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Oohs and Eees


SevenString

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This more "closed" vowel shapes seem to be a common trouble spot for singers. Anyone here have issues with these?

 

As for me, several years ago, I had a voice teacher help me through the process of fixing some bad habits, and as a side effect, my problems with various vowel shapes just disappeared as if by magic.

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Magic? Do tell!


I am better with my EE's now that I used to be. Once I latched onto the concept of keeping your throat open like a yawn, that totally helped.

 

 

Yep, that "dropped larynx" relaxed thing is one of the keys, or at least it was for me.

 

Another thing that helped was when I start thinking of my mouth shapes as being separate from the rest of my voice production.

 

One of the biggest aspects of freeing up my oohs and eees was getting relatively consistent air flow, no matter what note I was singing.

 

And of course, placing the sound in my head instead of resonating in the chest all the time. MUCH easier to do arbitrary vowel shapes.

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One thing that I have noticed is that different vowels seem to resonate in different parts of my mouth. The Ooos seem to resonate in the front of my mouth near the tip of my tounge. The Ahhs resonate in the back of my throat. All other vowels resonate somewhere in the center of my mouth. Does anyone else experience this?

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One thing that I have noticed is that different vowels seem to resonate in different parts of my mouth. The Ooos seem to resonate in the front of my mouth near the tip of my tounge. The Ahhs resonate in the back of my throat. All other vowels resonate somewhere in the center of my mouth. Does anyone else experience this?

 

 

Yes, and my "ees" resonate in my upper teeth. I think this is normal.

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Hmm...this is interesting...

 

I've never had a problem with EE...for instance, there's this song Jefferson Airplane did which is called Aerie, and it's quite...well, Grace's voice is quite loud and she does a lot of long, loud notes, and for instance she sings "Aeriiieeeeeeeee" and whenever I sing along, I find it easy to get actual proper strength and resonance on this note, with the EE sound. As opposed to say, another type of vowel sound. I also find when playing the song, that EE sound is really loud. Louder than when she sings other long notes at the same volume...it just sounds louder and almost piercing to the ear. I almost hurt my own ears when I sing it in fact sometimes.

 

AAH I found more difficult, but once I made the effort to keep my throat relaxed and dropped and open etc at the back, where this sound is felt, it was easier. I noticed this particular in a Carpenters' song, Superstar. When Karen sings "My guitaaaaarrrr..." and I find she uses her normal quite pronounced vibrato on this and also gets what I consider quite good volume/resonance, and yet when I first sang along with this bit, I found my sound became deadened on the AAH sound. I just had to open my throat up.

 

What about AY or AYE (as in AYE AYE SAILOR!)? I find AYE incredibly hard unless I'm putting on a slight Roseanne-style voice, and then it's too loud. I find AY impossible. lol.

 

OOH...I never really noticed OOH, but I think it's probably not the easiest to get good resonance and projection from. It seems a closed off sound, but this could mainly be because when I sing it I tend to have my lips almost closed, doing the OOH shape. lol.

 

I think I suck. lol

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Here's an interesting and important fact: The lips don't form the vowels, the throat, tongue and vocal cords form the vowels. Try this; close your mouth, leaving only enough opening to let the sound come through. Now, sing or speak Ay -Ee- Ah- Oh- oo without using your lips at all. Try it a few times and you will phonate all the vowels clearly (considering your mouth is muffling the sound) This is how ventriloquists work.

 

Notice what is actually forming the shape of the vowels, and you will discover that the work is being done behind the lips and teeth. This doesn't mean that the lips aren't part of the singing process , but that they are often given too much credit. The lip-vowel formations clarify and define the vowels. but do not actually form the vowels.

 

Since this all important function is being initiated at the throat (picture a second set of "lips" at the back of your throat, shaping themselves to make the vowels in much the same way the actual lips do), it is vital that the throat opening (the back of the tongue and the soft palate) be kept comfortably open (a yawny feeling) at all times when singing. If this area closes even a little bit, the vowel formation is limited back there. There must be room for the throat to shape itself to form the vowels well.

 

Ees. Ehs and oos cause problems because there has to be some closed-shaping at the back of the throat to form them. If the "throat-lips" are inhibited by a lazy throat opening, they create vowels which are pinched and dull. (too closed)

 

It's important to understand that Oos are actually Ohs with a little modification. They should feel much like singing an Oh. To practice this, sing an Oh and slowly shape it into an Oo. Use your imagination as much as physically trying to make this happen. The back of the throat shouldn't change much at all. You shouldn't feel it close as it shapes the vowel.

