[HOW TO DO THE VOLUMES - VOLUME ONE]
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 1 of 44
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 2 of 44
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 3 of 44
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 4 of 44
VOLUME ONE – TABLE OF CONTENTS
Volume One Video Lessons –
01. Volume 1 Introduction
02. How to Do Volume 1
03. Singing Definitions
04. Posture
05. Diaphragm Part 1
06. Diaphragm Part 2
07. Diaphragm Part 3
08. Diaphragm Part 4
09. Rib Cage Expansion
10. Huffing Exercise
11. Lip Drill
12. Tongue Exercise
13. It's the Lah! AH!
14. AA Vowel - Like Laugh
15. AYE - Vowel - Like Lay
16. EE Vowel - Like Lee
17. OH - Like Low
18. OOH Vowel - Like Who
19. Vocal Tract Shaping
20. Mixed Voice and Passaggio
21. Pop R and B Exercise 1
22. Pop R and B Exercise 2
23. Stage Fright
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 5 of 44
VOLUME ONE AUDIO WORKOUTS
Audio Starter Exercises – Do these starter exercises the
first two or three weeks, then go on to the Volume 1
exercises
01. Audio Starter Workouts Divas
01. Divas Starter Exercise Lip Drill
02. Divas Starter Exercise AH Vowel
03. Divas Starter Exercise AA Vowel
04. Divas Starter Exercise EE Vowel
05. Divas Starter Exercise OOH Vowel
06. Divas Starter Exercise AYE-EE-I-OH-OOH
07. Divas Starter Exercise AYE-EE-I-OH-OOH
Chest-Head-Chest Sliders
02. Audio Starter Workouts Dudes
01. Dudes Starter Exercise Lip Drill
02. Dudes Starter Exercise AH Vowel
03. Dudes Starter Exercise AA Vowel
04. Dudes Starter Exercise Aye Vowel
05. Dudes Starter Exercise EE Vowel
06. Dudes Starter Exercise OOH Vowel
07. Dudes Starter Exercise Aye, EE, I, OH,
OOH Vowels
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 6 of 44
Volume One Audio Exercises - Ken guides
03. Main Audio Workouts
01. Divas & Dudes Lip Roll 1
02. Divas & Dudes Lip Roll 2
03. Divas & Dudes Correct Breath
04. Divas & Dudes Tongue Exercise 1
05. Divas & Dudes Tongue Exericse 2
06. Divas & Dudes Monitor Tension
07. Divas & Dudes AH Vowel
08. Divas & Dudes LAH Triads
09. Divas & Dudes Major LAH Scale
10. Divas & Dudes AA Instructions
11. Divas & Dudes LAA Triads
12. Divas & Dudes LAH - LAA instructions
13. Divas & Dudes LAA - LAH Major Scale
14. Divas & Dudes EE Vowel Explanation
15. Divas & Dudes EE Vowel Triads
16. Divas and Dudes EE Major Scale
17. Divas & Dudes Inverted Scale
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 7 of 44
Volume One Audio Exercises – Piano Guide
04. Audio Workouts Piano Guide
01. Lip Roll 1 Piano Guide
02. Lip Roll 2 Piano Guide
03. Tongue Exercise 1 Piano Guide
04. Tongue Exercise 2 Piano Guide
05. AH Vowel Exercise 1 Piano Guide
06. AH Vowel Exercise 2 Piano Guide
07. AYE Vowel 1 Piano Guide
08. AA & AH Vowels Piano Guide
09. EE Vowel 1 Piano Guide
10. EE Vowel 2 Piano Guide
11. AH Vowel Long Scale Piano Guide
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 8 of 44
VOLUME ONE – TABLE OF CONTENTS
(Continued)
03 - Volume 1 Student Demonstration Videos
01. THE BASICS with Gabriela
02. Diaphragmatic Breathing
03. Abdominal Breath Exercise
04. Rib Cage Expansion
05. The Lip Roll
06. The Tongue Exercise
07. It's The LAH! AH!
08. AH Vowel Modifications 1
09. AH Vowel Modifications 2
10. AH Vowel Vocal Timbres
11. AA (Like Laugh) Vowel
12. OH Vowel
13. OOH Vowel
14. EE Vowel
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 9 of 44
VOLUME ONE – TABLE OF CONTENTS
(Continued)
04 – Better Pitch Videos
01. Better Pitch Introduction
02. Toggle Exercise 1 - Interval of 2. Don't Scoop
03. Toggle Exercise 2 - A Little Faster
04. Toggle Exercise 3 - Interval of 3
05. Toggle Exercise 4 - Bigger Gap -Turbo Prop - Interval of 5
06. Toggle Exercise 5 - Root-7 Interval
07. Toggle Exercise 6 - Root-3-5 Triad
08. Octave Toggle Exercise 7
09. Understanding Pitch
10. Applying Pitch Closing Comments
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 10 of 44
Welcome to Volume 1
SO HOW EXACTLY DO I DO THIS?
Volume 1 lays out the foundation, and in fact is the cornerstone,
towards great singing. Begin by watching all of the videos several
times until you are familiar with all the concepts. This will give you a
visual overview to the exercises we then run through in the audio
exercises.
You’ll be re-watching the Videos many times. Each time you watch
the videos, you’ll notice something new. Even after you’ve gone on
to a new Volume, go back and re-watch previous volumes. You’ll
keep getting new insights, based on what you’ve learned since the
last time you watched it.
You will benefit from this program in direct proportion to how much
of yourself you put into it. You will need to focus your attention to
the best of your ability, as much as you can. You will learn more
from your practice if instead of mindless repetition, you focus on a
highly-targeted, error-focused process. Instead of glossing past
mistakes and wrong notes, be like a laser-beam, correcting yourself
as you go, pausing or stopping the playback and going over small
details again and again, until you get them right. THEN resume
normal play, until the next area you encounter that needs attention.
Fix things as you go along.
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 11 of 44
At other times, it’s OK to just move along and “get through”
lessons, but you will benefit greatly from highly-focused attention to
detail.
