The Shape of Singing
Many singers ask, “Where do I place my voice? Should I sing into my face, straight up, or straight back?”
Here’s what I tell my singers:
The parts of a song that are more in the range of speaking—usually the verses— should be projected straight forward, aimed toward the lips, teeth, and tip of the tongue. That’s where the crisp articulation and immediacy live.
But the higher, more emotional parts—the choruses—need a different placement. These should be sung toward the back. Spit the verses out front, where all the ringing bones of the face are. But drink the choruses back, letting them flow along the pathway of the throat, up and around the back of the tongue, resonating into the bones behind and above the eyes. How do you get your voice to move to the rear?
Simple: open your mouth, and lean the vibration back—behind your tongue. As the sound travels this pathway, it naturally rounds and deepens.