When training singers, the concept of finding balance has won my heart. We balance flow and pressure, mindset and the vocal instrument, vocal function and artistic intention, aerodynamic and acoustic energy, thyroarytenoid (TA) and cricothyroid (CT) muscles, repertoire for the moment and repertoire for development – the list goes on. One of my favorite things to balance are the nomothetic approaches and idiosyncratic approaches to singing.
Nomothetic Approaches
Nomothetic approaches to singing involve laws and formulas. They help us predict how the voice will operate and deliver. It is like knowing not to walk off a ledge because the rules of gravity can predict what will happen. There are laws of nature at work in the voice. They help us know what will radiate sound. We know what will dampen it. They teach us what will free the voice. We also know what will force the voice into strain and overdrive.
Idiosyncratic Approaches
Idiosyncratic approaches to singing are different. They look at what is unique to an individual voice and person. What is uinque? What is nuanced? Singular? How is this voice distinct from others in its response to the same vocal tasks? It reminds us that voices are not one-size-fits-all. We have to be mindful and respond to what the voice needs in the moment so it can be truly free and expressive.
Finding Balance
I hold both of these approaches in my hands when I work with singers. I love the fact that there is an architecture to great singer development. It is not random. There are proven laws and strategies that work. There is also a uniqueness to each voice. This distinctiveness is based on anatomy, physiology, habitual function, current facility, personality and internal, cultural and experiential factors. Accordingly, the voice should not be coerced into a rule of vocalism regardless of the genre, style or mode of vocalism.
So, if we learn the laws of anatomy, physiology, acoustics and how we as humans create knowledge. If we treasure the one-of-a-kindness of each voice, then there is magic. The magic starts with finding balance.
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