Experiencing the Authentic Voice

While what is considered beautiful in singing is subjective and diverse (much less the techniques that create the variety of sounds), one clear methodology clarifies the path of vocal confusion: what has come to be called the “Authentic Voice.”

But what actually is the “Authentic Voice?” Although the term has been used loosely to describe “natural singing,” the Authentic Voice is both philosophy and technique. The Authentic Voice is actually a description of what emerges when a vocalist is producing sound in a way that honors the physiology of the body and Newtonian physical laws affecting respiration and phonation. Very specific techniques, old-school and breath-based, allow it to emerge. This terminology is chosen purposefully. Teachers of the Authentic Voice do not believe that they “build” voices, or do anything else to create something where nothing previously existed. Instead, they believe that their techniques of breathing, present moment awareness, tension identification, resonance creation, and a production that honors a properly produced speaking voice uncover what is already there. In that way, they believe that all musical people can sing well, and that most people are musical!

Just because teachers of the Authentic Voice do not believe they do anything “to” the voice (but rather “allow” it instead), this should not be interpreted as students not experiencing enormous, profound, and rapid change in the qualities of their voice. Quite the opposite! A singer’s vocal timbre can change so drastically within just a couple of minutes that no one would recognize them as the same singer!

The Authentic Voice is real, and can be experienced as such both by performers and listeners. It is the voice of freedom, and it is the voice of individuality. No two voices are alike, and the voices, granted a two to three year period of “uncovering,” are gloriously free. The Authentic Voice can be heard in opera, pop, jazz, blues, musical theatre, and yes, even rock! In fact, one might even hear the same singer in two or three different styles in one performance. This is absolutely not an issue for a singer who has uncovered their Authentic Voice, for the voice perfectly mirrors the musical and expressive intent of the singer.

The Authentic Voice is characterized by ten qualities, some of which are measurable. These qualities are utterly consistent in their presence, and can be relied upon as further evidence of the uncovering of the Authentic Voice, beyond the mystical emotional experience that accompanies its emergence.

1. Clarity. This is defined as the absence of gravel, noise, or harshness in the voice.
2. Stability or reliability. The voice will sound even and stable as to pitch, tone quality, and for singers, in its rate of vibrato, throughout its range.
3. Dynamic Control. While power is relative, the Authentic Voice will be capable of power and projection greater than that previously experienced. The Authentic Voice will also carry in a large room, without amplification, even at the softest dynamic levels.
4. Superior Breath Management. The Authentic Voice utilizes the breath capacity of a vocalist in a superior manner, enabling one to sustain lines two or three times as longer than previously.
5. Range. In female singers, the Authentic Voice enjoys a range of greater than or equal to three octaves. In male singers, greater than or equal to two octaves.
6. Endurance. The Authentic Voice, produced in alignment with the physical laws, is a voice produced with the least amount of effort to accomplish the task. One can speak or sing, even under difficult conditions, for several hours, after which the body – not the voice – will experience fatigue.
7. Freedom. The Authentic Voice is a free voice. There will be an absence of struggle between the mind and the voice, and the voice will do exactly what the mind asks of it, immediately.
8. Expressivity. In some mysterious way, the Authentic Voice perfectly reflects and communicates the expressive intent of the vocalist.
9. Resonance. The Authentic Voice is inherently beautiful. The vocalist need not worry about this aspect, as the result (a beautiful voice) is guaranteed as long as the vocalist can remain mentally focused on the processes that produce it.
10. Uniqueness. The Authentic Voice is as unique as one’s DNA, and is therefore an essential part of one’s self-identity. No two voices are the same in the entire Universe.

In our workshops, many people experience their Authentic Voice for the first time, after only a couple of hours of instruction. This experience can be a profound moment, for both vocalist and listener. It is experienced for all as a transcendent moment, akin to birth, and is often accompanied by tears of utmost joy. There is an immediate recognition of what has happened; nothing need be said. It is an experience that can only be called spiritual, and is felt as a connection with everyone and everything. This experience of emergence is our birthright as human beings – an experience available to anyone who seeks it. It is a meeting with a part of yourself that you may have suspected existed. Its gift is wholeness.

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