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Brittany Thummel

Daniel Johnson-Wilmot

Vocal Pedagogy

11/18/13

The Singer’s Relationship with Speaking and Diction

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary one of the definitions of singing is, “to

create in or through words a feeling or sense of song.”1 As can be seen here, words are a

very important part of singing which means they should be addressed with great care to

bring the full essence of the song together. Because when we hear a song, the words and

music create an image, feeling or emotion to which they can relate, but without being able to

understand the words we will lose that magic in forming our own image as a listener. 2 Most

people have a strong understanding of expressing themselves through speaking, so it is most

likely beneficial to address the way a student speaks a text and compare it to how the student

sings the same text since articulation will be directly changed and most likely exaggerated

when spoken and it is all up to the student to create the difference and acknowledge its

affect.3 Even though speaking and singing are quite different, it is still necessary to bring

1 "Sing." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.

2 "Diction for Singers." Vocalist. Vocalist.org.uk, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. <http://www.vocalist.org.uk/diction.html>.

3

Kenneth Neville Westerman. Emergent Voice. 2nd ed. Ann Arbor, MI: C. F. Westerman, 1955. Print.

awareness to the correlation of the speaking voice and the singing voice especially in

regards to diction and clarity of words because they are a singer’s mode of expression.

Shirlee Emmons sums up the importance of communication in singing nicely:

To be fully rounded artists, singers must use their voices as musical instruments and

also as a means of communication. The musical use of the voice necessitates a

knowledge of how to maintain ideal conditions for a constantly beautiful and

musical tone. In contrast, the communicative use of the voice requires a command of

ever fluctuating symbolic sounds (consonants) that are often noisy. Because singers

must do both things at once, the art of singing is essentially contradictory. Herein

hangs the tale.4

This passage really brings into light the true issues that arise with diction in singing and it is

necessary to keep these ideas in a teacher’s voice studio if their goal is to create musicians

that really tell the story.

The main tools of diction are commonly thought of as consonants and vowels since

they make up the words themselves. And since vowels carry the sound while consonants are

noises; let’s look at the noises before delving into the aspects of the sounds. 5

Consonants are a very important part of creating words, because otherwise we would

just have vowels and there would be no distinction between what one was saying. However, 4 Shirlee Emmons. "The Singer's Dilemma: Tone Versus Diction?" Shirlee Emmons.

Shirlee Emmons, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.

5 T. Campbell Young. "Vocal Diction": In a Nutshell." Music Supervisors' Journal. 19.1 (1932): 28-29. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/3384144>.

many singers forget about giving their consonants any energy or thought because they want

to make the most beautiful sound and you can’t make a sound on most consonants. But

herein lies the problem, because when the singer drops the energy in their phrase because

they are going through a consonant, the line droops and is more likely to fall out of the ideal

space for good tone quality and resonance.6 The fact that one is normally not able to sustain

a pitch on a consonant means that there is a stoppage of air or breath flow to some degree,

which means for the best continuation of line it would be best for consonants to be as short

and decisive as possible without sacrificing clarity and while still maintaining energy

through them.7 This may result in an issue of not enough consonant sound, and even having

the singer speak the lines to address the consonants might not work because when we speak

there is less importance on consonants since the one being spoken to is normally able to

guess the word even without clarity in enunciation because they are privy to what the

conversation is about. With this in mind, it may not be the most beneficial to have the

student speak the lines to address consonants for some student.

There are twenty-six different consonant sounds in the English language; voiced [b,

p, g, m, n], unvoiced [s, k, t], stop [p, b, t, d], fricative [f, v, z, th], nasal [m, n, ng], liquid

and glide consonants [l, r, w, y].8 There is obvious muscular involvement in the creation of

6 Van Christy, and John Patton. Foundations in Singing. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001. Print


8 Leon Thurman, and Graham Welch. Bodymind & Voice: Foundations of Voice Education. Vol. 2. Collegeville, MN: VoiceCare Network, 2000. Print

consonants because they are a result of an action, most commonly it is the disruption of air

flow through the vocal tract or the complete sealing of the vocal tract through muscle use.