I highly recommend that you always record yourself as you
practice. This can be as easy as using an old “boom-box” cassette
recorder from a second-hand store. Just push “Record” at the
beginning of every practice session, and have a tape loaded up.
Periodically, do random checks and see what you’re doing right
and see what you’re doing wrong. Use that information to make
small corrections as you go along. Also, most of us just HATE the
way we sound on a recording. That’s very common. It’s because
we aren’t used to hearing our own voices the way others hear it. If
you record yourself all the time, you’ll get over that aversion a lot
sooner. Soon you’ll catch yourself doing something that sounds
really good. Take note of the things you are doing right, so you can
do them more. Take note of the things you are doing that need
improvement so that you can gradually improve each item.
STRUCTURE
VOLUME ONE is Divided into 4 sections:
1. Volume One Video Lessons – watch these periodically. You’ll
need to review them from time-to-time. You’ll always notice
something you missed before, so watch several times.
2. Volume One Audio Workouts – These will be your daily
practice routine. Do the workout twice. One time, Stretching
your Chest Voice. One more time, bridging into Head Voice.
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 12 of 44
Start with the Audio workouts Labelled Audio Starter
Exercises. They are slower, to help you get started. After about 3
weeks, when you get proficient with these exercises, move on to
the main Volume 1 Audio Workouts. These are a little faster, and
require a little more skill.
3. Volume One Student Demonstrations – These are additional
videos that show me teaching many of the Volume One
Concepts to KTVA students, in this case, Gabriela Gunčíková.
It’s often helpful to watch someone else learn to see how they
handle the same tasks. (By the way, don’t “roll” your tongue like
that on the tongue exercise.) Watch and learn, and do the
exercises along with myself and Gabriela.
4. Better Pitch – This is an optional program that you should work
through if you are having problems with pitch. Even if you are
not having pitch issues, you may learn a thing or two in this
additional program. Good Pitch is not optional. If you are having
problems, you will need to spend some time on these exercises.
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 13 of 44
HERE WE GO:
Learning the craft of singing is not an instantaneous thing. In fact,
it is a journey that you are just beginning, whether you’ve been
singing for years, or just starting out. The journey continues for the
rest of your singing life, and your progress will continue for as long
as you continue to work these exercises and follow these
instructions. Your voice will continue to grow. There will be
plateaus, where you think you are done, and then you will be
surprised by your next breakthrough. You will have many “AHA!”
moments. Let’s get started!
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 14 of 44
POSTURE
Keep your torso straight and your neck straight. Don’t get
your spine tipped in any direction: not forward, backward, left
or right. Stand or sit straight up. If you choose to sit,
remember you lose about 25-30% of your support and makes it
more difficult to maximize your vocal workout.
Also, if you try to drive when doing your workout there are many
factors to consider:
1. You need to give your full attention to your driving. If you do
try to drive and practice, you will get distracted on the road
and not be able to give your workout its full attention /
concentration. While a less-focused vocal workout is better
than NO vocal workout, a FOCUSED, Error-Correcting
workout is always going to give you better vocal results, faster.
You won’t get the same quality level of practice value out of
half-attention practices. You will get far better results from
having your workout be the center of your attention and the
focus of your mind. That level of learning and attention cannot
be maintained while driving. Multi-tasking is never as efficient
as focused, task-oriented, item-by-item work.
2. You will not have full diaphragmatic support, because you are
sitting.
3. You will probably compete for volume, whether it is from road
noise, outside noise, and/or playing your stereo too loud when
practicing, so there is a strong tendency to over sing when
driving. Singing loudly to overcome this competing sound will
wear on your voice.
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 15 of 44
DIAPHRAGMATIC SUPPORT
Some people feel they already know what this is, but in reality they
don’t. If they do, they are often not using it correctly.
Start here. Make sure you fully understand support and are using it
correctly as laid out in the Volume 1 videos/DVD.
When you take in a breath, your stomach will protrude outward, when
you sing a phrase, you will push down on this area releasing the air
(sort of like you are going to the bathroom, apologies for the crude
analogy) and then completely relax the diaphragm the moment the
phrase is done. This is very important so that it does not get bound up
and locked down inhibiting your diaphragmatic strength for the next
phrase. Visualize an accordion going in and out.
THE AH VOWEL - THIS IS CRITICAL!!!! DO NOT MOVE ON PAST
THIS UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND THIS - I CAN’T EMPHASIZE THIS
ENOUGH
Some of the most seasoned singers who have studied the voice for
years still do not understand the importance of this simple vowel.
Some students say “Oh please, you’re not going to show me how to
sing an ah vowel are you? I’ve been singing that all my life.” Funny
thing is, they have been singing it WRONG all their lives, and old
habits are hard to break.
The AH Vowel is “Home Position” for Open Throat Singing. All Vowels
stem from the AH (except EE and Ooh).
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 16 of 44
The tongue MUST be dropped flat to the base of the jaw (especially in
the back of the throat) and must not constrict the back of the throat in
any way. Stand in front of a mirror. Look at the back of your throat. Is
your tongue completely dropped and as flat as it can be?
ALSO: Is the uvula, also known as the soft palate (the little dangly
thing in the back of your throat) rising up and out of sight as you start
to ascend a scale? When you get good at this it should disappear up
into the head. Your voice should have a nice bright, brassy “PING” to
it when you have good placement. ***PLEASE MAKE SURE*** your
digastric muscle (the muscle directly underneath your chin) does not
“come down” during your exercises. It should also stay flat with no
tension.
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 17 of 44
OPEN THROAT
You may wonder why we’re going to spend so much time with the AH
vowel. This course is based on Open Throat Singing. The AH vowel
is the Most Open of all vowels. We’re going to REALLY open up the
throat on the Ah vowel, more than you’ve probably ever opened up
your throat while singing. Whenever you find yourself clamping down
in the throat, you can always go back to the Ah Vowel and find your
open throat again. Not only is the AH vowel somewhat wide
horizontally in the throat, it is the TALLEST vowel, open vertically
more than any other vowel in the vocal tract. That’s why the doctor
asks you to say “AH” when he needs to see down your throat. He
doesn’t tell you to say AA, Aye, Oh, Ooh, ih, Uh, I, or EE. He wants
you to OPEN UP and say AH.
