Articles by Rachel Bennett
The Case: A Thin or ‘Reedy’ or Voice
The Singer: Maria, 23 years old, an actress/singer
Case Summary: Maria had graduated from a two year course at a performing arts school where there was no focus on 1:1 vocal training; she wanted to find power in her voice for upcoming auditions.
A Timid Sound
I noted that Maria had a soft speaking voice and decided to start with > read more
The Case: A Rigid Voice
The Singer: Leyla, 21 years old with aspirations and seeking insight from many vocal coaches
Case Summary: Leyla arrived with a level of frustration at what she called her ‘school choir’ voice. She was unable to produce vibrato and felt that her voice sounded ‘young’. She had made several unsuccessful > read more
The Case: A Lost Ear
The Case: A Lost Ear
The Singer: Alex, 18 years old, a musical theatre student.
Case Summary: Alex arrived on the course with exceptionally poor pitch but was accepted because of his dance skills. He was tense and anxious so I decided to take the music outside of his body for a while.
A Lost Set of Cords
Due to Alex’s age, his vocal folds had not yet found ‘home’ and he described a feeling of having no control over the sounds that arrived when he began to sing (onset).
His pitch was poor both in terms of hitting single notes – it was flat and lacked brightness; he also had exceptionally poor relative pitch so phrasing lines in songs was a real struggle.
His confidence was at an all time low and it was easy to detect his loss of will arrive before he had even hit a note.
Pianos Outside and Inside the Body
First and foremost Alex needed to begin enjoying himself and to reduce his ‘fear of failure’.
I sat him at the piano and we simply listened to the ring of single tones initially and described what we could hear – like a game.
After some time we listened to increasingly complex arpeggios and I encouraged Alex to feel his larynx move in sympathy as if in the moment before song.
We had some fun hugging the piano and feeling the vibrations of notes and some fun guessing what notes would be – with no expectations. We simply ‘got to know the piano’ a little.
After three weeks Alex was beginning to guess notes accurately and in the fun of the game was also making quite rich and pleasant sounds.
The Inner Piano Came First
I often remind my students that the first piano was inside the human body – in a manner of speaking!
The vibrations and the various tensions required resemble in some ways the concept of the human voice – at least this analogy seems to help them!
Alex’s own progress spurred him on and he began to attempt simple ballads – folk and country melody lines. As his voice ‘landed’ we could begin to work on the techniques applicable for better pitch such as placement.
Take Away
Too much pressure on an area of weakness can sometimes draw attention and create an intense feeling of desperation in a student. Removing the focus from their body can allow a singer space to listen differently and develop their ear from another starting point.
The Case: Trapped in a Genre
The Case: Trapped in a Genre
The Singer: Phyllis, 28 years old, an aspiring club singer.
Case Summary: Phyllis was going for auditions for various jobs including band and cabaret – but was unable to sing some genres with feeling. We have to step out of music altogether in order to find a way ahead.
A Harsh and Monotonous Voice
Phyllis arrived at class with a very strong and tuneful voice – some previous training for Musical Theatre and a large repertoire of ‘perfected’ numbers.
However, as soon as she sang anything in another genre – soul, gospel… her voice became harsh and monotonous – she lacked expression and depth as well as dynamic range.
She had learned one ‘mix’ for her voice and was trapped inside a sound that was limiting her opportunities as a singer.
A Shakespearian Solution
I began by facilitating an exploration of her speech tones – through reading of dramatic text.
We identified sounds that were connected to various feelings and because of her training, Phyllis was able to locate the breath and larynx sensations associated with these sounds – she got to know her voice again.
We had fun exploring laughter, tears, exasperation, anger, and a whole range of subtle sounds from childhood to adult expression in sounds, exclamations and speech.
Transferring this work to the song was easier than either of us expected it to be – Phyllis was very open to the whole process and this helped immensely.
Go Outside of the Song
Sometimes the answers to issues for the singer are not in the song.
Phyllis is well on the way to building a wider repertoire and continues to enjoy the exploration of her new mix.
Take Away
Remember it’s impossible to separate your ‘singing voice’ from the rest of you! A technique that encourages such an approach is lacking the vital depth that a singer requires when developing the voice! Make sure you are exploring more than simply how to hit the note!
-Rachel Bennett
Note: the names of singers in Rachel’s blog have been changed and, in many cases, represent composite situations.
The Probing Begins
“Sometimes one creative idea can move you past months of performance blocks” –says Rachel Bennett
Rachel Bennett’s new column, “Probe” takes VoiceCouncil readers into the lives of singers working toward greater vocal and performance strengths.
Each entry features insights born in live coaching sessions with gigging singers.
Rachel Bennett is a London-based vocal coach and singer songwriter. She is the lead singer / songwriter of RAIE and a Musical Director for theatre, television & recording studios across London. You can learn more about Rachel at: www.raiemusic.com Also – check out Raie on facebook.
Note: the names of singers in Rachel’s blog have been changed and, in many cases, represent composite situations.
The Case: Out of Control Vibrato
Probe with Rachel Bennett
The Singer: Sandra, 20 years old, a singer songwriter doing open mic slots
Case Summary: Sandra wanted to get more singing gigs but faced a huge challenge with her vibrato dropping her out of tune. We found an unconventional solution.
Dropping Out of Key
Sandra began her singing studies already in possession of a beautiful timbre – rich and easy and with a slow vibrato…but a little too slow…
Her vibrato arrived at the end of most phrases and was so slow that it dropped her out of key and she would begin the next phrase a semitone below – this would progress through a song delivery until she could be three tones out of key by the last chorus!
I wanted her to be able to keep her vibrato so as to maintain her vocal character but to minimise its use and to work at recognising how to control it.
The Pan Pipe Solution
We began by listening to pipes – Pan pipes …
Their simplicity and their airy sound were attractive to Sandra and we set up some exercises around them – she worked to emulate their sound.
She began by singing short tones (quarter notes) on ‘eh’ – simply singing one note to begin with across a two bar sequence – changing up the note then continuing in this way up five tones.
We developed this to three then five tone sequences on the stave and increased the length of the notes to half then whole tones across a four then an eight bar sequence.
After Sandra had mastered these notes without her vibrato I introduced melodic lines.
The Outcome
Sandra did the work – she began to apply the ‘pipe’ sound to her songs and found that she could control the phrase endings with much more success.
Three years on she is a fabulous singer with her beautiful vibrato intact and her intonation solidly in place!
Take Away
Pitching well is vital for live performance. We live in an age where many young and inexperienced producers are keen to record young singers and ‘tune’ their voices after the recording – technology can be misused! Be sure you’re not one of these!
-Rachel Bennett
Note: the names of singers in Rachel’s blog have been changed and, in many cases, represent composite situations.
Rachel Bennett is a London-based vocal coach and singer songwriter. She is the lead singer / songwriter of RAIE and a Musical Director for theatre, television & recording studios across London. You can learn more about Rachel at: www.raiemusic.com Also – check out Raie on facebook.
You can see Rachel Bennett in action at her upcoming EP Launch on 01 Nov 2011, Avalon Shoreditch, 8pm. Rachel will be joined by celebrated artistes and will be supported by co-producer and Voice Council friend Wes Maebe. She will be performing 2×25 sets, including all songs from the EP ‘Earthbound’ and her upcoming album. More information & tickets available on her website.
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About Rachel Bennett
