Nasality in the Tenor Voice: Causes and Solutions

By DAVID L. JONES

Fuente: http://www.voiceteacher.com/nasal_tenor.html

Traduccin libre: Mauro Careri

How often have you sat in a performance and said to yourself, If only
the tenor had a beautiful sound instead of that nasality! What is
the missing factor in some of todays training of the tenor
instrument? The many concepts that contribute to nasality and
possible solutions will be discussed later in this article. Possibly
the major complaint about the tenor singer is the presence of too
much nasality in the tone, lack of warmth, and as a result, lack of
tonal beauty in a performance setting. But what causes this
nasality factor and what can be done to solve this unattractive
tonal quality issue?

Muchas veces te has sentado a escuchar a alguien cantar y te has

dicho a ti mismo: ste tenor tendr un sonido bello detrs de esa
nasalidad? Cul es el eslabn perdido en el entrenamiento del
tenor de hoy en da? Existen muchas definiciones claras sobre
nasalidad, nuestro propsito plantear algunas soluciones posibles,
las cuales se discutirn ms tarde en este artculo. Posiblemente la
queja principal acerca del cantante del tenor es la presencia de
demasiada nasalidad, la falta de calidez y redondez, y como
consecuencia, la falta de belleza sonora al cantar. Pero qu causa
este factor de nasalidad y qu puede hacerse para solucionar este
asunto vocal de calidad poco atractiva?

The answer to this question is not one dimensional, but involves

discussing several aspects of vocal technique. Usually one problem
causes a chain reaction, resulting in a domino effect that makes
for unattractive and often tense singing. A nasal approach is
actually a band-aid and does not address the real vocal issues at
hand. Unfortunately this leaves the singer is performing under a
high level of nervousness due the resulting throat tension.
Reoccurring nasality is a large indicator that a singers technique
is either incomplete, or there are major technical problems at
hand.

La respuesta para esta pregunta no es dimensional, pero involucra

la discusin sobre varios aspectos de la tcnica vocal.
 Usualmente un problema causa una reaccin en cadena,
dando como resultado un efecto de domin, provocando un
poco atractivo y a menudo tenso canto. Un acercamiento a
travs de la nasalidad es de hecho una curita y no se ocupa
de las fuerzas puestas en juego realmente en el canto lrico.
Desafortunadamente esto deja al cantante que fona, bajo un
alto nivel de nerviosismo y como resultado gran tensin en
la garganta. Recurrir a la nasalidad, resulta entonces ser un
gran seal de que la tcnica vocal del cantante es
incompleta, o bien existen problemas tcnicos que resolver
en la inmediatez.

Defining the Difference between Nasal Resonance and Nasality:

Nasality: Unfortunately, as a young singer I was trained as a tenor even

though my true voice is a lyric baritone. It was Dixie Neill who
saved my throat by taking my down to the baritone fach. My tonal
quality as a tenor was almost totally nasal and it took a long time
for me to achieve true resonance in my voice without nasality. One
technical understanding that must be learned by any performing
tenor is that nasality is not a healthy approach to singing well.
Most often, nasality is a result of a few factors: (1) a low soft
palate, (2) the pushing of too much breath pressure through the
larynx (resulting in high-larynx singing or a closed throat), and as
a result, (3) tremendous tension at the root of the tongue
accompanied by a forward jaw position. The forward jaw position
does not allow for the full adduction of the cords.

Nasal Resonance or Squeeze? One major issue at hand when

studying may be whether or not the instructor hears the
difference between squeezed nasal sound and authentic nasal
resonance. Nasal resonance is the true ring in the voice
RESULTING from an open throat or the three primary open
pharyngeal chambers. This factor serves the singer in many ways.
One of the major benefits of healthy nasal resonance is the release
of the root of the tongue, making healthy vocal fold adduction
possible. In order for the sound to filter through the nasal
resonance, the tongue and palate must be out of the way. The
singer needs to achieve the ng posture of the tongue, (using the
middle of the tongue to approximate the ng position), a small
stream of air through the nasal port, three open pharyngeal
 chambers (naso-pharynx, oro-pharynx and laryngeo-pharynx),
and a sense of sustaining resulting ring in the voice by involving
the lower body support system. When true resonance is achieved
beyond nasality, the singer can produce a pure legato line.

