Let's talk about a fairly controversial topic
in the world of singing which is the nasal resonance.
And people get this confused all the time,
they think of a nasal voice as like nasal
like really a bright kind of sound.
But it's actually not that.
It's using the mmm, the humming,
kind of vibration or sensation
when one sings.
And it actually is very good for the voice
and sounds very good.
Do any of you think-
[Alvin] Bup but bup bup…
[Justin] Yes?
[Alvin] you've been doing this to us all day,
we want to hear what you're talking about.
[Justin] Well, so if I were just to sing an AH vowel
♪ AH ♪
And then I wanted to add what people think is nasal,
it would become
♪ AH ♪ [demonstrates bright]
it would become very bright.
But we're saying instead of
♪ AH ♪ [demonstrates bright]
going
♪ AH ♪ [demonstrates nasal resononnce]
[Dave] So now wouldn't that be different for
each individual because our nasal passages,
our cavities, are different.
They're individualized.
[Justin] Yes, it would be different for every person.
But in the world of singing people are often told
“No, don't do that, don't ever do that,
that's bad singing.”
Yet you hear singer after singer at top levels
doing that.
And for many it's very unconscious
and just happens naturally
and they don't even think about it.
I'm wondering if any of you feel it,
think about it, have heard about that,
what your thoughts?
[Claude] I think about it all the time and I try to do it sometimes
but I don't like the way it sounds in my head.
[Justin] Okay.
[Claude] So it doesn't work for me except when
I make myself do it.
And you're right it makes it easier for me to sing
and then I'll hear it, like if I've recorded that way,
and it doesn't sound on record the way it sounds
in my head.
[Justin] Uh-huh, yes.
[Claude] But it's hard for me to divorce those two things
to be able to do it consistently and just fall into it.
So I go into the other thing which sounds more
pleasing in my head which is actually harder to do on my voice.
That's absolutely how it works, when people
add nasal resonance they often think
oh no, that isn't going to sound right.
But it feels better.
And then they go back and listen to it
and they say, oh but it sounded better too.
Just not in the moment.
[Claude] Wow.
[Justin] Any other experiences with that?
[Joel] I will say that since having in-ears and trying to blend
I probably resorted to that to hit the cord in my head.
So in-ears works wonderfully when you have huge venues
and you need to have a consistent sound.
But there's something that you also lose
in not having room resonance
so that you can blend with each other.
And so oftentimes you're trying to adjust the room sound
to your in-ears, to how you're singing,
to how you hear the chord,
and sometimes I have resorted to nasal singing
if I just can't hear the chord or I can't hear where
I fit in the chord and I need to hear it at this particular time
in the song.
I will resort to it.
I can't say whether it's bad or good,
it's just been a means to an end that I'm sure I practice.
[Justin] Okay.
[Dave] Yeah, I would tend to agree with Joey.
Because there are certain times,
especially when you're singing in a group
and depending on the venue,
once you digitize the sound with the in-ears
there's stuff that’s missing and you can only
feel the vibration that almost lets you know,
almost gives you a similar understanding
of what the pitch center would actually be,
because you understand what that vibration feels like.
[Justin] Absolutely, yeah.
Nasal resonance does help you tune.
[Dave] Exactly.
[Justin] Absolutely, yeah.
[Mark] I would say, you know, everything that they're saying
absolutely applies.
Especially as it pertains to just, you know,
singing within the group.
But, as a singing soloist you, well at least for me,
I have try to define different ways of approaching a lead vocal
and sometimes you want to be strong
and it takes you know adding like a
[demonstrates]
as opposed to
[demonstrates]
there's a difference in how it will actually come out
and how it sounds.
And I have to decide, okay how do I want to sound
for this particular part?
[Justin] Yeah.
[Mark] Do I want to, you know… if I'm singing and trying to
make it soft then
[demonstrates]
then I'm using a little more nasal there, you know.
And that warms the sound.
And there are other times where we want to literally
sound like trumpets.
So we are making it as piercing as we possibly can.
And that’s less nasal.
So, um, you know I've used it.
What do I want to sound like at the particular time?
Then I decide how much nasal I use or don't use.
[Justin] Yeah. Ultimately we do want the option.
For it to be a choice.
It's just that many singers have been told
to never do that,
when we hear so much of it and it has so many benefits.
[Claude] I don’t think any of us have ever been told
not to do it.
[Dave] Well I will say it's one of the good things
about being in this group because we're kind of
insulated from some of that outside noise.
[Justin] Yeah, yeah.
[Dave] Because, as with anything, as times change, teachings change.
Education styles change.
And so things that used to be bad, you know, a decade ago,
and now that's the only way to do it.
And then you know 10 years from now,
you know something else will come along.