Voice Projection

Voice projection is the strength of speaking or singing whereby the voice is used loudly
and clearly. It is a technique employed to command respect and attention, as when

ateacher talks to a class, or simply to be heard clearly, as used by an actor in a theatre.
Breath technique is essential for proper voice projection. Whereas in normal talking one may use
air from the top of the lungs, a properly projected voice uses air properly flowing from the
expansion of the diaphragm. In good vocal technique, well-balanced respiration is especially
important to maintaining vocal projection. The goal is to isolate and relax the muscles controlling
the vocal folds, so that they are unimpaired by tension. The external intercostal muscles are used
only to enlarge the chest cavity, whilst the counterplay between the diaphragm and abdominal
muscles is trained to control airflow.
A way to improve breathing from the diaphragm is to lie on your back on a flat surface. Your goal
will be to fill your lungs from the bottom causing your stomach (and diaphragm) to rise and fall.
To increase resistance put a small amount of weight (such as a book) on your diaphragm and
repeat this exercise. Try standing up and seeing if you can continue to breathe from your
diaphragm.
Stance is also important. Actors are taught to stand erect with the feet shoulder width apart and
the upstage foot (foot farther from the audience, when not facing the audience) slightly forward.
This improves balance and breathing.
In singing, voice projection is often equated with resonance, the concentrated pressure through
which one produces a focused sound. True resonance will produce the greatest amount of
projection available to a voice by utilizing all the key resonators found in the vocal cavity. As the
sound being produced and these resonators find the same overtones, the sound will begin
to spin as it reaches the ideal singer's formant at about 2800 Hz. The size, shape, and hardness
of the resonators all factor into the production of these overtones and ultimately determine the
projective capacities of the voice.[1] [2]
How to sing open throat
Proper posture
As mentioned previously, the prerequisite for a free and open throat is a proper
posture for singing.
Develop a habit of aligning your body in a way that creates ideal conditions for
singing.
To read more about proper posture, read my blog postHow to Sing Well: Singing
Posture.
Inner Smile
Creating a pleasant look on your face is one of the techniques that helps create a
resonating space.
A pleasant look does not mean a big grin, smile from ear to ear or an unnatural facial
expression.
Some teachers may call this trick an inner smile.
A pleasant look involves lifting of the zygomatic muscles. These muscles are
attached to the zygomatic bones (cheek bones) on one end and the corners of the
mouth on the other end. The zygomatic muscles move the lip corners back
and up.
The zygomatic muscles raise during inhalation, which helps to open the throat.
When crating a pleasant look on your face or inner smile, you actually feel the
muscles around your mouth pull gently upwards without an actual smile. It may take
some time to teach your facial muscles to achieve and keep this posture
automatically. A mirror will be your best friend when practicing.
Inhalation
It cannot be simpler than this: inhalation prepares the vocal tract for singing.
When you inhale, your soft palate raises and your larynx lowers. This
elongation of the vocal tract creates a resonating space.
The soft palate or velum is the back of the roof of the mouth. The soft palate is
movable it closes off the nasal cavity (nose) from the oral cavity (mouth) during
swallowing and production of oral sounds (all sounds except M and N, which are
nasal sounds).
Some teachers use imagery to achieve a raised soft palate.
Imagery works for some students, so you should try it too.
Instructions such as inhale your breath or drink your breath may help to lift the
soft palate and lower the larynx.
Other suggestions include sing behind your ears, sing to the crown of your head,
think about the space behind you, and many more. You can also try smelling the
roses that often raises the soft palate and creates an open space in the pharynx.
If imagery is hard for you, try to inhale while saying a soft K sound.
Watch yourself in the mirror and feel!
Once you discover the sensation of lifting your soft palate, just imagine that you are
inhaling on the K sound without actually producing the sound. The thought will raise
your soft palate and elongate the vocal tract.
The hardest part in this exercise is to keep the position of an open throat during
singing without creating tension.
To practice this, you can use a neutral vowel like uh to establish the feeling of an
open space in the throat. Then you can transfer this feeling to other vowels or
consonants.
Myths about Open Throat

Some of the following techniques are used by inexperienced singers to create more
resonance when singing. However, these techniques cause just the opposite a
closed and tensed space with little resonance.
Wide Open Mouth
To sing with an open throat does not mean to open the mouth excessively. A very low
jaw position creates undesirable tension in the vocal mechanism.
Yawning
Many teachers and their students use yawning to achieve open throat.
Yawning can lead to an overextended jaw opening and retracted tongue that pushes
down on the larynx. This posture actually creates an unnatural sounding voice. If you
want to use this technique, just imagine yawning, which could raise your soft palate
and lower your larynx.
Tongue Placement
Moving tongue backwards in order to create space in the mouth does not achieve an
open throat!
Quite the opposite: the tongue base pushes down on the larynx and creates an
obstacle in the vocal tract.
The best place for your tongue tip is right behind your lower teeth. The back of your
tongue will be shaped depending on the produced vowel.
Exaggerated Facial Expressions
Trying to create an open throat through exaggerated facial expressions (such as a
surprised face) is not a good technique. You dont want to practice facial
expressions that you would not use in public. Exaggerated expressions do not look
pleasant and do not create a natural sounding voice

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Voice projection is the strength of speaking or singing whereby the voice is used loudly

and clearly. It is a technique employed to command respect and attention, as when

Some teachers may call this trick an inner smile.

Some teachers use imagery to achieve a raised soft palate.

Imagery works for some students, so you should try it too.

Watch yourself in the mirror and feel!

Myths about Open Throat

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