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Hey Singers!
It's Justin Stoney the founder of New York Vocal Coaching
joining you for a special Halloween episode of
Quick Singing Tips.
Today we're hanging out at Abracadabra NYC.
Abracadabra NYC is the best place to find
costumes, masks, props, and magic
which leads us to our question for the day from
Alfonso R. in Bogota, Colombia.
Alfonso writes, "Dear Justin, what is Voce Di Strega?"
Ooo!
That's a frighteningly good question Alfonso.
Voce di strega is a vocal term that means
"voice of the witch".
How does that work?
Well voce di Justin sounds like this...
Double double toil and trouble.
But voce di strega sounds like this...
Double double toil and trouble
fire burn and cauldron bubble.
In more contemporary vocal terminology
we might call this "twang".
Some other words you might hear are
squillo, ring, a forward sound,
singing into the mask,
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or, my favorite, higher formant frequencies.
Now wait a minute Justin, why would we ever want
to do such a thing?
Well let's go technique trick-or-treating
and we'll see that voce di strega and twang
have lots of treats.
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Voce di strega and twang help the voice to carry and project.
They reduce the pressure on the vocal folds
during belting and mix.
They assist with compression and vocal fold closure.
They balance out an overly dark voice.
And they offer overall more sound for less overall effort.
So that's lots of treats for sure!
But what about the trick?
Well the trick is...
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...it doesn't sound all that great on its own.
In fact it's rare for us to want our final product
to sound like voce di strega.
But still we need to use it as a training tool.
If we do then we can receive all of its splendiferous powers
without risking a vocal life that's doomed to the dark arts.
[witch cackling] [♬]
So what goes into voce di strega?
Well there's several factors involved.
First, the aryepiglottic sphincter.
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The aryepiglottic sphincter!
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What?
The aryepiglottic sphincter!
That's the top part of your larynx.
When your epiglottis narrows it creates a smaller chamber.
Smaller chambers equal witchier sounds.
Next, tongue position.
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The tongue will often move toward an IH or AA shape
during voce di strega.
This can really help singers who have
a tongue that's pushing down against the larynx
or retracting backwards.
Finally, compression.
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The vocal folds take on a really clean, crisp, and efficient production
when using voce di strega.
They make great contact without requiring
excessive amounts of breath pressure or volume.
This increased efficiency results in a do-less-get more kind of sound.
So those are the primary factors involved in voce di strega and twang.
Now notice one thing that is not on this list.
And that's nasal resonance.
Remember voce di strega and twang are not the same thing
as nasal resonance.
In other words, these brighter sounds
are totally different from nasal sounds and nasal resonance.
For more on that be sure to revisit past episodes
of Quick Singing Tips and Voice Lessons To The World.
But for now here's something that I hope can be burned
into your nightmares.
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Voce di strega is not nasal resonance.
Twang is not nasal resonance.
Bright formants are not nasal resonance.
None of these things are nasal.
That's right!
Voce di strega and twang are miles away
from nasal resonance.
That requires a subtle dropping of the soft palate.
So as long as you and I are riding on the same broomstick,
then I think we can joyfully continue with our
Halloween pedagogical fun.
Because now it's time for you to try out a voce di strega exercise.
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Now if you've been following this show you know me,
I could hit you with a billion and one vocal exercises
and always have a little something left over
in the candy basket.
But today I don't want to hit you with a
GWAN-NAN-NAN
a YEENG-EENG-EENG
or a FYAY-AY-AY.
Today I want you to take a song
that you're struggling with and use the riches of the witches.
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That is, I want you to sing a song all the way through
using voce di strega.
It's gonna be weird,
it's gonna be creepy,
it's gonna be nasty,
but it's gonna help.
To give you an example, you're gonna dare
to sing something like this...
♪ I'm a wild again beguiled again ♪
♪ A simpering whimpering child again ♪
♪ Bewitched bothered and bewildered am I ♪
Instantly, you'll notice more resonance, more ease,
more freedom, more silliness, more playfulness,
more creativity!
It'll be like the song you've been singing for years
has had a spell cast on it.
And then you go back to normal and you take away
some of the twang.
♪ I'm a wild again beguiled again ♪
♪ A simpering whimpering child again ♪
♪ Bewitched bothered and bewildered am I ♪
And everything's feeling more fun,
more vibrant, more enchanted already.
So give this a try with your own voice
and with your own song.
And let us know how it goes.
We're expecting some magic.
And here are some other things that I hope can
add a little magic to your vocal journey.
We are pleased to announce the upcoming release
of Justin Stoney's new book Sing Like Never Before.
For more information visit, SingLikeNeverBefore.com.
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.
Halloween is a fascinating holiday.
It lets us pretend to be someone else
so we can remember who we really are.
So wear the mask and "sing into the mask" for a day.
When you take the mask away, you'll be more yourself than ever.
Just remember, the person behind the mask...
...is loved.
So loved, that it's scary.
Happy Halloween!
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