Phonation Exercises

Phonation exercises are used primarily to establish clear tone that starts and ends cleanly. Crucial to
this are two things, the ability of the interarytenoid group (IAG) and the lateral cricoarytenoid (LCAs)
muscles to have adequate strength to close the glottis, and the ability to coordinate that strength into
an aesthetically pleasing tone.

Phonation Strength Exercises

Phonation Strength Exercises are designed to create and maintain strength in the IAG and LCAs. The
exercises should be sung on [a], [i], or alternating [a]-[i] or vice versa at a soft dynamic, in a low to
medium pitch range. Unlike the onset exercises below, no breath should be taken between notes or
sets of notes and no pulsing of the breathing muscles should occur. Rather, the staccato articulation
should be done by the intrinsic musculature. The range for each exercise is determined by two criteria,
can the student maintain the soft dynamic AND can they maintain the clarity of articulation. If either of
the criteria are not met, then the pitch is either too high or too low. As the student develops, the range
should be expanded to include their entire vocal range.

A.1

A.2

A.3

A.4

Onset Exercises
Balanced phonation follows a balanced onset. To establish a well-balanced and coordinated onset it is
often helpful to have the student experience the difference between the extremes of aspirate and
glottal onsets and off sets. It is best to start with a simple pattern, Exercise O.2, and as the student
becomes capable of consistently using the balanced onset progress to the more complicated patterns.
In the exercises below, any vowel sound can be used, however, [a] is preferred. The dynamic should be
comfortable, about a mezzo forte. Breaths should be taken where indicated. The pitch range should be
comfortable, and where the student can achieve success. As the student develops, the range should be
expanded to include their entire vocal range.

O.1
Begin with having the student make a grunting sound (glottal onset) on [a]. Next, have them make an
aspirate onset by having them sing [ha] with an audible [h]. Finally, have them sing [a] while imagining
the [h], but not singing it.

O.2

O.3

O.4

O.5

O.6

If you find that the student is having trouble making a balanced onset, you can use consonants to help
you by adding it before the vowel. If the student is tending toward a glottal onset, then use consonants
that encourage an aspirate onset. If the student is tending toward an aspirate onset, then use constants
that encourage a more glottal onset. As the student becomes more accustomed to the onset, have
them think the consonant, but not sing it. Please see the table below:

Encourage Aspirate Onset Encourage Balanced Onset Encourage Glottal Onset

[p] [k] [t] [∫] [ʒ] [s] [z] [b] [m] [n] [g] [d] [dʒ]

Offsets
A balanced offset is achieved simply by having the student inhale to stop phonation. An aspirate offset
is achieved by having the student add an audible [h] to the end of the tone. And, finally, a glottal offset
is achieved by having the student grunt at the end of the tone. Only the balanced offset should be used
as the default offset in western classical singing. In CCM styles, all three may be required depending on
the style demands.

Onset/Offset Exercise –CCM

The following exercise should be repeated using the different onsets/offsets. The exercise naturally
encourages first aspirate, glottal, and then balanced, however, you can change the onset/offset to be
any type or pair of type, aspirate, glottal, balanced, or creaky. Remember to keep your rhythm.

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