There must always be a muscular reaction to create consonants, but the goal should be to

have the least amount of involvement, meaning the least amount of interruption, with the

muscles.9 The definition of this differs between one type of consonant and the next, but they

all have the commonality of needing the least amount of muscle involvement for best

efficiency. 10

Consonants are made by coordinating the lips, jaw, tongue, soft palate, and vocal

folds with the breath and air. Each type of consonant involves a different amount and type of

“work” to be created. Some examples: stop consonants are made by the air being stopped

and building in pressure beneath the closed glottis followed by the air “bursting” through a

small space; fricative consonants are also created mainly by breath and glottis interaction;

nasal consonants occur because sound waves are redirected through the nasal cavity because

the soft palate is lowered and opens the nasopharyngeal cavity.11 There needs to be

coordination between these areas to get the best, easiest result. This can be achieved in part

by putting more energy into the act of articulating consonants. By keeping the energy

flowing there is constant forward motion to send the sound out into the space, which is the

ideal.


10 Ibid.

11 Ibid.

Singers also need to have a good sound and a grasp of where sound is created and

where it resonates to put their articulators to their best use in the action of articulation. One

might not think it necessary to have good technique to get the most out of consonant

articulation, but if you don’t have a solid grasp of how to create good sound then adding in

extra work with the articulators could just make it worse. It can even get to the point that

some types of singers find certain consonants very effortful or sometimes even impossible.

Thornfield elaborates on this nicely:

Singers with a “throaty” tone production will find it practically impossible to sound

some of the consonants. The reason for this is, that the tonal vibrations lie too far

away from the lips and teeth, and that in consequence the actions required in tone

production cannot amalgamate with those required in word production.12

This makes sense with the fact that if the vibrations are already just echoing through the

space it might make it highly difficult to spit out the consonants, meaning the technique of

proper phonation needs to align with the articulation of consonants to have equality and

clarity.

On the opposite end of diction, we have the vowels which carry the sound, as

mentioned previously. Because they carry the sound and are the part of the word we sing on,

in most cases, the vowels should be, or at least seem to be, as long as possible. 13 Sung

12 Thornfield, and Ralph Jusko. Singing Diction; from Thornfield's "Tongue and Lip Training." Toledo, OH: Gregorian Institute of America, 1954. Print.


vowels do differ from spoken vowels in that they need to be sometimes a bit exaggerated in

multiple ways. One pedagogue tells us, “Over and above the spoken form, the sung vowel

involves more vitalized articulators; more varied degrees of intensity; firmer support of

breath pressure; more open, released jaw; augmented vowel size; prescribed pitches; and an

enlarged resonating system.” 14 However, this does not mean that the vowel is created in a

different way or in a different space just because the duration is changed and it is on a

specified pitch. In fact, each vowel has a specific vowel signature that is created from the

clustering of frequencies that create the recognizable sound we can identify in all voices

capable of speech.15 This in itself proves that the vowel in speech and in singing is created in

much the same way so the creation of the vowel is not altered in singing as it is in speaking,

but that doesn’t mean that there is not some difference in the thoughts and shapes of vowels

in singing.

It has been found that because different reactions are induced in the relationship of

the tongue, hyoid bone, and external laryngeal musculature singing which lead to some

vowel modification, an intentional, slight adjustment made to the sound (acoustics) of a

vowel, by altering the basic way in which a vowel is articulated, with the goal of attaining

more comfortable and pleasing tone production, especially in the higher part of the singer’s

14 Dorothy Uris. To Sing in English: A Guide to Improved Diction. New York: Boosey and Hawkes, 1971. Print.

15 Miller, Richard. The Structure of Singing: System and Art in Vocal Technique. New

York: Schirmer, 1986. Print.

range.16 Vowel modification happens much more when the text is fast paced and clarity is a

necessity to be understood by the audience.17 This is not to say that vowel modification is

not used in other circumstances when singing. Most commonly this occurs in the upper

range of a singer’s individual voice, but it may also be necessary in the low range or in the

passaggio of a singer; the most common vowel for a singer to modify to is [ʌ], or another

more neutral vowel. This helps keep the sound in the optimal space for singing while also

keeping the word recognizable.

However doing different things with the articulators, such as the tongue and lips, can

change the position of the larynx which can affect the clarity of the vowel formant

frequencies; for example, it has been proven that rounding the lips always lowers all the

formant frequencies, some more than others, but they all lower none the less. This occurs

because it lengthens the vocal tract which means that lower resonance frequencies are

common.18 But even with the lower frequencies being created the sound will still be

recognizable as such.

