TSM Vocal Course 2.3

3.1 TECHNIQUE, Breaking of the voice

Example: Some singers get nervous when they go to the higher notes and some singers feel the voice ‘breaking’. I’ll now explain what happens and what you can do about it.
Explanation: Often misunderstood is that you go from your “breastvoice” to your “headvoice” . But I don’t like to think in those terms. Of course you only have one voice.

What happens when it breaks, is your voice changes instantly to another voice function. For instance you go up from a more strong and heavy sound and change suddenly to a softer more neutral sound. This sudden change causes a break.
So if your voice breaks, you’ll probably have too little breathing support. Use enough twang. You could also raise your softer pallet a bit and feel how that bridges your sound.

Know which vowel and dynamics you are using.

Practice:

sing a neutral ‘EE’ on c-d-e-f-g-a-b-c
sing a strongly heavy line on ‘EE’ c-b-a-g-f-e-d-c, feel the difference
exercise: aa- on neutral – ee 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 aa-ee-aa-ee-aa
on ‘NG’ (from ring) from c down to c
sing a siren on OO.
Now sing a song, for example somewhere over the rainbow. If you have trouble at a certain

point, slowly practice that area, babysteps.
Assignment:

Pick u tune you’re working on where you’re not satisfied with the sound or have trouble with the higher notes, vowels or volume. Practice as above. Record yourself.
It has to feel good, if it doesn’t feel good or you have to cough, you’re doing something wrong. Of course you can feel your muscles working, but that’s ok.

3.2 TECHNIQUE, dynamics in singing

Example: Exercises for using dynamics
Explanation: To express yourself in music you can use dynamics. In every style. Not every singer has the same dynamics, so you have to get to know your own voice. Feel your own limits. Practice:

AAAA crescendo to decrescendo aaa—AAAAA-aaaaaa
IE crescendo to decrescendo
when you get softer don’t lose your support
don’t add more air, just more support
Assignment:

Practice as above, beware what you can do with using dynamics, play with it.

3.3 OTHER STYLES, Brazilian
Example: In the lesson we’ll approach the brazilian music. There are so many beautiful
compositions by famous composers as Jobim, Gilberto, Mendez and many more. Two of my favorite singers are Elis Regina and Joao Gilberto. We’ll talk about timing in this lesson. Explanation: As we learned before in jazz swing we have the triplet 8ths notes feel, in brazilian music we have straight 8ths. BPM 80

Practice:

Metronome on 80 BPM, first sing the 4th notes and your feet on 1 and 3
now the 8th notes, and then the 16th
Rhythmical figures: Repeat after me
“Girl from Ipanima’ on ‘ ‘pa’ . First on the beat , then syncopated. Clap your hands on 4th

then 8th then 16th
Assignment:

Listen to Joao Gilberto, and listen to his timing. Everything is really ‘in front’ or syncopated. Find a song like girl from ipanima / corcovado / so danco samba / chega de saudade etc. and clap and sing along. Feel the rhythm. Sing the melody syncopated.

3.4 RHYTHMICAL FIGURES, Straight
Example: In this lesson we’ll sing straight rhythms. These rhythms you’ll here in Brazilian music, pop music or ballads.
Explanation: It means that every 8th note has the same value. We’ll put the metronome on 80 BPM Practice:

stamp your feet on 1 & 3
Clap or click on 2 & 4
4th doot doot doot doot
8th du-ya du-ya du-ya du-ya little accent on the ya
triplet 8th du-ee-ya du-ee-ya du-ee-ya du-ee-ya
16th du-dl-ee-aa du-dl-ee-aa du-dl-ee-aa du-dl-ee-aa
repeat after me, we’ll speed up the tempo
Now we make a 4 bar rhythm with pattern over the middle barline
We did call and response every 2 bars, now do the same in the group, every two bars your

neighbor will improvise 2 bars.
Assignment:

Make your rhythmical improvisation, make sure to use all 4th 8th triplet 8ths and 16th notes , syncopated notes, patterns ‘over the bar line’
Of course you can use other vowels you like

