Conference Morsel: Overtone Singing
Date: April 8, 2014
(An excerpt from the interest session “Overtone Singing as a Choral Art,” presented by Peggy Dettwiler and Stuart Hinds during the 2014 ACDA Eastern Division Conference)
Remember that overtones are the very basis of vowels, timbre, resonance, and intonation. Overtone singing can help us increase our abilities in all these areas of singing by gaining greater control of vocal tract shaping and giving a focus to the effects produced by certain movements. The awareness gained from overtone singing can be applied to matching vowels, tuning intervals and chords, and extending the color palette of the choral sound (an area in which Peggy is an expert).
Overtone singing is not essentially different from ‘normal’ singing. The types of vocal tract shaping used in overtone singing are the same as those used in traditional singing when changing vowels, registers, or timbre. None of the adjustments of the vocal tract used in overtone singing are inconsistent with good "open throat" singing.
Additional information, in the form of video demo, sound files, and works list is available.