It is said that there are five cardinal vowels that give a basis for all possible vowels;

there are: [a] [i] [u] [e] [o].19 These are also sometimes referred to as pure vowels, but this is

16 "Vocal Topics." Singwise. Singwise, 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.

17 Thurman, Leon, and Graham Welch. Bodymind & Voice: Foundations of Voice Education. Vol. 2. Collegeville, MN: VoiceCare Network, 2000. Print

18 Ibid.

19 D. Ralph Appelman. The Science of Vocal Pedagogy; Theory and Application. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1967. Print

not necessarily so. As Lilli Lehman tells us, “The pure singing or tone vowel is not at all

pure in the ordinary sense of the word…. It is possible to sing 20 different e, I, ah, oh, oo’s

which in their own nature, already mixed, sound pure and intelligible in the word.” 20 So

how can we determine exactly what sound or “shade” of vowel we want? This is mainly up

to the individual singer and their own discretion. Most likely, the shade of a vowel may

differ from voice to voice as to what people say is the true or pure vowel but, as discussed

earlier, all vowels are created with the same frequency clusters that are recognized by all and

that can only by changed by extreme modifications with the articulators which would mean

that the singer is making a distorted version of the vowel because of interference.

Now that we have a better understanding of the science and mechanics that are used

in articulation of consonants and creating vowels, it is possible to look at the relationship in

more detail. There are some that think it best to not bring these two things together, but

others, such as Barbara Doscher, say, “Singing is no different than speaking.”21 That is

basically true in that it uses the same mechanisms and that the most noticeable thing that

differs is that speaking has a shorter range used and one syllable is not sustained for an

extended period of time, but good diction is necessary for all singers and it cannot be

attained by just imitating the speaking voice.22 This is further explored by Van Christy’s

studies of the voice in which he declares:20 Lehmann, Lilli. How to Sing, new rev. and suppl. Ed., translated by Richard Aldrich

and Clara Willenbuecher. New York: Macmillan, 1952.

21 Doscher, Barbara M. The Functional Unity of the Singing Voice. 2nd ed. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1994. Print.

22 Doscher, Barbara M. The Functional Unity of the Singing Voice. 2nd ed. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1994. Print.

If your speaking voice is not free and resonant-if it is timid, breathy, or dull, or if you

have an unpleasant regional twang or drawl-then your singing will suffer, too. Be

open to the possibility that your speaking voice needs work in order to release the

full potential of your singing voice.23

This idea goes along with another of Christy’s quotes saying, “Singing is, first of all,

saying.”24 All this is going along with the previously mentioned idea of a spoken vowel or

consonant being created in the same way the sung equivalent is. Knowing this, it is quite

logical to conclude that in order to have a voice with freedom in singing you need to have a

free and clear speaking voice.

The theory behind learning how to sing like you speak is based mainly on learning

from sensation and becoming acquainted with the similarities to the point where you don’t

alter the sound to be something it is not. In other words:

Learning how to speak and sing more by sensation than by sound is, for some

people, a very different orientation to voice skills. Such a process will be

particularly challenging for anyone who desires to speak or sing with a particular

“sound” or “type of voice”.25

23 Christy, Van, and John Patton. Foundations in Singing. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001. Print

24 Ibid.


This idea can take quite a while for people to adjust to and to understand. It may be because

it seems almost too simple to just sing using the same spaces as you use when you speak, or

it may be because the student is unwilling to acknowledge that there is a difference because

of a stubborn attitude or a lack of observation within their own body. The connection of

singing and speech needs to understood and acknowledged to get the best result and the

most ease in the sound.

There are some exercises and vocalizes to give a bit of help in clearing up diction,

but not many to get more connection between speaking and singing. Some exercises work

specifically on consonants or on vowels, but if you want to work both them then some

tongue twisters on simple melodies will be quite beneficial. Not only do these make you

work both vowels and consonants with exaggerated clarity, but they also sensitize the

articulators and help develop agility.26 Some common examples of these are: “A tutor who

tutored a flute once tutored two tooters to toot. Said the two to the tutor, “Is it easier to toot

or to tutor two tooters to toot?”.”, “Big black bug bit a big black bear. Made a big black bear

bleed blood.”, and “Sixty-six sick chicks”. Each one of these helps with a slightly different

aspect that changes the benefits and approach. The first example addresses the stop

consonant and keeping the line flowing past the consonant and to the vowel, whereas the last

one is dealing with the unvoiced consonant in a musical like and keeping the breath going

through. Now the key to each of these exercises working is to gradually accelerate the tempo

but to still keep the clarity.

