How To Make Your Piece More Singable in four easy Steps

Tessitura is a tricky thing. Some people find easy to sing in a certain register that others don’t. However, what we could agree on is that staying on the same part for a long section of the piece is not so comfortable—or interesting for that matter. Making your piece more singable will score you love points from everyone out there.

I like to see tessitura as a helpful tool. It makes me think and helps my piece to have some contrast.

If I stay too long in a register of the voice, then I am mistreating the choir and neglecting the piece of exploring different colors (and probably dynamics). If, on the other hand, I vary TOO much, then I am not allowing it to rest and explore something for a while. It is all about the balance, you see.

Here are a few tips on how I deal with it:

1. Create a vocal line that resembles the speaking voice

We have a natural melody in our voice when we speak. We use inflections, pauses, to emphasize words or phrases. This allows us to express ourselves.

Writing a vocal line that resembles speech will help you not to abuse of one register but to consider many. It will bring to your piece the balance and natural characteristics that are in the text already.

2. Take a step back and look the entire line of a section

If we focus too much on one section (or even look at the piece a separate sections), we might be missing the demands on tessitura in the whole piece.

Think about it as a roller coaster ride. The journey is made of a combination of high and low points. You want to be able to offer both in a balanced way. Don’t leave your audience—and the singers—hanging in a zone forever. It will make them want to check their phone instead of listening or singing to your piece.

Robbie Labanca mentions this idea of taking a step back in our conversation in The Happy Choir Podcast.

3. Sing the part and be aware of its challenges (or lack of)

You might, or might not, be a skillful singer but I’m sure you can try to sing the line and know if it would be incredibly easy or incredibly difficult.

Ask yourself:

“Am I speaking too much in the same zone? Is it tiresome to sing these lines? Do I enjoy singing this melody?”

Chances are if you don’t enjoy it, it might be because it is uncomfortable for any reason.

It will also be helpful if you know how skilled a singer you are. If you know you are a great bass, you’ll know what things great basses can and can’t do. The same goes for every level of singing. Use this knowledge for your advantage!

4. Can you understand the text?

Text is our main goal in our choral piece.

If the high or low tessitura of the song does not help the text to be understood, then we are in trouble. After all, you spent so much time analyzing this text to create the music and now the audience won’t get it.

When singers are in their extreme, try to give them fewer words to pronounce. This is when it becomes more challenging to keep up with lots of text and performers will start to modify vowels to make their singing the best musical product possible.

Again, tessitura is a tricky thing but it does not have to be a stressful factor in your new awesome choral piece. Send me your questions or comments!