We’re going to be doing a lot of opening up of the vocal tract, and
training to get a wide-open AH. The other vowels will gradually be
wider, but less tall. AA is like AH, but a little less tall and a little wider.
Aye is a little less tall than AA, but a little bit wider. EE is the widest
vowel, but the least tall in the throat and mouth. As we move from AH
towards EE, the mouth gets wider and less tall. The jaw and tongue
will rise a bit more on these other vowels. Although we try to keep the
tongue to the base of the jaw, and to keep the jaw open wide on AH,
they both will come up some as the other vowels widen and become
less tall. That’s OK. Keep as open as you comfortably can for each
vowel.
Oh and Ooh are a little different. Oh is AH, but rounded, and Ooh is
Oh, but with the rounded lips and back of the throat closed a bit more.
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 18 of 44
Whenever we find that we are tensing up on a song or clamping down
to get to the notes, we will go back to the AH vowel and open back up
and find our relaxation. We want to be open and relaxed.
TENSION
Constantly monitor yourself (especially in the mirror when
possible) to make certain you do not have any tension in the
chest, neck and throat. Also, hold your thumb underneath
your chin to make sure your digastric muscle does not come
down. It must stay relaxed and flat.
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 19 of 44
STRETCHING CHEST VOICE
This must be done over a very long period of time, so don’t get in a
hurry with this. We will alternate workouts, Two Times through the
workouts per day. One time we will sing with a little bit more volume,
and we will RESIST bridging at the passaggio. We will stay in chest
voice and go as high as we can in chest voice without straining.
When we can go no higher in chest voice, we stop and wait until the
exercise playback comes down to rejoin the exercise, OR we can sing
the rest of the high part of the scale in head voice and go back into
chest as soon as the scale gets low enough. The idea is to resist
singing in head voice, and to grow our chest voice to higher
notes. Slowly, these new chest voice notes will take root as we lightly
stretch. Remember to Stretch, Don’t Strain. Your voice will get the
idea and begin to grow more notes at the top of your chest voice range.
We are growing muscle here, and like any other muscle, it doesn’t
happen in a week or two. It’s more like months, and even years to get
to some of the really high notes.
But as you stimulate growth by this gentle stretching process, you will
gradually add notes to your chest voice range, and be able to choose
where you want to shift between chest voice and head voice, rather
than be stuck at the same place every time you transition. Don’t overdo
it or strain, as that will give you setbacks in the process.
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 20 of 44
BRIDGING WORKOUT
In the Second part of our daily workout we will be very lightly
doing our Bridging (smoothly connecting chest voice with
head voice, while avoiding the break/yodel).
CONNECTING CHEST WITH HEAD
This must be done VERY lightly at first so that there is NO break in
the voice between chest and head. First, remember the previously
mentioned steps: POSTURE – SUPPORT – THE AH VOWEL - OPEN
THROAT.
Half of your workouts will be stretching your chest voice range.
The other half of your workouts will be smoothing out your
bridging without a “speed bump” or yodel as you shift from one singing
register to another.
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 21 of 44
***VERY IMPORTANT***
There is much confusion about terms like Chest Voice, Upper Chest
Voice, Upper-Mid Voice, Mid Voice, Falsetto, Head Voice, Mix Voice,
Head-Chest Mix, Register Break and so on. There is a glossary of
terms at the end of this manual to give you a reference to look some
of these terms up. Don’t be too rigid with the terms. Use them to
help you gain an understanding of the concepts, but use them
interpretively.
THIS MUST BE SAID!
Scuola Italiana del Belcanto, translated freely as The Italian School of
Beautiful Singing, is the major component of what I teach and is
known as Appoggio.
DO NOT OVER-COMPARTMENTALISE all of these terms and
phrases people have coined; they are not set in stone. They are tools
for describing and discussing separate areas of the complete voice.
Think of the voice as a whole, rather than the component parts. The
component parts work together to make the whole.
Your voice is one instrument. It is not one separate piece here and
another separate piece there; it is not to be broken up into unrelated
sections. Like the full range of motion of your leg, your voice must be
thought of in the same way. Every part "leans" on another part to
make it work. The concept of diaphragmatic breathing (or "leaning" on
the support of your breath) is KEY. Many claim to understand this
when in fact they don't.
With that said, when we discuss the passaggio (or passageway) from
a chest voice to head voice connection, do not think of your voice as if
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 22 of 44
it were two separate voices. It’s one voice with different areas that
“register” or make sound, a little differently. Think of it like your leg: a
quad-hamstring section (upper) and a calf area (lower) that connect at
the knee. The "knee" (by way of illustration) would be your passaggio
or your "break". I call it the "speed bump" when you disconnect and
yodel at the break. When we connect smoothly, without the break, we
call that “bridging”.
We strengthen the "knee", or passaggio, to be able to support the full
power and range of the leg. When we build the voice, we must think of
it as one full-range, long voice, made up of different notes and
qualities. Sure, the leg can have different functions and parts, but
ultimately it is one leg.
You will find that once you build this full range, not favoring any part of
the leg, but working the muscles equally to have balance and support
to support full range of motion of the leg, it will serve in the full
capacity it was intended.
If we favor any area of the leg, and not "work out" any portion, like any
muscle, the unused parts will start to atrophy and become weak.
Once this happens, this section of your voice will break down.
Therefore, we will work the full range of the voice in the same way so
that we do not develop "soft spots" or "notches" on the cord.
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 23 of 44
THE AUDIO WORKOUT – DAILY EXERCISES
BEFORE DOING THE AUDIO WORKOUT: Watch the videos
all the way through several times to get comfortable and familiar
with the concepts and exercises.
Do only one KTVA volume at a time.
So how exactly do you do the audio workout? Think of this as a
short warmup, followed by two different workouts, one after
the other:
Warmup - (Lip Burbles and Tongue exercise)
1. First time through, Stretch Chest
2. Second time through, Bridge into head voice
Part 1: Stretching Chest Voice
ALWAYS: Warm-up first: Start out performing the lip roll and
tongue exercise very gently and easy. Allow your head voice to
come in where it naturally wants to shift. Work on smoothly
connecting chest voice and head voice without a “speed bump”
or yodel. DO connect at your bridge when Warming Up.
