Talking with a student yesterday during her lesson about using breath release to keep the voice healthy, I had to mention Audra McDonald as a great example.

Here’s what I mean: when you sing a word that begins with a vowel, such as “I”, which you do quite often, the tendency is to start the “I” in the throat. When you do so, you get a harsh attack on the “I”. It’s called a glottal attack, meaning that the vocal folds slap together to begin the sound. Your vocal folds are not happy about being slapped together and too many glottal attacks will cause vocal damage.

When singing “I”, a healthy practice is to put a little bit of an ‘h’ before the “I” to begin the sound. This practice does not change the word, just how you begin the sound. Audra McDonald does this beautifully. Listen.

Audra’s technique is so solid that she can also choose to use a bit of glottal attack when the song calls for a different style. Listen.

Good vocal technique gives you choices, keeps your voice healthy and strong and make you a star! To learn more about Sally Morgan and the Sing Like You Speak™ vocal technique, visit SingLikeYouSpeak.com

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Sally Morgan is a professional vocal trainer with over 30 years of experience. Sally is also the creator and author of SingLikeYouSpeak(TM)!

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