 

Also, we are taught early that an Oo is to be phonated with a small pencil-shaped opening. This puts too much flesh (lips) and boney things (teeth) in the way, muffling and dulling the sound. The lip formation for an Oo should be more open (cigar size) Imagine the sound of the Oo bouncing off the front top of the inside of the mouth. Imagine the sound of the Oo being bright and energetic. Sing an Ee and slowly modify it into an Oo. Does the sound loose its brightness and energy? Keep trying this until it doesn't

 

Try speaking a sentence while you are yawning. This is the feeling you should go for when you sing. Just make sure that the feeling is comfortable and not painful or stressful.

 

Al

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Thanks for that, Al. I love reading your posts.

 

Question - with this yawning feeling, I get a bit confused. When I speak a sentence whilst yawning, it sounds obviously quite stupid and unpleasant. How do you get that feeling when NOT yawning and also not changing the quality of your voice (in a negative way I mean)?

 

Question - if EEEH sounds are traditionally closed off shapings at the back of the throat, why do I find it relatively easy to sing them with volume and resonance? Or am I using some other part of my vocal or facial mechanism to do it perhaps?

 

Thanks again!

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AL - THANKS!! EXCELLENT info.

 

I used your recommendation and noticed an IMMEDIATE gain. Way cool.

 

I have been singing to that Roger Love 'Sing like the stars' CD for two months now. And I am STILL learning stuff. This tip really helped.

 

It sure is fun to learn how to do this stuff. It's almost like learning new tricks on a skateboard. (used to be a sponsored skater years ago)

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To Grace S

 

I often suggest "singing through a yawn" in order to get a student to continuously keep their throat open. It's a matter of degree, however. Trying too hard to get that yawny feeling can (as you said) distort the vocal sound and enunciation. You said you get a bad result when you are speaking. What about singing. I find that using that suggestion helps me and many of my students to keep our throats open, but it certainly wouldn't work in speaking, where we don't elongate or pitch the vowels.

The goal is to teach the throat muscles to always remain open while we sing so the vowels can be clearly formed there. I suggest you start with the "yawn" sensation and then experiment with other ways to accomplish the goal. Remember that repetition is the only way to train muscles.

 

The EE and Eh vowels naturally produce many more high harmonics than do the Ah and O. These high harmonics (treble) sound louder and brighter, even when the throat and lips are more closed in order to shape them. It's a weird concept, keeping the throat open in order to let it close to shape the EEs and EHs. The problems come when your throat is already closed too much as we sing these vowels. Then as the throat tries to form them it has to close too much, since it is already partially closed. (Wow. I just re-read that and am not sure if I helped clarify things or totally confused the issue).

 

I was always confused over the phrase "sing with a pear-shaped tone". I finally found out what that means. The inside of your mouth should be shaped like a pear laying on its side with the fat part at the back. Not sure why I included that here, but somehow it seems relevant.

 

Al

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lol. Is it just because of the accent? I find I do that too.

 

Yup totally. I try to correct it ahead of time but certain words, I'm like dammit!

 

I'll post an example because it's funny sometimes lol!

 

I sang Father, Son at this live venue once and it was the only time I recorded my voice on a decent system...:facepalm:

 

I wonder what would Al say?

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Heheh, yes, accents are hard. I actually do seriously find them hard. Not at all when singing ALONG with other people. I’ve always been so used to emulating and imitating everyone else, and that included the accent, that now whenever I try and sing my own stuff, I just have no idea how to use that standard ever-so-slight / neutral American accent. I always either put a bit too much American in (I’m Australian by the way), or if I try to be a bit more natural and the other way, I tend to sound slightly English which I’m not. Ugh. Then I find certain words just sound lame.

 

Anyway…Al, it does make sense, the throat thing…with the EEH sounds. I feel when I do an EEH sensation with my mouth and throat, that my throat sort of flattens towards the back. So yeah, it does close itself a bit to make that sound…and what you said about it producing a brighter sound, that makes sense and would explain why I find it loud when singing that sound. But yes…to keep the throat open before it naturally closes to produce the sound or else it’ll close too much, that does make sense.

 

With the yawn thing, I do find this hard. I’ve been singing “wrong” for over half my life and never even heard of keeping the throat open. I thought I was doing ok until the discomfort and “pain” started and I then later realised I had no resonance or projection. Unless I’m singing the slightly more classical/higher type songs…then it’s easier, but I don’t WANT to sing those songs, con sarn it!!

 

Anyway, thank you! (the pear thing is useful too, lol)

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