Exactly. I always say these are the Cartman vowels :) -- though not all my students have South Park references as a given. In some cases, Moira Rose works great, too.
@@Oleg_K. Thanks for the question -- the edge vowels /ae, I, e/ will, of course, sound super funny on lower pitches. There, we can use more speech-related vowels. It's when we get to higher pitches that the edge vowels help us. When we're there, we can then employ other tract shaping to make lyrics sound like we want them, brighten or darken the sound. That's soft palate location, tongue height, degree of pharynx narrowing, and also mouth shape. I'll often sing edge through soft, relaxed lips and cheeks, and that'll warm the sound into the vowel I want to make, for example. The tract gives us thousands of options.
I'm gonna have some fun with this! And maybe crack my G4 ceiling. :) I know I can go higher with the right coordination but I've found that very hard to achieve. Though I don't ever expect to be a Jean Valjean; Inspector Javert is more where I naturally sit but I have got to the point where that's easy and doesn't really stretch me, so whilst I can sing him well, I don't learn anything from doing so. (To be clear, I couldn't sing him well at first; I have had lessons over about three years varying between classical and CCM styles, though my heart really lies in musical theatre.) Thank you!
We can often sense potentials that just need a different coordination like you say. A few things to try -- being conscious that you're letting your folds thin -- sometimes we try to apply the feeling from C4 to G4. Also giving your larynx permission to float up for higher pitches, experimenting with that. And asking yourself how much air you need, how much dynamic support. If you get in the lab with that and try things out, I bet you'll find your way. Also transitioning over from M2 to M1 on the same pitch, letting it crackle over just to show yourself the coordination is possible. I'm glad these have been helpful for you.
Very timely video. I've been working on a song (slow tempo) which has long held belty section...E4, F4, E4, D4...each held for a full bar. So 4 bars on one breath...and on "OH" vowel. ("woah"). Probably 10-12 secs long. Trying to do it like the original recording with a wide-open sound and I struggle to hold it. Sounds very unstable and often breaks apart. (It's not that I can't hit the notes...it's that I can't hold them for the full length...while playing the guitar at the same time.) So I've tried modifying the vowel (adding some "oooh" to the "OH") which shifts the felt resonance to my head/upper chambers. (Side note...I always wondered whether I was shifting to "head voice" at that point, or if I was simply shifting resonance. I'm fully connected, so I think it's the latter). This video convinces me that I have stylistic options and that there is no 'proper' way to sing that section of my voice. (I don't think I'm a tenor, but my voice is higher than many baritones. I can sing those lines you have from Les Mis using the vowel mods you outlined.) The other 'thing' that factors into my choice of how to do it is that immediately after those 4 notes, I have to drop down to sing notes C3, B2, A2. Often I struggle to phonate that C3 without doing some vocal fry to loosen the cord. (Even though the entire first half of the song uses those notes and they are relatively easy....at least until I belt...and then they are not easy.)
I'm glad this was helpful. Thanks for the comment -- For that whoah section, if you're wanting to do it in a more open coordination, try letting your tongue do a bright /a/ sound like someone from Chicago would say ChicAAAgo or an Italian andiAmo. Then let your lips do a slight rounding to create the /o/. If you modify toward ooh sounds, it will tend to want to go to head voice, or it'll do what CVT calls curbing, a kind of held back hurts-so-good sound. The next video I make is going to be about the tongue, and I think that'll have some very helpful info about how that contributes to acoustic efficiency. If you're letting yourself sing the whoah section with a rather thick fold balance (and if it's a sustained whoah. moment, that makes sense) then that might give you the coordination you need to then sing the lower pitches easier. Hope this helps.
Hey thanks so much -- I don't know that I have a name-able model except for let's figure out the way for you to sing that lets the most YOU through. I grab tools from all over the place and share the ones that I notice resonate best for me and the singer with me. Teaching structure -- I ask you what your aesthetic values and musical loves are, and we work together to get you coordinating sounds that help you sing in a satisfying way that harmonizes with your artistic values. I always say I've walked down a road, and then I circle back to walk with you. I'll tell you what I know and ask you what you're noticing, too -- you'll see stuff I either stopped seeing or never noticed before. Hope this answers your Q -- thanks for the kind comment.
