Consonants Need Love Too Lori Lyford, CIF

The magic lies not in the communication of sound, but rather in the sound of communication.

Consonants The root of all EVIL and the cause of choppy singing? OR The carriers of passion, clarity and meaning?

Our History Choppy singing MUST be cured! Target the dreaded consonants!! Minimize unvoiced and “stopped” consonants Sing from vowel to vowel Consonant substitution

Consonant Replacement Examples unvoiced voiced “f” became “v” “k” became “g” “s” became “z” “If they could see me now” became “Iv they good zee me now”

Smooth Singing… at what cost? Unit suffers - each part uses different technique Tenors - sing from vowel to vowel Bari/Bass - smooth out everything Leads - deliver the words…maybe Clarity suffers - Mushy consonants causes loss of lyric clarity Ring suffers- Minimized consonants produce vowels that cannot be fully expanded Use tenor part for Tomorrow’s Another Day Use Liar Medley baritone part Use When I Fall In Love

The Answer? Air Flow and Articulation! Incorrectly done, these can also be a big part of the problem Exaggerated air flow Breathy tone, unclear lyrics Over-produced, choppy diction Lip, jaw, tongue tension

Artificially Connected Sounds or…The Nose Knows Can’t articulate with your nostrils Loss of half our power Can’t make true consonants with half the vocalized air going through your nose

Getting Your Nose OUT of Your Business Find the valve Root beer burp Use “K” sound Kah, Kay, Key, Koh, Kooh Consciously direct sound out your mouth Test the sound

The NOSE can be in the Sound but never put the Sound in the NOSE

Air Flow The breath is the ocean, the voice is the boat which floats on the ocean! Nature gave us the voice, we cannot change it, but we can educate the breath and learn to control it. This constitutes the whole method of singing. “Vocal Wisdom”-Giovanni Lamperti

Bubbling to Move Air Why Increases AIR Flow/Hook up Opens and relaxes the throat Brings tone to the front of the mouth Easier to articulate Easier to ring

Bubbling How Use both lips Move bottom lip toward the top lip Firm the corners of your lips Vibrate the center of the lips Use the wet part of the lips Keep the air flowing

Singing and Speaking Speak-Sing technique - Jim Casey Speak clearly, as if an orator Emote, be genuine Speak the line 3 times in a row With meaning and inflection Not in the rhythm of the line Sing on the 4th time, using the same mouth and physical expression as when speaking emphatically

Speak-Sing and Dynamics Speak to one person Speak to ten people Speak to a classroom Speak to one hundred people Speak to five hundred people Speak to the Regional audience Speak to the International audience

Clarity AND Connection Matched vowels Natural, speech-like delivery Appropriate consonants Forward, clear, ringing sound Move AIR and SOUND away from you Just TALK to me

All this requires is: practice, practice, practice, belief in yourself, and courage!!