Description:
An inability to access low notes often has to do with our tendency to drop and press our larynx to try and reach physically for our lowest notes. For some, it’s helpful to think UP and FORWARD and use a brighter sound to counteract this.
It's also important to note that if you have been singing a lot and have tension in your throat and around your larynx, then it can get stuck at too high of a position and block your lower pitches from vibrating. So in general, use a relaxed, medium-volume chest voice sound and allow your larynx to float and stay flexible and open.
Exercise: Huhee, Huhaye, Huhah 1,2,3,2,1,2,3,2,1 E flat
For this first exercise we are working on having a neutral larynx where it doesn't squeeze up or press down. Allow the tongue to rise up for ee and ah, but keep the jaw hanging low. For the last Ah try and keep the tongue floating and don't let it press down.
Exercise: MA 531 E flat
Our next syllable is MA, like the word MAP. Bright, wide vowels like Ah give us lots of resonance and can also counteract any laryngeal pressing so our tone doesn’t become overly dark or breathy. Don’t overdo this and spread so much that you constrict the back of your throat or make too annoying of a sound.
Singing well is about finding balance with opposing forces, so just allow the natural brightness of the vowel to do the work for our lower register.
Exercise: Mee-Yah Sliding 5-1 E flat
Final exercise, releasing and sliding down from a brighter higher pitch to a full resonant low note. Try and keep some of the brightness from the first note for the lowest note. We will start with a bright MEE and then relax into a Yah for the bottom note. You’re always welcome to try other vowels like Yeah and use the one that feels easiest for you.
I’ll sing as low as I can as a Tenor and then continue to play the piano a little lower for any Basses out there.
If your volume is very low or your tone sounds less than ideal, that’s okay! Any time we’re working on pitches outside your comfortable range, that’s to be expected. The first step in getting a note to sound good is first to just make noise on that note. If you’re continuing on to high range extension, I’ll see you there!
Audio:
Lessons:
- 1: Welcome
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2:
Warmup
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3:
Low Range Extension
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4:
Head Voice Extension
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5:
Mix-belt Range Extension
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6:
Conclusion
Instructor: Abram Poliakoff
Abram Poliakoff is a singer, guitarist, pianist, teacher, conductor, and composer. He received a Bachelors of Music in Vocal Arts from USC’s Thornton School of Music and has been teaching music for 8 years. He is currently both the Associate Artistic Director and a tenor in the L.A. Choral Lab, which recently released its first studio album Sonic Visions in the fall of 2019. Abram teaches and performs a wide range of genres including Classical, Jazz, Folk and Popular music in the Los Angeles area. He has also sung with the San Francisco Opera and Pocket Opera in the Bay Area. His teaching mission is to help his students utilize vocal technique to find their authentic and healthy voice while maximizing genre flexibility and a naturalness of expression.