05 Song Application

In this lesson, we’ll start taking this beyond exercises and applying to songs! We’ll talk about the trinity of the voice: the what, why and how of using all three resonators for one purpose in the contemporary mix voice. You’ll learn about the importance of using exercises to build new muscle memory into your voice and be given a step-by-step process for applying this technique to your worship songs.

See the lesson resources below to:

download the lesson notes (in Downloads tab)
download the vocal workout for offline use (in Downloads tab)

Audio Workout

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Comments

Countryrissa January 23, 2023

A couple thoughts today.
1. I was able to melt into the low notes on the chest voice exercise with ease today for the first time since starting the program. Yay!
2. I naturally have a higher range and my voice “really” wants to flip into more of a head voice on the higher end of the chest voice workouts. I assume this is bad for the purpose of the workouts and I need to work on keeping it in chest voice?

Countryrissa January 23, 2023

Oh, and on the pharyngeal exercises, I discovered today that I feel like my pharyngeal sound is richer if I aim the note to the side of the top pallet of my mouth? It looks really strange so I’m sure its not good vocal technique but I’m curious what I might be experiencing and how to replicate it with a more centered aim? Does that even make sense, lol?

Bonnie Wiebe January 22, 2023

I have been doing the exercises for about 2 weeks. I sing alto in our Praise &Worship team. I have a strong chest voice but get that tickly cough when I get to the g, b, and a. Today, for the first time, I was able to mix in the chest and pharyngeal voices successfully! Usually, my practices at home would go really well, and then when we practiced and sang on Sunday I felt like I hadn’t learned anything lol. Thank you!! You’re right! Practice and trust the process. Now to start working more on the head voice.

AmySBaker November 3, 2022

These exercises are definitely helpful. Something I struggle with though, is that when I sing in a “softer” head voice, I default to breathy and have a hard time keeping my tone clear without opening up into a full voice. Does that make sense? Any tips? Thanks so much!

Charmaine Brown November 7, 2022

That’s a very common issue—and that’s exactly what the workout exercises from this course are designed to fix! Your vocal cords have a habit of not getting enough compression/grip when you sing light, and the head and pharyngeal exercises (especially the GOO/GEE) will help to build that strength!

1. Amy Baker November 7, 2022
  
  Oh perfect! Thank you!!
  
  1. Charmaine Brown November 10, 2022
    
    You’re welcome!

Dave325 July 21, 2022

Tonight’s practice seemed to go really well, and I was really feeling good about the song application. So, I decided to record myself. Hmmm… a bit discouraging there since it didn’t sound as good as when I performed it. Is it maybe that I don’t like the sound of my own voice?

Charmaine Brown July 31, 2022

Yes definitely—it’s challenging to be objective about our own voice. I would encourage you to submit Checkpoints along the way so I can give you feedback on your exercises!

Dave325 July 17, 2022

Loving these exercises. I started using the Buh, Goo, Gee, and Nay, etc within my regular repertoire. I think things are getter better and stronger. I have one question…. I realized that I was putting most of my attention to the resonators, that I forget sometimes to provide enough breath. It seems that less breath flow on the higher notes results in some tension. Does this make sense? Should I be pushing more from the diaphragm for the higher notes? Thanks in advance for your insights.

Charmaine Brown July 31, 2022

Hey Dave! In a way, yes it makes sense what you’re feeling—the higher notes need more air flow because the vocal cords are vibrating more quickly the higher the note is. Honestly though, don’t worry about that at this point—the more important thing is to focus on resonance, and just keep working diligently on the exercises. I have a whole lesson on Breathing in MYV Part 1, so you’ll learn breathing exercises there!

05 Song Application

Living Hope by Brian Johnson, Phil Wickham

Raise a Hallelujah by Jonathan David Helser, Melissa Helser, Molly Skaggs

What a Beautiful Name by Ben Fielding, Brooke Ligertwood

Way Maker by Osinachi Okoro

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