blending

While there are many aspects to vocal technique that are, well –  technical – there is always an aspect of artistry involved. One key area that involves more of an art form is that of blending.

Now, what on earth do we mean by that? Singing the correct note is one thing, but having that note blend with others singing with you takes practice and a training of the ear. Before we get into the artistry portion, let’s talk about the technical pieces that will go into a proper blend.

Resonators/Placement

Every person has 4 resonators (some people will argue up to 7, but traditionally, 4 are used) that can be used for singing:

  1. Chest

  2. Cheek/mouth

  3. Nose/”Mask”

  4. Head

Each of these can be used alone or in combination. In vocal coaching, it is rare to recommend strictly using just one resonator; and the best blend will result from using a combination.

Chest

This resonator is best associated with a “belting” style of singing. Powerful and resonant, this is a resonator that should be at the “root” of all singing tones. The downside is that dependent on your range, there will come a time where your voice will “crack” when using chest alone.

Cheek/Mouth

The easiest way to identify this one is your speaking voice. Most people use this resonator in everyday conversation.

Nose/Mask

This resonator can be found by ‘talking through your nose’ and pushing the sound up into your forehead. Think of a masquerade half mask – that is the area we are speaking of here.

Head

This is associated with a light and airy sound, and most particularly higher notes. It’s good for range, but not for power. Vocal coaches will typically have you use this in conjunction with another resonator.

The best blend will come from using a mixed voice… that is, a mix of chest and head voice – this allows you to move seamlessly between the two ranges. By adding in the mask and the cheek resonators, we can get a beautiful, cohesive sound that can blend with the lead vocal.

This video is a great demonstration with solid technique for identifying and using the various vocal resonators.

Vocal Resonance: Definition and How to Exercises

Diphthongs/Vowels

While resonators are foundational, there is a second important piece to think of when talking about blend. Vowel sounds are where we shape our words, and therefore, they must match to achieve a cohesive sound. Vowel sounds can be round (Oh, ooh, ah), or bright (ee, ay, i). The bright vowels/vowel sound combos pose the problem most frequently!  These vowels are called diphthongs, because they have two parts to them (no really–they do!). Here are common diphthongs we deal with:

● A (ay-ee) as in “day”
● I (i-ee) as in “my”
● Oy (oy-ee) as in “boy”
● Ow (ow-oo) as in “now”
● O (Oh-oo) as in “go”
● EE (eey-er) as in “cheer”

When singing one of these vowels, it’s important to hold onto the first part – the open part – of the vowel before closing off to the second part. We emphasize the first vowel sound and de-emphasize the second. Put just enough of the second sound in to make the word recognizable, but do not hold it out.

This video is an excellent intro to diphthongs.

A great vocal coach once said “put a little Oh” in every vowel. What does that mean? Simply put, you open your throat into a rounded shape while singing every vowel. Yes… even EE vowels. Does this take a bit of practice? Sure. But it helps to create a more rounded sound that can blend more easily (and stops sounds from being too bright or strident sounding).

Beginners Guide to Diphthongs

So What Does All of this
Mean for Blending?

So glad you asked! Because this is where artistry comes in! As mentioned above, a mixed voice will give you the most flexibility on blend, and being aware of diphthongs can help with cohesive vowels. But we can’t just stop there!  We also must use our ears. Here are good questions to ask yourself when singing BGVs:

  • What resonators is the lead singer primarily using?

  • Can I replicate it?

  • How is the lead singer saying the most prominent vowels? Are they leaning into a diphthong for artistic expression? Does the vowel sound more open or more closed?

  • When I am singing a note, does my sound “jive” with the others… is it smooth? Or does it sound like there is some friction/disagreement in the tone?

If you are singing the correct note on pitch and something still sounds “off”, it’s a good indication that you need to change resonators (placement) or adjust a vowel sound.

If you’ve never done choral or ensemble singing, it’s a good idea to learn to be a mimic. This doesn’t mean that you should not have your own style or sound, but in the context of worship/BGV, we want to present a smooth and uniform sound. Turn on your favorite worship tune… can you exactly mimic the lead vocal? If not, how can you experiment with the placement and/or vowel sounds you are using to sound closer to what they sound like? If the sound is lighter, use more head voice… if it’s a darker tone, use more mouth/cheek, if it’s bright, use more nasal/mask.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Belting is not for everyone. You can severely damage your vocal cords by belting improperly. If the lead is belting, using a strong mix (rooted in the chest/projected into the mask) will always blend well.

When in doubt a mix will work!