1. Consonants Need Love Too Lori Lyford, CIF

2. Consonants Are they the root of all EVIL and choppy singing? OR
The carriers of passion, clarity and meaning?

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

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

5. Smooth Singing…at what cost?
Unit - each part uses different technique
Tenors - sing from vowel to vowel
Bari/Bass - smooth out everything
Leads - deliver the words…maybe
Clarity - Mushy consonants causes loss of lyric clarity
Ring - 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

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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

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

11. 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

12. 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
On the 4th time, sing using the same mouth and physical expression as when speaking emphatically

13. 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

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

15. Clarity always requires Courage