VOCAL TECHNIQUE
  • Welcome!
  • Technique Info
    • Overview
    • Breathing Tips
    • Vocal Fold Closure
    • Onset
    • Vowels
    • Resonance
    • Vibrato
    • Reducing Tension
    • Singing in Tune
  • Changing Voices
    • Adolescent Voice Change
    • Transgender Singers
    • Aging Voices
  • Vocal Health
    • Overview
    • Times to Avoid Singing
    • Mucus Problems
    • Is Belting More Hazardous than Classical Style?
    • Choral Conductor's Role
  • Ensembles
    • Overview
    • Warm-up
    • Choral Blend
    • Choral Intonation
  • Video Resources
  • Q & A
    • Send a Question
    • Answers to Questions
  • Purchase
    • Book
    • Reviews of Vocal Technique
  • Author Info
  • Vocal Technique Contents
  • References

Vocal Technique Second Edition Table of Contents

331 pages, paperback, 6 x 9 inches. Copyright © 2021 by Stephen LaTour and Julia Davids
Kindle and other electronic formats available.
Introduction: A guide to stylistically flexible vocal technique
Contemporary styles encompass CCM and musical theatre
Second edition coverage
Benefits of improved vocal technique
Intentional use of exercises is essential to vocal development
Importance of attention to vocal technique in the choral setting
Improving communication among singers of different styles
   and between voice teachers and conductors
A note about symbols used in this book
A word about terminology
 
Chapter 1: Posture/Alignment
Essentials of proper posture/body alignment
Important aspects of body alignment 
Common alignment problems 
Avoid extraneous body movement 
Sitting posture and seat types 
Exercises for body alignment 
 
Chapter 2: Breath Control
Phases of the breathing cycle 
Inhalation 
Very brief suspension 
Exhalation 
Additional points about exhalation 
Recovery 
Timing of breathing 
Breathing in contemporary styles—limitations imposed by dancing
Respiratory muscle training
Breathing exercises
 
Chapter 3: Initiation, Creation, and Release of Sound
How sound is initiated and created
Good hydration is critical for proper vocal fold vibration
Components of the singer’s instrument
Muscles affecting pitch
Sound level and timbre affected by firmness of vocal fold closure
Method of initiating sound affects glottal tension
Coordinated onset should be used for most singing
Some glottal onsets are useful
Is belting less healthy than classical/legit vocal production?
Breathy onset is generally undesirable
Onset and younger singers
Release of sound
Semi-occluded vocal tract (SOVT) exercises assist vocal fold vibration
Onset and release exercises
 
Chapter 4: Resonance
Superior resonance improves tonal quality and vocal efficiency
Fundamental frequency and higher harmonics
Structure of the vocal tract
Resonance and formants
Adjusting the larynx
Adjusting the oral pharynx
Adjusting the mouth
Classical versus contemporary resonance and vocal tract shape
Good resonance helps intonation
Resonance and the concepts of “chest voice” and “head voice”
Resonance and “placement”
Exercises for enhancing resonance
 
Chapter 5: Vowels
Tip of the tongue should rest at the base of the lower front teeth
Basic vowel production for classical/legit styles
Perceptions of vowels as “bright” versus “dark” 
Vowels in contemporary styles 
Vowel consistency for intonation and ensemble blending 
Problematic vowels 
Modification of vowels for higher pitches 
Diphthongs, triphthongs, and glides 
Altering the tonal color of vowels 
A summary philosophy of vowel formation 
Vowel exercises 
 
Chapter 6: Consonants 
The articulators 
Quick, efficient consonant formation in classical singing 
Consonant length is often extended in contemporary styles 
Classical/legit singers should be judicious about exaggeration 
Consonants requiring special consideration 
Jaw position when singing l, k, g, t, d, m, n, ng 
Think of [w] and “y” in terms of the vowels [u] and [i] 
Voiced versus unvoiced consonants 
Final consonants 
Adding “uh” or “ah” to final consonants versus elision 
Sometimes consonants should precede the beat
Consonant exercises 
 
