- Sometimes the terms we use in singing
can be confusing, and a little misleading.
One such term is Inalare La Voce.
What is Inalare La Voce,
correctly spelled without the H, and
is it essential for contemporary singers to learn?
I've got all the answers coming right up.
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Check one, check two.
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- Good day everyone, Dr. Dan here with another
helpful singing tip video designed
to help you realize the full potential
of your singing voice.
Now as many of you know, Voice Essentials
is a learn-to-sing channel for the contemporary vocalist.
People who want to sing genres like rock, pop, and country.
So I try to avoid straying into
classical singing and the technical disciplines
required for classical styles.
But equally, I try to answer as many questions
as I can from my wonderful subscribers.
So when Shankar asked,
"Can you make a video on Inhalare La Voce and how to do it?
"And some exercises for the same?"
I felt compelled to respond to the question with this video,
despite the fact that Inalare La Voce is not
something I actively teach in my studio,
at least not by that label.
And please forgive me if my pronunciation
is not as accurate as you would like.
Again, I don't use the term all that often,
so my tongue may slip up occasionally
when I pronounce the Italian.
At the very least, it'll provide you with a good laugh.
So firstly, what is Inalare La Voce?
Well, it's an Italian term
which translates as inhale the voice,
and this is where the confusion comes for
many singers when they first encounter the term.
Some people incorrectly think that
Inalare La Voce means learning to sing
on the inhalation phase of breathing
as opposed to the exhalation phase.
Now before you start commenting below,
suggesting that it is possible
to sing on an inhaled breath,
let me quickly say that, yeah,
it is possible to create sound when inhaling.
So for example, (breathes in noisily).
Now the Dictionary for the Modern Singer
defines inhaled singing as
"An extended technique that involves
"singing while inhaling as opposed to exhaling.
"The result is a sound rooted in glottal fry.
"While some pitch variation is possible,
"the technique is limited in scope
"compared to traditional singing."
So, as you can see, the literal interpretation of
inhale the voice has very definite physical limitations.
For the most part we produce dynamic sound for singing
on the exhalation of breath, not the inhalation.
But this still leaves us with the term in question.
So what are we actually talking about,
if we're not learning to sing on the inhaled breath?
Well, I've got a few ideas that I think you'll find helpful,
as well as a practical activity that we can do together.
But before we proceed, take a quick moment to
hit the thumbs-up button if you're enjoying today's video.
In short, for many singing teachers the term
Inalare La Voce is used as a metaphorical instruction
more so than a literal one.
That is to say, Inalare La Voce is often used to
prepare the voice for flow phonation.
I think it's all too easy to focus on the exhalation phase
of breath management and forget about the inhalation phase.
The importance of a balanced inhalation
when learning to sing is found
in the response of the vocal tract
and the larynx to air being dragged into the lungs.
Try this with me.
Take a quick breath inwards and notice
what happens to the muscles around your neck.
(inhales deeply)
When I do it, I feel an uncomfortable
constriction inside my larynx,
and this constriction is caused
by the false and true folds
gathering inwards towards the glottis.
And herein lies the challenge
for singers of all genres and disciplines.
We generally need to be able to take in
as much air as we can, as quickly as we can.
But if our intake of breath,
our inhalation, causes constriction,
our singing will not only sound tight,
the voice will wear and tear rather quickly.
To help alleviate the tendency to
constrict when inhaling quickly,
we're going to practice a
quick inhalation in three ways.
Firstly, I want you to find yourself
a large diameter straw, like this one.
This straw is about one centimeter in diameter.
It's vital that the straw is nice and wide,
because we want to keep the inflow pressure to a minimum.
The activity goes like this.
(inhales and exhales deeply)
Notice how I'm inhaling quickly,
without too much neck muscle engagement.
Now actually I feel a lot of movement
around my midriff, as my diaphragm quickly descends
and my abdominal muscles release outwards.
Now if you don't have a straw, you can move straight on
to the second stage of the activity,
where we replace the straw with an OK hand signal like this.
(inhales and exhales deeply)
Make sure your lips are full,
flaring out towards the edge of the fingers.
In fact, your lips should feel
a little wider than when we used the straw.
Once you've got the inflow of air
working nicely with the use of your hand,
try removing your fingers while maintaining
the balanced inflow of air.
(inhales and exhales deeply)
Yeah, but what does this activity
have to do with Inalare La Voce, I hear you ask.
Well, remember when I said
Inalare La Voce is often used to
prepare the voice for flow phonation?
Well, when we inhale with balance,
the vocal tract widens to what some teachers
might describe as being an open throat,
and the vocal folds are positioned
away from the glottal line,
preparing them for simultaneous
onset of sound when we then move into
the exhalation phase for phonation.
Now let's try isolating that sensation together.
Using one of the three inhalation modes we just tried,
using a straw, your hand, or the freestyle mode,
inhale quickly, but this time
pause at the top of the inhale.
That is, don't exhale.
(inhales deeply)
Now, it's crucial that you don't
grip the voice during the pause.
(inhales deeply)
You want to keep it open.
One way we could describe the pause is
as the time between times,
we're neither inhaling nor are we exhaling.
There should be no tension.
Much of the suspension of time is being
conducted by the abdominals and the obliques
as they suspend the movement of the diaphragm.
Once you feel you're getting a good handle
on the open throat sensation,
start working it into your songs,
ensuring that your larynx doesn't want to grip down
every time you prepare to sing a new phase.
Inalare La Voce may be a slightly misleading label,
but when applied correctly to your singing,
yes, even contemporary vocals,
your voice will benefit greatly
from its technical influence.
I'll be keen to hear how you go with
the activities we've just covered together
over the coming weeks.
As always, leave your comments below
so that we can all benefit from your experience,
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and I look forward to seeing you again soon.
I'm Dr. Dan, sing well.