What Is Vocal Technique?

By: Meagan Mayne

What makes someone a good singer? Is it a pretty-sounding voice? The ability to sing high notes? A loud, powerful sound? Many people find it natural to sing on pitch and are told that their voices are pleasant to listen to. But many of these singers feel limited in their abilities. Some of them feel their voices are not consistent. So what are they missing? They are missing vocal technique.

Vocal technique is the learned coordination of the physiological systems involved in singing: respiration, phonation, resonance, and articulation. Through the development of efficient coordination, singers gain greater freedom, flexibility, and expressive possibilities.

The Four Systems of Singing

Respiration: The Breath

Respiration is simply the process of breathing. In singing, the respiratory system provides the airflow needed to regulate the breath pressure necessary for the vocal folds to vibrate.

We all know how to breathe. We were born doing it. The way we breathe has worked well enough to get us to the point we are in life. So why do we need to learn how to breathe in singing? Unlike ordinary breathing, singing requires sustained phrases, changes in dynamics, and coordination of our breathing with musical demands.

Developing respiratory coordination doesn’t mean we learn to take the largest possible breath. Singers instead learn to manage breathing depending on the demands of the music.

Phonation: The Sound

Phonation is when the air from the lungs passes through the larynx and causes the vocal folds to vibrate. The rate of vibration helps determine pitch, while the way the vocal folds vibrate and come together influences vocal quality. Developing good phonation helps singers produce sound without too much effort, excessive breathiness, or pressing.

Resonance: The Acoustic System

The sound produced by the vocal folds is shaped as it travels through the vocal tract, including the throat and mouth. The vocal tract acts as an acoustic filter, enhancing certain frequencies and reducing others. Changes in the shape of the vocal tract influence the tone colors we hear.

Through training, singers develop greater flexibility in shaping their vocal tract to achieve different acoustic and artistic goals.

Articulation: The Words

Articulation involves the movements of things such as the tongue, lips, and jaw to produce vowels and consonants. In singing, articulation must balance clear communication of language with pitch and musical phrasing. Good articulation allows singers to communicate text clearly without causing tension that restrains vocal production.

Coordination: Bringing It All Together

All of these systems, although separate, need to be coordinated in order to use them all effectively and at the same time. A change in articulation can influence resonance, respiratory coordination affects phonation, and so on. Although we may single out certain systems one at a time, the ultimate goal is to coordinate these systems to form a unified instrument. Sometimes this means developing new skills, while other times, it means unlearning bad habits that interfere with vocal production.

Why Does Vocal Technique Matter?

Developing vocal technique helps singers expand their range of possibilities, be more consistent, meet musical demands, and reduce excessive effort. The goal is not to force the voice to do a certain thing. It is about freeing the voice. When these systems come together, singers don’t spend every performance thinking about breathing, phonation, resonance, and articulation. We practice the effective use of these systems so that our voices become more reliable, allowing us to better express the music.