What Is Singing?

What is singing exactly ?

Understanding how singing works is the first step that will help you become a better singer.

So singing is the act of producing musical sounds with your voice. It is a pretty complex process that involves different parts of your body working together.

In this article, we are going to dig deep so you can understand what to use to produce amazing vocals.

YOUR 3 SINGING BODY MECHANISMS

I like to think your whole body (including your brain and soul) are used to produce our singing.

But, if we narrow the body parts to the producing mechanisms only, then here are the 3 main ones from bottom to top:

RESPIRATION, YOUR VOCAL SOURCE OF ENERGY

Respiration is the process of breathing in and out, which provides the air you need to create sound.

During speech or singing, this air is expelled from your lungs. It then passes through your vocal cords, making them vibrate and creating sound.

The specificity of the singing respiration is that it is different from regular breathing. Its primary goal is to support the voice and provide a sustained, controlled sound, rather than simply supplying oxygen to the body.

As a singer, you want to be able to control your respiration from the moment you inhale to the moment you exhale, mastering the art of appoggio.

PHONATION, WHERE YOUR VOICE COMES TO LIFE

Phonation is the process of creating sound by vibrating the vocal cords. Your vocal cords are located in your larynx (aka your singing box or music box), and when air passes through them, they vibrate, producing sound.

When it comes to singing, phonation has a specific role in producing the pitch and the quality of sound you are looking for.

The most important aspect of phonation for singing is the control of your pitch. Your vocal cords vibrate at different frequencies to help you produce different pitches.

As a singer, you must be able to control the tension and coordination of your vocal cords to hit the right note like a pro!

Another important aspect of phonation for singing is the control of resonance.  

You have to learn the specific techniques to manipulate the resonance of your vocal tract so you can produce the right tone quality, such as brightness or warmth.

ARTICULATION, YOUR EMOTIONAL WEAPON

Articulation is the process of shaping the sound produced by the vocal cords into recognizable speech or singing.

This involves the movement of the lips, tongue, jaw, and other articulators to create specific sounds and words.

As a singer, you must learn how to control your articulators to shape your sounds, so you can convey the lyrics message with emotion. You can achieve this using your articulators to get the best vowels, a proper diction and pronunciation, whatever the pitch.

WHAT IS SINGING?

We say birds can sing but only us, humans, can use our voice the way our body allows us to.

Singing is both an art and the most powerful communication tool.

And as a singer you do have all it takes to sing beautifully. The only thing you need to do is to learn how to use these 3 mechanisms in a coordinated movement. 

Honestly, it can be tricky but the good news is that with a dedicated practice, a positive mindset and a good heart, YOU can do it!