PURPOSE: To strengthen and stretch the range of the
chest voice. Grow new notes in the Chest Voice.
 The first half of your daily workout (After the Lip Roll and
Tongue Exercise Warmups) should be Stretching Chest Voice
and refraining from going into head voice. You will Gently
Stretch (not strain) your Chest Voice as high as you can.
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 24 of 44
 Chest Voice stretching starts out on the first AH vowel exercise,
and continues through the rest of the audio workout. Try to
make it all the way to the end of the audio portion without going
into head voice (falsetto), but only if you can do it without strain.
 Use a full chest resonant sound. Do not roll into head voice
when stretching chest voice. Instead RESIST the temptation
to allow your head voice to come in. You may need to add a
little bit of volume to remain in chest voice.
 Refer back to the videos as much as needed for the correct
vowel modifications discussed in the video. The vowel
modifications will help you to remain in chest voice a little
longer.
 Constantly monitor yourself for support and tension. It is also
extremely helpful to record yourself and listen back if possible to
“hear/see” if you are doing it correctly.
 Don’t be so focused on getting the scales perfect at first.
Concentrate more on the support and feeling in your
throat.
 Once you feel confident of the feeling in the throat, you can
focus more on the pitch and exact scale notes. Stop the
playback and work on rough spots, hone them, and work out the
flaws. Then resume working along to the playback.
 You will notice your volume may increase. This is a good thing.
Not to over-sing, but to build resonance. Avoid oversinging.
 After you have completed the chest resonance “stretching”,
you can move on to lightly building the bridge.
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 25 of 44
Part 2: BRIDGING
 The Second part of your daily workout should be to repeat the
audio exercises, but this time, do them a little more lightly,
and go ahead and release into head voice.
 As you feel yourself approaching the passaggio, apply your
vowel modifications to get just a little more range out of your
chest voice, but then go ahead and find your connection to head
voice sooner in the scale than when you were stretching your
chest voice. This time through the second part of your workout,
you are focusing on smoothing out the connection at the
passaggio, so don’t resist head voice. Allow head voice. Bridge,
instead of resisting. Bridging is easier at a lower volume, so
these workouts should be lighter than your volume level for
stretching chest.
 Start to “hand off” the chest voice into the head voice where you
feel comfortable.
 As you feel more and more comfortable with this, keep the
volume the same all the way through the scale. Do not favor the
break and do it lighter than the rest of the scale; keep the
volume the same and only sing as loud as you can connect, no
more. Gradually you will be able to build more volume through
the passaggio, and therefore bring up the volume of the entire
scale or phrase.
 Don’t stay in the “strike zone”, meaning when connecting head
and chest, don’t “hover” on the bridge point. Go quickly and
smoothly past this point into head voice. Bridging is easier when
remaining in motion on your scale or phrase of a song. It’s
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 26 of 44
harder if you slow down or stop, much like riding a bicycle. Don’t
hyper-focus on it. If you do, there is a reflexive tendency to
“close off” the back of the throat making it much more difficult to
“get it”.
 If you do it quickly, your voice will cross over this area and you
will learn bridging faster and with more confidence.
 Once you get good at this, we will focus on “connecting” from
chest to head “later” or higher up the scale. Ultimately, it is best
to connect chest with head as late as possible. This will keep
your chest voice nice and strong.
 More appropriately, around the end of volume two into volume
three, you will be able to bring the head voice “down”, connecting
as early as possible and moving into a mixed voice. Mixed voice
is a combination of chest and head.
 You will find that you will eventually be able to do this over about
8 to 10 notes or even more when you get really good at it.
 Once you feel you understand these fundamental elements, it is
time to move on to Volume 2.
 If you practice like I recommend, one hour per day 5-6 days per
week, you should be able to move to Volume 2 in about 12
weeks or so. Take your time, as much time as it takes.
 Remember, everyone is different so don’t worry if it takes longer.
Some people need as long as 6 months or more. Everyone is
different. Don’t skip over anything, but go at your own speed.
The important thing is to not rush through it. Make sure you fully
understand it. Don’t watch the video once and think you have fully
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 27 of 44
grasped all the info and given your muscle structures time to
grow. Refer back to the lessons several times.
If you want to achieve gains even faster, you may do your dual
workouts more than once per day. If you are going to do this, do your
lessons back to back with only about a 15-30 minute break in
between. Try not to do them at separate ends of the day as it will not
be as effective.
Important Point 1: Always do your full warm up and exercises before
your rehearsal or show.
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 28 of 44
Important Point 2: Always try to do your warm ups the NEXT DAY
after a show. Try not to take the day off. This will help you stay in
good, lean, running condition to keep moving forward.
Important Point 3: Always try to warm up around the same time every
day. The voice has a biological clock and likes to be warmed up at the
same time every day. You will see better results this way.
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 29 of 44
COMMON QUESTIONS
What do I do if I am experiencing soreness in my throat?
I am not going to give you medical advice. I am not an ENT.
My experience is that several things factor into this:
Sore for the most part is okay (I’m not talking raw, I’m talking a little
sore). Like any muscle that gets worked out, it gets sore, so sore is
ok.
HOARSE IS NOT! If you keep going hoarse, you are doing something
incorrectly. I suggest you take a web cam lesson. Also, if you sang the
night before a little too hard and have a little hoarseness the next day,
that happens all the time. Work your lesson extra gentle and easy
until the voice warms up. You can then resume your normal workout.
This will help keep elasticity in the cords and keep you in good shape,
especially when on the road or in a club situation when you must sing
night after night. Going hoarse is also a sign of straining and using
too much air. I cover glottal compression in Volume 3, but it is too
premature to cover air stricture in Volume 1. My suggestion is that
you refer back to open throat and the bright “PING” I demonstrate to
get the correct use of air at this stage.
What about ELIXIRS/SPRAYS/EATING DAIRY/CONSUMING XX
before a show?
