THE VOICE LESSON - MEN

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The Irish brogue brings some "e" vowel into the "a", and we are basically singing an "a" in more of an "e" position. When sing correctly, it sounds like this - play example: 18 (Real Player) Play example: 18 (Mp3 format) Again, we hear the release into head voice. One more example would be an "o" vowel, as in "foe" sung incorrectly - play example: 19 (Real Player) Play example: 19 (Mp3 format) You can hear the vowel is distorted, and again, it's splats and sounds like a yell. Now, let's have our singer put his lips in an "oo" position, as in "zoo". With the lips in an "oo" position, listen to our singer sing the vowel "o" as in "foe" - play example: 20 (Real Player) Play example: 20 (Mp3 format) Often, substituting words with narrower vowels helps to trick the voice out of chest voice and into head voice. With the singer in his head voice, he can then begin to color the vowel back towards the desired vowel, while maintaining the head voice placement. He must make sure not to go too broad and splat the vowel, as that will pull him back down into chest voice and knock out the bridge.

The principle of vowel narrowing is very important. The following list may help you with this principle: If the difficult vowel is: Try: a (as in "may"), ee (as in "we"), a (as in "cat"), eh (as in "let"), eh (as in "let"), ih (as in "sit"), ih (as in "sit"), ee (as in "we"), ah (as in "father"), uh (as in "mother"), uh (as in "mother"), oo (as in "foot"), oo (as in "foot"), oo (as in "toot"). Once our singer is through his first bridge, it is time to see if he can access his second bridge, at A and B flat, above middle C. This is the bridge that so many men are unaware of. The sensation is much the same as the movement from F above middle C to F sharp. That half tone shift in resonance is very noticeable when one is tuned into it. A similar sensation exists between A and B flat above middle C at the second bridge. Not recognizing this is why so many men can't sing above an A natural. Listen to our singer as he sings an octave scale from F below middle C to the F above middle C, and then moves from the F to the F sharp and back and forth between the F and the F sharp. You should easily be able to hear the lift the F sharp has over the F, as the resonance rises higher in the head
-Play example: 21 (Real Player) Play example: 21 (Mp3 format)

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