Remember that a voice should never

be placed forward. Jussi Bjoerling once said to
my teacher Alan Lindquest when they were
studying in Stockholm together, Ring reflects
toward the nose and mask area from an open
back throat or pharynx, but the sensation is
subtle. This statement infers that the true
work is focused on the open throat and getting
the tongue and palate out of the way. Lamperti
once said, A singers primary pronouncer is in the pharynx, NOT
the mouth. This open pharynx approach or pharyngeal vowel
approach assists in releasing the root of the tongue, making it
difficult to produce a nasal sound. The laryngeal tilt is achieved
through this open-throated approach (pharyngeal vowels) as well,
creating a healthier balance in registration. The need to drive
breath pressure is eliminated in the voice, even thought it may
take the singer time to stop the push of breath pressure. The
resulting tonal quality is warm and ringing, but NEVER nasal.

High Larynx: When any singer uses a high-larynx position in singing,

the root of the tongue becomes extremely tense in order to try
and hold the larynx down out of the way. This tension at the root
of the tongue tends to drive the voice forward. Along with this
tongue tension, there is usually a pushing of too much breath
pressure toward the nasal port, a technique that results in a brittle
or harsh sound. This high larynx position is due to a couple of
factors: (1) lack of support in the lower body muscles, which
diminishes breath pressure under the larynx, and (2) lack of
pharyngeal vowel training, which opens the back of the throat.

The Half-Moon Neck Shape: Recently I had the experience of

viewing an operatic performance of a very famous crossover
tenor. I must preface this with saying that when I first went to
Dixie Neill in 1983, my larynx was extremely high and my neck
was collapsed, making a nasal and strident sound. The sides of my
neck shaped themselves similar to the shape of a half moon on
each side, creating a function where the neck muscles curved
 inward. This is the largest red light; when I witness a performer
on stage with the sidewalls of the throat collapsing. It means that
the pharynx is collapsing during the performance. The tenors
neck took this exact shape and it saddens me to witness a singer
with a beautiful quality struggle so much to sing. The same
scenario is present in the singing of a young British Soprano.
Because this flaw has not been corrected in her singing, she cannot
perform and keep a consistent schedule. Basically both of these
singers could have been saved from vocal difficulties with the
correct training.

False Ring from Tongue Tension: Imitating a Sound through

Internal Deceptive Hearing: As stated before, one major problem
for the nasal tenor is tongue tension due to high larynx singing.
When the larynx is high due to lack of throat space then the root
of the tongue becomes bunched and tense. The result is what
many call a tonguey sound or a sound that is manufactured. To
the singer, this sound is good inside the head, but what the
audience hears is aknurdled sound. Why does a singer make this
choice? Because he is attached to an internal sound that he or she
thinks is good or the singer is just not getting what true resonance
represents. Any tenor singer (all singers for that matter) must
learn to guide the voice through physical sensations rather than
listening. The resulting tongue tension through listening tends to
increase pressure under the nasal port area making the voice
placed in such a way that nasality is almost unavoidable. Because
I was a lyric baritone trained as a tenor, I tried every way to
sound like a tenor. By the time I got to a good teacher, my tongue
dipped like a spoon and shook rapidly. In fact, it was impossible
for me to release the tongue or even leave it stationary. This was
due to the tremendous constriction of the tongue muscle. Usually
when a singer has a history of a high larynxed singing, then the
root of the tongue is extremely tense. This is a problem no matter
what the vocal fach.

Locking of the Airflow: One issue that is rarely discussed is the

ability to lock the airflow with the back of the tongue. I have
never taught a nasal singer that did not lock the breath flow with
the root of the tongue. This usually is a factor because the singer
is subconsciously creating an internal sound that sounds good to
him and has a characteristic timbre of the tenor sound.
However this sound does not translate to the audience. The
listener simply hears how held the vocal sound is and experiences
 the uncomfortable feeling of hearing a singer struggle to get into
the upper voice.

Registration problems: We established earlier that nasal singing is

reflective of a closed throat. The result of singing on a closed
throat is imbalance of registration. Usually the singerwhitens the
sound to imitate true head voice when in actuality the chest
register is taken too high and the upper register becomes more
and more harsh and strident. This is exactly what happened in my
vocal instruction because I am NOT a true tenor. Intonation
became harder and harder to achieve because the larynx was too
high and the palate too low resulting in feeling squeezed from
both the upper and lower direction. In other words, registration
flips cannot occur healthily if the throat is closed and the vocal
sound driven toward the point of nasality.

