Key Aspects of Vocal Technique for Choirs

Breath Support:

Importance: Proper breath support is foundational for maintaining pitch and tone quality. It involves using the diaphragm effectively to control airflow.

Exercise: Breathing exercises such as slow, deep breaths, and sustained hissing sounds can help singers develop better breath control.

See "Choral Warm-ups: Breathing support | James Davey"

Posture:

Importance: Good posture enables better breath support and vocal projection. Singers should stand with feet shoulder-width apart, shoulders relaxed, and back straight.

Exercise: Practicing singing while standing against a wall can help singers maintain proper alignment.

Vocal Warm-ups:

Importance: Warm-ups prepare the voice for singing by gently stretching and strengthening the vocal cords.

Exercise: Lip trills, sirens (gliding from low to high notes), and scales are effective warm-up exercises.

See "Choral Warm-ups: Good posture for singing | James Davey"

Vowel Formation:

Importance: Clear and consistent vowel sounds are critical for choir unity and tuning. Each singer should aim for uniform vowel shapes.

Exercise: Singing simple melodies using only one vowel sound (e.g., “ah” or “ee”) helps in achieving consistent vowel production.

Resonance and Placement:

Importance: Proper resonance enhances the richness and volume of the sound. Singers should aim for forward placement of sound (towards the facial mask).

Exercise: Humming exercises and singing with a bright, nasal tone can help find and develop forward resonance.

Pitch Accuracy:

Importance: Maintaining correct pitch is essential for harmonious choir performance.

Exercise: Interval training, such as singing intervals and tuning against a piano, helps improve pitch accuracy.

Dynamic Control:

Importance: Being able to control volume and dynamics adds expressiveness and balance to the choir’s performance.

Exercise: Practicing crescendos (gradually getting louder) and decrescendos (gradually getting softer) on sustained notes can help singers develop dynamic control.

Articulation:

Importance: Clear articulation ensures that the lyrics are understood and the choir sounds crisp.

Exercise: Practicing tongue twisters and singing scales with a focus on clear consonant sounds can improve articulation.