Add Excitement, Flavour and Individuality To Your Voice

Hannah shows us the techniques that, after we have gone through all the lessons and covered the basics, will add excitement, flavour and individuality to our voice.

Lesson aims

• Learn technical terms for various vocal techniques

• Try to develop the techniques and find the preferred style for our own voice

Technique 1 - Vocal flip

• By 'flipping' from the chest voice to the head voice you achieve the vocal flip sound

• This technique is expressive and interesting to hear but also benefits the voices stamina, as the head voice is gentle on the vocal chords when aiming for higher notes

Technique 2 - Vocal Growl

• A 'growl' or 'grunt' can be done lightly to achieve a subtle sound before the start of a singing line

• Thinking of singers who use it prominently, such as Christina Aguilera, can help to conceptualize the technique before trying to achieve the sound

• Using any technique sparingly or with a specific intention, such as delivering a line with a certain feeling behind it, will prevent over using it and have a greater effect on the listener

Technique 3 - Vocal Fry/Creak

• Using a creak just before delivering a line can be used in an individual way to define our own sound!

• Often characterized as a vocal 'fry', the intended sound is that of very low frequency by using the 'bubbling' or 'scratching' sound low in the larynx and should be backed up with good air flow from the diaphragm

Technique 4 - Cry Vocal

• Cry vocal is often used in an expressive way of adding to your singing style and emulates the actual voice sound when we cry

• Going deeper into the technique, it also releases tension in the throat and can be a healthy vocal habit to adopt in protecting the voice