♬
Hey singers!
It's Justin Stoney the founder of New York Vocal Coaching
joining you for another episode of Quick Singing Tips.
Today we're hanging out at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Met is the largest art museum in the US
and is home to so much artistic glory that it staggers the mind.
We're here today because of a question
from Emmanuelle F. in Avignon, France.
Emmanuelle writes, "Dear Justin, what is chiaroscuro?
And how can it make me a great singer?"
That's a bright question, Emmanuelle.
Chiaroscuro is a very important term for singers to know.
Because chiaroscuro is, in many ways,
the ideal tone quality of a singing voice.
Do you want to have a voice that sounds
pure, pleasing, and balanced?
Of course you do!
Well then you need chiaroscuro!
"I employed some chiaroscuro shading."
Let's explore what it is.
♬
Chiaroscuro is an italian word that means "bright dark".
The term comes from the Italian Renaissance.
The great Italian painters of this period
would combine elements of bright and dark
in their artwork.
The combination was so beautiful
♪ Beautiful ♪
that art aficionados would exclaim
"M'ama mia! Chiaroscuro!"
The perfect blend of bright and dark.
Now let me tell you, I have tasted and I have seen.
There's a lot of awesome chiaroscuro going on at the Met.
But Justin, what does all this have to do with singing?
Well, not long after the Italian Renaissance
the famous Italian school of singing came around
and the Italians noted that the same thing
is true of a voice as it is of a painting.
You don't want too much bright or too much dark in a voice.
Instead it's the combination of the two
that makes a voice balanced.
In other words, if all I do is chiaro...
♪
♪ Sebben Crudele, Mi fai languir ♪
Then an Italian person is gonna say,
mi ha rotto il timpano!
And if all I do is oscuro...
♪
♪ Sebben Crudele, Mi fai languir ♪
Then an Italian person is gonna say,
che brutto!
But finally if I put the two together,
I get chiaroscuro...
♪ Sebben Crudele, Mi fai languir ♪
And I hope an Italian person would say...
che bella voce, Justin!
Ah!
Grazie!
Now sometimes folks believe that chiaroscuro
only applies to classical singing.
But that's a mistake, actually.
In reality all voices in all styles
can benefit from this concept.
Being able to consciously make adjustments
to the brightness or darkness of your voice
is one of the core skills you need for vocal mastery
in any style.
So let's explore!
♬
Here are things that can contribute to a brighter sound.
Forward tongue, spread embouchure,
lifted larynx, twang, compressed vocal folds,
Now here are some things that contribute
to a darker sound.
Retracted tongue position, rounded embouchure,
lowered larynx, and decompressed vocal folds.
We've talked about all of these things
in past episodes of Voice Lessons To The World
and Quick Singing Tips.
So we know that some of these things
shouldn't be taken to extremes.
But truthfully, none of these things are necessarily
good or bad, right or wrong.
They're just many things that the voice can do.
They're like colors on an artist's palette.
♬
And ultimately for you as a vocal artist
I want you to have the ability to use
just a little bit of this color or just a little bit of that color.
And today we're gonna start practicing with
a chiaroscuro vocal exercise!
♬
In today's exercise you get a chance to experiment with
many different colors of your voice
and start to achieve a chiaroscuro balance.
I'm gonna do a simple, MAH MAH MAH, like this...
♪ MAH ♪
But we're gonna do it in three different ways.
First chairo...
♪ MAH ♪
Then oscuro...
♪ MAH ♪
Then balanced...
♪ MAH ♪
Feel free to combine many different elements
of bright and dark as you exaggerate the first two rounds.
But then make sure on round three
you're going for your most balanced sound.
Got it?
Let's try it!
Guys we'll be down here, ♪ MAH ♪
And ladies will be up here, ♪ MAH ♪
And here we go!
♪ MAH ♪
That's it!
♪ MAH ♪
Got it?
♪
Bright!
Good.
♪
Dark, yes!
Balanced...
♪
You did it.
And bright!
♪
Dark...
♪
Balanced...
Excellent!
♪ MAH ♪
You did it!
♪
Bright.
Mhm!
♪
Dark, yes!
♪
Balanced...
Beautiful!
Come down...
♪ MAH ♪
You're doing it!
♪
Chiaro...
♪
Oscuro...
♪
Chiaroscuro, yes!
♪ MAH ♪
That's it! Two more...
♪
Mhm!
♪
Dark...
♪
And, balanced...
Last one...
♪ MAH ♪
♪
Woo!
Yes that's awesome, you've really explored
the many colors of your voice.
Excellent.
Here are some more things that
I hope make your vocal journey a little more colorful.
For voice lessons or Skype lessons with the NYVC staff
visit us at NewYorkVocalCoaching.com.
If you'd like a vocal course that you can do at home check out the
Voice Lessons To The World Vocal Course.
This twelve part program takes you on a singing journey
from beginner to master level vocal exercises.
You can find it at VoiceLessonsToTheWorld.com.
Or, if you'd like free vocal tips sent to you each day
sign up at DailyVocalTips.com.
And now, here's Justin with this week's vocal benediction.
Our lives and our vocal journeys are always going to be
a mixture of sunshine and shade.
But the mistake is to get too giddy in the bright seasons
and too frustrated in the dark seasons.
Really, it's wiser to take a step back and look at what God is doing
on the entire artistic canvas of your life.
If you do, then you'll see that regardless of whether
it's a season of victory or a season of setbacks,
your life can be a masterpiece.
♬