So what’s the deal with this Resonance thing that everyone talks about all the time?! You know you’re supposed to have it and you know it’s important when it comes to singing and speaking, but you still have No Idea what on earth it is! Don’t worry I’m here to help you clear up all the confusion and make this simple as pie. …mmm pie 🙂
What is resonance?
In simple words, your resonance is the quality of sound that your voice makes. It’s the timber. The acoustics. The depth of sound. Pretty much it’s layering of sound in your voice that makes it sound so full and magnificent. Have you ever gone to karaoke and you hear someone belting a big note and it’s sounds full and strong, but then the next week you go to karaoke, you hear the same song sung by a different person, but this time the big belty note sound dull and empty? They were both in pitch, but the quality of sound was different. That’s because the one that sounded so full and awesome had way more resonance than the other singer. Without enough resonance our voices sound muted or often mistaken for flat. Resonance is the pretty “ring’ that you hear in beautiful voices.
Another way to look at it is imagine you are singing in the shower. You’re belting “All my single ladies, all my single ladies” at the top of your lunges and you sound stunning! Your voice seems to fill the entire bathroom with all its gloriousness! it’s seems easier. Almost effortless.
Now image yourself singing the same song but you’re in a closet FULL of clothes. The door is closed and there’s barely any space for you to turn around. Now you sing your song. It doesn’t sound nearly as glorious right? Almost seems like it’s muffled by all the clothes. Well, it actually is!
Here’s the dealio! Your throat is actually very similar to the examples I just gave above….let’s talk simple terms. When you sing your vocal chords vibrate and air travels through carrying the sound. When your mouth is open, your throat is open and even your nose is open, the sound is able to GROW as it travels. It’s bounces off from wall to wall in your throat and mouth and developed into a big bold sound! Just like in the shower, the sound travels through the open space of the bathroom, bounces off the wall and grows into a huge sound. All done with little effort from the vocal chords themselves. However if the throat is closed, tongue is in the way, nose is closed, then you are now singing in a closet full of clothes. The sound, once made by the vocal chords, hits all the stuff in the way, aka clothes,boxes, shoes, tongue, epiglottis,etc and is absorbed by it. Your sound is now muffled. 🙁
How Do I Know If I Have Resonance?
Ok so you know that you want your voice to be sung in the open conditions just like singing in the shower, but how do I know if it’s working? well there’s a couple ways to do a self check on your progress. One of the most simple ways is to record yourself. iPhone have a great app that comes with the phone called Voice Memos and it’s totally free. But truthfully any recording device will do as you’re starting off.
Sit down, warm up and record your voice. You don’t need to sing/speak for very long. Just a few sentences at a time should do to start off. Then play back what you recorded and listen. Take note of what it sounds like. Is there any difference than what you thought it sounded like? Where does it sound like its coming from? How would you describe it? You can even take it a step further and start experimenting with your voice. Try singing it while focusing on a different part of the face. Maybe try one in the front of the face, then try one in the back of the throat. Get creative! The more you experiment, the more you’ll learn about how to control your voice.
Another way you can tell if you have resonance or not is by feeling. If you are trying to pull the resonance by focusing the sound up in the nose area then you should start to feel a buzzing and vibration sensation in your nose and eyes. Now when I say “feel” I don’t mean that your whole head is going to dramatically shake. I mean that there will be a slight gentle sensation. You really have to focus on that area of your body and become more aware of the sensations to feel it. It’s not gonna knock you out! Ha!…hopefully.
How Do I Gain More Resonance In My Voice?
Theres a couple drills that will help you gain more resonance in your voice. Below is a video with some examples of the Resonance Drills, Soft Palate Lift and how to Focus Forward. I highly suggest you take a minute, push play and check them out. It’s way easier to understand them by watching my examples rather than me trying to explain it through typing…way more entertaining too! Have fun!
Want Resonance Drills to practice at home? Check out my 7 Day Warmup Course…totally FREE! I’ll walk you through step by step what warmups to do, when and how much. Just pop in your email below and I’ll send it to ya!
