Should You REALLY Sing the Way You Speak? 

There are many techniques out there that promote the idea that you should sing the way you speak. Is this perspective helpful for your situation as a singer? The reality is that you use the same instrument for speech as you do for singing, yet there must be SOMETHING different between speech and singing because we hear different sounds. 

So in this series, I'm going to explore some observable differences between speech and singing so you can begin to decipher what things you would want to carry over from your speaking voice vs what your wouldn't.  My hope is that although this will answer the question, it may also inspire more questions and curiosity for you to explore how, exactly, you are going about speaking and how that is similar or different from how you go about singing. 

The Exercise: 

Take a phrase or a note, and keep your volume steady. Don't let the volume drop, although you may increase your volume towards the end of the sound. 

Disclaimers and Other Things to Consider With This Exercise: 

1. Everyone has different speaking and singing habits! That means that you may have a speaking technique that really isn't working for you...(for instance, you're hoarse at the end of every day) or you may have an easy time speaking throughout the day but quickly feel your voice tires out when singing a couple songs. So my goal here is to help you make better observations between your singing and speaking, so you move towards what works for you, rather than assume it works for you a certain way because I mentioned what tends to happen with many (but not all) singers. That means you may not find this exercise helpful if your singing technique is already healthier than your speaking technique. 

2. There are several things I changed in those two takes, and there were also several technical things I could have fixed in both takes. The best example of the difference I'm talking about though is shown on my ending note. 

3. In this video, I didn't feel I made it clear enough that this technique is ONLY intended for your vocal ease and comfort, NOT for the ultimate volumes you decide to sing at once you feel you can sing through your song comfortably. ​

4. Respect your VCZ (Vocal Comfort Zone). The whole point of the exercise is to help you find an easier way to sing the phrase, if it feels uncomfortable at any point, keep playing with your starting and ending volume until you find a good fit for you volume wise. 

5. You don't have to make a big difference in volume necessarily. A difference of 1% maybe all you need. This is yet another thing you should play with until you find a nice rate of volume change for that particular phrase/note/syllable etc. 

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