10.20.11 Adam News - Adam judges SYTYCDrag

Interesting. Don't know a lot about vocal therapy. Never needed it. But, it sounds like the therapist is working on two things. Both of which, from what I have heard of Adele's singing, she could really use. First is developing a better head voice. She pushes all the sound with her chest voice.... that strained, gutteral, smokey, sexy sound so many people love, but which causes damage to the vocal cords. She needs to learn how to access and use a stronger head voice, where the resonance comes from the bones and air cavities in her face. (Chest voice is used in the lower part of one's vocal range. It is the same type of voice one uses for speaking. The head voice is used for the higher notes. We don't normally use that type of sound in our everyday communication, and without training, usually don't know how to use it to extend our singing ranges.)

Teaching someone how to use their head voice is tricky. You are doing something with the sound and your muscles that is invisible to the eye, and can only be demonstrated by sound. So, teachers use all sorts of imagery and analogy, along with little tricks, to convey what to do and how it feels. The facial movements are probably designed to work the facial muscles which will bounce the voice into the front of the face. She says it makes her face vibrate, which is exactly what you want for head voice. Singing into a straw is actually quite clever. I tried it, and it automatically makes you shape your mouth so that the back is closed and the air and sound are focused right at the front of your mouth and face. Try it. You will feel the buzz or vibration on your teeth and your hard palate right behind them. Again, that is the feeling you have when using your head voice.

The second thing the coach seems to be targeting seems to be breath support and control. Hence, the blowing into the "sex toy" in a bottle of water. I imagine this is to work on having a controlled, consistent stream of air coming out, and extending the amount of time she can blow in one breath. It is also, like the straw, focusing the breath toward the front of the mouth rather than at the back of the mouth and around the vocal cords. Try this. First, try panting like a dog, with your mouth wide open. You should feel the air at the back of your mouth and down your throat. Now, round your lips like around a ..... hmmmm... some type of cylindrical tube... and pant. You should feel the air on your lips and the front part of your mouth inside.

All of these exercises would get Adele away from focusing breath and sound in her throat, around her vocal cords, where the forcing of breath has caused the damage to them. Sounds like good tricks, and I hope it works for her.