear and concise way lol. Actually it's probably going to be a couple of questions. Or maybe I'm just looking for somebody to help me understand and put into words this mental image I've created in my head on what I'm actually doing when I sing

 

One of the challenges I've faced in singing is excess breathy-ness. I've finally started overcoming this and started creating a much more direct, concrete, and grounded note, in other terms I believe, I could say strong chest voice?...which is very exciting Though I do sometimes have problems achieving this.

 

My question is about controlling the octave of the breathy-ness, which I just realized it possible. When I started trying to sing lower, my note would be low, but usually with it would be this high breathy-ness that I'm sending up. This was something I had no control over for a long time.

 

Last night, I accessed this control and was able to bring the octave of the breathy-ness down to match the octave of my note. It was very interesting. This allowed me to sing my low notes with much more intensity. A whole new way of singing was opened uptome That's something I've also had a problem with. Belting low notes. I could belt them, but only with high air which took away from their lowness.

 

Another thing I've noticed is that to achieve chest voice, you don't want to sent the breathy-ness above/past the note you're creating. That will keep the note sounding strong and free of excess breathy-ness.

 

Something I've realized is that there seem to be countless combinations of ways to sing because of the ability to control the octave of both your breath and the note separately.

 

I can be very analytical I know lol. I've went through years of having the wrong idea, misinterpreting what I was feeling when I would sing, and the lack of ability because of this. Being analytical had gotten me to where I am today though so Im glad I am.

 

Can anybody relate to the contents of this post? Or have any ideas to help me better understand the mechanics of singing? Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[highmtn]

Zach,

 

The breathiness in your singing voice is determined by the amount of cord closure you use. Excess air is not healthy for the vocal cords, as breathy singing can dry out the cords and make them lose their elasticity and resiliency.

 

We can vary the amount of cord closure we use, and thereby get a nice, bright, timbral sound from the vocal cords without the added hiss of non-productive air. When we sing, we want to create tone, not hiss.

 

Also, through the use of breath support, we can control the amount of air we allow to escape from the lungs as we sing. Support is actually the resistance against releasing the air, so that we can exert control over our singing breath. With proper support, we can lessen the amount of air that we pass over our cords, and as we use good cord closure, we need even less air to get a good tone.

 

As you learn to control and vary your support and cord closure, you can learn to grow your tone, and have plenty of air to spare.

 

All the best!

 

Bob