I have found that the very best thing during a performance is room
temperature water. Nothing else. No carbonated beverages. Alcohol
dries you out. People that use glycerin-based products need to
understand that you are “coating” your throat with sugar (like a form of
mucous). What do we do when we have mucous in the throat? We
scrape the chord with air (much like what we do when we strain when
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 30 of 44
we sing incorrectly) to get rid of the phlegm to dislodge it from our
throat and chords. Not good.
When should I eat before a performance?
Try not to eat up to 1.5 hours before a show. You will be burping up
your food when using your diaphragm throughout the whole
performance. Acid reflux will irritate your vocal cords.
When is it time to take a web cam or in studio lesson with Ken?
These are always good times to take private instructions:
 When you feel stuck on a part.
 When you feel like you are ready to move on to the next level,
but are not sure if you are doing it correctly.
 When you want help working up a specific song.
 When you are having vocal issues.
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 31 of 44
BEFORE A PERFORMANCE
Again, always warm up about 1 hour before a show leaving only about
15-30 minutes before you sing. Otherwise you will have warmed up
too early. DON’T CHEAT. Do as much as you can. Find the best
possible quiet place with the least amount of distraction. If you do it in
the dressing room, make sure you are not competing with other noise,
such as the opening act already loudly banging it out (unless that’s
you LOL!) or guitarists warming up in the dressing room etc. DO NOT
OVER SING when warming up in these situations!
KEN’S PERFORMANCE RECOMMENDATIONS
PACE YOURSELF!!! DON’T PUT YOUR MOST DIFFICULT SONGS
IN THE FRONT OF THE SET!!! I know the rest of the band wants to
“come out with a bang” but find another way to do it. Place your
toughest stuff about song 3-4 and dispersed between other easier
songs to sing. If you do this your voice will be so strong at the end of
the set, you will feel like you can do it all over again and even better! If
you don’t, you will struggle like the marathon runner who gave it up
too early and now has to figure out how to finish the race. Remember,
people rarely remember the opening, but they always remember the
middle and end. Save your killers for the end. Leave them wanting
more!!!
SINGING WHEN OLDER
I get this type of inquiry all the time: “I’ve lost my mojo and much of my
range because I’m now xx years old.”
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 32 of 44
Remember, your voice is a muscle, and like any muscle in your body,
if trained properly, it can be built back up. Your progress will
obviously not be as quick or robust as if you were in your twenties,
but it’s very achievable just the same. It will require a bit more
dedication and a little more patience. If you are consistent with it, you
will see substantial gains and ultimately find yourself very close to
where you were if you are willing to put in the time and energy.
CONCLUSION
Ladies and gents, you will get out of this what you put into it. It’s just
that simple!
Remember, the video portion is just the explanation. The audio
portion is your actual workout.
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 33 of 44
How Do I Know When It Is Time To Move On To Volume 2?
When:
 You have good posture
 You understand and are using correct support
 Your tongue is dropped to the base of your jaw
 You keep your jaw wide open
 You are consistently monitoring stress/tension away from the
chest neck and throat
 You have a strong understanding of the Ah vowel
 You are keeping the Ah vowel nice and bright at all times
 You are starting to understand vowel modifications
 You are able to connect your chest voice to your head voice.
 You have gotten a good start on stretching your chest voice.
You would then apply the video content to the audio workout (ideally)
5-6 days per week.
After about 12 weeks or more of this kind of training, it may be time to
move on to Volume 2 and so on.
GOOD SINGING TO YOU!
Ken Tamplin
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 34 of 44
KTVA VOLUME ONE VOWEL MODIFICATIONS CHART
Root
Vowel
As in
1st Mod As in
2nd Mod As in 3rd mod As in
AH
Lah
aw
loft
oo
look
ooh
ooh
loft
w/mask oo
look
ooh
ooh
AA
Laugh
aw
Root
Vowel
As in
1st Mod As in
2nd Mod As in 3rd mod As in
AYE
Lay
uh
love
oo
look
ooh
ooh
led
A
Late
A-EE
A-EE
AH/AA
Vowel
Family
AYE/EE
Vowel
Family
The EE Vowel is its "own animal"
EE
Lee
eh
Root
Vowel
As in
1st Mod As in
2nd Mod As in 3rd mod As in
OH
Low
aw
loft
ooh
ooh
OOH
O in the
throat,
closed to
ooh
oh
low
uh
love
ooh
OH/Ooh
Vowel
Family
who
The mods take place in the back of the throat while the face retains the facial position for the root vowel
Each Vowel always maintains the integrity of the original vowel as the modifications are applied and blended as an overlay
AH is the tallest vowel in the back of the throat, and not as pharyngeally wide as EE.
EE is the widest vowel in the back of the throat, and not as tall as AH.
EE mods have a bit of the French "oonh" with just a little more resonance the nose.
The "E" family vowels are "fringe vowels" that are not found in appoggio/Italian roots
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 35 of 44
ADDITIONAL HELP AND SUPPORT: The KTVA FORUMS
You can ask questions, submit scale exercises for evaluation
and feedback, and generally have a great time hanging out with
about 10,000 singers like yourself, who are on a similar journey.
There are sections in the forums dedicated to every part of the
course. Your KTVA purchase gives you access to exclusive
student areas on topics not available to the general public.
Forums access is a privilege, not a right. Please respect the
terms of use for the forums.
The forums make the self-study aspect of the course become an
interactive process. You can get feedback and guidance and
meet others who are going through the same learning process
that you are experiencing. You’re not alone. You’re among
friends.
Get advice. Learn from your peers. Help others.
https://forum.kentamplinvocalacademy.com/
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 36 of 44
GLOSSARY OF VOCAL TERMS
Term
Definition
alto
The lower of the main female vocal fachs. Up to a third (three notes) above a tenor.
Ampitheater
Outdoor theater or arena built in a manner to amplify the voice. Early ampitheaters
were built to enhance the natural acoustics of speakers, actors, and singers. The
"ampitheaters" in our vocal tract naturally acoustically enhance the resonance of higher
frequencies when we make use of vocal tract shaping and vowel modifications.
