- If you're a guy, then I know this video
is going to improve your singing voice.
Stick around, I've got two super-practical singing exercises
designed especially for the male voice coming right up.
- [Technician] Sound check.
(feedback whining)
Check one, check two. (crowd cheering)
(upbeat, melodic music)
- G'day, my name is Dr Dan.
Welcome back to Voice Essentials,
the channel where everybody sings.
Now today we're specifically looking at the male voice,
but ladies,
I invite you to watch and sing along with the exercises also
because while the exercises we will cover together
are targeted at the male voice,
I think women will gain some benefits
from the vocal activity as well.
Now you could be forgiven for thinking
that when it comes to exercising the male voice,
that we'd be focusing in on developing big full meaty notes
that provide the male singer with a gutsy rock tone.
And it is true that many men
want to build that aspect of their voice.
But that's not what we'll be focusing on in this video.
If you're looking for instruction
for singing higher and stronger, then click on this link
for the video with exercises designed for such.
In this video however, I wanna target
what I think is the weakest part of most male voices,
the upper register.
I've talked about the upper register in previous videos,
but today I've got some new singing exercises
designed primarily for the male voice.
You see, when it comes to singing through
the four registers, pulse, lower, upper and falsetto,
many men simply push their lower register
through to the point at which the voice flips into falsetto.
This is a bit like have a four-speed gearbox,
and never using third gear.
It can be done,
but the benefits of that third gear are lost,
possibly costing the engine, in this case, the larynx,
more than necessary,
not to mention reduced access to specific tones and timbres
that only the upper register can provide.
- [Technician] Sound check.
(upbeat music) (crowd cheering)
(feedback whining)
- So guys, it's time to access and exercise
the upper register so that we can reap all the benefits
that, what some people call the head voice, has to offer.
More often than not,
when developing the contemporary voice for genres like rock
we workshop the voice starting in the lower register
and slowly move up the scale.
Our first exercise today is different
insomuch as it starts the voice high, in the upper register,
and runs downwards.
Have a listen and then we'll talk it through.
(high piano chord vibrates)
♪ EE, EE, EE, EE, EE ♪
(lower piano chord vibrates)
♪ EE, EE, EE, EE, EE ♪
(lower piano chord vibrates)
♪ EE, EE, EE, EE, EE ♪
(lower piano chord vibrates)
♪ EE, EE, EE, EE, EE ♪
(lower piano chord vibrates)
♪ EE, EE, EE, EE, EE ♪
Again, you'll notice
I started at the top of my upper register.
Now, I started on G4,
but you might like to commence a little lower,
perhaps around D4.
It's important to not start in falsetto
because we do want some TA, some thyroarytenoid engagement.
If you start in falsetto,
the TA muscle will become passive
which is not helpful in this exercise.
As you descend, only work the voice down to the point
at which the lighter timbre of the upper register
starts to shift into the heavier voicing
of the lower register.
I'm gonna do it again with you now,
but this time, I'm going to sing down the scale
and then when I hit that resonance transition
where upper starts to change to lower,
I'll then move back up
being sure to maintain the upper registration sound.
And well, let's see how we go.
Starting on G4 again. (piano chord vibrates)
♪ EE, EE, EE, EE, EE ♪
(lower piano chord vibrates)
♪ EE, EE, EE, EE, EE ♪
(lower piano chord vibrates)
♪ EE, EE, EE, EE, EE ♪
(lower piano chord vibrates)
♪ EE, EE, EE, EE, EE ♪
You can hear my lower register sound,
that thyroarytenoid dominance coming in there.
One more. (lower piano chord vibrates)
♪ EE, EE, EE, EE, EE ♪
And back up. (higher piano chord vibrates)
♪ EE, EE, EE, EE, EE ♪
(higher piano chord vibrates)
♪ EE, EE, EE, EE, EE ♪
(higher piano chord vibrates)
♪ EE, EE, EE, EE, EE ♪
(higher piano chord vibrates)
♪ EE, EE, EE, EE, EE ♪
Arriving back at the G4 where we started.
Now notice also, that I'm using an EE vowel.
The EE vowel narrows the vocal tract
and forms a vocal tract shape
that enables easier access to the upper register.
I won't do it now,
but feel free to play around with other vowels also.
Vowels like AH and OO can all be sung in the upper register,
but they just become a little harder to access.
Hey, I've got another great exercise to teach you
for the development of the male upper register,
but before we go through it, I'd appreciate a thumbs-up
if you're learning something from today's video.
Hopefully, the first exercise
has helped you experience your upper register,
giving you access to new sounds and tones.
The next activity is a siren
that starts in the shortener dominant,
that is the TA dominant, lower register
and moves into the lengthener dominant,
the cricothyroid or CT dominant upper register.
We've done sirens on the channel before,
but this time we'll be using two vowels.
Have a listen.
♪ AH ♪
♪ EE ♪
♪ AH ♪
Now in this instance,
we're using the AH vowel to start with,
which in turn is more likely to activate the lower register,
the chest type sound, and then as we siren upwards,
we morph the vowel into the narrower shape of an EE vowel.
Let's to it together a few times.
♪ AH ♪
♪ EE ♪
♪ AH ♪
♪ EE ♪
♪ AH ♪
Once more.
♪ AH ♪
♪ EE ♪
♪ AH ♪
It's important
that as you approach the changing of the vowel shape,
AH to EE, that you alter your breath pressure
ensuring that you lessen your sense of push on the EE vowel.
This, in turn, will help the voice
to mechanically and acoustically
transition into the upper register.
I hope you find the two exercises
that we've covered today helpful.
Leave your comments below with any questions
as well as feedback outlining your experiences.
I hope to see you again soon.
I'm Dr Dan, sing well.