Music Lesson: Understanding Tone

In this lesson, I'd like us to consider tone.

What is Tone?

Tone is essential in singing. If you think about when someone phones you up, you instantly know who they are , of course, if you know them. Your tone is, in a way, part of what gives you your vocal signature and makes your voice unique.

Working with singers, I absolutely love this aspect because every person, every singer, is completely individual. What they can do with their voice is unique to them.

Celebrate that and enjoy it in your own voice!

Key Considerations with Tone

Here are a few things to think about with tone, especially in the early stages of learning to sing:

• Controlling Breathiness: One thing we want to consider is controlling the breathiness of a tone. For example, if I sing "I see your true colors shining through" with a really breathy tone, there are a few things happening:
  • It's quite hard to sing.
  • We're not getting full vocal fold closure.

What we're aiming for is a clear tone with phrasing like: "And I see your true colors."

• Breathiness as a Choice: It's fine to use breathiness as a choice once you've become more adept at singing, but in the initial stages, focus on accessing a clear tone.

Enjoy Exploring Your Tone

• Efficient Closure: At this stage, we're avoiding a breathy tone to get used to the efficient closure of the vocal folds, balancing between the breath coming up through the lungs.

Exercises to Develop Tone

Some ways to access a clear tone include using vowels:

• Experiment with different vowels to find which allows for a clear tone versus breathiness.

Practical Exercise

Let's start with some practical exercises:

1. Single Note Practice:

   • If you are a male singer, start an octave lower: "O"
   • This may be low for me, but probably comfortable for you.
   • Remember: don't mimic my approach; it shouldn't feel like you have to be really deep.

2. For Female Voices:

   • Start here: "Three" and then "O".
   • Now, you sing.

3. Move It Up:

   • I'm going to move it up: "Now you."
   • Notice if any of those vowels make a clear tone or sound breathier.

More Tips

• You don't need piano accompaniment; just practice on any note that feels comfortable.
• Get used to the differences in sound where you feel you are achieving a clear tone versus a bit breathier.
• Work on the vowels that feel easiest to you; you don't have to use them in any specific order.

Play around with different combinations for more exploration!