Perform: Resonance

Resonance seems like an intangible characteristic of voice. In fact it is as tangible as air itself.

Invisible does not mean intangible.

For our purposes, you just need to know that resonance occurs both within the body and in the room itself. There are resonating chambers in the body which amplify the sensation and sometimes the reality of the vocal sound wave. Some of these are sympathetic vibrations caused by the function of the voice and others are directed by the voice user. These internal resonating bodies impact the effect the voice is going to have in the room. The room interacts with the resonant voice and either helps amplify it (good) or dampens it (not so good).

So for those chasing vocal resonance, the journey must begin with the resonators within the body. Further, understanding the sensation of voicing is the key to unlocking resonance in the room.

Exercise: Try playing with closed mouth humming. How many vowels can you form while humming with your mouth closed? How does the sensation change as you hum your lowest pitches or your highest pitches? Can you wake up a sensation by thinking about it? Or example, can you direct the sensation or the hum from the roof of your mouth to your sinus by raising the pitch? Can you feel the same shift by thinking about it while you hum?

Have fun exploring and think of it as play. Our brain has a wonderful capacity for play. Make this a practice and you’ll know more about how your personal resonance works in no time.

Gina Razón is the Founder and CEO at GROW Voice LLC, a full-service verbal communication studio in Boston’s Back Bay.  She has over two decades of experience as a teacher of voice and speech, is a communication and change facilitator, and is a voraciously curious voice user.  Gina has worked professionally as a classical singer for over a decade and more recently as a professional public speaker.  For more information on the studio or to book Gina visit www.growvoice.com.