What is resonance?
The human voice is capable of a fantastic range of sounds. A key to understanding how we create those sounds is the concept of resonance. Simply stated, resonance is the tendency of a cavity (e.g., the mouth) to reinforce sounds at specific frequencies or ranges of frequencies.
Improving and intentionally controlling resonance allows both solo and choral singers to:
The structures of the vocal tract - the 'major players' in controlling resonance!
A basic understanding of the major components of the vocal tract and how singers can control them is essential to develop and gain mastery over timbre and sound level. All of these structures are not only specific to each individual person, but they can be adjusted to change the sound an individual creates. (See Vocal Technique for an illustration of the vocal tract and more information on the structures.) The basic components include:
Spotlight on nasal resonance
Singers need to be able to vary the amount of nasality to create the tonal quality they desire. In classical singing, there should be very little (if any) nasality in the sound. For other styles, some degree of nasality is desirable because it helps to brighten the tone quality. The soft palate (or velum, at the back of the roof of the mouth) can be raised or lowered to allow more or less breath to pass into the nasal cavities. To explore the sensation of the soft palate lowered and raised, try this:
Breathe out through the nose to feel the sensation of a lowered soft palate. Next, imagine you are surprised by something and breathe in suddenly through the mouth. This will provide a sensation of a raised soft palate. Another image that helps experience a raised soft palate is to imagine blocking out a bad smell, only allowing inhalation through the mouth.
Here's another method of experiencing a raised soft palate:
When a plosive consonant such as [p] is followed by a vowel, air pressure increases in the vocal tract, forcing the soft palate higher than normal and sealing off the nasal passages (Fisher, 1966). Singing “pah," "gah," or "kah,” for example, makes it easier to understand what you should feel when the soft palate is elevated. It may help to look into a mirror at home and shine a flashlight at the back of the throat, to watch the soft palate rise during this exercise. This provides visual feedback to confirm the feeling of the raised palate.
Some of the additional resonance topics covered in Vocal Technique
Improving and intentionally controlling resonance allows both solo and choral singers to:
- Deliver a desired tonal color
- Sing with less effort when unamplified--sound level can be increased
without increased breath pressure - Be perceived as having better intonation
- Achieve dynamic contrasts
- Negotiate the higher and lower pitches of a singer’s range
The structures of the vocal tract - the 'major players' in controlling resonance!
A basic understanding of the major components of the vocal tract and how singers can control them is essential to develop and gain mastery over timbre and sound level. All of these structures are not only specific to each individual person, but they can be adjusted to change the sound an individual creates. (See Vocal Technique for an illustration of the vocal tract and more information on the structures.) The basic components include:
- Larynx
- Oral Pharynx (throat)
- Nasal Pharynx
- Mouth
Spotlight on nasal resonance
Singers need to be able to vary the amount of nasality to create the tonal quality they desire. In classical singing, there should be very little (if any) nasality in the sound. For other styles, some degree of nasality is desirable because it helps to brighten the tone quality. The soft palate (or velum, at the back of the roof of the mouth) can be raised or lowered to allow more or less breath to pass into the nasal cavities. To explore the sensation of the soft palate lowered and raised, try this:
Breathe out through the nose to feel the sensation of a lowered soft palate. Next, imagine you are surprised by something and breathe in suddenly through the mouth. This will provide a sensation of a raised soft palate. Another image that helps experience a raised soft palate is to imagine blocking out a bad smell, only allowing inhalation through the mouth.
Here's another method of experiencing a raised soft palate:
When a plosive consonant such as [p] is followed by a vowel, air pressure increases in the vocal tract, forcing the soft palate higher than normal and sealing off the nasal passages (Fisher, 1966). Singing “pah," "gah," or "kah,” for example, makes it easier to understand what you should feel when the soft palate is elevated. It may help to look into a mirror at home and shine a flashlight at the back of the throat, to watch the soft palate rise during this exercise. This provides visual feedback to confirm the feeling of the raised palate.
Some of the additional resonance topics covered in Vocal Technique
- Resonance and formants
- How knowledge of formants can improve resonance
- Achieving the singer's formant
- Classical versus contemporary resonance and vocal tract shape
- Adjusting the larynx, oral pharynx, and mouth
- How resonance influences intonation
- Resonance differences between "chest voice" and "head voice"
- Exercises for enhancing resonance