The Basics of Good Vocal Technique
Breathing
Rule 1: You can’t sing without breathing.
Rule 2: HOW you breathe affects the quality of the sound you make.
Rule 3: Your posture affects the way you breathe.
You will be able to sing without breathing correctly, but you will not sing your best. Good singing
requires proper breathing and posture. These are not options.
Rule 4: Singing in tune requires proper breath support.
Rule 5: Singing sustained lines requires proper breath support.
Rule 6: Full, rich tone production requires proper breath support.
Here’s how to do it:
Sit on the front edge of your chair with your spine lengthened, a slight curve in your lumbar spine and
your shoulders down and slightly back. Keep your chest lifted comfortably high while your head, jaw
and neck remain relaxed. Both feet should be on the floor. Hold your music high enough so that you
can look past the music to the director. This is how professionals do it. This is how you should do it.
Stand with your weight balanced on both feet, arms at your sides with your spine lengthened and a
slight curve in your lumbar spine. Keep your chest lifted comfortably high and your head, jaw, neck
and shoulders relaxed. If you are holding music keep it high. Again, this is how the professionals do it
and so should you.
Proper breathing requires that your chest remains relatively still while the area just below your chest
expands to pull air into your lungs. This is called diaphragmatic breathing and it takes practice. A good
way to locate the muscles that you use in breathing is to lie on the floor, then just relax and breathe
naturally. Your chest and shoulders will not rise at all but those muscles just below your rib cage will
gently move up and down. When you stand, those same muscles should move out and in. You can also
locate these muscles by putting your fingers on your stomach just below your rib cage and “panting in
and out”, just like a puppy dog.
If your posture and breathing are correct you will feel better, look better and you will sound better.
Singing in Tune
Rule 1: Your listeners’ ears do not lie to them. Nothing is more important to a good performance
than singing in tune.
Rule 2: Poor breathing and poor posture are the natural enemies of good intonation. You are a “wind
instrument”. If you are not moving enough air your tone will not “spin” and you will sing under the
pitch.
(Singing in tune continued)
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Rule 3: Good intonation and singing the correct pitches require an ability and willingness on your
part to LISTEN carefully, while singing, for any and all clues to what your exact pitch should be.
Rule 4. Intonation is affected by your attitude and energy level.
Singing in tune requires musical talent; a “musical ear”. If you are already a contributing member of a
choir, an ensemble or you are a soloist, you probably have that talent. But you must choose to use that
talent.
Here’s how to do it:
Listen to the piano or other accompaniment. Be aware of the key of the composition, and any key
changes or harmonic changes that occur during the song. Listen to your “memory” of the notes that
you’ve already sung for clues to the notes ahead. Pay attention to the intervals, the skips in the music.
Watch whether your notes go up, down, or stay the same. Listen to other singers around you. Think
about the pitch. Hear the pitch in your head, but mostly listen, listen, listen.
Diction
Rule 1: It is impossible for singers to pronounce words too clearly.
Rule 2: Clear diction requires extra effort and precision from each and every singer. One singer, not
make that extra effort, will negate the good work done by a great many singers.
Rule 3: To achieve good diction you must move your lips, teeth and tongue a lot more than you do for
ordinary conversation.
Rule 4: “Consonants louder than Vowels” This is really not possible but energizing your consonants
will make them heard more clearly and will give better energy to the vowel that follows. The
exceptions are “t”, “s” and “ts”. Take it easy on these consonants. A little goes a long way. For all other
vowels, remember the consonant drives the vowel.
Rule 5: Plan where you will put the final consonant when you are singing a solo or with a small group.
Singers often leave off the final consonant because they have not decided where it should go. Usually
you will put the final consonant on the very end of the note, if the musical line continues, or on the rest
that follows the note. When singing in a choir, watch the conductor for cut offs.
Rule 6: “R” is not a vowel and “L” is not a vowel. Be very careful about these consonants. They should
be short and barely noticeable. Don’t assume a fake accent in an effort to reduce the “R”; just don’t sing
on that sound as you would a vowel.
Rule 7: Be sure you understand the difference between VOICED and VOICLESS Consonants. Voiced
Consonants use your lips, teeth, tongue and voice to produce sound and can be sung on a pitch.
