This was something I’ve been so stuck on for so long! Trying to sing in the mask just led to tons of pressure and strain for me. And with the uvula vibrating when you snort sensation, that gave me a WAY more concrete sensation to feel rather than sympathetic vibrations in the head. Playing with this idea and remembering to use the forward high tongue position totally freed my voice to rocket on high! These videos are a gold mine, thank you so much
I couldn't be happier to read this. Thanks for letting me know. Yeah, we all feel things differently, so that's why it's so important to see what gives you the best compass points. Very glad this helped you
your 100% correct and ive had the same experience. Usually instructions with "Placement" just causes constriction. Especially in beginners, and they just end up going in circles. Also I feel like with instructions like placing your sound or air like a laser beam, just cause people to push air. Ive been taught and think that air tends to go where we think, and you end up over blowing your voice if you think past your "voice" or in some area past it in the resonance chamber
This has been my experience, too -- I do know some great singers and teachers who like to place, beam, laser, and get it forward all day long, but it does all the things you describe above to me. I feel like I can only share what's authentically worked well in my own technique. Love the thought of air going where we think -- it's absolutely a meditative witness and collaboration. And yep, past your voice, for me, too, that puts me in a location I have no control over. Appreciate the comment
I think because of your explanation of tongue and pharynxs connection I just now understood what so many vocal coaches mean when they talk about the needed backpressure that humming through a straw is supposed to create. Thank you! I always got confused about the advise to place ones sound forward into the mask. Personally I experienced this approach to cut off much of the sound or resonance...
I'm so glad this made things clearer -- yes, the acoustic environment we set up can create the same kind of back pressure efficiency that we get from SOVTs or straw work. It's just understanding one is an air pressure strategy while the other is an acoustic strategy that yield very similar results. And yep -- some folks find mask-aiming super helpful, so I try to be open to that. I always found it to cause more inefficiencies for me. But every singer is different. Glad this helped you!
@@dancallawaystudio thank you for your reply and for the added clear distinction between the acoustic and the air pressure strategy although they create similar results. I appreciate it.
I was thinking you would have spoken about singing with the nasopharyngeal port open or closed. Some teachers say keeping the port open gives that brighter sound. Others demand it remain closed. Seems like it's highly relevant to a discussion of "mask".
@@ParadNorthProd yeah whether to use nasality or not would be related to this discussion since a lot of singers conflate sympathetic resonance in the mask with vibrating air coming through the nose. As you already know, they're different events. Sometimes nasality can be what a singer wants to produce and others, all through the mouth. Depends on the song and the singer -- thousands of sounds available. Thanks for the comment
I use twang a lot in my technique and teaching. The understanding I gained from how they teach it at Complete Vocal Institute I find super helpful (the continuum of movement/possibility of the epiglottis and the arytenoid cartilages). I think the term was coined by Jo Estill who pioneered a lot of this discovery and training. If anything about the concept confuses you, let me know, and I can put together a video to clarify how I like to use it. Important thing is to define what folks mean when they say it -- that's step one.
@@dancallawaystudio thanks a lot for your answer! I would love if you could do a video on it. The main issue for me is that it sounds extremely bright and nasal and also I'm straining when i practice twang exercises like nae nae, nuh nuh, meow, waen etc.
@@Theprogressivemusician you got it. Yeah I'm glad you realize you need to take a step back because twang should add efficiency and ease -- it can be a confusing concept to understand if it's not clearly explained. I'll get to work on this and I'll make sure to let you know when that video is done.
@@Theprogressivemusician here's a link to a brief explanation from my blog that'll also send you to some useful links at CVI dancallaway.com/the-twang-thang/
@@dancallawaystudio Awesome, thanks and looking forward to the video :) I also realised that there's definitely some necessary twang required to sing efficiently and sound good. My intonation for eg. was suffering due to incorrect placement and just placing my voice a little more forward has basically fixed all my intonation problems and made my diction clearer and easier.