Jaw Posture Problem: As I said in the opening of this article,

nasality is a combination of several vocal issues working together
to distort true vocal resonance. One issue in a nasal singer is the
thrusting forward of the jaw, a habit of which many singers are
not aware. This thrusting forward of the jaw encourages a
backward pull of the tongue, a major factor in driving the voice
toward the nasal port without enough opening of the back of the
throat. The forward thrust of the jaw creates a brighter sound
inside the singer's internal hearing, a major factor in why singers
assume this kind of jaw function. The jaw should actually gently
wrap back after every consonant. One need only view videos of
excellent singers and views them from the profile to witness this
behavior.

Vowel Distortion: In 1977 I had a long lesson with my friend Martha

Rosacker. It was she who convinced me to go to Alan Lindquest in
1979. I give her credit for beginning my journey of searching for
vocal answers. The lesson was over 1 and 1/2 hours in length,
mainly focusing on the Italian u vowel. During the entire session,
my u vowel was distorted because my tongue shaped like a spoon
and shook with tremendous tension. I applaud her patience and
determination. Even though I did not get my vowel correctly
produced in that session, through listening to it I was able to later
diagnose and correct the problem. Vowel distortion can be a huge
problem in nasal singing because the tongue is not allowed the
proper position for the pure vowel sound to be produced. I will
 never forget one quote of Mr. Lindquest, You alter the vowel
with the pharyngeal stretch and you speak the integrity of the
vowel with the proper tongue position. I use this quote all the
time in my teaching because it is important to know how to speak
pure vowel sounds with an open throat.

High Breathing: If the tongue is bunched or back, creating a nasal

sound, then the quick breath will be high in the body. In all of my
teaching, I have never seen a tight-tongued singer breathe low in
the body. The first of the following series of exercises will help to
release the tongue, making low breathing more possible. One good
way to achieve a low breath is to place the tongue between the lips
and take a slow nasal breath. The singing breath will drop much
lower in the body and you will teach the tongue NOT to bunch or
pull back at inhalation.

Exercises: Releasing the Blockages that Create Nasality:

Small a vowel exercise: 555.5.54.3.2

aa.a.a..a..

(As you phonate at the cords, roll the tongue slightly forward in an
arched position. This is the exact opposite to the gag reflex and the
tongue will not want to behave in this way. But with practice, the
singer will realize the brilliance of the a vowel with phonation on
the thin edges of the folds.)

Breathing over the hand: Shape your hand flat. Then place it laterally in the
mouth and breathe above the hand. There will be a tremendous stretch of
the soft palate, a wonderful tool in ridding the voice of nasality. I received
this exercise during my study with Dr. Evelyn Reynolds in New York.
Learn to achieve a healthy facial posture when breath is taken. Lift the
cheeks gently under the eyes (opens the uvula away from the back of the
tongue and lifts the soft palate), sink the cheeks at the back molars (opens
the back wall of the pharynx at inhalation), and breathe the jaw gently back
in order for the larynx to release downward. Use a mirror to self-supervise
this facial posture exercise. This exercise was presented to me by Alan
Lindquest during my study with him in 1979.

Use the neutral vowel uh in the larynx before bringing focus into the tone.
For example, start with the uh in the larynx and then bring the tongue
forward as in the i vowel. This way your open pharynx is established first,
then the brilliance can follow while keeping the open feeling in the throat. I
worked with concept during my study with Dr. Reynolds.
Achieving both High and Low Overtones: One constant search
for any singer is finding balance in his/her singing by balancing
high and low overtones. The following exercise is designed to
achieve balance in the middle register and to inspire the
production of upper and lower overtones
The overtone balancing exercise: 5432.154.3.2.1
M..M..MM..Mie..a.o..u

(Sing the hum portion of the exercise with the tongue gently between the
lips. As you do this, feel as though you are stretching a vowel
space behind the tongue. Then sing the 5 vowels. You will find that
there will be a balance in upper and lower overtones or a
combination of ring and open acoustical space working together.

DAVID JONES