Voiceless Consonants are only made with your lips, teeth tongue and air and cannot be sung on a pitch.
Consonants that use the same parts of the mouth to produce sound are often found in pairs, one voiced
and the other voiceless. Some voiced consonants do not have voiceless partners. It’s easy to test which
consonants are which by lightly placing a finger on your throat. If you feel vibration the consonant is
voiced. Be sure you only make the consonant sound. Don’t say the letter name. Do not add the neutral
syllable “uh” to the consonant sound, for example “puh”.
(Diction continued)
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Voiced
B
D
G (as in girl)
J (as in jelly)
TH (as in this)
V
Z
Voiceless
p
t
k
ch
th (as in with)
f
s
sh
M
N
NG
If your listeners have to work hard to understand the words you are singing it will take away from the
beauty of the art you are trying to create and the message you are trying to share.
Blend
Rule 1: Singing with others is more than just individual voices singing at the same time. You must
listen and match not only the actual pitch but also the quality of the other singers’ voices. The best way
to do this is to match the shape of your vowels. Vowels that are not matched or aligned also affect
tuning. If you align your vowels you will be singing in tune. Most vowels need more space inside the
mouth and more shaping with the lips.
Rule 2: The space inside your mouth and the shape of your lips should match the vowel you are singing.
“O” and “OO” vowels need to have rounded lips. Shape your mouth like you are drinking from a straw.
Don’t sing with a “flat face” (lips never moving).
Rule 3: Prepare by “inhaling the vowel that you are going to sing”. In other words, shape your mouth
for the vowel before you breath and take that air in through an open throat and that vowel shape.
Rule 4: Too much vibrato is the natural enemy of good choral blend and is the result of poor breath
support.
Rule 5: Singing through a closed or tight throat produces a tone quality that is difficult to blend.
Inexperienced singers often try to support with their jaw, neck or throat instead of their abdominal
muscles.
Rule 6: When singing high pitches the vowel should be modified to the next most open vowel
sound/shape. “OO” to “O”, “EE” to “EH” etc., don’t automatically changed every vowel on a high not to
an “Ah”.
Rule 7: If the “EE” vowel sound in a section/choir sounds too bright, put a little bit of “OO” in the “EE”.
It will warm up the sound and improve the blend.
Visual Blend
Rule 1: Vision Trumps All The Other Senses! The way you look and the way you present yourself tells
your audience what to listen for. They will know if you are going to sound good before you make your
first sound.
(Visual blend continued)
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Rule 2: If you are using music folders, practice opening them or lifting them up at the same time. If
you have a conductor, follow their cue.
Rule 3: When performing with a conductor do not let your eyes wander away. Keep your mind and
your eyes focused on the music and the conductor.
Rule 4: Don’t ever let the audience see you scratch an itch or brush a lock of hair into place. It’s
distracting. Remember, Vision Trumps All The Other Senses.
Other words of advice
How do I know when to breathe? “Punctuation, Rests, Repeated Words”. This will help you to bring
out the text in the most effective manner, which will help you to share your message.
How do I make a beautiful, musical phrase? Any time you have a note that is longer than a quarter
note, that moves to another note, you should “crescendo <.” The last note of a phrase should be the
“softest, sweetest, warmest and most beautiful”. Never “slap” the end of a phrase or the last syllable in
a word. Be aware of syllable stress. Usually the last syllable receives the least stress.
Of course there are exceptions to the “when to breath” rule and “how to sing a beautiful phrase”. Use
your best Judgment. Let the “text” be your guide.
How do I sing a high note so that it feels comfortable and sounds good? Give high notes more
space and more air. Think a “yawn space” inside as you breathe and as you sing. Lift the soft palate
and focus the sound in the “mask of the face”. Do not try to create or support sound with the muscles
in your throat/neck. Inhale the “shape” of the vowel you will sing. Think “up and over” and come down
on top of the pitch. And, modify the vowel.
Live music is always best!
If you love to sing let it show.
Inform you face! 
Share your joy with others.
Tell the story.
In the end we all become stories.
What is Your’s?
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