by Mark JW Graham – Vocal Coach in Nottingham, UK | Book Now
While we predominantly talk about the ‘mixed voice’, in the classical world this is most closely related to the idea of the “covered” sound.
In this video I’ve linked below, Pavarotti demonstrates exactly this covered sound.
What this broadly translates to is a sound where the brashness of chest voice is rounded off as the voice ascends, to create a deep and powerful sound, but with appropriate darkness and brightness therein. The easiest way to demonstrate this is with a clip, and who better to demonstrate than Pavarotti himself!
The clip is only about a minute long, and you can hear his personality really show through in his analogies. Just over half way through is the demonstration, and you can really hear what he means by going from an open/too open sound to a “covered” sound here. Have a listen.
This is broadly what we mean when we talk about narrowing the vowels. We are not seeking an overly narrow sound per se, instead we are seeking to blend the top with the bottom. We seek to do this without getting yelly/shouty (or suspecting a strangle as Pavarotti would put it), but similarly without giving up on the sheer authority and depth of function of chest voice. The sound in this clip is proof in itself of why this approach is so critical.
There is arguably a greater amount going on in “covering” the sound than ONLY narrowing of the vowels. I’m certain that if you asked a dozen great classical singers about how they cover the sound and what is involved they would say they are doing other things as well, but fundamentally the narrowing of vowels is a critical component of this.
All this is to say…
…by seeking this “covered” approach, we can establish the full range of our voice, with the full depth of our natural speaking voice, but with the ease and brightness of our upper registers.
The mixed voice is this same idea, but more generalised rather than tailored exclusively to the genre/idiom of classical singing.
To sing in mixed voice we must tackle the same challenge as Pavarotti demonstrates – to move smoothly from low to high, with no breaks, flips, switches or dramatic changes in quality. Once a singer can do this, they are at the beginning of being able to deploy that on the songs they wish to sing. That, is a challenge all of it’s own making.
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Mark JW Graham - Mark is a high-end vocal coach and singing teacher based in Nottingham, UK.
Certified in Speech Level Singing ®, and with over 20 years of musical experience, he is known as the "go-to vocal coach" for singers wanting dramatic improvements in their singing voice in a short space of time.
Trusted by singers worldwide, Mark’s expertise as a coach, singer and musician helps clients transform their voices and raise their musicianship to new levels.
SLS Certified Vocal Coach · 20+ Years Experience · Trusted Worldwide