One of the highlights from this session centers around the concept that the chiaroscuro balance and use of overtones that we train in the solo voice can be trained in the same way with the choir. Most conductors do this intuitively, but we now have information that can give us even more clarity regarding choices when faced with sound challenges in the choir. This has a great deal to do with formant tuning, which is, in the simplest form, vowel modification. When the pitch cannot be changed but the sound isn’t working, slight alterations in the vowel can aid the singer in lining up his or her fundamental pitch or one of its overtones with a formant, creating a sound that has greater resonance, ease, and clarity. When the entire section of the choir is successfully able to tap into their formants, the result is a unification that is found not through reducing the colors of the voices, but instead increasing color and singing into a collective resonance. As it turns out, the vowels /i/ and /u/ tend to be most successful in the typical tessitura for choral singing, in the middle of the staff. This changes, of course, as the range of a piece extends above or below the staff. The visceral experience of singing into a collective sound that is balanced and vibrant can aid in building community in the ensemble, as each voice finds its place within the whole.
(Make plans now to attend your 2016 ACDA Divisional Conference!)
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