26 Van Christy, and John Patton. Foundations in Singing. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001. Print

Two popular exercises in choral ensembles to work on consonant-vowel relationship

are: to work on spitting out consonants and going right to the vowel is using the progression

of “bE-dA-mE-nI-pO-tU-lA”27, and to give connection between consonants and vowels,

especially on voiced consonants is “Bringing-ing, ringing-ing, singing-ing bells”28. But if

you want to go more towards a genuine speaking place singing, then having the singer(s)

speak the line then immediately go into singing it can help align the mechanisms to their

proper placement. It might take doing this with the same line multiple times before it is done

with minimal change between the two actions, but the effect is usually a more genuine

sound to the individual voice which should be the ultimate goal of all singers.

Speaking and singing may be two different things, but there is such a similarity in

the mechanisms that it is not beneficial to ignore the correlation. As previously stated, the

formants for vowels stay the same whether speaking or singing so there is no need to alter

the space in which you sing a vowel form where you speak it. It may be necessary to change

the shape of the articulators a bit in certain ranges of the voice to get the clearest, best

sounding vowel but that is not the case on every note which needs to be recognized.

Consonants are also important and need to be clear, concise while not changing the quality

of the vowel that follows or precedes it. And the consonants need to be energized to keep the

sound in the same space that is optimal for projection. Projection is very important in

27 Gertrude Wheeler Beckman. Tools for Speaking and Singing. New York: G. Schirmer, 1955. Print.

28 Thornfield, and Ralph Jusko. Singing Diction; from Thornfield's "Tongue and Lip Training." Toledo, OH: Gregorian Institute of America, 1954. Print.

singing so that the audience can understand the singer’s message which is the goal of all

performers. “When the listener hears a song, the words and music create an image, feeling

or emotion to which they can relate.”29 I believe this is what all performers strive for and that

is why diction is so important to address in the voice studio.

Works Cited

Appelman, D. Ralph. The Science of Vocal Pedagogy; Theory and Application. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1967. Print

Beckman, Gertrude Wheeler. Tools for Speaking and Singing. New York: G. Schirmer, 1955. Print.

29 "Diction for Singers." Vocalist. Vocalist.org.uk, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. <http://www.vocalist.org.uk/diction.html>.

Christy, Van, and John Patton. Foundations in Singing. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001. Print

Dayme, Meribeth Bunch. The Performer's Voice: Realizing Your Vocal Potential. New York: W.W. Norton, 2005. Print.

"Diction for Singers." Vocalist. Vocalist.org.uk, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. <http://www.vocalist.org.uk/diction.html>.

Doscher, Barbara M. The Functional Unity of the Singing Voice. 2nd ed. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1994. Print.

Emmons, Shirlee. "The Singer's Dilemma: Tone Versus Diction?" Shirlee Emmons. Shirlee Emmons, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.

Lehmann, Lilli. How to Sing, new rev. and suppl. Ed., translated by Richard Aldrich and Clara Willenbuecher. New York: Macmillan, 1952.

Miller, Richard. The Structure of Singing: System and Art in Vocal Technique. New

York: Schirmer, 1986. Print.

"Sing." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.

Thornfield, and Ralph Jusko. Singing Diction; from Thornfield's "Tongue and Lip Training." Toledo, OH: Gregorian Institute of America, 1954. Print.

Thurman, Leon, and Graham Welch. Bodymind & Voice: Foundations of Voice Education. Vol. 2. Collegeville, MN: VoiceCare Network, 2000. Print

Uris, Dorothy. To Sing in English: A Guide to Improved Diction. New York: Boosey and Hawkes, 1971. Print.

"Vocal Topics." Singwise. Singwise, 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.

Westerman, Kenneth Neville. Emergent Voice. 2nd ed. Ann Arbor, MI: C. F. Westerman, 1955. Print.

Young, T. Campbell. "Vocal Diction": In a Nutshell." Music Supervisors' Journal. 19.1 (1932): 28-29. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/3384144>.

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brittanythummel.weebly.combrittanythummel.weebly.com/.../3/7/9/13796913/the_sin… · Web viewThis may result in an issue of not enough consonant sound, and even having the singer