I love your willingness to reference the information given to a source that is an impressive feat of academic memory and my guess is you have one of those memory skills?
Your response in general was extremely persuasive to me as a tool for attracting students. I would love to be treated the way that you described. I would love to receive the benefits of such treatment if your intention was for me to be in receiving additional lessons from you, you succeeded.
@@chutechi Yeah, it's just the way I've found to be most joyful to teach -- any teacher you reach out to, you hope they have some wisdom and experience to share, and you also hope they respect you as a fellow human on the life road together. Thanks
Hello Professor Callaway! So I have found a weakness in my voice. It is hard for me to sing notes in edge between F#4 - to Bflat4. This is actually a good thing because I think getting this down will help me a lot. So I have been using my guitar and singing in edge up from Eflat4 to B4. Just doing each note 3 or 4 times and then moving up a half step right now. My question is whether it makes sense to also practice these notes going from B4, down to Eflat 4 in half steps? And then go to the sirens? Also, would it make sense to purchase the CVT app? Thanks again for all of your help! :)
Hey there -- just to clarify, you mean just below middle C? If it's that part of your range, you can employ a certain amount of distinct twang there, but often you're not going to be employing as much of what CVT calls edge since it's closer to a lower voice's speaking range. All kinds of sound colors are possible there, but if you can sing there normally with no issues, an edge feeling is going to more about adding twang and might even sound kinda funny depending on the style. Hope this makes sense. And I think the CVT app is very helpful. They have a free version and a paid one, and the paid one I think has tons of value for money.
@@dancallawaystudio I mean above middle C. (C4) The notes I am working on in edge that give me trouble are F#4, G4, G#4, A4, and Bflat 4. It is funny because higher notes like B4, C4 and above are not bad if I sing them individually in edge. I can sing in edge in the lower parts (below C4) of my range with no problem. But the transition above F4 is still a little bit tricky and think I navigated this in the past by getting out of edge, which made the sound get weaker, or too shouty and strainy, if that makes sense. But in that weaker coordination it was not the right powerful sound I wanted.
@@donrogg ooooooh I see -- all the stuff above middle c. Yep that transitional zone from e on up can be super tricky. Yeah I'd keep sliding through that range and noticing what feels easier when you get higher and see if you can later in any of the feeling from higher Edge into the middle high range -- you may be trying to feel more robustness in your middle range edge than is necessary? You can always just book a 15 minute chat with me sometime and I can take a listen
So here is something I noticed while exploring edge mode. It seems like there is a vowel in between /æ/ as in "cat" and /ɑ/ as in father. If you go between the continuum of "/æ/" and "/ɑ/", there is a place where the vowel feels a lot more like an edge vowel, but sounds a lot like "/ɑ/". This is great because it can be used as a vowel substitution for "/ɑ/" but also for /ə/ as in "but". Am I conceptualizing this correctly, or am I just imagining things?
Hey there -- you're right. You're noticing the difference between /a/ and /ɑ/. /a/ is like the middle of Chicago or andiamo 🇮🇹. /ɑ/ like father sits lower down in the back of the mouth and offers less acoustic bounce. I almost never sing with /ɑ/ since in my vocal tract it often intones flat. But yes /a/ is just next to /æ/ and can usually cooperate very well with edge.
Here is another question about something I have been wondering about. What is the difference between, "ay" as in "pay" and "eh" as in "bed"? Now I know ""ay" is a diphthong and "eh" is not, but is there a difference between the initial vowel?
ay is indeed a diphthong and can have either /ɛ/ or /e/ as its primary vowel. So really, the difference you might be asking about is the difference between the /e/ you might say in pay /peɪ/ which has a higher, more forward tongue and the /ɛ/ you say in "bed" /bɛd/. The /ɛ/ is great for more open sounds and the /e/ terrific for more closed ones generally. There's always a continuum you can play with as well. Here's a diagram as well www.researchgate.net/figure/Diagram-illustrating-the-tongue-positions-for-the-front-cardinal-vowels-Wikimedia_fig1_312165145
I have two questions. 1. Often times if I exercise, like lifting weights or going on a hike, I find myself stuck in open mode 1 (Overdrive), and it can take me a bit of time to find closed mode 1 (Edge) again. Is this normal? 2. I touched on this before, but I find it very hard to switch from Overdrive to Edge beyond an F#4. Is this even something that is worth practicing, and if yes, how do I do it?
