The “Mask” is the home of the middle voice register. The voice resonates and projects from the mask area of the face. The mask gives brilliance to low notes and depth to high notes.
The low notes are hooked in the mask an stretch down to the low notes but never loose the height and brilliance provided by the mask.
The high notes are anchored at the bottom but do not add weight but strength.
43 thoughts on “Singing Lesson Mask 1”
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forward in the mask is ok. when you open your mouth that is when most
people lose the “line” of resonance. if you are forward in the mouth the
sound will have little resonance and will tire the voice quickly. try to
record yourself keep the questions coming.
Had you asked a question in the first place I would have ansewered. the
mask is the anchor zone for all registers, and the home of the mid
register. without the mask resonance, the highnotes are hollow, shaky and
lack overtones. the mask gives the low register brilliance(line) and
projection; without it the transition to higher notes is rough and
sometimes painful, or feels like the voice is “stuck” in the throat.
The “mask” is a target area and helps the singer focus physicaly/mentally
the pathway of breath support and where to “spin” the sound. I had a 65 yr
old female student who sound like an 80 yr old and had her sing the EE
vowel in the mask . she practised 1 hr/day and in 3 weeks had more
resonance in her voice then most 40 yr olds. I use these techniques for
every age group and every level, because most people have never had, or
have lost the line of the voice. I hope this helps.
@MrChubbleyWarner when im singing.
@christinavelia Hi Christina Thank You for the question. I would be happy
to hear you, and help you. Your aunt is a smart lady, and I bet a great
singer. see you soon. Audrey
@belcantofan2010 Thank You very much for the complements and subbing. I’m
glad you find the videos helpful. humming is good to relax or warm up.
pineapple juice is good for hyderation. no extra talking. deep breathing
thru nose is good. if you have any other questions let me know.
hi,i love you Ising4u333 !!! i always sound nasal when i sing and i sound
like steve urkle.when you explained that i need to add the yawning feeling,
i tried and maybe it worked i’m not sure since i don’t know what and how to
do the yawning feeling.do you have a video on how to ‘yawn correctly’ while
singing to clear the nasal?
@pingkitoto Hi Thank You for the question. to get the yawn 1 take a very
deep breath thru the nose and think of yawning and you will probaly do it
automatically. also “think” of singing like an opera singer and your pallet
will raise to raise soft pallet flare your nostrils and breath thru nose
back of the tonge is raised touching back molars of the top teeth tip down
at V. also learn to manipulate the uvula and soft pallet on command look in
side and raise pallet
@pingkitoto raise pallet on command and try to make the uvula disappear.
and move your tonge around and get fimalliar with your instrument. NEVER
LOSE THE NASAL SOUND= which is the mask or the voice will sound hooty and
old. i hope this helps if you have more questions let me know. audrey
ising4u333, thank you the greatest for the advice:) would you be so kind to
evaluate whether i am singing correctly or not? do you have an email
address so i may send you a sample of me singing? you must be very busy
with other things but your help is greatly appreciated:)
ising4u333, thank you the greatest for the advice:) would you be so kind to
evaluate whether i am singing correctly or not? do you have an email
address so i may send you a sample of me singing? you must be very busy
with other things but your help is greatly appreciated:)
nice video! Could you check out one of my vids, the one that says “Tenor
Sfogato” and tell me if I’m doing the mask placement correctly or if I’m
just singing nasally? I know the little digital voice recorder doesn’t pick
up all the overtones of the voice but think you’ll get the idea anyways.
Thank you.
wow! awesome and well done!
@belcantofan2010 Hi to sound fuller you need to add the yawn position. to
be stronger you need to press the voice into the mask and “stretch” the
voice down to the chest…don’t get stuck in the basement…also try to
keep an octave in the mouth. if you need more help let me know. Audrey
How amazing these videos are! I look at Pavarotti doing the high note of
Nessun Dorma and I noticed that the back of his tongue was up! Btw, I love
Celine Dion’s singing. I’m a guy, and I’m so taken with her voice and her
songs. Her resonance is superb, don’t you think? Thanks for your videos and
take care and stay well! Cleve
I think my placement needs serious help. I have a very ‘dark’ sound. When i
try to place my voice in the mask it feels as though I’m pushing and that
can’t be right. i have accidentally gotten it right a couple of times and
it’s an amazing feeling of surround-sound vibration when it happens but i
don’t seem to be able to control it. Some vowels are particularly
challenging. Lv your voice & vids. thanks for posting them!
YEYEHY!..I CAN NOW DISTINGUISH NASALITY FROM RESONANCE..!…THIS IS WHAT I
HAV OBSERVED,,,WHN IN RESONANCE..YOUR VOICE IS FREE,,,,WHEN IN NASALITY YOU
FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE COLDS..HAHA
@Creevie Ahh so observant of you…my first teacher would show me him with
that position. Be well Audrey
@Ayakissu01 Hi thanks for the question…I have would tell you to look at
some of me responses to mask questions and work withthat first then once
you have that technique secure add the yawn position. your voice will be
free once the instrument is alligned and working on its own .
