Answerbag: john lipian's answers

Answer to How can you learn to change the color of your voice?

Mon, 21 Mar 2005 12:10:28 -0800

How can you learn to change the color of your voice?

Your voice color is what it is, based on specific laryngeal construction and anatomical traits. That's like asking how to change your skin color -- it's what you are genetically born with. You should not try to change it. However, by singing darker vowels, or by altering the...

Answer to Is age 22 too late to start voice lessons?

Mon, 21 Mar 2005 11:55:45 -0800

Is age 22 too late to start voice lessons?

Not a chance. Most voice teachers recommend that you do not start vocal training until you are in your twenties to avoid vocal damage that can occur when you are going through your voice change. In fact, it is recommended that tenors not begin serious vocal training until they are in their...

Answer to Does phlegm diminish your singing range?

Mon, 21 Mar 2005 11:46:56 -0800

Does phlegm diminish your singing range?

Yes, phlegm is a bad one to have for singers. Most of us get it at least during the cold months. It is the thickness that will determine how difficult it is to sing with. I agree that water is good for your singing voice, but it does not "wash away phlem from you cords". Since the...

Answer to How do you sing with vibrato?

Mon, 21 Mar 2005 11:38:53 -0800

How do you sing with vibrato?

Vibrato comes from a balance between air pressure and glottal pressure when singing a note. The resulting relaxed sound has a natural undulation when this balance is achieved.

Answer to What vocal warmups/exercises do professional singers use?

Mon, 21 Mar 2005 11:04:38 -0800

What vocal warmups/exercises do professional singers use?

For men, tenors in particular: The best one to develop vocal strength is singing "ee" vowels in scales going up to high notes. This is exactly how Pavarotti claims to have developed his vocal strength -- he calls it e-chor. Do the usual 5-note scale, or a triad if this is too...

Answer to How do I reach and sustain a high note when singing?

Mon, 21 Mar 2005 10:57:56 -0800

How do I reach and sustain a high note when singing?

3 things: increased breath pressure, lifting of the soft palate/blocking off the nasal passages, and good muscle strength in the glottis to keep the folds pressed together under increased breath pressure. Your larynx needs to be low, your pharynx needs to be open and your vocal tract must be...

Answer to I hear the difference between a chest voice (low register) and a head voice (higher register). Can I make my head voice sound like my chest voice, rich and louder? If so, how do I achieve this?

Mon, 21 Mar 2005 10:51:32 -0800

I hear the difference between a chest voice (low register) and a head voice (higher register). Can I make my head voice sound like my chest voice, rich and louder? If so, how do I achieve this?

By all means, yes! But, you cannot do it by using a "falsetto" head voice. You must learn to navigate your voce in piena testa, or legitimate head voice. This is just like your chest voice in regard to your true vocal folds vibrating while pressed together. Contrary to what some...

Answer to When I sing high notes, I sound breathy, and the notes don't hold very long. How can I maintain my high notes?

Mon, 21 Mar 2005 10:41:00 -0800

When I sing high notes, I sound breathy, and the notes don't hold very long. How can I maintain my high notes?

High notes require more strength in your vocal fold adductor muscles (the cricothyroids) to keep them together, as well as a larger amount of breath pressure (note: not breath flow...) You need to excercise your vocal muscles by singing high notes EVERY OTHER DAY -- not every day because they...

Answer to What exercises can I do to help me sing from my diaphragm?

Mon, 21 Mar 2005 10:32:36 -0800

What exercises can I do to help me sing from my diaphragm?

When people say "sing from your diaphragm" they are really referring to control of breath flow through the larynx. Everyone sings from the diaphragm naturally, since the diaphragm is an involuntary muscle associated with breathing. One cannot breath at all without the use of the...

Answer to What does it mean to sing in your "head voice"?

Mon, 21 Mar 2005 10:24:02 -0800

What does it mean to sing in your "head voice"?

"Head voice" is a term generally used to refer to two different things. Traditionally, head voice, or the italian "voce in piena testa", is a sound made by vibration of the true vocal folds once the cricothyroid muscles take over as the primary muscle group adducting the...

Answer to What's the difference between a coloratura soprano, a soprano and a mezzo soprano?

Mon, 21 Mar 2005 09:59:38 -0800

What's the difference between a coloratura soprano, a soprano and a mezzo soprano?

The primary differences are vocal color and passagio points. Vocal color is the the sound quality of the voice (light, heavy, in-between). A heavy sounding voice that has a high range may be a mezzo-soprano, while a light sounding voice with a high range might be a lyric soprano. The most...