Hey there -- I've definitely found my voice affected by exercise. Ending weightlifting or other intense exercise with ample stretching would be something to try. Especially neck, pectorals, and shoulders, checking jaw and tongue. Also a good yoga series coupled with gentle cool down sirens from M2 to M1 into fry and back are helpful. And for the overdrive/edge option, maybe sing pitches higher than F#4 in your head voice/M2 with both edge (closed) and overdrive (open) coordinations just to layer in that change. Then bring an edge coordination lower, like D4 and slide up in hills keeping the edge. Then back down to D4 in overdrive and slide that up. Of course I can't hear what you're doing, but it may be possible you're trying to maintain the same vocal fold thickness for D4 as you are for F#4 and above -- bring some attention there and let your folds thin as you increase pitch --it may feel closer to mode 2 than you expect. Also, let your larynx rise a little as you ascend. I find a shorter tract tube helps me with higher pitches. And check how much air you're delivering. Play with different amounts of dynamic support. Hope this helps. One other thought -- you may be constricting more of the pharynx than you need to in the higher stuff. If you can twang mode 2 up there, the tract shape should be about the same, so try to feel what that coordination feels like, and then send mode 1 through the similar shape.
That's terrific that you're seeing changes in your flexibility and facility. Well done. If you're getting quickly fatigued, take a look at 1 -- how much air are you inhaling? Experiment with different amounts and ask your body how much you need for the particular phrase. 2 -- how much support are you using? My instinct is that you might be engaging more muscular energy in your torso than you need to which is delivering more air pressure below your folds than necessary. Your folds might be working way harder than they need to to manage all that support you're working to provide. If you're supporting at a 5 or 6 level out of 10, try a 2 or 3. See what that feels like. And you can always just schedule a free 15 minute chat with me if you want me to take a listen and offer some ideas. fons.app/@dancallawaystudio/book
Hey there -- thanks for sharing. Hard for me to give any accurate or helpful feedback from a video, but if you want to set up a free chat with me, I'll still be offering those for the next month until my semester gets crazy. I can talk you through anything I'm hearing. Link in video description for that
@@dancallawaystudio sorry , software habits creeping in, one of the hardest skill for me to learn is dropping the consonant from any line or word. my brain just says thats not right, best I have tried is mimicking a drunk person. Hard consonants are the worse. I really enjoy your videos, I have been finding myself asking the questions, how much air, support etc, as I practice songs. BTW a const is a variable class definition some programming languages.
@@genereybradley ooooh thank you for the translation. And I'm very glad to hear these videos have been helpful to you. Yep -- different brains work with language in different ways. For you, it might be worthwhile to get to know International Phonetic Alphabet -- it's code for phonemes, and then connecting the phonetic symbols to actual tongue-mouth coordinations, you start to see word forming as a secret code in singing. Example -- I know if my tongue floats high and the top of my tongue comes close to the front of my hard palate, that's going to come through like an /i/ (ee) vowel. I start to perceive words based on physical orientation rather than visualizing a group of letters and sounds. With consonants -- you don't have to drop them if that process eclipses the whole point of having ease and balance. For you it might just be asking, "How gentle can I make this articulation? How much economy of movement can I employ?" Then slowing it down and feeling air and connection through the consonants as well as vowels. I mean, no one's singing on just vowels anyway :) That's working with your brain. And I'm really glad to hear you've embraced "how much air..." That one question will change anyone's singing life.
Dan you sound fantastic! Another great video.
thanks so much Joe -- appreciate that
🎉❤🎉 This is AMAZING! I am going to use these techniques straight away. Got a recording gig that has been kicking my butt! Thank you so much!
I'm so glad to hear it -- and I hope these tools help you with the upcoming gig. Thanks for the kind comment
The edge vowels in speech always make the lyric sound like Cartman, and it's hilarious.
Exactly. I always say these are the Cartman vowels :) -- though not all my students have South Park references as a given. In some cases, Moira Rose works great, too.
@@dancallawaystudio Do you have any tips on how to have your Edge mode vowels sound more natural?
