Why (and When) You Might NOT Want to Sing with Forward Placement
Forward placement was all the rage for a while.
She was the IT girl of singing technique for a time.
And she can be FABULOUS.
But forward placement does bring with it a very certain colour or quality that you might not always want present.
I made this video to remind you that you have OPTIONS.
Placement is all about where the sound resonates and is on a SPECTRUM.
That means you have a multitude of options and you don’t need to stick solely to a really nasal forward placement.
Forward placement or singing in the mask occurs because of a few things
- Projection (which can be linked to your breath support and its relationship with your vocal cords)
- Your tongue position
- The shape of your lips and jaw
- Using emotions that add cry or wail into the mix
All of these can be factors in a sound that resonates more forward in your mouth.
But if you’re pushing your voice forward WITHOUT any of these things, it could be that you’re forcing it there rather than creating a shape or sound where it would naturally go there (which can create tension and fatigue).
This demonstration shows a subtly forward placement (using my tongue position to tilt the sound forward) and a more "muted" placement.
If you’d love to learn about this and many other ways you can add versatility and colour to your voice, grab your ticket to Colour Palette.