Habit #2 Consonants short and energized

In vocal music, vowels carry the sound, consonants communicate the meaning of
the text. If we are to effectively communicate to our audience we must create clean,
clear and vibrant consonants.
Never elongate the sound of consonants. Doing so will create unpleasant sounds.
(for example, sustain these consonants l, r, w and notice the obnoxious sound
produced) and compromise the clarity and crispness of the vocal line. All consonants
must be short in duration.
In speech, consonants need not be emphasized but in singing they must be. This
will enhance intelligibility and give the music structure. All consonants must be
energized.
To form consonants, we use the hard palate and articulators: the lips, the teeth, the
tip of the tongue.
There are two types of consonants: untuned and tuned.
Untuned (also called voiceless)
These consonants cannot be tuned to a particular pitch
The sound can be whispered
These consonants require a blowing of air
Ex. t, p, f
Tuned (also called voiced)
These consonants can be tuned to a particular pitch
These consonants can be sustained (though this is undesirable)
The sound cannot be whispered
Ex. m, z, w
For every untuned consonant there is a corresponding tuned consonant that is formed
using the same parts of the embouchure.
Untuned
Tuned
t d
f .. v
p . b
k . g (as in go)
th (as in thin) th (as in thine)
s (as in see) . z
sh (as in shine) .... s (as in measure)
ch (as in cheer) j (as in joy) and g (as in George)
wh (as in what) w (as in wise)
h
(no corresponding sound)
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Some tuned consonants have no corresponding untuned sound: r, m, n, ng (as in sing),

l, y (as in you)
General rules for singing consonants
1. Unless the consonant is silent (spelled but not sounded, as the k in know and h
in hour) it must be sounded. Often, combinations of consonants can be
cumbersome [consider the consonants sounded when these two words are sung
consecutively Lord bless (d+b+l)] but, all consonants must be sounded.
2. All consonants should be sounded quickly. With some consonants, this is not a
challenge because they can only be sounded quickly (t, p) but others (tuned
consonants) can be elongated (s, v, r, z) but must not be.
3. The amount of emphasis placed on consonants should be regulated by the
dynamic level of the music. For instance, if a phrase being sung pianissimo
(softly) ends with the word night the final t will be softer than if the phrase
ends forte (loudly).
4. All consonants should be created in the front of the mouth, not in the back near
the throat. For instance, sense the difference between an [L] produced in the
back of the throat and one produced near the front teeth. Think: tip of the
tongue, the teeth, the lips when forming consonants.
5. Do not interchange tuned and untuned pairs. For instance, when singing the final
consonant in the word Lord, dont substitute a [t] for the [d].
6. A tuned consonant should be tuned to the same pitch as the vowel that follows.
This is particularly important to do when a word begins with a tuned consonant
because it will eliminate the scooping sound that can be made by singing the
tuned consonant to one pitch and then singing a different, higher, pitch on the
vowel.
Rules for sounding [r]
1. When singing in English, vocalist can produce the [r] using the common sound
used in speaking (called the American R), or can flip the [r] as the British do
(imagine a Brit saying very sorry), but do not trill the [r] as in Spanish or Italian.
2. When an [r] occurs before a consonant either omit it or greatly minimize it. (This
rule applies when the [r] is followed by a consonant in the same word and when a
word ends with an [r] and is followed by a word that begins with a consonant.)
When an [r] is sounded before a consonant it creates an unpleasant sound.
For instance, sing these words and sound the [r]. Then, sing the words
and omit or minimize the [r] and notice how much better the word sounds.
Lord, heart, bird, mercy
3. Always sing [r] before a vowel.
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Ex. spirit, arise, pray

Practice singing these words:
[r] before a consonant: Lord, heart, park, march, farm, cork
[r] before a vowel: ring, fire, care, Mary
Rules for sounding [L]
1. The consonant [L] must be sounded quickly; if it is sustained it distorts the
sound and produces a throaty, swallowed sound. [L] is a tuned consonant so
it can be sustained, but must not be. For instance, sing all and sustain the
final consonant and notice the unpleasant sound. Therefore, always flip the
consonant [L].
2. When a word ends in [L], be careful to not add an extra vowel sound; instead,
flip the [L]. For instance, when singing the word feel do not sing fee-luh.
Practice singing these words: Lord, still, soul, light, land, fill, love, will, call
Rules for final [b], [d], and hard [g]
1. When one of these consonants occurs before a consonant or before a pause, a
light vowel sound (ih) should be added; otherwise they will not be heard. For
instance, try to sing the words web lord and dog without adding an extra
vowel sound; the words lose their meaning.
2. The added vowel sound should be very short and sounded on the same pitch of
the word ending in [b], [d], or hard [g].
3. Do not add a vowel sound to these three consonants when they follow a word
beginning with a vowel. Instead, these consonants become the beginning of the
new word. Ex. Lord is is sung Lor.dis

Practice singing these words: bed, died, throb, herb, snub, drag, flog, snag