Appoggio
An Italian term, which literally means "To lean on". It is used to describe the use of
diaphragmatic breath support when singing. A feeling of leaning on the diaphragm,
holding it down, so as to reduce the amount of air pressure on the vocal cords. A
feeling of pressing down on the diaphragm can help to slow the rise of the diaphragm,
to assist with reducing air flow and air pressure while singing.
4
arpeggios
Regular intervallic steps in a scale. Arpeggiated scales maintain intervals at a regular
spacing, to encourage muscle growth and agility in the voice. The notes of a chord
played or sung in rising or descending order
5
baritone
Baritone - mid-range male vocal fach. Centered above the bass range, below the tenor
range.
6
bass
The lowest of the vocal fachs.
belly breath
Belly Breath - another component of the diaphragmatic breath support system. The
belly is expanded and extended in order to create more space for the diaphragm to
come down. When the diaphragm comes down lower, there is less tendency for the air
to be forced out of the lungs. By monitoring the retraction of the belly, the singer has
an indicator of how much of the breath has been used and how much is still remaining.
By keeping the belly extended out longer, the breath is released more slowly. The belly
is only an indicator; in fact the expansion takes place all the way around, including the
back and sides of the abdominal cavity. It's just most apparent at the frontal portion of
the belly, because that can be expanded the most. A true "belly breath" is a 360-degree
expansion of the lower abdominal cavity, and creates room for the diaphragm to be
kept from rising prematurely, thus conserving the breath.
1
2
3
7
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 37 of 44
8
9
bridge
Can be a noun or a verb. To “Bridge” means to go from chest voice into head voice or
vice-versa. Your “Bridge” is the area of your voice where you do the bridging, from
chest voice into head voice, or vice-versa. We try to bridge smoothly, without a yodel
or register break at our bridge. We “cross the bridge” to get from one register to
another.
Bright Sound
Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy advocates a bright, timbral sound. This sound is made by
way of good cord closure, and a bright smile, raised cheeks, smiling up into the eyes,
with the soft palate raised for high notes. An open throat is maintained, as is an open
jaw, and the tongue is kept to the base of the jaw. The sound is directed towards the
hard surfaces of the hard palate, the backs of the upper teeth, and the space just below
the nose. This is the sound that is most efficient for creating a resonant ring in the
voice, and pleasing formants. For these reasons I say that “The Bright Sound is the Only
Sound that truly Grows the Voice”.
10 call voice
11
caught on the
cord
Call Voice - the mid voice, between the primo passaggio and the secondo passaggio,
when at a slightly higher volume than ordinary mid voice. An emphasis is used, as if
calling out to someone who is breaking into your car 50 feet away: "Hey You! Get Away
From My Car!!!" To “Call Out” to someone. Belting Register.
A sensation of the cartilage of the larynx becoming momentarily caught or unhinged
from overtensioning the vocal cords.
12 chest voice
Chest voice - (also called Modal Voice) the speaking resister for most males. Your low
notes, below the secondo passaggio, and for the most part, below the primo passaggio.
The actual head voice/chest voice division would normally be the secondo passaggio,
and mid voice or call voice would be considered to still be a part of the "chest" voice by
most. The chest voice uses the entire length of the vocal cords, and can engage a depth
of cord closure that makes for a very deep and simultaneously bright sound. This comes
from the slapping together of a greater depth of cord closure, and makes for a rich,
strong vocal sound. The chest voice is said to be able to be felt vibrating, or resonating
in the sternum, hence the name "chest voice". Many vocalists and instructors cannot
take their chest voice very high in range. Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy trains students to
build an extended chest voice range, beyond that of other singing courses.
13 compression
As we sing songs, we may want to put a little more emphasis on the lyrics, the note, or
on the sound of the voice. One way to do this is to compress the voice. This can be
done by holding down on the diaphragm and holding back the air at the same time we
allow the sound to escape. This has an overall effect of causing the sound to become a
bit thicker, beefier. It requires a lot of diaphragmatic support. When we compress, we
are actually stretching the vocal folds and closing them together, to keep the air from
passing through freely. It’s like when you blow through a reed of grass to make a
whistle. The more you tighten the reed, the less air passes through. We mitigate the air
through resistance. Over-compressing can fatigue the cords.
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 38 of 44
14 connect
To successfully go through the passaggio without a break or yodel; to smoothly connect
chest voice and head voice in a seamless and undetectable manner. Connecting chest
voice to head voice without a change in volume and without a break in the voice.
15 cord closure
Cord Closure: the act of closing together the vocal cords, so as to minimize non-sound
producing air blowing through the cords. Good cord closure produces more tone, poor
cord closure dries the cords out with excessive air and very little tone.
covered
16
sound
Operatic singers often sing in what is called a "covered" sound. The lips are rounded
and cover the teeth. The sound is also "rounded" in the throat. This creates a darkened
tone, called "Oscuro".
17 diaphragm
The engine that drives the voice. A very large muscle, roughly the shape of a parachute,
or dome, attached to the bottom ribs, that acts as a bellows to the lungs. We ordinarily
flex this muscle downward to inhale, and let it relax upwards to exhale. In singing,
greater control is needed on the exhale. This control is called diaphragmatic support,
and takes several forms. Breathing is normally an autonomic function, and singing is
not. All singing takes place during the exhale of the breath. Simply allowing the breath
to “do its own thing” on the exhale is not an option. Hence, several countermeasures
are used in order to achieve finer control over the exhalation process.
The act of taking control over the relaxation response of the diaphragm to vary and
enhance the exhalation of the breath upon which singing takes place. Support can
suspend, or put the brakes on the otherwise uncontrolled tendency of the breath to
blast out, or to overblow the vocal cords. Diaphragmatic support includes the use of the
entire abdominal cavity, 360 degrees around, to operate and to harness the power of
diaphragmatic the diaphragm. The transverse abdominus runs through the torso and into the back. It
18
support
runs down the spinal column, and along the diaphragm, where it can expand the lower
back and sides. This supports, or buttresses the diaphragmatic response. So the
diaphragm and the transverse abdominus work together to operate the diaphragmatic
mechanism, which also includes the solar plexus. It's the combination of these muscle
structures that creates what we refer to as diaphragmatic strength. It's a group of
muscles that work together to power the voice.