@@Oleg_K. Thanks for the question -- the edge vowels /ae, I, e/ will, of course, sound super funny on lower pitches. There, we can use more speech-related vowels. It's when we get to higher pitches that the edge vowels help us. When we're there, we can then employ other tract shaping to make lyrics sound like we want them, brighten or darken the sound. That's soft palate location, tongue height, degree of pharynx narrowing, and also mouth shape. I'll often sing edge through soft, relaxed lips and cheeks, and that'll warm the sound into the vowel I want to make, for example. The tract gives us thousands of options.
I'm gonna have some fun with this! And maybe crack my G4 ceiling. :) I know I can go higher with the right coordination but I've found that very hard to achieve. Though I don't ever expect to be a Jean Valjean; Inspector Javert is more where I naturally sit but I have got to the point where that's easy and doesn't really stretch me, so whilst I can sing him well, I don't learn anything from doing so. (To be clear, I couldn't sing him well at first; I have had lessons over about three years varying between classical and CCM styles, though my heart really lies in musical theatre.) Thank you!
Also of course I am talking mode 1 here. I can go up to G5 in mode 2, but, well, that's mode 2. Not that mode 2 isn't awesome, it's just different. :)
We can often sense potentials that just need a different coordination like you say. A few things to try -- being conscious that you're letting your folds thin -- sometimes we try to apply the feeling from C4 to G4. Also giving your larynx permission to float up for higher pitches, experimenting with that. And asking yourself how much air you need, how much dynamic support. If you get in the lab with that and try things out, I bet you'll find your way. Also transitioning over from M2 to M1 on the same pitch, letting it crackle over just to show yourself the coordination is possible. I'm glad these have been helpful for you.
@@robynrox you can do it! I can crack the G4 ceiling, but am working on making it more consistent. Good luck!
Very timely video. I've been working on a song (slow tempo) which has long held belty section...E4, F4, E4, D4...each held for a full bar. So 4 bars on one breath...and on "OH" vowel. ("woah"). Probably 10-12 secs long. Trying to do it like the original recording with a wide-open sound and I struggle to hold it. Sounds very unstable and often breaks apart. (It's not that I can't hit the notes...it's that I can't hold them for the full length...while playing the guitar at the same time.)
So I've tried modifying the vowel (adding some "oooh" to the "OH") which shifts the felt resonance to my head/upper chambers. (Side note...I always wondered whether I was shifting to "head voice" at that point, or if I was simply shifting resonance. I'm fully connected, so I think it's the latter).
This video convinces me that I have stylistic options and that there is no 'proper' way to sing that section of my voice. (I don't think I'm a tenor, but my voice is higher than many baritones. I can sing those lines you have from Les Mis using the vowel mods you outlined.)
The other 'thing' that factors into my choice of how to do it is that immediately after those 4 notes, I have to drop down to sing notes C3, B2, A2. Often I struggle to phonate that C3 without doing some vocal fry to loosen the cord. (Even though the entire first half of the song uses those notes and they are relatively easy....at least until I belt...and then they are not easy.)
I'm glad this was helpful. Thanks for the comment -- For that whoah section, if you're wanting to do it in a more open coordination, try letting your tongue do a bright /a/ sound like someone from Chicago would say ChicAAAgo or an Italian andiAmo. Then let your lips do a slight rounding to create the /o/. If you modify toward ooh sounds, it will tend to want to go to head voice, or it'll do what CVT calls curbing, a kind of held back hurts-so-good sound. The next video I make is going to be about the tongue, and I think that'll have some very helpful info about how that contributes to acoustic efficiency. If you're letting yourself sing the whoah section with a rather thick fold balance (and if it's a sustained whoah. moment, that makes sense) then that might give you the coordination you need to then sing the lower pitches easier. Hope this helps.
Hello. Great teaching. Do you have Vocal Pedagogy model? How do you structure your teaching?
Hey thanks so much -- I don't know that I have a name-able model except for let's figure out the way for you to sing that lets the most YOU through. I grab tools from all over the place and share the ones that I notice resonate best for me and the singer with me. Teaching structure -- I ask you what your aesthetic values and musical loves are, and we work together to get you coordinating sounds that help you sing in a satisfying way that harmonizes with your artistic values. I always say I've walked down a road, and then I circle back to walk with you. I'll tell you what I know and ask you what you're noticing, too -- you'll see stuff I either stopped seeing or never noticed before. Hope this answers your Q -- thanks for the kind comment.
