Ruff Ruff

My children's mother sometimes brings over her dog Roger when she is performing or directing shows--the kids get to play with him instead of him sitting home alone. Well, Roger barks whenever he hears a doorbell or a door knocking. It can be on TV or for real. And if he is sitting next to me, it is deafening! He is a Maltese and has a high pitched bark.

When I drive up and open my car door I can hear him all the way in the driveway barking. We have a fairly sound proof house and his bark goes right through it. Sometimes neighbor dogs hear it and they bark too. And so we have a mini dog chorus when I come home. If one of the neighborhood cats is around, it will look at me with that aristocratic cat look that says something like, "They are all idiots."

Well, I can't comment on why dogs bark, but I will say that it is always full volume. I can hear them nearby and far away. I often hear dogs from the next neighborhood.

I can hear frogs too. It's been raining here for the past few days and every night frogs ribbit as soon as dusk hits. They are powerful and project cleanly.

So what are they doing? What can frogs and dogs do that many humans need training to accomplish?

For one, they live naturally. They grow up without the hunched shoulders, the unnatural diet, the emotions tied to the voice, etc. So when a dog or a frog uses the voice, it projects. That is what voices do. It is as if you bought an electronic voice from a store and it fully projected right out of the box with no adjustments. That is what our voices are supposed to do, project, right out of the box.

When babies are born, their cries project. They don't need to learn. It happens. But what is happening, physically?

The diaphragm is going down as low as it can, taking in a full breath. Then it relaxes and the internal abdominal muscles take over. They push the air. At the same time the throat is in the optimal position for maximum resonance, and the air flows evenly over the vocal cords.

So it's 4 things. A full in-breath, a powerful out-breath via the internal abdominal muscles, consistent air flow, and an open and resonant vocal space. Singers can re-learn this and even add a little to it so that they can handle complex musical phrasing.

How do you do that? Go back to nature? Have a vocal coach say, "Just flow your voice... the way it was meant to be..." These are nice ideas, but wrong. You cannot think your way out of a problem you acted into.

You will need to work with a coach who understands breath flow, opening the vocal space for resonance and safety. Coaches that understand that you must open the vocal space before power also understand safety. Those types of coaches should most likely be able to guide you through the path to power and resonance. If you haven't found a coach, talk to us and we will see what we can do to help you. If you have a coach but are not sure if they can get you back to natural resonance and power, reach out to us about some supplementary courses.

I always tell singers to keep your coach, especially if it is a local community coach. College professors of voice and coaches who only each professionals are working with singers built by community coaches through years of patience. I support community coaches, so if you have one, keep your coach and supplement your knowledge with some of the info here on TShirtVocals.com.

So let's learn to project... like a dog or a frog.. But when we do, let's do it in a way uniquely human, one that brings out beautiful music and expression.