Sing The Vowels

Vowels are where your vocal tone lives. They carry resonance, pitch, and the shape of the musical line. Consonants, while essential for meaning, often interrupt airflow and mask what’s really happening in your singing. By removing them, you expose the phrase’s underlying structure—its breath flow, legato, and tuning. Just as importantly, this exercise reveals when your vowel shapes aren’t clear or accurate. If the phrase sounds distorted, unstable, or dull when sung on vowels alone, that’s a cue that something’s off. It’s a diagnostic tool for vowel clarity and a powerful way to train smooth, connected singing.

Sing only the vowels of a phrase or song at least three times a day for five days this week. Focus on phrase shape and vowel clarity. This exercise can be surprisingly challenging—be patient with yourself.

Practice Plan:

 

1. Choose a phrase (start short—one line of a song you’re working on).

2. Write down or speak aloud just the vowels in order. You can ignore doubled letters—just keep the vowel sounds:

   • Example: “Somewhere over the rainbow” becomes something like:

     → /ʌ/ /ɛə/ /əʊ/ /ə/ /ə/ /eɪ/ /əʊ/

    

3. Sing only the vowels in one continuous, connected line.

   • Maintain the same pitch, rhythm, and phrasing.

   • Keep airflow steady and avoid glottal attacks.

   • Don’t cheat by inserting ‘h’s or mini-consonants.

   • Go slowly at first to focus on clarity and connection.

    

4. Repeat, listening for:

   • Smoothness between vowels (legato)

   • Consistency of tone and resonance

   • Ease across registers

    

5. Then return to the full phrase. Does the line feel easier? Clearer? More connected?

 

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• Pitch Drift: Without consonants to anchor rhythm and meaning, it’s easy to go flat or sharp. You may also be under-supporting with the body. Check against a reference pitch if needed.

• Air Bursts or Glottal Attacks: Beginning each vowel with a hard onset (a mini cough or pop) defeats the point. Aim for smooth, connected sound from one vowel to the next.

• Hidden Consonants: Hs, Gs, and even light Ds sometimes sneak in between vowels. Record yourself and listen back to catch any intrusions.

• Unclear Vowels: If your vowel shapes are muddy or inconsistent, the exercise won’t reveal the phrase—it will just add noise. Prioritize clean, resonant, well-formed vowels.

• Lack of Phrase Shape: Don’t just sing a string of notes. Shape the line—move toward a peak, taper into a cadence. Add a crescendo or diminuendo to guide direction and phrasing.