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GMC Forum _ Nemanja Filipovic (Singing Instructor) _ Middle Voice (also Called Mixed)

Posted by: Flanger Apr 30 2008, 08:21 AM

Hey!

So I've been trying to learn how to sing and many people preach the 'miracle of the middle voice'. (Roger Love - "Set Your Voice Free", or Brett Manning's "Singing Success").

Basically what it is, is a mixture of head voice with chest. There is no 'break' when you go from chest to head... You know sometimes when you switch and the note is too high for chest and too low for head? Try to switch back and forth [between head and chest for the same note] and you'll get a yodel kinda sound (eeeks).

Now check this video for an example of middle voice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwOgfDFI7PY

(mix = middle, belt = chest, legit = head)

From 00:52 you can hear a demonstration where he goes from chest, than in middle. It's smooth and cool

So if any of you know how to do this stuff, I would like to know...

Posted by: Nemanja Filipovic Apr 30 2008, 08:31 AM

thanks for sharing this

This exercise is based on breath control,and a lot of practice,I would do a lesson with this exercise.

Posted by: Hisham Al-Sanea Apr 30 2008, 11:31 AM

nice explanation and thanks for sharing

Posted by: Andrew Cockburn Apr 30 2008, 01:25 PM

Its all about training out the break in your voice, it takes a lot of time and effort, there is no magic bullet.

When you switch between head and chest voice, the vibration of your vocal chords changes in character - you need to get control over this so you can manage the change.

The first step is understanding the break and being able to step over it without it taking you by surprise.

Where the break occurs is controlled by a combination of volume and pitch, so you can practice this by singing a quiet note just below the break and making it louder and louder - eventually you will hit the break, keep going back and trying it again.

Also, keeping the volume constant you can sing a rising note and again, eventually you will hit the break. Keep trying that and eventually (so I believe) you are able to train the break out entirely.

I learned a lot of this from a book by Thopmas Appell called "How to hit a high C without straining" - he has a very analytical approach to singing that made a lot of sense to me (although I still suck!)

Posted by: Nemanja Filipovic Apr 30 2008, 01:45 PM

Thanks Andrew for the great explanation.
very helpful stuff.