Hi,

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for books about singing? So far I've read "The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults" by James McKinney and "The Functional Unity of the Singing Voice" by Barbara Doscher. Is there anything else that you would recommend? Are there any sources that might better illustrate everything in the larynx and how it functions? The illustrations in the books were helpful to an extent, but some were too vague and not always labeled or illustrated clearly enough to see exactly which arrow was pointing at which structure (some structures weren't clearly delineated).

Also, are there any books or publications that answer the following (or if you have any personal experience as a teacher, I would love to hear it!):

1. Once the basics are covered, are there differences in how different voice types should be trained, or certain technical difficulties that they are more likely to encounter?
2. What are the technical differences between different types of singing (i.e. opera v. musical theater v. pop)?
3. Is a person's average speaking pitch indicative of their voice type? If so, what are the average speaking pitches for the basic voice types (baritone, bass, soprano, etc)?
4. Why do different sources list different pitches as the passagio notes for different voice types? Is it because they can't agree on how many registers exist, or does it have to do with the specific vowel or exercise that is being performed, or something else entirely? What notes would you say are the transition points based on your experience?

I guess that's a long post with a lot of questions ...

If you have any suggestions or experience, I would love to hear it.

Thank you very very much.

Hi! Not a singing teacher but a singing student but hope this helps. I'm not sure what level you're studying at or whether this would be too basic but have a look!

I'd definitely recommend Singing and the Actor by Gillyanne Kayes - this would definitely cover questions 1 and 2. It looks specifically at the different set ups to use when looking at different genres and, despite the title, it is appropriate for classical, opera, pop and others and not just musical theatre. This also covers some info on the larynx though, again, not sure what level you're looking at here. It also covers the idea of register to some extent.

I also have Popular Singing by Donna Soto-Morettini although that is much more focused on the pop/contemporary styles.

There will be others who can give other suggestions of perhaps more science-based books if that's what you're after.

Nothing to add - just wanted to follow the thread out of interest. So putting it on my notification list.

My favourite book is also Gillyanne Kayes Singing and the Actor, however I think James McKinney is also very good.

I too will be interested in seeing what ideas others have to offer. I have a bookcase full of books on singing, most of them useless!

By the way, has anyone looking into Anton Browne's resources? www.thesingthing.com

He's the one who created the LCM Popular Vocals syllabus and I always feel that his tutorials should give me a good idea of what is expected for the exams. I've read the free transcripts but haven't got as far as actually purchasing the cds

Thank you so so much for your suggestions! Singing and the Actor looks really interesting and I'm definitely going to try to get a copy. I don't suppose anyone has any answers based on personal experience?

Also, I think I came across at least most of the answer I was looking for in my third question. According to the website http://www.lionsvoiceclinic.umn.edu/page2.htm, the average speaking pitches for different voice types are:

Soprano B3 (246.9 Hz)
Mezzo-Soprano G3 (196.0 Hz)
Contralto F3 (174.6 Hz)
Tenor E3 (164.8 Hz)
Baritone B2 (123.5 Hz)
Bass G2 (98.0 Hz)

They referenced Principles of Voice Production by Ingo Titze as the source of the information. I really want to read it - I think I'm going to be eyeing that book for a while ...

I would actually avoid to class voices down to their speaking range, and I DO believe that Titze is roughly right. "Average" always means exactly that, and the range resulting in an average can be quite wide. 10 people can have an average monthly income of 1.500 ?, it doesn't mean however they all earn the same.

I have soprano-students with rather low speaking voices for example. The speaking range can also be culturally formed - the speaking range in Germany for example is a good bit lower than in Britain - but again, that doesn't mean all Germans have low (speaking) voices.

Apart from that, some people speak in a rather unhealthy way - you would do them a serious disservice if you classed them after their speaking range.

As for the passaggi - it depends on what school of thought the author comes from, what registration model they believe in etc. Some people believe in the existence of passaggi, others don't. Some define them as a change in vocal function, some as a shift in vowel formation, some as something completely different. No matter what I personally believe to be right - a passaggio can be indicative of a voicetype, but it also can simply show a muscular imbalance or less skillful use of voice. I would again not necessarily suggest to class a voice by exclusively using passaggio-models, especially not if you don't know about the author's background and the basis of their school of thought.

I'd definitely give another vote to 'Singing and the Actor' - as someone who has, over the years had teachers with a relatively 'traditional' approach to singing, I felt a bit at sea with all these modern ideas. This book is excellent because not only does it given very clear explanations (technical language used in moderation) but it also has very approachable exercises. It has helped me bridge the gap between traditional teaching and teaching which has resulted from new research.

Dugazon I wonder how much of that is due to the different nature of the languages. English naturally undulates much more than German ( thinking as someone who can speak both) and I think of speaking English in a key rather than on a note, whereas I speak German on one or two notes.

I agree with you about unhealthy speech production. This was the reason that a certain Dr Alexander has to develop Alexander Technique as he kept loosing his voice when public speeking.

I know I have to be careful to to try to speak too low. My natural speaking voice is rather high, and I am tempted to drop the pitch to gain "authority". However this is not healthy at all. It is much better to use a natural resonance, and just accept that at times this will mean I will sound much younger than I am, and more like "minnie mouse on Helium" - It is a pitfall of being a high soprano, but if that is the voice you have it is the voice you have.

You have shared the info re passagio models before, an I found them very interesting and useful, but again you have qualified them here. Again it just confirms the importance of listening to yourself and getting a teacher who can hear and understand the voice when developing a voice whether you are exploring this through the classical methodology or more contemporary techniques.