19 Fach
Your Vocal "Type". Bass, Baritone, Tenor, Alto, Soprano. There are 25 total types,
subclasses, and variations of vocal fachs. They are all classifications to help "batch"
singers according to their range. At KTVA, we help singers to sing beyond their typecast fach.
20 falsetto
An airy version of head voice. The vocal cords are not held together, so an airy, hooty,
flutey sound is made in the upper vocal register in falsetto.
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 39 of 44
21
glottal
compression
This is a technique for holding back the air when singing. It is actually a form of holding
the breath, and slowly releasing the air at a reduced pressure. When a vocalist learns to
do this properly, they can reduce the wear on the voice and prevent hoarseness and
vocal cord swelling. Glottal compression is an advanced form of diaphragmatic support.
22 head voice
Head Voice is the group of vocal notes above the secondo passaggio, and is
characterized by high notes, without as much timbre as chest voice. Also sometimes
known as "falsetto" it resembles a woman's voice somewhat when performed by a
male. Falsetto actually is an airy, breathy, hooty form of head voice. True head voice is
not airy, and has more of a timbral sound, and matches more seamlessly at the
passaggio than does falsetto.
23 high larynx
The larynx may rise when a singer is trying to reach high notes. This crowds the cords
and makes a "froggy" sound like Kermit the frog's voice.
24
hyper glottal
compression
This is an advanced form of non-hyper glottal compression. In this form, not only is
glottal compression used to reduce the volume of the voice, but an additional
dimension of vocal cord closure is added, to create an illusion of overexcursion of the
vocal cords. This is done at a much lower volume and air pressure level than true vocal
cord distortion. Natural but dangerous vocal cord distortion is done by forcing
excessive amounts of air pressure and volume to the vocal cords, resulting in vocal cord
distortion and harmonic distortion from the cords. Hyper glottal compression, on the
other hand, is done at a much lower, safer volume level, a lower air pressure level, and
is a simulation of the sound of actual distressed cords. Because it is an illusion, no such
stress is applied to the vocal cords, and the vocalist can immediately sing in a clean
voice after applying hyper glottal compression. The voice MUST ALWAYS be used
cleanly, after using hyper glottal compression.
25 intervals
The steps of a scale. A standard Lah scale is a 1, 3, 5, 8, 5, 3, 1 scale where the numbers
are the interval of whole steps from the root note of the scale. Intervals of 3 or 5 along
with the root note form a chord or hamonic relationship.
26 larynx
The "voice box"; a structure consisting of cartilage, fiber, and muscle, home of the vocal
cords.
27 legato
Smooth, even movement from one note to another or from one beat to another
28 lip rolls
Lip rolls - simulate the early Bel Canto test of singing with a candle in front of the face
without blowing out the flame. To use very little air. The lips are allowed to create a
bubbling effect , while a low-velocity scale is sung. The lip burbles are an excellent way
to learn to connect chest voice to head voice, because there is little resistance to
shifting registers at that low-velocity of airflow.
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 40 of 44
little boy
voice
A placement of the voice when a male has done a series of scales that gradually move
the voice upward in placement, dropping off girth and eventually resulting in a higherpitched speaking and singing voice. Sounds more like a "little boy" than a "big man".
The placement of Michael Jackson's speaking and singing voice were such that he had a
very high placement for an adult male. Little girl voice is valid for those with a female
voice. Again, it is a high placement associated with singing and speaking in a higher
voice than an adult female's voice that is not placed in that manner.
30 Little H's
To use small "h" sounds to provide a tiny cushion of air to assist with keeping the throat
open when connecting at the passaggio, or when encountering consonant stops that
close the open throat. They provide a means to keep a small stream of air moving
through the throat when it would otherwise close down and interrupt the open throat
contiguous phrasing.
31 low larynx
Low larynx can happen when we make a very low sound, like the sound of Yogi Bear's
voice.
32 mask
Mask - a technique of directing the sound to the front of the face, in order to get
resonation from the sinuses, naso-pharynx, vibration in the teeth, cheeks, and frontal
areas of the skull. When you hum, you are humming into the mask. The front of the
face is the "mask".
33 mid voice
Mid voice. The register above the lower chest voice, and below the head voice. A
slightly louder, belted mid voice would be called "call voice" or "call register". A softer,
less emphatic mid voice could be called "middle voice". It's the area between the
primo passaggio and the secondo passaggio.
34 open throat
A vocal technique based around maintaining an open vocal tract and avoiding clamping
down on the voice in order to reach high notes. The AH Vowel is the central vowel, the
home base of the Open Throat method.
35 passaggio
The passaggio is the point at which the chest voice transitions into the mid voice, or the
mid voice transitions into the head voice. The chest/midvoice transition is called the
primo passaggio, and the transition from the mid voice to the head voice is called the
secondo passaggio.
36 pharynx
There are 3 pharyngeal areas of the vocal tract: Laryngeopharynx, oropharynx, and
nasopharynx, and are the spaces inside the nose(naso), the back of the mouth (oro),
and above the vocal cords (laryngeo).
29
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 41 of 44
37 placement
38
push down on
diaphragm
Placement: has to do with the setup of a person's voice. When we warm up, we get our
voice into more of a ready-for-action state than it is before we “wake it up”. We can
have a low placement if we want to sing bass, or a high placement if we want to sing
tenor or soprano. We first have to warm up that part of the voice and get the voice
"set" for what it is that we are wanting to sing. It is difficult to jump from our lowest
placement to our highest placement, as our voice wants to be "set" and "centered" in
the area we are going to want to use. So we warm up low if that's what we're about to
perform, and we warm up high if we're about to sing something that is demanding in
the higher registers. “Little Boy Voice” is a high, thin placement of the voice.
A strategy to slow down the rise of the diaphragm, to reduce the pressure of the air as it
is forced out of the lungs. This helps to preserve the longevity of the vocal cords,
especially when singing very high notes.
