In this video, I share a simple but effective exercise for improving vocal resonance by encouraging more ‘ring’ in the tone and less ‘push’ from the throat.
Renée Fleming masterclass:
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karyn@singwise.com
16 thoughts on “How to Improve VOCAL RESONANCE (Lesson 3): Singing ‘OVER THE PENCIL’”
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Thank you for the great tip! Love how easy it is to apply👍
You’re welcome. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Thank you Karyn! Great exercise, excellent demo. I had heard about using a pencil before but didn’t go beyond that!
Shall be getting my own personal “vocal pencil” just for this. My kids would appreciate keeping the rest separate!
Cheers,
Lin😌
You’re welcome. And yes, please be hygienic! I have students use their own designated pencils for practice purposes.
Heard of this before.
Have you ever tried it?
yeah this is one I have to keep in mind a lot. I tend to grab a bit and get “stuck” and end up a bit too heavy “down in the throat” so I have to keep in mind to get the resonance up a bit higher when I start going into mixed voice or even on a good strong belt. Its also pretty crucial when adding rasp/grit/distortion because you DONT want to be adding grit etc down below the pencil line
Such good points and insights!
I’m going to use a chopstick. Hey I guess I will be playing chopsticks.
And then you eat dinner with it right afterwards. Multipurpose!
Very cool, friend! Are you actively changing the vowel, or is it passively modifying? Such a great exercise for contemporary sounds! (yay for mentioning Melissa Cross!)
If you listen to the first demonstration in which I alternate between the ‘under’ and ‘over’ sounds, I’m singing an UH (schwa) for both. It sounds like the same vowel, just different in quality or tone. In the second alternating demonstration, the vowel does seem to change a bit, but I was actually just pushing from my throat on the ‘under’ version, and that was reshaping the vocal tract (lengthening it a bit), which created a slightly (and passively) modified vowel. Thanks for your comment, friend!
I just tried it and it helped reduce the breathiness especially on the ‘i’ vowel sound. Thank you!
Wonderful! So glad it has helped.
I can totally hear it, and it’s just what I need! Thanks Karyn!
Love this video…Karyn…. how can I sing in perfect pitch without an instrument???