Lesson video

Hi, I'm Dr.

Southall and we're gonna be looking at "Approaches to contemporary composition" in this unit.

Let's begin.

In this lesson, we're going to identify some extended vocal techniques and use them in a short vocal composition.

We've got three key terms. The first is extended vocal technique, and what that means is when a singer uses their voice in non-traditional ways to create unusual sounds.

The second is vocalize, a technique where a singer sings but without words.

And the third is multiphonics, a technique where more than one note is produced at the same time.

And there are two parts to this lesson.

The first is "Extended vocal techniques." The voice is hugely versatile and can be used in a variety of different ways in music.

The most typical example in popular and classical is singing one note at a time with words.

Languages and musical traditions around the world have explored different approaches to using the voice.

What is different about the notes the singer is singing in this example from Mongolia? Pause the video and listen to the file.

Well, the singer is producing multiple notes at the same time using a technique known as throat singing.

You might be surprised to learn that I can't do that, but it's very impressive.

Contemporary Western composers also have experimented with how they use their voice.

A common technique is to use the voice without words.

This is called vocalizing.

Composers treat their voice like a melodic instrument, just without words.

In this example, the singer uses the same vowel sound throughout, but which vowel is it? Pause the video and listen to the file.

Well, Laura knows, she says, "The singer is singing the vowel A." Some composers use the voice in non-traditional ways to create unusual sounds.

These are described as extended vocal techniques.

Luciano Berio's "Sequenza" for female voice uses extended vocal techniques.

Barrio uses words but breaks them down into smaller elements.

In what different ways has the voice been used? Pause the video and listen to the file.

Well, in that example, Berio used whispering effects, nonsense words and syllables, unpitched sounds, pitched notes, clicking sounds produced by the tongue, squeaks and laugh-like sounds, and changes in timbre created by covering and uncovering the mouth with a hand.

Well, these extended vocal techniques create a very varied composition using only a single voice.

It's very impressive what our vocal cords are able to do.

Let's do a check for understanding.

What is singing without words called? Vocalist, vocalize, extended vocal techniques, or vocalization.

It's B, to vocalize.

Let's do another check.

List three different extended vocal techniques.

So think back to that example we listened to just now.

Can you list three of the sorts of techniques that were used? We had whispering effects, nonsense words, unpitched sounds, pitched notes, clicking sounds with the tongue, squeaks and laugh-like sounds, and changes in timbre created by covering and uncovering the mouth with a hand.

Those aren't the only ones, of course, there are others, but those are the ones that we've listened to so far.

Singers and composers also experiment with multiphonics, where the voice produces produces more than one note at the same time.

The throat singing example from Mongolia is a form of multiphonic singing.

It blows my mind, it's amazing.

This piece of jazz fusion has three moments where the singer sings two notes at the same time.

Pause the video and listen to the clip.

Multiphonic singing is a very difficult technique to learn, something that takes years of practice.

We won't be doing it in this lesson.

Composers can also use vocals creatively by integrating them with technology.

How is technology used in this clip? Pause the video and take a listen.

Jun's noticed that echo and reverb have been used on some of the sounds, and the voice can also be processed using a synthesizer producing electronic sounds.

So, in this example, the performer uses an instrument called a talkbox.

Pause the video and take a listen.

What is multiphonic singing? Is it singing different notes one after the other, singing the same note multiple times, singing different notes at the same time, or singing the same note but in different octaves? It's C, singing different notes at the same time.

Well done if you got that correct.

All right, let's do some practice.

Listen to the extract and answer these questions.

One, does this feature the technique vocalize? Two, what extended vocal technique is the lowest male voice using? Three, name two other extended vocal techniques you can hear.

And four, list two extended vocal techniques that are not used in this extract.

Pause the video, listen to the clip, and listen to it again if you need to, but make sure you've answered those questions.

Here's some feedback and some answers.

So does this feature the technique vocalize? Yes, it does.

What extended vocal technique is the lowest male voice using? It's multiphonics.

