This week I want to talk about the importance of function over sound when it comes to building a great singing voice.
I’ve had some new clients start recently. One of these clients received classical repertoire voice training at a very young age for a long time, and she has a lovely voice.
One of the challenges with classically focused training that ALSO moves to repertoire too soon, is that they place sound over function, rather than prioritise function over sound.
What do I mean by ‘function over sound’?
It means that tutors of a repertoire focused approach take whatever sound the student is generating, and (by hook or by crook) try to alter the sound to fit the repertoire. This might seem logical, but it is a flawed approach.
This approach is massively flawed because it is merely trying to hide and disguise flaws rather than truly improving the voice. Think of it like someone who is overweight and out of shape going to a personal trainer, and the personal trainer doesn’t get them to do exercises to alter their physique or musculature, or look at their diet to prevent future weight gains, but instead gets them just doing the muscles that people can see (biceps and abs) and running to get fitted clothes that hide the issues rather than solving them.
This seems rewarding at first, because your physique or in our case – your sound – “seems” to change, but it’s not a short cut, it’s a cul-de-sac.
Function must come first.
When you start to prioritise the FUNCTION of the voice, of the vocal cords and vocal apparatus that generates the sound (even when it sounds CRAP!), it can feel slow at first. Often when I work on this with singers, to them it can feel I’m asking for them to shelve everything that makes their voice “them”, and this is undeniably hard to get on board with.
However, by focusing on correct function, your voice BECOMES your true voice, the one you use everyday and have no issues expressing with. It results in the whole instrument functioning better, which improves range, tone, control, facility, flexibility, breath control, endurance, robustness, and a LOT more, but it might mean getting off your old path.
Styling too soon is a vocal dead-end.
Repertoire will only direct you down a certain path, and does not innately encourage vocal development. If the song is absolutely within your current capacity then we should absolutely be installing ourself into those songs. But far too often people try to force themselves into a song that is unattainable with their present capacity.
You will feel like you can push a bit further forward, but you can never bust through a wall. To put function first may feel like a step backward, but it is just ONE step back, out of the cul-de-sac, and onto the road that will take you further along your vocal development.
Learn More: Related Articles
If you’d like to learn more about what good vocal function involves, check out these related articles:
My Vocal Warmup and Practice Routine
What makes a song “feel” high?
Tongue Tension: How to spot it and fix it
5 Reasons Sleep Helps Boost Your Singing
A Key to Great Singing: Hyper-function vs Relaxation