The ultimate glossary for vocal technique terms
Do you find vocal technique daunting? Yeah? Probably because it’s full of jargon and specialist buzzwords.
I’ve studied voice for 20 years and taught for 15 years, and I’ve used that experience to help you out. Scroll down to learn more, and bookmark this page whenever you get confused! (This is a live document so expect plenty of updates and additions!) If I’ve missed a term, please let me know by pinging me a message.
A
Adlib: Otherwise known as a riff, run or melisma. Those spontaneous bursts of vocal improvisation. Commonly heard in soul, RnB and gospel.
Accent Method: A speech therapy tool for improving the coordination of the breath and the voice. The method, which was developed in the 1930s by Professor Svend Smith, has been thoroughly researched and tested. And despite going against the appoggio method, it apparently yields good results.
Anchoring: Activating specific sets of muscles to support the voice. Specifically, these are the latissimus dorsi and the sternocleidomastoids.
Appoggio: An Italian method of breathing for singing, which is generally agreed as the rip cage remaining wide/open throughout the exhalation phase, ensuring that you do not create too much air pressure. It’s an often misunderstood and contentious method.
Aryepiglottic Sphincter: The anatomical term for the flappy bit in your throat that helps a singer create twang. It does this by lowering to create a small resonating chamber within the larynx.
Aspirate: A fancy word for breath or breathiness. I.e “She has an aspirate tone”.
B
Belt: A very specific vocal posture to achieve those big, brassy high notes. To an untrained ear, belt sounds similar to loud mixed voice, but is physiologically very different and much more demanding.
Bel Canto: An Italian style of singing which emerged during the 18th century with a focus on ‘beautiful singing’.
C
Chest voice: An old-fashioned but common term for singing with thick vocal folds.
Chromatic: A form of scale with 12 notes that uses every semitone between an octave interval. It’s a great tool for helping singers who want to be good at riffing/running.
Complete Vocal Technique (CVT): A contemporary method devised by Cathrine Sadolin which is favoured by singers who perform ‘extreme’ vocals such as heavy metal screaming/growling. The method segments the voice into ‘modes’, then adds ‘colours’ and ‘effects’.
Condensor microphone: The kind of microphone you would use in a recording studio.
Constriction: Tightening or closing. As in ‘False vocal fold constriction’. Not usually a good thing.
Cricoid cartilage: The bottom ring of cartilage in your larynx. The Estill model details how the cricoid cartilage tilts in order to create ‘belt’. However, this is now a contested theory.
Cricothyroid (CT) muscles: A pair of muscles that are responsible for stretching and thinning the vocal folds. It’s engaged during mixed and head voice registers and therefore is often called the ‘singer’s muscle’. You may hear teachers describing voices as “CT dominant”.
Cry: A tone of voice that sounds like a human cry, with a tilted larynx and thin vocal folds. It is also a way of starting or ending a phrase that sounds like a cry, created with a very quick combination of a breathy onset, high larynx and twang. Commonly heard in country music.
D
Diaphragm: A big muscle, shaped a bit like an umbrella that divides your respiratory and digestive systems. It contracts down during the inhale to allow air to fill the lungs and it relaxes upwards during the exhale to allow air to leave the body.
Diction: The way you pronounce words. I find that you can solve many vocal problems by focussing on diction (for both ‘over’ singers and ‘under’ singers). And I believe that diction is key to elevating a vocal performance.
Distortion: A messy sound wave, created by something in the larynx or pharynx that flaps around chaotically in the flow of your exhale.
Dynamic microphone: The kind of microphone you would use on stage.
E
Epiglottis: The flappy ‘trapdoor’ that sits behind your tongue and above your larynx. It’s main purpose is to protect your airway when you swallow. However, it can also be lowered to create the ‘twang’ sound.
Estill Voice Training (EVT): A model of the vocal mechanism developed by Jo Estill in the 1980s. The model comprises several ‘figures’, which when used in combination can create several ‘qualities’. The training breaks down each structure of the vocal tract, helping students to increase their vocal control and creativity.
F
False vocal folds: Two lumps of flesh that sit above the ‘true’ vocal folds. They close when we swallow, cough and do things like lift heavy things or give birth. They are good for helping us survive, but not so good when we’re trying to sing. You’ll know when they are constricting when you get a tickle in your throat when you sing.
Falsetto: A specific vocal fold posture that stiffens and opens the vocal folds so they cannot vibrate together. Instead, it creates a flute-like hooty sound. Both men and women can do this.
Formants: An acoustic term describing the ‘sections’ of frequency observed in the human voice. As singers, we want to focus on the sweet spot between the third and fourth formant, commonly described as ‘the singer’s formant’. Boosting this frequency helps us get heard, whether we are singing over a classical orchestra or an amplified rock band. (Hint: it has a lot to do with twang).
Fricative: A form of consonant that buzzes, such as ‘Zzzz’ or ‘Vvvv’. They are a great way to practice Semi-Occluded-Vocal-Tract exercises.
G
Glottal: The abrupt sound of vocal folds coming together firmly with minimal breath. You can hear this clearly in Rihanna’s song ‘Umbrella’.
Glottis: The empty space between your vocal folds.