There is only a limit to what you can learn through a book. That does not mean I do not refer to them far from it. That book sounds excellent, but I also work and learn from people too. Where people like Dugazon, AnnC and me come in is by using our eyes ears and experience to work face-to-face with a student and build a healthy voice.

Where a forum like this is useful is that we can share our experience and knowledge base and try to pool that knowledge for a common good.

And another vote here. Then again, I am an Estillian at heart (though not affiliated), so you would expect that
The only thing I wanted to add is that it won't help you in detail if you are looking to understand the set-up of the classical/operatic voice - it's the only vocal quality that doesn't get explained in detail, so to be abstract about it, you would already need pretty sound background knowledge.

For people who are interested in mainly classical voice, I'd recommend Janice Chapman's "Singing and teaching singing".

For more popular singing styles, Soto-Morettini is very good, although it is in a way Estill/Kayes re-invented (just new names for the same things).

If it is about a general understanding of how the (speaking and singing) voice works, and also how to spot pathologies, I would definitely recommend Christina Shewell's "Voice work".

I have to admit I am not too keen on the McKinney - the approach is quite dated in parts, and the audio examples are really abysmal, but that's just me.

Last but not least, if you are intersted in how to get the voice working without using fancy vocabulary and only using imagery, have a look at Kristin Linklater's "Freeing the natural voice" (works for acting and singing) or Cathrine Sadolin's "Complete Vocal Technique" (only for contemporary styles).

You have to know about physiology and anatomy as a teacher, but you also have to know how to get the message across to your students

P.S.: No book is flawless anyway, they all have parts I agree with and parts I don't agree with, so at the end of the day, you always need to keep you brains switched on and try/feel for yourself.

Indeed. I am still in the single figures amount of singing lessons (I think - maybe double now?) and *someone there in the room looking and listening closely* really does make a HUGE difference. Last week my teacher noticed that when I drop my jaw I pull it in towards my neck. I had no idea - consciously moving it forward opened up my voice a lot!

In my role as a parent, not only do I supervise music practice and performance but I also go to football training. Immediate feedback really works wonders - the whistle blows, everyone stands still and the coach shows what might happen next and then rewinds and shows what COULD have happened next if they'd made a different decision moments earlier. Well, I find it fascinating - and I THINK the 8 yr olds get it... it really does make me think about my own learning process, in any case.

My experience as a teacher suggests that the reason that books differ about where individual passagios per voice types are is that there are no hard and fast rules. There are guidelines, but whether someone is, for the sake of arguement a Soprano or Mezzo is dependent on various factors, Timbre, Range, placement of the two main Passagios, Vocal Strengths and Weaknesses and even personality. These form a complete package that is best assessed by an experienced ear that knows what it is listening for. That is something you can not learn from a book, but you can learn from a person.

It is a skill taught to me by several people and that I am constantly refining. It was something I did not have immediately on passing Grade 8, it is something I started to acquire as an undergraduate and have continued to develop since. However as this is an aural skill, it requires human interaction to confirm that the ear is being correctly trained in the initial stages.

Some of the most important learning that I have done is through listening to other singers talk about singing and what makes their voice their voice. This is particularly the case with singers with large ranges that could be difficult to categorise. I know I initially fitted into that category (until my voice's extreme flexibility rather gave the game away) and one of my local ISM colleagues has recently had the same dilemma before finally deciding she really was a mezzo with lots of top notes, however listening to her raison d'etre made me think about this whole process, and the process of guiding girls through transition again.

So yes books and web-pages have their places, but you can learn through other musicians. For me the most important thing here is one recognises that people come from different places. With the voice there are some absolutes that are established by the scientific community, for that having a tame ENT doctor who is interested in speech and singing to talk to is very useful. This is where organisations such as the British Voice Association that bring together Medics, Speech Therapists, Actors, Singers, and Singing teachers to examine the whole topic are particularly exciting as it is a holistic and peer-reviewed approach to voice production and vocal health by all practioners in the area. My teacher is a member, and from her I have learnt a lot from the current research. I have also contacted members for advice as an interested party, and they have been very helpful.

Thank you everyone for your comments, and thank you Dugazon for the extra book suggestions.

I completely agree about being careful about using averages (speaking pitch or passagio) to classify individuals since, by definition, many individuals will fall outside the average on either end. I'm just curious about this because it helps to give me a broader picture of what's going on. I was also assuming a healthy speaking voice . Like several of you mentioned, I've noticed differences in speaking pitch depending on the language that I'm using. Also, some languages seem to have more of a "rhthym" or "melody", while others are more staccato. I guess that's another topic to look into when I'm procrastinating have free time ...

For the passagio, is there a way to know if the author is referring to a shift in vowel formation, vocal function, or something else? It 's not always so clear. Is it assumed to be known based on the authors background?

I know there's a limit to what you can learn from a book. Unfortunately, it's what I'm limited to since singing lessons are one-on-one and not in a larger setting, so you don't have the opportunity to listen to other people. Hence the reason I asked everyone for their input . Is there a way you would recommend getting this experience? It seems that the best way might be to either study voice in college (not an option for me), or to sit in on private lessons (which the singer may not appreciate).

Jod: you mentioned that personality can affect which voice type someone is. Is it only if someone is "borderline" between two classes, or that they can exercise a part of their range so much that it becomes more comfortable?

Thanks again!

The Student Voice: An Introduction to Developing the Singing Voice

A great new book by Colin Baldy!

I sung in a masterclass with him a few weeks ago and picked a copy up then!

The Passagio is where the register changes occur and these are often the clearest indication of voice type. However where these are borderline and the singer has a large range personality can come into question particularly if for example someone has a light mezzo-soprano voice or a more weighty soprano voice.