How do you zip and unzip?

[Bajazz]

Let's have a thread on tips for zipping and inzipping the cords, or adduction which it's also called. For those unfamiliar, it's what you do when you reduce the vibrating part of the cords when going up in the registers. This is done to avoid that the voice flips into falsetto. Cord zipping starts in the break, bridge or "Passagio" area.

 

What are your tips on doing this?

[Jersey Jack]

That what we get for talking about unzipping!

 

Seriously, though this is an interesting topic, so I hope someone tells us how to go about zipping up!

[e021708]

Let's have a thread on tips for zipping and inzipping the cords, or adduction which it's also called. For those unfamiliar, it's what you do when you reduce the vibrating part of the cords when going up in the registers. This is done to avoid that the voice flips into falsetto. Cord zipping starts in the break, bridge or "Passagio" area. What are your tips on doing this?

i think you may go to fasetto but just control the flip as best you can. i think most will go to falsetto.

[pipedwho]

I regularly practice just slowly gliding from my lowest note up to my highest and back down. The goal is to change from 'chest voice' into 'head voice' and then into falsetto without an audible break. ie. the note just keeps going up (or down). I combine that with drills that work a much smaller frequency range up and down through the 'problem' area.

[strat2]

Let's have a thread on tips for zipping and inzipping the cords, or adduction which it's also called. For those unfamiliar, it's what you do when you reduce the vibrating part of the cords when going up in the registers. This is done to avoid that the voice flips into falsetto. Cord zipping starts in the break, bridge or "Passagio" area. What are your tips on doing this?

 

You've referred to the 'Zipping' technique several times as one who uses it, it would probably be useful to the readers here if you passed on the 'how too zip' technique that you have been using.

[Bajazz]

You've referred to the 'Zipping' technique several times as one who uses it, it would probably be useful to the readers here if you passed on the 'how too zip' technique that you have been using.

See that's my problem, I can only do it properly 3 ways: By singing soft, placing the tone backwards (as Klaus Meine in Scorpions) or adding lots of grits as in AC/DC

 

The basic idea is to 'place the tone' upwards as you ascend. A technique builder is to sing a note in soft falsetto and gradually add power. In time you will be able to transcend gradually from falsetto to powerful (zipped) head voice in any note without glitch.This can be done in any sound, mellow or metal at any volume. I can only do it low volume mellow sounding or high volume with a edge. So there's big flaws in my technique...

 

For the effect, listen to high notes sung by Tony Harnell and Justin Hawkins, then you'll know excactly what I mean. What the heck, here it is:

 

[YOUTUBE]SJDHd3ax8qY[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]6-4VOLeKBOw[/YOUTUBE]

[strat2]

See that's my problem, I can only do it properly 3 ways: By singing soft, placing the tone backwards (as Klaus Meine in Scorpions) or adding lots of grits as in AC/DC The basic idea is to 'place the tone' upwards as you ascend. A technique builder is to sing a note in soft falsetto and gradually add power. In time you will be able to transcend gradually from falsetto to powerful (zipped) head voice in any note without glitch.This can be done in any sound, mellow or metal at any volume. I can only do it low volume mellow sounding or high volume with a edge. So there's big flaws in my technique... For the effect, listen to high notes sung by Tony Harnell and Justin Hawkins, then you'll know excactly what I mean. What the heck, here it is:

 

Ok I get it, I had the impression you had the 'zip' down pat.

It's one of Jamie's phrases isn't it (zipping) ?

What does he say to do in setting up the zip, I'm guessing he is very specific and elaborate on laying down the exact steps used in the zipping process.

 

I listened to Tony on the first clip, I love that sound, it has some real power to it.

Most of todays metal vocals are a pathetic disaster....

 

Another very powerful voice that reminds me of the TNT singer is from Starship: Mickey Thomas , didn't sing much above high C from what I remember , but he didn't really need to, he had an absolute killer sound.....

 

[Consume]

Actually, what Justin Hawkins is doing is reinforced falsetto, so he's not technically zipping up - he's just thickening the vocal chords just a little more than needed for falsetto and adding air pressure. Zipping up gives you full voice, rather than falsetto or reinforced falsetto.

 

Tony Harnell, on the other hand - is zipping up - because he is definitely singing in full voice.

Yes, Mickey Thomas has an INCREDIBLE voice - and his high end was full voice as well.

 

Listen to the difference between Harnell's voice and Hawkins voice; you can hear the tonal difference when Justin Hawkins starts flipping into falsetto. Falsetto tends to have a thin, biting sound to it, and it has no "body" or resonance to it, but if you listen to somebody who is singing high in full voice - it has body and resonance to it, even though it is very high in pitch.

 

You can learn to zip up if you sing "nay" like a bratty little kid while singing through your passaggio. (Start around 3 or so notes below your first breaking point.) keep practicing like that and you can strengthen your voice through that range. I know, it sounds goofy, but vocal practice to strengthen the vocal chords and singing songs are to different things. Think of it like lifting weights versus playing a sport. I know a lot of singers who have said,"I don't want to make those stupid sound and I don't want to spend three or four months singing scales."

The problem is that it is doing those two things that would take them from being an OK singer, to being a GREAT singer.

 

Sure some singers are naturals, but the reality is, they are very few and far between....and the minute they hit the pro's, their record companies end up sending them to voice instructors to make sure that their voices are strong, because the last thing a band needs a is their lead singer losing their voice and having to cancel a tour.

 

I always heard that was why the original lead singer from Killswitch Engage left. He was depressed and kept blowing out his voice, which in turn probably made him more depressed. So he quit the band.... but if you listen to Howard Jones, Jones has a crystal clear singing and speaking voice, but he can get really dirty and has tons of power in his voice.

