Terminology & Vowels

Terminology

While this list is far from exhaustive, it contains brief and practical explanations of the terms used in this program.

Adam's apple: common term for thyroid cartilage, the part of the larynx which protrudes from the front of the neck.

Break or disconnect: Any sudden change, interruption, or shift in tone usually from chest to falsetto, falsetto to chest, and sometimes from chest to head voice (i.e. yodeling) and some R&B styles. However, many breaks are accidental or used to hide the singer's lack of ability to connect vocal registers.

Bridge or passage area: Commonly referred to as "the break," this is the range where you start to blend registers. The common first bridges are:
Basses: A-Bb-B below middle C
Baritones: C#-D-D# above middle C
Tenor/Alto: E-F-F# above middle C
Mezzo Soprano: G-G#-A
Soprano: A-Bb-B

Delineation: the approach to singing notes in a separated manner without singing staccato, especially in trills

Epiglottis: the leaf-like cartilage that separates the functioning of your esophagus from the functioning of your trachea

Larynx: commonly known as the voice box; the organ at the top of the wind pipe or trachea. The vocal cords and their corresponding muscles are found inside the larynx. The muscles used for swallowing are found outside the larynx.

Licks, trills, and runs: scales or parts of scales sung dynamically

Legato: long, smooth, connected notes

Nasal/head cavity: resonating area in the upper half of your head

Resonance: the amplification of sound in the cavities of the mouth and head. Since everyone is unique in their anatomical design, the resonance is unique as well

Slides: singing from note to note stylistically, without any delineation; most common in blues and country music

Soft palette: the soft, fleshy back part of the roof of your mouth. This can be felt by placing the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth, the hard palette, and then rolling your tongue backwards.

Staccato: short, disconnected notes

Timbre: a particular approach to rhythmic singing

Vibrato: a natural oscillation or pitch variant that is the result of the dynamic balancing of air flow and vocal cord approximation. Vibrato is not hereditary. It is simply the sign of a healthy voice.

Vocal cords: two muscular folds inside the larynx that vibrate as air passes through them and create sound

Vocal register: a grouping of adjacent notes made with the same coordination

Vowels

Oo as in boot

U as in book

Uh as in buck

Oh as in boat

Ah as in father

Ee as in beet

Ih as in bit

Eh as in bet

Ay as in bait

Aah as in bat