Growl: A relatively easy and harmless form of distortion that is created by the epiglottis ratting against the back of the tongue. You can hear it repeatedly in Christina Aguilera’s song ‘Fighter’.
H
Harmony: Two or more notes played together, commonly heard in backing vocals, horn or string sections, strummed guitar or keyboard parts.
Head voice: An old-fashioned but common term for singing with thin vocal folds.
L
Larynx: Your ‘voice box’ that lives inside your neck.
Latissimus dorsi: A pair of huge wing-like muscles in your back. They play a key role in anchoring (or supporting) your voice, particularly during intense opera or belt phrases. It may also play a role in helping to extend a long, smooth exhale.
M
Melody: The main tune of the song that the lead singer performs.
Mixed voice: A modern term for that sweet spot between chest and head voice.
N
Nodules: One of the most common forms of vocal injury in which the vocal folds develop symmetrical ‘calluses’ which have built up over time by straining and over-working the voice. The tell-tale sign that you have nodules is a ‘leaky’ sound when you sustain a clean tone. They are thankfully curable with plenty of rest and rehabilitation.
O
Octave: The interval between two musical notes which are double or half in frequency. It sounds like a ‘complete’ scale. And two notes an octave apart sound like the same note, just the higher and lower versions of each other.
Onset: the way you start a note. For example, sudden, smooth, or breathy.
Offset: the way you end a note. For example, sudden, smooth, or breathy.
P
Pentatonic: A form of scale that can be major or minor. They are the most commonly used forms of scales throughout popular music and often feel more ‘musical’ than standard major or minor scales.
Pharynx: Your throat, which includes your tonsils, your soft palate, and the dangly bit called the uvula.
R
Resonance: An acoustics term that essentially describes the phenomena of one vibrating item making another item closeby to vibrate. As singers, we want to boost the raw vibrations of sound created by our vocal folds, by creating firm/taut resonating surfaces in our pharynx. A resonant voice is often described as ‘bright’, ‘ringing’, ‘bell-like’, ‘rich’ or ‘projected’.
Respiratory system: The parts of your body that help you breath, such as the nose, mouth, throat, larynx, trachea, and lungs
Riffs / Runs: Fast and intricate vocal phrases regularly heard in gospel, blues, soul and RnB. Many contemporary singers have made this style a sought-after skill, such as Jessie J and Tori Kelly.
S
Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract (SOVT): A type of exercise that obstructs or narrows the front end of the vocal tract (usually the lips or soft palate) in order to equalise the air pressure above and below the vocal folds, to help bring them together in the most efficient way possible.
Speech Level Singing (SLS): A contemporary method of singing devised by Seth Riggs in the 1990s. SLS proposes that the larynx must stay in a neutral position through your entire range to eliminate register breaks. However, despite boasting endless celebrity clients, the method is widely considered incorrect and outdated.
Sob: A vocal quality where the larynx is low, the thyroid cartilage is tilted and the vocal folds are thin. It creates a sound similar to a person sobbing.
Soft palate: The bit that your uvula dangles from. When lowered, all air goes through the nose, and when lifted, all air goes through the mouth (the latter is what we want to aim for during singing). It’s a handy piece of anatomy that helps you achieve a rich and resonant vocal tone.
Sternocleidomastoid muscles: A pair of strap-like muscles that go down either side of the neck. They play a key role in anchoring or supporting your voice, particularly when using mixed or head voice registers.
T
Thyroid cartilage: The front shield of your larynx. The vocal folds attach to the inside of it. So, when the thyroid tilts, the vocal folds stretch and thin. This motion is key for mixed voice and head voice registers.
Thyroarytenoid (TA) muscle: A pair of tiny muscles that live inside your vocal folds. They control the length and tension of vocal folds and are active during chest register and belting. You may hear teachers describing voices as “TA dominant”.
Twang: A highly resonant and quite annoying sound created by lowering the epiglottis in the pharynx.
V
Vibrato: A quick and shallow change in pitch that you hear often at the end of phrases. Vibrato can be made by various methods, but true vibrato is created when the larynx and pharynx are active and taut (only achieved through consistent practice).
Vocal folds: AKA vocal cords (but never chords). You have a pair of vocal folds that vibrate to create sound.
Vocal tract: Your entire instrument, from your vocal folds to your lips. Think of it like a tube. Long tubes will be deeper, short tubes will be higher. Your larynx height and mouth position can both lengthen and shorten your vocal tract.
X
XLR: The type of cable that connects your microphone to the mixing desk or interface.
This blog was written by Freya Astrella, an expert vocal coach in East Sussex, UK.
Freya is a bonafide vocal technique expert and is one of the only teachers in the region to have gained Estill Voice certification. Freya holds a First Class BA(hons) in Professional Musicianship, a VocalTech Diploma, and a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance. She is currently undertaking the Vocal Process teacher training course.
Freya has taught all ages and abilities at BIMM, Access To Music, The Academy of Music And Sound, TheatreTrain, Stagecoach, and The Rock Project. She currently coaches at Rhapsody Artist Development in Seaford. Furthermore, Freya was a lead writer for VoiceCouncil.com, which was the biggest online resource for singers.
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