@apnixlover900 Hi yes the mask is the key to the voice work hard Audrey
@viking052 hi since you are getting the surround sound that is the correct
placement. try plugging yoour ears…I think I have explained this
technique somewhere on here and I hope you read the other post questions
and comments it will help.
@Ising4u333 Hi Audrey I have just sent a personal message to you via you
tube. Wonder if you have received it? Cannot seem to find your email or
skype contact. Hope to hear from you soon.
@xnenaxo hi umm I don’t know what to say to you, other then what can I help
you with?
@xnenaxo Hi I’m thinking a couple of things could be happening since this
happens both in talking and singing, for such short periods of time. 1) you
have damage to the throat and or vocal cords (see your doctor to know for
sure) 2) not enough breath support…, shallow chest breathing. 3) too much
air pressure…if you are taking big breaths. 4) incorrect placement…yes
the mask is the solution I would suggest HUMMING about 10 minutes and see
if the pain continues then get back to me.
@xnenaxo Ok try the humming once more on the EE vowel and think of putting
the sound in the nose and ears. If you feel pain again in the first minute
or two STOP. I need to hear you to proceed any further, and you may need to
make a doctors appointment. let me know how it goes.
@Ising4u333 Hey Audrey, I used your technique and it really works wonders,
just wondering thou , my voice in the upper reaches sounds crystalline and
pure kinda like justin bieber however if i want my voice to be something
like pavarotti’s what should i do? Add more phyrangeal? Thank you!
@Robinqq11 Hi glad the technique is working for you. I can’t recall having
ever heard Justin B…(I’m in to rock) but if you want to sound more like
Pavarotti think of yawning and singing opera and it will open your throat.
godd luck and if you need any more help let me know. Audrey
@Ising4u333 Yup , i already tried using the open throat position , however
im still lacking that edge which u can find in those rock singers and such
. Is there anyway i can have more gruff to my voice?
@Robinqq11 hi i missed this post I think. listen to Steve Perry and Ronnie
James Dio for the placement and the growl. good luck
this video is worth its weight in gold! thanks much for this…
Thanks Audrey! the masking technique helped me to reach high notes. In
addition I have clearer tones now. Thank You God Bless You
@spinto1989 So glad this technique has helped you. If you have any
questions let me know. Im also available for lessons on skype.
@auctionmusic lol thanks I wish I owned MY weight in gold. <|:0
@MissTongaify Hi so glad the videos are helping you. if you have any
questions please let me know. Audrey
the mask technique really helped me get into my middle voice but sometimes
when I try to sing I go straight back to pulling chest or cracking and
going into head voice. any tips on staying in the middle voice while
singing?
Hi Audrey, I’m just in the process of reteaching myself to sing, I’ve sung
for many years & more recently have found my vocal stamina reducing, I am
pushing too hard & blowing my cords & need to learn to use my mid register.
I’m redoing my scales and when I add the mid register, I can feel nice
strong resonance in my my upper jaw but the sound is very unstable &
crackles a lot, is this normal when first finding your your mid register or
am I doing something drastically wrong? Thanks from Ian x
Hi Ian the cracking sounds like a lack of support and placement. try
starting with a humm then the EE vowel and really buzz that into the mask.
The mid reg needs the most focused and buzzy sound you can produce…. at
first…. till the sound stays there then you can add the open throat (yawn
position) and soften the sound. if you have any more question let me know
and good luck
Audrey, I can’t thank you enough !! Buzzing the Eee sound into the back of
my nose is perfect ! And now, all I have to do is 5-10 minutes of this
through some scales and my voice is ready to sing XXX Ian For anyone else
who suffers vocal fatigue early, persevere with this! It has taken all the
effort out of my throat !!
Hi Audrey, just wondering if you have any tips for placement of falsetto,
as since I’ve added the mask & strengthened my chest voice, I’ve started
loosing my falsetto! Should I try buzzing the Eee sound into the same place
using falsetto ? Thanks in advance from Ian
Hi Ian absolutely buzz your high register in the mask, also guide of the
sound up the back of your head, around the top and out your forehead/bridge
of nose that way you get resonance …also flare your nostrils and think of
the yawn a little bit this will ass space for the high voice…good luck
Singing solo, for instance, requires a unique methodology of coaching than a vocalist who aspires to sing with a choir.
The App tracks your singing all through your warmups and songs and displays your observe accuracy in actual-time as you carry out.
You must remember and understand that singing is a physical thing, so it requires a certain amount of coordination, just like an athlete requires coordination related to their sport.