Now, I don't know if Jones has any training, but I would most definitely say that he does - just from hearing him.

[Bajazz]

Ok I get it, I had the impression you had the 'zip' down pat. It's one of Jamie's phrases isn't it (zipping) ? What does he say to do in setting up the zip, I'm guessing he is very specific and elaborate on laying down the exact steps used in the zipping process.

I'm not sure who came up with the 'zipping' phrase, but it's a established expression among pro vocal coaches. Jaimie talks about visualisation and having the right tonal placement. The problem is that you can't see or feel your vocal cords, so there is no way to have a excact way to describe what's going on.

[Bajazz]

You can learn to zip up if you sing "nay" like a bratty little kid while singing through your passaggio. (Start around 3 or so notes below your first breaking point.) keep practicing like that and you can strengthen your voice through that range. I know, it sounds goofy, but vocal practice to strengthen the vocal chords and singing songs are to different things. Think of it like lifting weights versus playing a sport. I know a lot of singers who have said,"I don't want to make those stupid sound and I don't want to spend three or four months singing scales." The problem is that it is doing those two things that would take them from being an OK singer, to being a GREAT singer.

My problem is that I can do the nay nay, mey mey, lip bubbles, trills, hums etc perfectly zipped but can't do it with songs.

[Consume]

 

I use reinforced falsetto a lot, but it will never replace full voice. It will always have only 50-60% power compared to full voice. In interviews with Tony, he is often a bit frustrated of the people who says he have a nice falsetto. He definitely sings in full voice. But it's understandable, when he sings an octave over normal guys to believe it's possible to do it without going to falsetto. My problem is that I can do the nay nay, mey mey, lip bubbles, trills, hums etc perfectly zipped but can't do it with songs.

 

 

 

Are you using the pitch-wheel?

 

It took me a LOT of practicing to get it down because I was so used to flipping into falsetto. If I can keep from using falsetto, I'll sing everything full voice, because of the added punch. The best thing that I can tell you, is if the Nay isn't working for you, keep working on the siren exercises and the slides because those will get you to slide into a zipping action after a while - your body really won't have a choice... at a certain point, the only way to go is up in pitch, and once you have strengthened your vocal chords enough in the are where your break once existed - the folds will zip up rather than fly open like the currently do when you are going into falsetto.

 

 

So, can you draw the folds shut while singing in reinforced falsetto?

Swell your voice from falsetto to reinforced falsetto, then to full voice - then lower it back down. That will strengthen your vocal folds. It takes awhile before you can get to where you can use it in songs. Have you tried reading on pitch? Read , but speak using the range where you are zipping up. Try it - that was one of the things that I did, and I think that it helped a bit because it got me used to saying words in that portion of my range.

[micmike]

If your talking about what I think you're talking about, it's much harder to do this while on the same note. Moving from head to falsetto or falsetto to head.

 

Mike Patton does this impeccably at the end of the first verse in Mr Bungle's Carry Stress In The Jaw. And Maynard does a beautiful job out of the chorus of Brena by A Perfect Circle.

[Consume]

If your talking about what I think you're talking about, it's much harder to do this while on the same note. Moving from head to falsetto or falsetto to head. Mike Patton does this impeccably at the end of the first verse in Mr Bungle's Carry Stress In The Jaw. And Maynard does a beautiful job out of the chorus of Brena by A Perfect Circle.

 

 

Yes that is exactly what I'm talking about; it's proper name is Mesa Di Voce', although Jaime Vendera calls it Transcending Tone. That is how you strengthen your voice to be able to sing in full voice. You start in falsetto and add volume - not air pressure - on an individual note, so that you draw the vocal chords together. Once you get up into where your head voice is - you're in a range where you would be zipped up, so your larynx will actually go into the zipped up position.

 

As far as I know, Thomas Appell was the one who discovered and wrote about the zipping action in 1982, or first called it a zipping action although there were books written at an earlier period that described it, but did not use that terminolgy. Seth Riggs and Roger love both describe it as a "zipping up" action as well. The folds adduct from the back, and move toward the front, and IF you pay attention, when it begins happening - you can actually feel the muscle close as it is sliding toward the front of your throat.

 

 

I highly suggest his book. It will be the best money you've ever spent as a musician, I'm 40 years old, and I can tell you right now - it was for me, and I've laid out some serioous cash for gear in my day. I didn't start singing until later in life. Originally I had no intention to becoem a singer, but I enjoyed it so much, and then when people began hearing me and telling me I was better than the majority of the local singers - well that just encouraged me to spend more time practicing.

 

So now I'm getting ready to get a bunch of young guys - like guys in their early 20's to be my back up band.

 

[careful now]

off topic, but you know the movie is called "they live", right?

 

[Consume]

off topic, but you know the movie is called " they live", right?

 

 

Yeah, it just got misspelled and I didn't realize it. I have it on DVD - it cost me almost $100 for a sealed copy because it was out of print for about 15 or 16 years.

 

 

Thanks for bringing that to my attention..

[careful now]

Yeah, it just got misspelled and I didn't realize it. I have it on DVD - it cost me almost $100 for a sealed copy because it was out of print for about 15 or 16 years. Thanks for bringing that to my attention..

 

if i paid $100 for a movie, i would have the spelling seared into my memory. :poke:

 

 

nevertheless, a great movie.

[Consume]

if i paid $100 for a movie, i would have the spelling seared into my memory. :poke: nevertheless, a great movie.

 

Oh, it's not a matter of spelling - my keyboard is going bad and a couple of the keys don't always work - I spilled coffee on it - and hwhen i'm in a rush, I don't always check to make sure that everything is in proper conext. even if I use spellchekc, that just correst the spelling, but not syntax.