Vocal Technique - Help or Hurt?
(The Pros and Cons of Vocal Technique)

By Jeannie Deva

Jeannie Deva

Can you remember a time you heard a singer who left you untouched emotionally, but was said to have "great technique?" The fact is; that singer did not have great technique. Instead, the vocal technique obstructed the meaning, emotion and believability of the song. Technique is only as good as it can support, not overshadow, your communication. The "perfect sound" means nothing if it is not used as a means to enhance your performance and create an emotional response.

A singer's role is to communicate vocally through music and to create an emotional effect on their audience. Some sounds are more appropriate for some feelings than others. For example, if you are singing a tender love song, a shouting, raspy, metal voice would communicate an entirely different emotion and be inappropriate.

Certainly, the more sounds you have at your command, the more freely you can express yourself. But versatility aside, there is also the matter of simply singing with ease what you want to sing (style) the way you want to sing it (emotion) while not hurting yourself in the process.

Performance time is not the time to focus on technique. Your attention should not have to be on how to get your sound or on whether your voice will make it through the gig. When you step onto that stage, you should already be confident in your ability to play your instrument. You should be free to "work your audience," give them a great show and have fun while you're at it!

Overdoing technique is not the most common problem for singers, but it can be certainly occur. Engaging in vocal technique for its own sake is both misguided and unmusical.

Purpose of Technique

I believe that the purpose of vocal technique is to give you the skill to say what you want in the way you want, without hurting yourself in the process. It is for this reason that I researched how the voice naturally works and discovered a way of working with it to obtain an expressive, spontaneous and multi-styled voice.

My approach to vocal technique is motivated by a firm belief that the voice is meant to be fully used; that there is a way to release yourself from restrictions; that it is not the sounds you make but rather how you make them that can cause difficulty.

As long as your vocal instrument can function properly and freely you will have at your disposal: vocal consistency, control, increased range, and yes, a wealth of different sounds such as rasp, belt and wails. You would also be able to sing in full voice throughout your range. By releasing any harmful manipulations, you avoid the usual side effects that more de manding music and vocal styles can create, such as pain, strained sound, hoarseness, nodes (calluses on your vocal folds that can produce pain and difficulty in singing), register break, weak upper register, etc.

Really correct technique helps you acquire adequate expertise so to truly communicate to your audience. It is not an end unto itself, but rather a means to an end. And that end is a vocal performance that is good enough to give your audience a desired experience.

The demands placed on today's singers are complex due to the use of electronic equipment, band volume, club conditions, and the trend toward singing and dancing simultaneously. Using your voice for a wider variety of sounds than those used in classical music requires specific techniques to aid and support those sounds and prevent vocal blow-out.

What Makes a Technique Right — or Wrong?

Many singers are confused about technique - unsure of what to do or not do when singing. They are uncertain whether the directions they have been given are correct. Too often, I have found decisions of "right" or "wrong" are based on lack of information, personal taste or the fear that singing in a certain style is physically harmful.

Singing correctly means working with the way your body naturally functions to make sound. Without knowing the facts about your vocal instrument—its parts, their locations, and how they work—it's difficult to be certain you're doing the right things. You can also easily fall prey to incorrect coaching and techniques that don't perfectly align with your instrument. This makes it very difficult to realize your full potential as a vocalist.

Working from an understanding of the body with techniques that support natural vocal production, you can easily produce a wide range of sounds. This includes what some would consider "unorthodox" sounds commonly found in Rock, Soul, Blues, Funk, R&B, Metal, Rap and Gospel. The thousands of singers I've coached have found they can successf ully create the sounds needed for the styles of music they choose.

This article is reprinted with the permission of Jeannie Deva. Deva is a prominent vocal coach and author, who is the founder of The Deva Method ®, A Non-Classical Approach for Singers ™ and of Jeannie Deva® Voice Studios, East and West Coasts. For more info, please visit her website: www.JeannieDeva.com.

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