I love your willingness to reference the information given to a source that is an impressive feat of academic memory and my guess is you have one of those memory skills?
Your response in general was extremely persuasive to me as a tool for attracting students. I would love to be treated the way that you described. I would love to receive the benefits of such treatment if your intention was for me to be in receiving additional lessons from you, you succeeded.
@@chutechi Yeah, it's just the way I've found to be most joyful to teach -- any teacher you reach out to, you hope they have some wisdom and experience to share, and you also hope they respect you as a fellow human on the life road together. Thanks
I am changing my tongue because of you…..
Hello Professor Callaway! So I have found a weakness in my voice. It is hard for me to sing notes in edge between F#4 - to Bflat4. This is actually a good thing because I think getting this down will help me a lot.
So I have been using my guitar and singing in edge up from Eflat4 to B4. Just doing each note 3 or 4 times and then moving up a half step right now.
My question is whether it makes sense to also practice these notes going from B4, down to Eflat 4 in half steps? And then go to the sirens?
Also, would it make sense to purchase the CVT app?
Thanks again for all of your help! :)
Hey there -- just to clarify, you mean just below middle C? If it's that part of your range, you can employ a certain amount of distinct twang there, but often you're not going to be employing as much of what CVT calls edge since it's closer to a lower voice's speaking range. All kinds of sound colors are possible there, but if you can sing there normally with no issues, an edge feeling is going to more about adding twang and might even sound kinda funny depending on the style. Hope this makes sense. And I think the CVT app is very helpful. They have a free version and a paid one, and the paid one I think has tons of value for money.
@@dancallawaystudio I mean above middle C. (C4)
The notes I am working on in edge that give me trouble are F#4, G4, G#4, A4, and Bflat 4. It is funny because higher notes like B4, C4 and above are not bad if I sing them individually in edge.
I can sing in edge in the lower parts (below C4) of my range with no problem.
But the transition above F4 is still a little bit tricky and think I navigated this in the past by getting out of edge, which made the sound get weaker, or too shouty and strainy, if that makes sense. But in that weaker coordination it was not the right powerful sound I wanted.
@@donrogg ooooooh I see -- all the stuff above middle c. Yep that transitional zone from e on up can be super tricky. Yeah I'd keep sliding through that range and noticing what feels easier when you get higher and see if you can later in any of the feeling from higher Edge into the middle high range -- you may be trying to feel more robustness in your middle range edge than is necessary? You can always just book a 15 minute chat with me sometime and I can take a listen
@@dancallawaystudio yeah, I think I will do that soon!
So here is something I noticed while exploring edge mode.
It seems like there is a vowel in between /æ/ as in "cat" and /ɑ/ as in father. If you go between the continuum of "/æ/" and "/ɑ/", there is a place where the vowel feels a lot more like an edge vowel, but sounds a lot like "/ɑ/". This is great because it can be used as a vowel substitution for "/ɑ/" but also for /ə/ as in "but".
Am I conceptualizing this correctly, or am I just imagining things?
Hey there -- you're right. You're noticing the difference between /a/ and /ɑ/. /a/ is like the middle of Chicago or andiamo 🇮🇹. /ɑ/ like father sits lower down in the back of the mouth and offers less acoustic bounce. I almost never sing with /ɑ/ since in my vocal tract it often intones flat. But yes /a/ is just next to /æ/ and can usually cooperate very well with edge.
@@dancallawaystudio thanks! This will certainly help!
Here is another question about something I have been wondering about.
What is the difference between, "ay" as in "pay" and "eh" as in "bed"?
Now I know ""ay" is a diphthong and "eh" is not, but is there a difference between the initial vowel?
ay is indeed a diphthong and can have either /ɛ/ or /e/ as its primary vowel. So really, the difference you might be asking about is the difference between the /e/ you might say in pay /peɪ/ which has a higher, more forward tongue and the /ɛ/ you say in "bed" /bɛd/. The /ɛ/ is great for more open sounds and the /e/ terrific for more closed ones generally. There's always a continuum you can play with as well. Here's a diagram as well www.researchgate.net/figure/Diagram-illustrating-the-tongue-positions-for-the-front-cardinal-vowels-Wikimedia_fig1_312165145
I have two questions.
