Vocal Vst

[Etta Lesniak]

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Our producer Martin Austwick is also a talented musician. So when he suggested that we make an episode about the extraordinary range of the human voice, it seemed like the perfect chance to give this topic the attention it deserves.

Martin: My love of audio all started out with my love of singing. I've been a singer songwriter for probably about 20 years, but I've never formally studied singing, so I don't really understand how people make these incredible sounds with their voices.

Matt: And the resonation system is everything that's on top of the vocal cords, from the throat, to your cheeks, to your lips, tongue, and teeth. All of these things are creating resonance and kind of shaping the sound of the vocal cords.

Matt: And that just comes from the opposite vocal cord configuration. So in chest voice, the vocal cords are kind of thick and slack, but as you stretch them, it's going to vibrate faster, creating higher notes.

Matt: It just doesn't get any better than that. He's just screaming it out basically. The legend goes that this was at the very, very end of their recording day and John's voice was already shot, which is why there's so much kind of a rough quality, which we all love about this recording.

Matt: What scientists think is creating that is rather than the entire length of vocal cords vibrating together, they think it's just maybe the very, very front portion. And since it's just a very, very small portion of vibrating mass, the frequencies that you get off of that are incredibly high.

Matt: Whistle seems to be a bit easier for children. Part of that may be a cultural thing, that as kids, we're encouraged to kind of play with our voices a whole lot, and we just go and explore all the lengths of the human range.

Mariah Carey: And when I would wake up, I would always be like, "I couldn't speak, I would sound like this." And then I would also be like, "But I can talk nah nah nah nah." And I was in that range. And my mother was like, "Why are you talking like that? Like what are you doing?" And I was like, "I don't know."

Martin: The whistle register takes us to the upper limit of the human voice. Brazilian Singer Georgia Brown holds the Guinness Record for the greatest vocal range by a female. Here she is demonstrating her incredible upper range. If you have dogs in the house, maybe cover their ears.

Martin: Using vocal fry, some singers can reach incredibly low notes. Vocalist Tim Storms holds the Guinness Record for the lowest note produced by a human being, as well as the widest overall vocal range. Here's a bit of that unbelievable low end.

But of course, there's more to vocal technique than just hitting high notes and low notes. Singing is also about conveying mood, tone, and emotion. And certain styles of singing were developed to convey extreme emotions like anger and despair.

Matt: So outside of your pair of true vocal cords, there are a couple of muscles. And when you get those guys involved, you get a little bit of that "Ooh," where it sounds a little bit thicker, a little bit gruffer, tends to be used a whole lot more in metal music.

Now, when you combine a wide range of very precise vocal techniques into a single performance, you can get some truly mind blowing results. Here's a piece called Sing a Little Harmony, by the beatboxer D-low.

Matt: So in this specific performance , I think what would be super cool is if we could just see almost like an MRI [fx: servo + wider music] of all of the things that his throat, his mouth, his tongue, his teeth, everything is doing. And what you would see is an absolute insane view of the crazy machinery that makes up the voice in general.

Martin: But for me, there's one singing technique I've been fascinated with since I first heard it over 20 years ago. It's called throat singing or overtone singing. And perhaps the most famous tradition in the world is from Tuva, a republic of Russia that borders Mongolia.

Martin: In the Soviet Union, Tuvan culture was basically ignored. The Tuvan language wasn't typically taught in school. And when Albert studied music in college, he learned about classical music from Europe and Russia...

Martin: Since the fall of the Soviet Union, it's become much easier for people in Tuva to learn these traditions. Throat singing is now taught at music schools for children, and in music colleges. In 2003, the Tuvan National Orchestra was founded. Their performances often include multiple throat singers singing in unison.

Martin: Northern Canada has a very different style of throat singing, practiced as a kind of competitive game between women as part of the Inuit culture. This tradition often involves making sound with the inhalations as well as the exhalations. Here's a demonstration by Inuk performer Tanya Tagaq.