3.5 RHYTHMICAL FIGURES, Swing
Example: In this lesson we’ll talk about swing. In my opinion if the music doesn’t swing, no matter what style, I don’t feel it.
Explanation: A good timing and feel for swing is something you feel in your body, just like dancing. What makes a swing feel the swing feel and not straight? The 8th notes.
Practice:

stamp your feet on 1 & 3
Clap or click on 2 & 4
4th doot doot doot doot
triplet 8th du-ee-ya du-ee-ya du-ee-ya du-ee-ya accent on aa
now skip the middle 8th (on ‘ee’) now you have swinging 8th notes du-ya
16th du-dl-ee-aa du-dl-ee-aa du-dl-ee-aa du-dl-ee-aa
repeat after me, we’ll speed up the tempo
We did call and response every 2 bars, now do the same in the group, every two bars your

neighbor will improvise 2 bars.
Assignment:

Make your rhythmical improvisation, make sure to use all 4th 8th triplet 8ths and 16th notes, syncopated notes, patterns ‘over the bar line’

3.6 IMPROVISATION, sing the chords

Example: There will never be another you Bbmaj7
Explanation: In this lesson we’ll sing the chords 1-3-5-7. We’re in the key of Bbmaj, and we’ll take 100BPM
Practice:

We’ll start again with singing the bassnotes
Now we’ll sing 1-3-5-5-3-1
And finally we’ll add the 7th 1-3-5-7
now if you leave the 1st beat empty and you sing it more freely you’ll have a bit of an
improvisation.

Assignment: Practice as above, pick your own standard.
3.7 IMPROVISATION, II-IV-I in Major scale

Example: Let’ take a II-IV-I in C major. This is a progression you see very often in a standard, or other music.
Explanation: 2nd degree is Dm7 to the Dominant 5th G7 to the 1st degree Cmaj7.
Practice:

1. Sing the scales
2. Now sing the bassnotes 3. 1-3-5
4. 1-3-5-7
5. repeat after me,
Assignment:

Now write your own patterns at home,record yourself. Try to start on every note, and see if you can add:
9/13. chromatic line  
 
 
3.8 IMPROVISATION, II-IV-I in minor scale

Example: II-IV-I in Am harmonic (explain natural harmonic or aeolian)
Explanation: Every major scale has its parallel minor scale , to get there you go a monir 3rd down. So in C we end on Am, this is natural minor (flat 6 and 7) We have:

  Natural minor
  Harmonic minor (flat 6 , major 7) major 7 create tension to the 8th, while the b6 wants to go

to the 5th. Arabic feel: A-B-C-D-E-F-G#-A sing it over Am, then over the Dominant, you get a b9 and a b13

Practice:
1. Sing the scales 2. 1-3-5
3. 1-3-5-7
 
Assignment:

Now write your own patterns at home, record yourself. Try to start on every note, and see if you can add the
maj7 b9/b13
8th notes and triplet 8th
3.9 IMPROVISATION, chromatic lines
Example: Summertime
Explanation: To improvisation more interesting then singing only the notes of the chords, you can sing colors, using it in chromatic lines from one note to the other.
Practice:

Sing the intervals: c-c#- c-d-c-d#-c e-c-f-c-f#
Repeat after me, and sing along with me
Now a sentence over the progression
You can even try it on Happy Birthday in C
Assignment:

Practice as the exercise, record yourself. Take the simple I-VI-II-V-I progression, and loop it. If this works, try it on a song you’re singing.

3.10 INTERPRETATION of the song

Example: Fly Me To The Moon
Explanation: Interpretation is totally personal. How do you want to express yourself musically. You’ll use all these ingredients we talked about.
Practice:

What does the song mean to you
Timing, frasing
Lyrics, speak out lyrics
Dynamics
Improvisation
Solo’s
Don’t cry yourself, let the audience do it
Assignment:

Take a standard you like. What ideas / feeling / vibe do you have with the song? What tempo fits to your ideas? What style: ballad/swing/bossa/uptempo
First, speak out the lyrics: what are they about and how do they fit you. Sing it as you would speak them. How can you create tension using the ingredients above?
Video record yourself.