Onsets, ‘Ng’ & The Beginning of the Note

There are three types of onset: Breathy (the bad), Glottal (the ugly) and Simultaneous (the good). Mentally hear the sound of the first note – imagine the exact sound you want to make and you will make it. Sing with your ears. Use the good onsets ‘Ng’ to place you onto the right note. Touch the sound with your forehead as the first point of contact (like a Maori hongi). Using the ‘Ng’ as a precursor to the sound will land you on the note from above and navigate the right pitch for you (like sighting a dart before you throw it). Vocal chord action – like letting in the clutch on a car. Caress/stroke of the glottis – it should be a smooth movement. Practice saying ‘a egg’ smoothly. Think of how gentle you need to be when stroking a little kitten. Tongue and Throat – Tongue should lie flat in the mouth like the first layer of pastry in a baking tray. Throat and jaw should be easy, relaxed and natural. Use as little breath as possible Ending the sound – Always acknowledge the phrasing a lyricist will use; punctuation = breathing. Most notes should be ended gradually unless they are deliberately dramatically ‘spat out’. Let the ends of notes shape themselves with vibrato and colour (use the Swelling tone exercise for this). Use Ng as a focusing for higher resonance. Try and get a good buzzing sensation behind the nose while humming for a sustained bright, ringing tone – aim the sound towards the bridge of the nose. Be patient, sing gently, slowly and concentrate on getting the nasal cavity and behind the forehead reverberating with bright sound. RANGE EXTENSION For high pitches: high-pitched quiet humming (especially ‘ng’). Keep breath- pressure low but well supported. Singing high is not difficult, it’s fun. Think of how a baby plays with high squeaks and sounds with joy and ease. Be aware of how the body tightens up when approaching higher notes and counteract this tension with openness. Experiment with body anchoring when warming up. Turn it on and then off to see if it makes any discernable difference to the feel or sound. For low pitches: relaxation and space = open throat. Feel it in your tummy. Practice sirens to eradicate the break in registers and unite the range. Use body anchoring to experiment with it’s function. Feel how low on the body you can vibrate the sound. VOCAL AGILITY For high-speed heavily ornamented singing: use a light touch and head/upper resonance. Practice phrases slowly then gradually add speed. Weight the fundamental note rather than the ornaments; the first note rather than subsequent notes POSTURE Straighten all three curves in your back. Scruff the back of the neck up and back and rotate your pelvis forward. Move forward onto the balls of your feet. Feel tall & poised but not rigid.