Singing Tips: 5

Diction:

• Singing is a type of complex communication that uses music and lyric to convey something more than the meaning of the words alone
• Without clear diction, you rob the listener of almost all of the meaning of the song
• Always use warm, open vowels, even if that means changing the sound of the word slightly, because pinched vowel sounds are not pleasant when sung and do not project well
• Clearly enunciate hard and soft consonants in words
• Always move as quickly as possible from consonant sounds to vowels and sustain the vowels as long as possible before switching to a consonant
• When adjacent words in a phrase end and start with the same consonant or vowel, run them together and sound them only once

Ornamentation:

• Vocal ornamentation has been made popular in more relaxed and contemporary styles of singing, but can lead to bad singing habits
• Sliding into starting or ending notes may sound good in country music, but in more formal music it will sound like the singer has problems with finding the right pitch
• Slurring between notes in a phrase sounds sloppy and is hard to blend with; always try to sing each pitch distinctly and consistently, especially at the start and the end of the note
• Vibrato is a naturally occurring osculation of the diaphram that creates slight variations in a volume, and sometimes the pitch, of a sung note. Accentuating it for effect creates problems for others singing with you as they try to blend
• Just like at Christmas, you don't put the ornaments on the tree until after it is securely mounted on the floor, so do not simply throw ornaments on a song until you know the song well and have determined they are a truly necessary style element