Martin: Albert Kuvezin and Tanya Tagaq aren't the only ones pushing throat singing in interesting new directions. For example, a Mongolian band called The Hu created a song for the game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, in which they sung in a fictional alien language.

Martin: There are so many ways that people use their voices to make music and express themselves. But how difficult are these techniques for people with very little vocal training? Well, we decided to put our money where our mouth is, quite literally, and let vocal coach Matt Ramsey put us through our paces.

Matt: Right! Now the reason that you had a break there was because you were starting in falsetto where those vocal cords really weren't closing all that much. And then when you came back to your chest voice at the very end, (claps) they snapped together again. And in fact, the break is actually a good thing. It means that you're actually going between the different registers in your voice. But of course, we don't want to stop there. We want to continue to train it until it's almost indistinguishable.

Matt: Well, let's finish our tour of the different vocal ranges at the very, very top, whistle register. Now, this may be very well, something that you do or don't have. Some days I have it, some days I don't, we'll see what happens today,

Martin: Okay, so Dallas and I, we probably won't be covering Adam Lopez anytime soon. But while people like him and Tim Storms and Mariah Carey may seem to have an almost superhuman range, it's really important to remember how many hugely influential singers there are whose range is much, much smaller.

Matt: There is kind of an obsession with expanding vocal range. And I just want to make it very clear that that is not the point of vocal training. The point of vocal training is to sing songs better.

In fact, there are times when quote unquote "bad" singing might be the perfect way to express the emotions you're going for. Over the years, there have been plenty of famous singers who have pretty terrible, traditional vocal technique. But that doesn't make the music they create any less powerful.

Matt: I define good singing as people that make me feel something. And whenever I listen to Bob Dylan sing, I feel something, even if it's not great technique. So there's a difference between good technique vocalists, and great singers.

Thanks to our guests, Matt Ramsey and Albert Kuvezin. You can find Matt's online vocal lessons on his YouTube channel, which is Ramsey Voice Studio. And you can hear Albert's band Yat-Kha wherever you listen to music. You can find links to both in the show notes.

VJE sings ensemble and solo jazz music. It performs with jazz instrumentalists on and off campus, including a concert in Killian Hall at the end of each semester. The ensemble also offers members opportunities for arranging and songwriting. The MIT Vocal Jazz Ensemble is coordinated and overseen by Dr. Fred Harris.

Students are expected to prepare two songs of contrasting styles. One song must be "Smile" by Chaplin/Parsons/Turner to be sung a cappella. Many people have recorded this song, but Nat King Cole's version is easy to find online if you're learning by ear. The second song can be from any genre and should showcase your voice. It is fine to use accompaniment for the second song.

*For vocal jazz students auditioning for the Emerson/Harris program: the E/HP Jazz audition and the VJE audition are separate. You must audition for each of them separately if you intend to participate in both.

Internationally recognized for its long tradition of excellence in vocal and operatic training, the USC Thornton Vocal Arts and Opera Department emphasizes the development of secure vocal technique, artistry in the interpretation of a richly varied, representative repertoire, comprehensive study of diction in English and foreign languages, a science-informed voice pedagogy curriculum and frequent solo and ensemble performance. Alumni have been named finalists and winners of prestigious competitions, and many currently work as recitalists, members of opera companies, professional choruses and voice faculties in the United States, as well as abroad. Opportunities for enriched experiences are offered through our weekly Vocal Forums, which include student recitals, workshops and master classes with visiting artist-teachers and resident faculty.

The USC Thornton Opera program is an integral part of the vocal arts department, providing career development opportunities for singers, coaches, pianists, conductors and directors. The program includes instruction in stage training, role study and analysis, body movement, stage direction and coaching techniques for collaborative pianists and conductors. The opera workshop is a repertory experience involving preparation and performance of operatic works and excerpts for performance both on and off the USC campus. For more information, visit the USC Thornton Opera Program homepage.

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