♬
Hi everybody!
My name is Justin Stoney and I'm the founder of
New York Vocal Coaching here in New York City.
Welcome to episode 67 of Voice Lessons To The World.
And, part two of our two-part series
the L and the R partners in crime.
If you can remember Charlotte H. of Honolulu, Hawaii wrote,
"Dear Justin, the L and the R are particularly difficult to sing.
Especially in songs.
Why are they so evil?
Well, again, Charlotte very sorry to hear of your distress.
But all we know are the facts ma'am.
[Investigator music]
Ladies and gentlemen the story you are about to see is true.
The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
This is the city.
I'm Sergeant Joe Stoney of the NYVCPD.
I solve vocal crimes.
The accused, R.
One of our most wanted vocal criminals.
Last seen with his accomplice L, who I'm happy to say
is safe behind bars thanks to a great vocal tip we received last week.
The R we believe is still in cahoots with the soft palate.
R, accused of breaking and entering.
Breaking nasal resonance, causing the tongue to
retract and enter the laryngopharynx.
Assault, using physical force to hold the larynx down and back.
Aiding and abetting the L and the soft palate
in a massive inner web of vocal evil ultimately
contributing to the soft palate's attempt to rise to power.
Neglect of lip corners, not even attempting to use the very
God-given device that could save singers in peril from tongue retraction.
Loitering, hanging around in darkened forbidden places
where us vocal cops can't see him.
These are just the facts ma'am.
And I for one would like to see the R behind bars,
right next to his pal L.
But it's gonna take a great vocal tip.
Yep...
Uhhh...
Now I know what you guys are gonna say.
Justin it looks like you've been doing too many hiss contests these days.
[hits piano]
And now I know, I know but R is such a pesky problem
that we're really gonna have to open a criminal investigation against R.
Now I'm not talking about the trill that we talked about in the past.
The [trill] sound or [rolled] sound.
That's a different R, that's really a trill.
I'm talking about the front R, as in the word rascal.
And the back R as in the word harmful.
Right?
Front R, rascal.
And back R, harmful.
Okay so now let's look at the crimes that R has
really committed against singers.
That front R we tend to have a problem using the lips to do it.
So if I have that word rascal, and I don't use my lips, rascal.
Then my tongue is gonna be jamming back for the R.
Instead, I could use my lips and keep my tongue
in that great position to sing.
Not retracted, but high and tall.
[Demonstrates R with lips]
So if I use my lips the tongue is solved.
The next thing is it could lack nasal resonance, that front R.
So we make the R more like an M...
[Demonstrates sound]
And then change that M to an R.
[Demonstrates sound]
Rascal.
And now it's in a great place to sing.
So that's the deeds that you see that front R committing.
Now the back R is even worse.
As in the word harmful.
That is a real tongue retraction that we tend to do when
we have that back R sound.
And again, that's a tongue retraction.
It also braces the larynx, it doesn't give the larynx freedom
with all that retraction.
And we also tend to raise the soft palate too much
and again block that nasal resonance.
So it's all an inter web of vocal crimes going on.
So what are we gonna do about that back R?
Well, we can keep the tongue actually forward and tall
and the resonance up here.
With the R I can do harmful. [Demonstrates forward tongue]
Right?
Watch my tongue, harmful. [Demonstrates forward tongue]
I don't have to do harmful, [Demonstrates back R]
which is gonna cause a big problem for me as a singer.
So you're really gonna see this in a song example.
So the song we're gonna look at is "Why God Why?"
from the musical Miss Saigon.
And you're gonna see that this song has a lot of challenging R's in it.
Which could make it very difficult to sing.
So here's "Why God Why?" from the musical Miss Saigon.
♪
♪ Why God, why this face ♪
♪ Why such beauty in this place ♪
♪ I liked my memories as they were ♪
♪ But now I'll leave remembering her ♪
♪ Just her ♪
So you see that there's a lot of "ers",
some pullback of tongue that wants to happen.
Now I was singing...
[Demonstrates]
Which I would recommend with that higher more forward tongue,
not the [Demonstrates] that tends to happen with R.
♪ I liked my memories as they were ♪
Oh man...
♪ As they were ♪
And then I get that pull back...
♪ As they were ♪
And that's the more tall forward tongue that fixes that problem.
Now that's the back R what about the front R?
The [demonstrates] sound.
There's some of that too.
♪ I liked my memories as they were ♪
♪ But now I'll leave remembering ♪
So, not...
[demonstrates]
But instead...
[demonstrates]
Small lips and nasal resonance.
♪ Remembering ♪
[demonstrates]
That pulls me out of there...
But...
♪ Remembering ♪
Front R and not back R.
So that's the front R.
So there's the back R and the front R in application to a song.
But next we're gonna put R behind bars
[sound of cell door closing]
with a vocal exercise.
And it's gonna be M-R-A-R-M, mrarm.
Now it's kind of a tongue twister, yes.
Mrarm.
But I promise you it's all for the benefits of the justice system.
Right?
[demonstrates front R]
That's gonna give you that small and nasally resonant
R at the front.
And then, ARM, that's gonna help you keep the
tongue forward and tall through the sound.
So you're gonna get the front and back R both, with mrarm.
Alright?
So loose jaw, high relaxed forward tongue and buzzy resonance.
So here we go with guys down here mrarm...
♪ MRARM ♪
And ladies up here...
♪ MRARM ♪
And here we go together...
♪ MRARM ♪
So nice.
♪
That's it.
♪ MRARM ♪
Correct.
♪
Good!
♪ MRARM ♪
Nice.
♪
You got it.
♪
♪ MRARM ♪
So nice!
♪
That's right!
♪ MRARM ♪
♪
So good.
♪
Right!
♪ MRARM ♪
Awesome.
♪
That's right.
♪ MRARM ♪
You got it.
♪
♪ MRARM ♪
Good.
♪
♪ MRARM ♪
So nice.
♪
A few more.
♪
♪ MRARM ♪
Two more...
♪
Last one...
♪ MRARM ♪
♪
Awesome job.
I think that will help you guys to fix those R's, front and back.
And finally put R behind bars.
But, let's take a look.
[Investigator music]
R you're going right to the slammer.
Right alongside your pal L.
What do you have to say for yourself?
Rrrrrrrrr rrr rrrrrrrr.
Mmmhmm.
Anything you'd like to add R?
Rrrrrrarrrrrrrrrroworw.
Any last words R?
Rararararararararara.
Book him, boys.
Rrrrrrrr rrrr rrr arr ar arrroowr.
Rrrr.
♪♬♪