Bridging the Passaggio: The Delicate Approach with Power By Jimi Zimmardi
Jimi Zimmardi discusses his philosophy about Passaggio Bridging register shifting. This article shows you how to sing with a gentle onset with power and discusses a seamless shift in registers.
Bridging the Passagio The Delicate Approach with Power
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Bridging the Passaggio
The Delicate Approach with Power
By Jimi Zimmardi
I want to begin this article by stating that there are many philosophies about passaggio bridging. With those philosophies come the many other versions of what chest voice is and what head voice is. Regardless of where you’re coming from and what you’ve learned, I would strongly suggest that you do as much research as you can about chest voice, head voice, true voice, falsetto and bridging the passaggio.
In all of the threads I have read on www.voicecouncil.com as well as the many philosophies I have spoken to my colleagues about this potentially controversial issue, one issue remains pure and true with me. That issue is that you must develop your voice by strengthening the appropriate muscle groups and remain relaxed in the extrinsic muscles under the chin during phonation when you’re producing sound. This applies during speech as well as singing. My approach starts with teaching a student an easy and relaxed onset which is the beginning of any spoken or sung phrase. The easy onset is approached with a breathy “H” consonant which brings your vocal folds together gently. After the process of the easy onset, the cycle of correct phonation continues over and over by maintaining proper vocal fold position as you phonate. This is accomplished by keeping a consistent air-stream by executing a connected non-choppy phrasing technique that enables the vocal folds to maintain their proper position. In tandem, you must connect the breathing mechanism correctly with the singing/speaking mechanism by coordinating diaphragmatic breathing and breath support in the abdominals to support the singing mechanism so that there is no tension in the extrinsic muscles under the chin in front of the larynx.
This is basic vocal technique that encompasses easy onset, breath support and total looseness in the extrinsic muscles.
My philosophy is to master full voice by working the middle register outward. Where most singers go wrong in technical execution is in the extremes (low register and high register), so it makes sense to work the middle register and then show my students correct execution of the low register where vocal fry issues occur and then work the high register. I usually will do a lot of glide up exercises to get my students used to gliding up to the high register so that they can find their natural tone while realizing there middle and high registers. When my students start to execute their high notes after developing strength in their muscles in their larynx which define their tonus along with their breath support muscles in the abdominals, then we start to visit the breaking point zone which I call the Red Zone. Most student’s breaks or bridges are lower at first, but with correct relaxed technique and proper support, all of my students
Will then shift their bridges or breaks simply by strengthening the appropriate muscle groups involved in singing and phonation. Now one thing remains constant, you must not press, push or belt by singing with tightness in the extrinsic muscles and when you approach the Red Zone area where the bridge or breaks in your voice occur, you must adhere to proper vocal fold position. If a correct cycle is executed in the Red Zone, the student will maintain the easy onset and continual air-stream and not phrase with a choppy feel so that they don’t crack in the red zone. Correct execution is to start with an easy breathy onset and connect your phrasing without chopping in the Red Zone which is located in the upper middle register to the lower upper register to maintain a relaxed feeling in the extrinsic muscles. The Red Zone will vary of course depending on the range of each voice.
Now to put things in proper perspective about shifting from full voice to falsetto, I really think that you need to master your full voice first. Whatever voice technique you're using (and there are many), you really need to approach your technique using total looseness in the extrinsic muscles under the chin. If your muscles are tight there (as if they are when you swallow), you're pushing or belting on the singing mechanism. If you're pressing, pushing or belting on these muscles, your voice can not shift correctly when it changes registers. When you start to sing in the area where your voice breaks with push or belt muscle tension, you will have issues.
In other words, you need to work with a technique which is loose all the time in the extrinsic muscles. When you work with a technique that's loose in those muscles, your voice will shift correctly from register to register. When you learn to relax these muscles, you will then gain a good amount of range expansion in your full voice in the area where most people are concerned about. I have heard so many people say "Well that's where I have to shift because of my break". Well, there is a solution to that: Sing with NO tension and you won't have to shift. If you sing with no tension, you don't have to deal with the breaks. You need to develop your technique with no tension up there and keep a steady air-stream without chopping your phrases. Chopping your phrasing through the breaking point zone will cause tension there and shifting to the falsetto will not be a seamless transition because of the tension if you decide to utilize falsetto voice or a mix voice of true voice and falsetto.
From a Development standpoint, I basically start with glide up exercises from a lower note to a higher note and use a crescendo within these exercises. After awhile you start to hit notes in that area you never thought you could hit because you're muscles and the mechanism are relaxed.
Once I get my students hitting those notes gliding up, I then work on the techniques which they hit them directly without the glide-up. After that happens, we then start working on expanding the bridge/break and then introduce the falsetto when the true voice is fully strengthened and realized.
Here's the whole thing in a nutshell. Because you sing loosely with no tension, you will be able to shift registers in your real voice seamlessly and when you bring in the falsetto voice, it will really seem like a seamless transition. At that point you must work on color match and utilize microphone technique to make your voice tone consistent through all registers and the falsetto. Of course, it is then essential to bring in correct personal monitoring and effects to then complete the full equation of defining your tone when you sing live.
The reason is that your voice is ALWAYS relaxed. In full voice, you're loose already and not pushing the mechanism which allows you a seamless transition to the falsetto without the chance of pushing on the mechanism after you shift up there. Your registers are like the gears of a car transmission that need to relax when you shift. If there is tension during phonation, you can not seamlessly shift.
One final point: The labels of Chest Voice and Head Voice are ambiguous to the many voice coaches and experts out there because many experts and others who think that they’re experts have their own take or philosophy on the labels or terms Head Voice and Chest Voice. Many experts will debate their approaches to the point of controversy. I encourage every voice coach, voice teacher, voice therapist and voice expert to thoroughly research this topic and if you’re a student perfecting the craft of bridging the passaggio and finding the true meaning and feeling of head and chest voice that you do the same. Relaxation during phonation is the prerequisite that we all must follow when executing good vocal technique, proper tone and register shifting. I urge all of you to do a lot of research as well as work with your voice coaches one on one as you find your true voice, falsetto voice, mix voice and passaggio bridge. By all means, we all must be careful. I know that I damaged my voice by over revving my falsetto prior to my advanced training. Fortunately, my rehabilitation was short, but I wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone who sings for a living.
I look at the Chest Voice and Head Voice as where the resonance occurs within your body during phonation. The techniques that I teach emphasize looseness in the muscles in and around the larynx as well as bringing the vocal folds together gently and slightly apart during phonation. If you concentrate on a relaxed vocal technique, the pieces of the puzzle will fall into place as long as you have a good voice coach to show you the correct approach.
Comments
Great article, Jimi, thanks for posting this fantastic but sensible approach to Bridging the Passagio.
Hilary email -
Nice article Jimi.........you speak my language.....gentle and simple.....has power and smoothness. You helped clarify some things for me too!