Two other extended vocal techniques, you could have croaking sounds, wailing sounds, animal-like sounds and nonsense words.

And extended vocal techniques that are not used in this extract could include popping, clicking, whispering, laughing, talking, anything like that that's not in the clip.

Well done, let's move on.

Part two of this lesson is called "Composing with extended vocal techniques." Exploring extended vocal techniques is an interesting alternative approach to composition, and in this task we'll explore the range of sounds that the voice can produce to develop a short composition.

Start by exploring different sounds with your own voice.

This might include pops, clicks, whispering sounds, nonsense words, different vowel sounds or throat sounds.

You might be able to think of others, like rolling your Rs, for example.

But for now, let's just listen to examples of each of those sounds, so we'll start with pops.

(mouth popping) And now clicks.

(mouth clicking) (mouth whispering) That was whispering sounds, and now nonsense words.

(someone speaking nonsensically) Different vowel sounds.

(someone wailing) And finally, throat sounds.

(throat croaking) If you want to hear examples of those again, please rewind the video.

Combine some of these sounds to make a short composition in an ABA structure.

For the A section, start with one type of sound.

Then in the B section, use a contrasting sound and then return to the A sound, but you could make some small changes but it should still be recognizable.

This gives the composition a balance of familiarity and contrast.

How does the B section contrast with both A sections in the following example? (mouth whooshing and popping) (throat croaking) (throat wooing and croaking) (mouth whooshing and popping) Hopefully you could recognize there that the final section was a repeat of the first section, and there was a middle part, the B section, that had a contrasting set of sounds.

Aisha says, "The A section is mostly based on quiet, whispery sounds, pops and clicks, and a silence in between." And Alex says, "The B section contrasts with louder dynamics, croaky sounds, and animal-like sounds, and it feels more energetic and intense." Using dynamics and different levels of energy like this is an effective way to create contrast.

Let's check for understanding.

Which of these is not an extended vocal technique? Is it multiphonics, singing words with pitch, pops and clicks, or whispering sounds? Well, the answer is B, singing words with pitch, well done.

True or false? The A sections in an ABA structure have to be exactly the same.

Try and explain your answer.

The answer is false.

They don't have to be exactly the same as long as the music is recognizable as the same section.

So it should have the same sorts of sounds, motif, melody, and theme, but there could be small differences or adjustments in order to develop the music.

Let's do a final task for this lesson.

Create a solo vocal composition using extended vocal techniques.

You can record your composition using a DAW or recording software, or you can perform it live.

To be successful in this task, you need to use at least three different extended vocal techniques, use an ABA structure, the B section should contrast with the A section, and the final A section could use some developments, so some minor adjustments.

Here's a list of the different vocal techniques that we've looked at today, so you can use these to help you to help with your composition.

If you do want to make some other different types of sounds, you can as well.

But just as a recap, we've heard pops and clicks, whispering sounds, whistling sounds, nonsense words, different vowel sounds, throat sounds, animal-like sounds, squeak and laugh-like sounds, and changing sounds by covering or uncovering your mouth with your hand.

Hopefully you've composed a really interesting piece.

Just as a final thing to do then, we're gonna reflect on your composition, so here's some reflective questions to help you self-evaluate.

What three different extended vocal techniques have you used? Do you have two contrasting sections, A and B? How do they contrast and does the A section sound familiar when it returns after the B section? And how did you do that? Have you used any new or different sound techniques, and which are particularly effective and why? How might you further develop or extend your composition? We've reached the end of today's lesson, so let's have a quick summary of some of the key points.

We've extended vocal techniques, and that's when a singer uses their voice in a non-traditional way to create unusual sounds.

These are often explored by contemporary Western composers and some are common in music from different traditions.

These techniques include clicking, popping, whispering, and whistling sounds, as well as more complex techniques like multiphonics.

Vocalize means singing without words, and it's another way to use our voice.

By exploring some of these techniques, we've created an interesting, varied musical composition.

I hope you've enjoyed this lesson, I look forward to seeing you next time.

Goodbye.