1. Often times if I exercise, like lifting weights or going on a hike, I find myself stuck in open mode 1 (Overdrive), and it can take me a bit of time to find closed mode 1 (Edge) again. Is this normal?
2. I touched on this before, but I find it very hard to switch from Overdrive to Edge beyond an F#4. Is this even something that is worth practicing, and if yes, how do I do it?
Hey there -- I've definitely found my voice affected by exercise. Ending weightlifting or other intense exercise with ample stretching would be something to try. Especially neck, pectorals, and shoulders, checking jaw and tongue. Also a good yoga series coupled with gentle cool down sirens from M2 to M1 into fry and back are helpful.
And for the overdrive/edge option, maybe sing pitches higher than F#4 in your head voice/M2 with both edge (closed) and overdrive (open) coordinations just to layer in that change. Then bring an edge coordination lower, like D4 and slide up in hills keeping the edge. Then back down to D4 in overdrive and slide that up. Of course I can't hear what you're doing, but it may be possible you're trying to maintain the same vocal fold thickness for D4 as you are for F#4 and above -- bring some attention there and let your folds thin as you increase pitch --it may feel closer to mode 2 than you expect. Also, let your larynx rise a little as you ascend. I find a shorter tract tube helps me with higher pitches. And check how much air you're delivering. Play with different amounts of dynamic support. Hope this helps.
One other thought -- you may be constricting more of the pharynx than you need to in the higher stuff. If you can twang mode 2 up there, the tract shape should be about the same, so try to feel what that coordination feels like, and then send mode 1 through the similar shape.
@@dancallawaystudio thanks! I have been doing all of the flexibility stuff! Gonna try those M2 to M1 sirens next time I exercise.
@@donrogg terrific -- I hope they help
My flexibility and control is getting better, but I still find myself getting fatigued 😕
That's terrific that you're seeing changes in your flexibility and facility. Well done. If you're getting quickly fatigued, take a look at 1 -- how much air are you inhaling? Experiment with different amounts and ask your body how much you need for the particular phrase. 2 -- how much support are you using? My instinct is that you might be engaging more muscular energy in your torso than you need to which is delivering more air pressure below your folds than necessary. Your folds might be working way harder than they need to to manage all that support you're working to provide. If you're supporting at a 5 or 6 level out of 10, try a 2 or 3. See what that feels like. And you can always just schedule a free 15 minute chat with me if you want me to take a listen and offer some ideas. fons.app/@dancallawaystudio/book
@@dancallawaystudio x
That would be amazing. I'll see what I can do.
hi i have a song on youtube call optmistic 1 i wont to know if iam useing air flow on this song
Hey there -- thanks for sharing. Hard for me to give any accurate or helpful feedback from a video, but if you want to set up a free chat with me, I'll still be offering those for the next month until my semester gets crazy. I can talk you through anything I'm hearing. Link in video description for that
For me, dropping the hard consts is the hardest thing to do.
Hey -- can you retype this comment? I think auto correct did some editing, and wanna help you out if I can.
@@dancallawaystudio sorry , software habits creeping in, one of the hardest skill for me to learn is dropping the consonant from any line or word. my brain just says thats not right, best I have tried is mimicking a drunk person. Hard consonants are the worse. I really enjoy your videos, I have been finding myself asking the questions, how much air, support etc, as I practice songs.
BTW a const is a variable class definition some programming languages.
@@genereybradley ooooh thank you for the translation. And I'm very glad to hear these videos have been helpful to you.
Yep -- different brains work with language in different ways. For you, it might be worthwhile to get to know International Phonetic Alphabet -- it's code for phonemes, and then connecting the phonetic symbols to actual tongue-mouth coordinations, you start to see word forming as a secret code in singing.
Example -- I know if my tongue floats high and the top of my tongue comes close to the front of my hard palate, that's going to come through like an /i/ (ee) vowel. I start to perceive words based on physical orientation rather than visualizing a group of letters and sounds.
With consonants -- you don't have to drop them if that process eclipses the whole point of having ease and balance. For you it might just be asking, "How gentle can I make this articulation? How much economy of movement can I employ?" Then slowing it down and feeling air and connection through the consonants as well as vowels. I mean, no one's singing on just vowels anyway :) That's working with your brain.
And I'm really glad to hear you've embraced "how much air..." That one question will change anyone's singing life.