7 DAYS OF 7 DIMENSIONS

DAY 7: STRENGTH

THE SEVENTH DIMENSION

Day 7 unveiled the final dimension, Strength!! Here is a summary of what Richard and Liz explored during the lesson, along with additional details of anatomy, and downloadable MP3s for practice.

 

What is Strength? Strength refers to the stability and stamina of the voice, specifically the intrinsic muscles of the larynx.

Improving Strength is important because it will help you:

  • Sing and perform for longer periods of time
  • Gain more control over the volume of your voice throughout your range
  • Create consistent tonal quality and more options for intentionally imbalanced sounds

ANATOMY OF INTONATION

Vocal Strength is dependent on the muscles directly attached to the larynx used for speaking and singing. This includes the thyroarytenoids and cricothyroids, along with the adduction and abduction muscles.

  • Thyroarytenoids (& vocalis) – muscles that can increase and decrease the tension and mass of the vocal folds
  • Cricothyroids – muscles that interact with the thyroarytenoid, primarily used to adjust tension of the folds
  • Adduction Muscles – muscles inside the larynx that bring the folds together (transverse, lateral, and oblique arytenoids)
  • Abduction Muscles – muscles inside the larynx that pull the folds apart (posterior arytenoids).

There are two types of muscle fibers that can be found throughout the body: Slow twitch (measured by how long you can use the muscles for singing) and fast twitch (measured by how much force and tension the muscles can resist). Both types of muscle fibers take time to develop and can be strengthened dramatically through targeted exercises, as well as singing for long periods of time consistently (with good form/balance).

VOCAL EXERCISE

Time for practice! Below is the featured exercise from Day 7. One last reminder to take a moment to recognize the components within the exercise to help improve your practice and get better results.

Formant: Multi  |  Feature: Multi  |  Pattern: 1  |  Volume: Swell  |  Tempo: Slow  |  Variable: N/A

Play the piano guide below (MP3) to vocalize the exercise from Day 7. Makes sure to match your volumes for each number on the way down as it was on the way up.

S1_S_060
S1_S_060

CUSTOMIZE

Don’t be afraid to change the exercises in order to match your current skills for continuous growth! If you found the exercise too easy or too challenging, modify the Day 3 exercise to get the most out of your practice time:

  • Make it easier: Speed it up! Increasing the tempo will make it easier to manage your Breathing and will reduce the stamina required to do the original version of the exercise. (MP3 Below)
  • Make it harder: Change the numbers (formant and feature) to a steady Ee or Ah formant as demonstrated in the lesson. This will highlight the imbalances, particularly in the passaggio, to work on.

Alternative Patterns: Try the same exercise with a faster tempo as suggested above.

S1_S_090
S1_S_090

YOU DID IT!

We are so happy you joined us for this special event! You’ve probably heard that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert at something. Well, the Vocal Gym is your chance to improve your voice a whole lot faster! 

We know you’re busy and that’s why we’ve created a course that fits into your schedule. The Vocal Gym is available online 24/7 so you can train when it’s convenient for you.

With the Vocal Gym, you’ll get access to hundreds of video lessons from professional vocal coaches. You’ll also have a personalized journal where you can track your progress and see how far you’ve come. Plus, we give you singing assignments to help apply what you learn in the course material. It’s like having your own private vocal coach!

Click the link now to check out your SPECIAL OFFER and sign up for the Vocal Gym course today!

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Keep Singing,
Richard

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6