This was something I’ve been so stuck on for so long! Trying to sing in the mask just led to tons of pressure and strain for me. And with the uvula vibrating when you snort sensation, that gave me a WAY more concrete sensation to feel rather than sympathetic vibrations in the head. Playing with this idea and remembering to use the forward high tongue position totally freed my voice to rocket on high! These videos are a gold mine, thank you so much
I couldn't be happier to read this. Thanks for letting me know. Yeah, we all feel things differently, so that's why it's so important to see what gives you the best compass points. Very glad this helped you
your 100% correct and ive had the same experience. Usually instructions with "Placement" just causes constriction. Especially in beginners, and they just end up going in circles. Also I feel like with instructions like placing your sound or air like a laser beam, just cause people to push air. Ive been taught and think that air tends to go where we think, and you end up over blowing your voice if you think past your "voice" or in some area past it in the resonance chamber
This has been my experience, too -- I do know some great singers and teachers who like to place, beam, laser, and get it forward all day long, but it does all the things you describe above to me. I feel like I can only share what's authentically worked well in my own technique. Love the thought of air going where we think -- it's absolutely a meditative witness and collaboration. And yep, past your voice, for me, too, that puts me in a location I have no control over. Appreciate the comment
I think because of your explanation of tongue and pharynxs connection I just now understood what so many vocal coaches mean when they talk about the needed backpressure that humming through a straw is supposed to create.
Thank you!
I always got confused about the advise to place ones sound forward into the mask. Personally I experienced this approach to cut off much of the sound or resonance...
I'm so glad this made things clearer -- yes, the acoustic environment we set up can create the same kind of back pressure efficiency that we get from SOVTs or straw work. It's just understanding one is an air pressure strategy while the other is an acoustic strategy that yield very similar results. And yep -- some folks find mask-aiming super helpful, so I try to be open to that. I always found it to cause more inefficiencies for me. But every singer is different. Glad this helped you!
@@dancallawaystudio thank you for your reply and for the added clear distinction between the acoustic and the air pressure strategy although they create similar results.
I appreciate it.
I was thinking you would have spoken about singing with the nasopharyngeal port open or closed. Some teachers say keeping the port open gives that brighter sound. Others demand it remain closed. Seems like it's highly relevant to a discussion of "mask".
@@ParadNorthProd yeah whether to use nasality or not would be related to this discussion since a lot of singers conflate sympathetic resonance in the mask with vibrating air coming through the nose. As you already know, they're different events. Sometimes nasality can be what a singer wants to produce and others, all through the mouth. Depends on the song and the singer -- thousands of sounds available. Thanks for the comment
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thanks hope it was helpful
What are your thoughts on twang? Many teachers are preaching it as the most efficient way to sing
I use twang a lot in my technique and teaching. The understanding I gained from how they teach it at Complete Vocal Institute I find super helpful (the continuum of movement/possibility of the epiglottis and the arytenoid cartilages). I think the term was coined by Jo Estill who pioneered a lot of this discovery and training. If anything about the concept confuses you, let me know, and I can put together a video to clarify how I like to use it. Important thing is to define what folks mean when they say it -- that's step one.
@@dancallawaystudio thanks a lot for your answer! I would love if you could do a video on it. The main issue for me is that it sounds extremely bright and nasal and also I'm straining when i practice twang exercises like nae nae, nuh nuh, meow, waen etc.
@@Theprogressivemusician you got it. Yeah I'm glad you realize you need to take a step back because twang should add efficiency and ease -- it can be a confusing concept to understand if it's not clearly explained. I'll get to work on this and I'll make sure to let you know when that video is done.
@@Theprogressivemusician here's a link to a brief explanation from my blog that'll also send you to some useful links at CVI dancallaway.com/the-twang-thang/
@@dancallawaystudio Awesome, thanks and looking forward to the video :) I also realised that there's definitely some necessary twang required to sing efficiently and sound good. My intonation for eg. was suffering due to incorrect placement and just placing my voice a little more forward has basically fixed all my intonation problems and made my diction clearer and easier.