Day 2: Establishing A Chest-dominant Mix

From: 14-Day Pop Vocals Course With Camille
by Camille van Niekerk
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Description:

The next four days are all about mix belting, meaning we start with a chest-dominant mix and then make some adjustments to add a belt style. This is our “default” style of belting, especially in pop music, because so many melodies sit higher than our chest or speaking voice. If we rely solely on chest voice, we will shout and tire ourselves out. Including some head voice function is key for us to sing these higher pitches!

My favorite syllable to guide your voice into a chest-dominant mix is ONE or WUH. The initial OO sound keeps us from shouting, and the UH vowel is perfect for creating a good amount of space in both the mouth and throat, meaning we won’t favor pure chest voice or pure head voice. Here’s our pattern [demonstrate 13531]. Try it with me. It’s a simple pattern! Here are a few things to keep in mind as you sing:

  1. “Speak” into it. 
  2. Let your jaw drop

Exercise 1: ONE/WUH 13531

Maybe you reached a point where you flipped into head voice. That’s not a failure - it’s part of the process! See if a slight adjustment in your volume or mouth position makes a difference. For example, you might try a little louder, or a little softer. Try widening the mouth slightly, or narrowing it and dropping the jaw a little more. If you’ve tried all of that and you’re still flipping or cracking at a certain point, that pitch may simply be out of your range (for chest-dominant mix) today. Range extension takes time, so please be patient with yourself and celebrate every bit of progress. 

Because most instances of belting include at least some sustain, let’s sustain that top note. If your vibrato comes through, great! No need to force it. 

Exercise 2: Sustained ONE/WUH 135—31

Your homework is to sing the melody (of your song of choice) on the syllable ONE or WUH. Let’s practice with the melody of our choruses, since the chorus for both “This is the time” and “Never leave you” take us into our middle/mix range. Remember: we need more space for higher pitches!

Song work: Sing choruses on ONE/WUH

This is the time (chorus)

Gm             Eb        Gm.       F
This is the time to lay it all out
Gm             Eb    Bb
This is the time, make it worth it
Gm                     Eb           Gm        F
Will answer the call, without any doubt
                   Eb      Bb
This is the time 

Never leave you (chorus)

Bb
“I will never leave you
F
I’ll always hold you tight
Gm
Love you and protect you
Eb
I will never leave you”
(Bb)


Audio:

Pop Course Day 2 Exercise 1
Pop Course Day 2 Exercise 2

Lessons:

Instructor: Camille van Niekerk

Camille van Niekerk is a singer, writer and vocal instructor in Southern California. Camille began studying voice and performing in musicals at age seven. In 2010, Camille began working towards her BA in Music Education at Azusa Pacific University. She then earned her teaching credential from San Diego State University and taught classroom choral and instrumental music. Shortly after moving to LA county, Camille began her private vocal studio, providing vocal coaching, ear training, and recording for students of all ages. She is constantly refining her skills and methods for greater versatility and effectiveness. When she is not teaching, Camille enjoys singing with the L.A. Choral Lab and Ensoma Creative. She lives in San Diego with her husband and loves going to the beach, practicing yoga, reading, and cooking.