39 range
Range - the usable notes of a vocalist, from the lowest to the highest practical notes.
40 register
The main registers of the voice are chest voice, mid voice, call voice, and head voice.
There is also a whistle register. Call and mid voice are the same range, but call is a more
robust form, and mid voice is a lighter form of the area called the zona di passaggi.
41 register
Vocal Registers: Groups of notes that produce similar tones; Modal voice (normal
speaking register), vocal fry, falsetto, head voice, Call register, mid voice, whistle
register… these are different parts of the voice that are differentiated by their range and
sound.
42 resonators
Any part of the body that vibrates enough to re-sound at the frequency of the pitch or a
harmonic of the note being produced. The air in the windpipe, above the vocal cords is
the main resonation in singing. The column of air resonates in the vocal tract like the
column of air within a flute. The frequency of vibration of the column of air creates the
sound and pitch that we hear. Other resonant pockets form resonant "Ampitheaters" in
the vocal tract that ring out at certain frequencies.
rib cage
expansion
Rib cage expansion - The act of lightly pre-inflating the upper portions of the lungs
about 1/2 to 3/4 full, prior to inhaling a breath into the lower lungs upon which to sing.
The chest and ribcage is held expanded from this pre-inflation and also from spreading
the intercostal muscles. The whole ribcage is kept suspended, as if a marionette
suspended at the sternum. This expansion and suspension helps to relieve the lungs of
the weight of the ribcage, and allows for finer manipulation of the diaphragm, for a
more controlled release of the singing breath. This expansion is maintained throughout
singing, with brief breaks of relaxation every few breaths, or at longer pauses between
phrases of a song. It is a component of the diaphragmatic breath support system.
43
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 42 of 44
44 sirens
Sirens: Scales that have no specific note steps. Glissandos, portamentos, slides up and
down in pitch. Sound like a siren.
45 sliders
Sliders - Glissando slides up and down the scale, like a siren, with no specific note steps
like traditional scales.
46 soft palate
The soft part of the roof of the mouth. Adjoins the hard palate. The uvula is formed at
the back of the soft palate. The soft palate raises when we smile into the sound, and
raises more when we sing higher notes. If it raises enough, it can close off the entrance
to the nasopharynx from the mouth.
47 soprano
The higher of the 2 main female vocal fachs.
48 speed bump
The sound that happens if you can't smoothly connect from chest voice to head voice,
or vice-versa. If you can’t connect smoothly, your voice may voice “break”, or yodel.
49 stacatto
Abrupt, stiff, or rigid movement from one note or beat to another.
50 support
The act of taking control over the relaxation response of the diaphragm to vary and
enhance the exhalation of the breath upon which singing takes place. Support can
suspend, or put the brakes on the otherwise uncontrolled tendency of the breath to
blast out, or to overblow the vocal cords. Support is resistance to and control of the
release of the breath.
51 tenor
The highest of the 3 main male vocal fachs.
52 Tessitura
The most comfortable notes within your possible singing range; the notes you sound
best on, not the extremes of your range.
throw the
sound to the
53
front of the
cord
The vocal cords join together at the front of the throat, and hence this is the part of the
cords with the least space. Using this part of the cords makes a tight sensation. Some
vocalists tend to “throw the sound to the front of the cords” when they use this part of
the cords on their highest notes. This can be limiting, as there is little control over this
area of the cords.
54 timbre
Timbre - Your characteristic sound. Pronounced "tamber"; tone, a timbral tone has very
little air and very much tone. Bright timbre creates greater resonance.
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 43 of 44
55
tongue
exercise
A humming exercise where the tongue is moved forward, out of the back of the throat,
and the lips are closed around the rounded tongue. The student then hums a scale and
allows the sound to exit through the nose. The teeth, hard palate, sinuses and septum
all vibrate to the frequencies of the sound, and help the student to feel the vibration in
the skull and face. It presents a way to get a feeling and idea of the sound of singing
into the mask. This is a good exercise for learning to connect chest voice to head voice.
56
Transition
points
The voice has points at which the vocal registers transition from one register to another.
The first transition point is the primo passaggio. The second transition point is the
secondo passaggio.
57 uvula
Uvula - the “dangly”thing that hangs down in the middle of the throat; the end of the
soft palate. The uvula tends to rise when singing higher notes. The uvula sits beneath
the opening from the top of the throat to the interior of the back of the nose. If it rises
sufficiently, the nasal passage becomes more closed and more sound must exit at the
mouth vs the nose.
58 very little air
The practice of using a tiny stream of air when doing delicate vocal passages, including
training to connect at the passaggio.
59 vocal break
A gap in vocal range where the voice just stops phonating momentarily, or makes a
"break" or "yodel" sound, due to an abrupt change in vocal register.
60
vowel
modifications
Vowels have a pure, or unmodified sound when we speak them. As we sing, and ascend
in pitch, the vowels begin to break up a bit. We can modify the vowels to try to keep
them from breaking up as they become higher in pitch. The AH vowel first modifies to
Aw, then to oo, then finally to ooh. This "closes-down" the vowel, and “contains it” in
the back of the throat without expanding into disintegrated sound. Vowel modifications
are a way of singing a vowel at a higher pitch than it can otherwise be sung.
61 weight
Weight, as used in the KTVA program, refers to more tone. We have to "shed weight"
as we sing higher, because the voice can't sustain a lot of weight, or tone, up high. We
"pare down" the weight to go up the scale to our highest notes. Weight can be
perceived as "dramatic effect" or as the amount of sound volume.
62 yodel
The sound the voice makes when the vocal register abruptly shifts from one register to
another. Sometimes an interval of about a 4th, either from chest voice to head voice, or
from head voice going back into chest voice. Many Country and Western singers
incorporate this sound into their voices for effect. The characteristic sound of the
"vocal break" at "the bridge".
How to Sing Volume 1
Page 44 of 44
Important KTVA Links:
Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy Website
https://KenTamplinVocalAcademy.com/
Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy Singers Forums: https://forum.kentamplinvocalacademy.com/
Ken Tamplin YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/kentamplin/
Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kentamplin/
Good Singing To You!
Copyright 2017 Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy