Line Hilton joins Alexa once again to continue the Best Vocal Exercises series. Following on from previous episodes on chest voice and head voice, today the pair will be tackling the subject of the in between of those two, the transition. Find out where the transition occurs, the problems singers face going through the transition, and of course, some useful exercises you can use.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The transition in singing refers to the shift between different vocal registers, such as chest voice and head voice. It is a crucial aspect of vocal technique, allowing singers to navigate smoothly between registers and maintain a consistent tone. Vocal exercises and proper technique help singers develop a seamless transition, ensuring vocal control and flexibility.
- In contemporary singing, males typically experience a shift from chest voice to head voice around the E♭4, while females go through this transition around A♭4. This could be affected by the consonant, the vowel, whether you’re ascending or descending or even the age of the singer. The shift happens roughly every 4th to 5th interval.
- Transitioning between chest voice and head voice in singing can pose challenges for singers. Issues that may arise include vocal breaks, strain, inconsistent control, uneven tone quality and pitch accuracy.
- Some useful vocal exercises to try when working on the transition are staccato arpeggios, glides or sirens, octave jumps, descending scales, humming exercises, lip trills or even vocal fry to head voice.
BEST MOMENTS
‘Ideally we need to have control over our larynx to go through the transition’
‘You wouldn’t build a bridge if you didn’t have something to go to on the other side’
‘Your goal is to shift without anyone noticing’
‘We sound unattractive for a while because we’re undoing some muscle dysfunction’
EPISODE RESOURCES
Guest Website:
Social Media:
- @basttraining
Relevant Links & Mentions:
- Singing Teachers Talk Podcast – Ep. 62 How to Choose the Best Vocal Exercises with Line Hilton
- Singing Teachers Talk Podcast – Ep. 73 The Best Vocal Exercises for Laryngeal Stability with Line Hilton
- Singing Teachers Talk Podcast – Ep. 83 The Best Vocal Exercises for Sick Voices with Line Hilton
- Singing Teachers Talk Podcast – Ep. 113 The Best Vocal Exercises for Chest Voice with Line Hilton
- Singing Teachers Talk Podcast – Ep. 114 The Best Vocal Exercises for Head Voice with Line Hilton
- The work of Ingo Titze
- Ian Davidson: ianjdavidson.com
- Singing Teachers Talk Podcast – Ep 52 Getting to Grips with Vocal Acoustics with Chadley Ballantyne
Link to podcast presenter’s bios
