- Singing with a clean, balanced tone
is not always a desirable aesthetic
in contemporary genres like rock, country, and even jazz.
Sometimes you want to add a sexy, raspy quality
to your voice to enhance the overall sound.
If you want to learn to sing with a raspy voice,
then stick around because I've got
a super useful singing exercise coming right up.
- [Woman] Sound check. (mic feeds back)
Check one, check two. (rock band plays)
G'day there; my name is Dr. Dan.
Welcome back to Voice Essentials where everybody sings.
A couple of months ago I did a video about the husky voice
where we learnt how to "remove" the raspy and rough sounds
in the voice in favor of a cleaner and more balanced tone.
Habitually, a clean tone is more desirable
because dirtier qualities like
the raspy, rough, or husky voice do tend
to wear and tear at the voice if done mindlessly.
You see the raspy or husky voice is typically derived
from an unbalanced vocal fold oscillation.
When the vocal folds oscillate unevenly,
there can be a tendency for the leading edges
of the vocal folds to rub at specific points
instead of coming together cleanly.
This rubbing can lead to the formation
of vocal fold lesions like nodules.
And like me, I'm sure you want to avoid those nasty nodules.
But what if the song you're singing
will benefit from a raspy or husky quality?
Is it okay to have a raspy or rough edge
to the sound occasionally, absolutely.
I guess the key to achieving a raspy voice
all while you work to avoid
the development of benign vocal fold lesions,
is to develop the ability
to turn the sound quality on
and perhaps, more importantly, be able to turn it off.
I used the word "mindlessly" earlier.
In my humble opinion, raspy voice quality
is not something you should set and forget.
Instead, I advise my student singers
to be super vigilant when using a raspy tone.
You need to be able to manage
and monitor both the sound in direct connection
with the physical sensations that come about
by virtue of the husky and raspy voice.
You see, what we'll be learning to do in this video
is defined as "hyperfunction."
A Dictionary for the Modern Singer
defines hyperfunction stating, "In vocal pedagogy,
"this term specifically refers to
"a hyperfunctioning of the vocal folds
"due to excess tension or forcing
"within the laryngeal region,
"ventricular vocal fold phonation,
"anteroposterior laryngeal 'squeezing,'
"and harsh glottal onsets."
The dictionary definition goes on to describe hyperfunction
as a negative aspect of vocal function.
Well, today we're going to turn the negative
into a positive.
We're going to apply some hyperfunction
to achieve the raspy voice quality we've been discussing.
Now, due to the risks associated with this kind of activity
allow me to lay out some guidelines.
Firstly, if your voice is in any way shape or form,
sounding or feeling less than in perfect health,
I would advise not doing this exercise.
If you're sick or your voice is currently severely fatigued,
it is likely that your vocal folds
are swollen with retained fluid.
Swollen vocal folds, when placed under significant load
similar to the activity we're about to do,
run a heightened risk of damaging wear and tear.
Please also avoid doing this exercise
if your voice is already habitually raspy, husky, or rough.
It's essential to orientate to
the development of a raspy voice
from the position of healthy phonatory patterns
as opposed to merely adding some know-how
to the habitually unbalanced voice.
I hope it's clear that what we are about to learn
is all about developing aesthetic choice,
and not about endorsing free abandonment
to careless singing.
With these necessary cautions in place,
I want you to sing a single clean note on the word "yeah."
(piano note sounds)
♪ Yeah ♪
Now use the same word and note,
but make the sound as breathy as you can without whispering.
(piano note sounds)
♪ Yeah ♪
Okay, now what we want to do is sing the same again,
but this time we're going to "lean" on the sound
with a little extra pressure,
which in turn should cause the larynx
to just brace a little.
(piano note sounds)
♪ Yeah ♪
This halfway point should activate
the raspy sound quality we're searching for.
Do it again, but this time play around
with the raspy voice quality until you find
a laryngeal setting that doesn't feel overly pressed.
(piano note sounds)
♪ Yeah ♪
That raspy or husky sound that we hear
is a disturbance in the air flow
as it passes between the vocal folds.
Now let's try to sing a five-note scale
employing the same husky voice quality.
So I'll do it on F major, starting on F3.
(F-chord sounds) (Dan sings F scale)
♪ Yeah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ♪
(G-chord sounds) (Dan sings G scale)
♪ Yeah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ♪
(A-chord sounds) (Dan sings A scale)
♪ Yeah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ♪
You may have noticed that the single note activity,
and to a greater extent, the five-note scale,
used a lot more air than in the cleaner tones.
That's because the raspy voice is allowing more air
to escape between the vocal folds
and therefore it is less efficient when it comes to breath.
I cannot stress enough just how crucial it is
to only do these activities for limited periods of time.
Similarly, you should seek to only employ
the use of a raspy voice aesthetic
in measured amounts when performing.
Learn to add the raspy and husky sounds
for color and contrast as opposed to
singing every song with the effect.
I hope today's video and exercises have been helpful.
Leave any comments below outlining your experiences.
We all stand to gain from your knowledge.
And of course, if you haven't yet subscribed to the channel,
on behalf of the Voice Essentials community,
I invite you to join us.
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just like this one.
I hope to see you again soon.
I'm Dr. Dan, sing well.