Tongue

Recent breakthrough -- all of a sudden while I was driving in my car, I finally figured out what my teacher Dave Britton was trying to teach me all along when he said to get my tongue out of the way when I'm vocalizing.

If you try to be too self-conscious about it, it doesn't work (and that's true of most any technique in singing), but once I figured out how to place my tongue properly, all that is left is a rounded and open space in my mouth to create a free and open sound. And it's not just about creating space -- when your tongue is in the right place, it also helps you to "place" your projection forward.

The result? (1) A more forward and pointed sound; (2) A warmer sound because of the extra space inside your mouth; (3) easier access up and down your range, because now your breath can truly travel freely and you have less muscle getting involved and getting in the way. I can honestly say singing has just gotten 50% easier than ever before, but with 150% better production in terms of resonance and volume.

The last time I got such a breakthrough was when I figured out how to narrow my voice through the passaggio.