Chapter 7: Vibrato 
Vibrato is a natural phenomenon 
Desirable vibrato rate and extent 
Style implications for vibrato
Solving vibrato problems 
Modifying vibrato 
Vibrato in choral singing 
Vibrato in early music 
Vibrato exercises
 
Chapter 8: Negotiation of the Vocal Registers 
What are vocal registers? 
Two main (modal) registers 
Middle register (mixed voice) 
Children’s registers 
Differences in chest and head voice use in classical and
   contemporary styles
Modern singers most likely to struggle with the upper register 
Transitions between registers (passaggi)
Negotiating the register transitions 
Special registers 
Register exercises 
 
Chapter 9: Voice Classification and Improving Range 
Distribution and classification of voice types 
Tessitura versus range 
Classification of voices in contemporary styles 
Singing higher pitches
Accessing lower pitches for female singers 
Handling leaps in pitch 
Exercises to increase range
 
Chapter 10: Improving Intonation 
Causes of poor intonation 
Repertoire-specific intonation issues 
Extraneous factors affecting intonation 
Concluding thoughts about intonation 
Exercises to improve intonation 
 
Chapter 11: Legato, Staccato, Accents, Melismas/Riffs
Dynamic Control, and Special Vocal Effects 
Legato involves vowel-to-vowel continuity 
Staccato
Accents 
Vocal ornaments and embellishments 
Dynamic control 
Special vocal effects 
Exercises for legato, staccato, accents, melismas, and dynamics 
 
Chapter 12: Improving Choral Blend 
Blend philosophies
Choral sound 
Keys to a blended sound 
The role of timbre in blending 
Voice positioning 
Concluding thoughts on blend
 
Chapter 13: Changing Voices 
Overview of voice change during childhood and puberty 
Voices are changing at younger ages 
Vocal development in adolescent males 
Vocal development in adolescent females 
Part assignment during vocal change 
Vocal technique issues in child and adolescent voices 
Vocal exercise issues specific to adolescents 
Transgender singers 
Aging voices
 
Chapter 14: Reducing Tension 
Larynx and neck/pharynx tension 
Jaw tension 
Tongue tension 
Tongue groove—is it a sign of tension? 
Lip tension 
Shoulders 
Legs 
Concluding thoughts on tension 
Exercises to reduce tension
 
Chapter 15: Guarding Singers’ Vocal Health 
Hydration 
Vocal stamina and fatigue 
Stress, anxiety, and vocal health 
Meal consumption prior to singing 
Mucus 
Gastric reflux 
Singing and the common cold 
Medications with the potential to cause vocal fold bleeding 
Hormonal factors affecting the voice 
Additional medication considerations 
If surgery is contemplated 
Vocal health concerns of professional singers 
Vocal health of amateur singers 
Choral conductor’s role in maintaining vocal health
 
Chapter 16: A Productive Warm-Up 
Why are warm-ups important? 
Specific benefits of a thoughtful warm-up sequence 
Warm-up sequence 
Sample warm-up sequences 
Vocal cool-down 
Compendium of suggested exercises for warm-up
 
Appendix: IPA Symbols for Important Vowels and Consonants 
 
References 
 
Index 




  • Welcome!
  • Technique Info
    • Overview
    • Breathing Tips
    • Vocal Fold Closure
    • Onset
    • Vowels
    • Resonance
    • Vibrato
    • Reducing Tension
    • Singing in Tune
  • Changing Voices
    • Adolescent Voice Change
    • Transgender Singers
    • Aging Voices
  • Vocal Health
    • Overview
    • Times to Avoid Singing
    • Mucus Problems
    • Is Belting More Hazardous than Classical Style?
    • Choral Conductor's Role
  • Ensembles
    • Overview
    • Warm-up
    • Choral Blend
    • Choral Intonation
  • Video Resources
  • Q & A
    • Send a Question
    • Answers to Questions
  • Purchase
    • Book
    • Reviews of Vocal Technique
  • Author Info
  • Vocal Technique Contents
  • References