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Berklee College of Music

The Contemporary Singer

Elements of Vocal Technique
Anne Peckham

Chapter 8
Maintaining Vocal Health
Marking for Voice Conservation

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 P A R T 2 M A S T E R I N G T H E S K I L L S
THE

Imitating other singers to the exclusion of developing your own voice.

Singing without adequate amplification.
CONTEMPORARY

Insufficient breath support.

Pushing your voice when overtired or sick.

Overusing your voice.

MARKING FOR VOICE CONSERVATION

SINGER

Marking is a way of singing that helps you save your voice during rehearsals. To mark
a melody, sing just the first few notes of a phrase, and mentally sing the other notes.
Raise the lowest and lower the highest notes in your song by an octave (octave dis-
102 placement) to avoid the extremes of your range. Men can use falsetto to approach
high notes. All singing should be light when you are marking.
ELEMENTS

Marking saves your voice by minimizing its use. It should be used when you are not
feeling well, or during rehearsals scheduled just before a performance. Too much
practicing before a performance can take the freshness out of your voice. In theater
music, singers mark during lighting and technical rehearsals, when it is not important
OF

for them to sing at full volume.

VOCAL

Singers often have strong emotions when performing and become carried away by the
TECHNIQUE

moment, losing self-control and singing full voice when they should be resting, so lis-
ten to your body.

The marking examples are intended to give singers an idea of how to conserve their voic-
es. Notice how the examples eliminate high notes, condensing the melody to a smaller
range and omitting every other phrase.

The altered melodies suggested for marking might be too low for tenors and high
sopranos. Adjust markings and song keys to suit your voice. There are no set rules.
Marking is successful if you benefit from rehearsal while conserving your voice.
 M A I N T A I N I N G V O C A L H E A L T H C H A P T E R 8

TECHNIQUE
TIPS FOR MARKING
What to do when marking
1. Warm up lightly first.

VOCAL
2. Maintain energetic breath support.
3. Sing only the first few words of a phrase, singing the rest mentally.
4. Displace notes at the high and low extremes of your range by an octave to

OF
avoid straining. Plan this in advance.

ELEMENTS
5. Men can sing high notes in falsetto when marking.
6. Always sing lightly when marking.

What to avoid when marking

1. Don’t sing everything down an octave. 103
2. Don’t whisper or withhold breath support.
3. Don’t lose concentration.

SINGER
4. Don’t succumb to pressure from peers or directors and sing full voice against the
advice of your doctor.
5. Don’t mark all of the time. You should sing a concert, recital, or other long

CONTEMPORARY
performance using your full voice several times over a period of several weeks or
longer to make sure you are familiar with phrasing and breath pacing, and to help
you develop stamina.

THE
 P A R T 2 M A S T E R I N G T H E S K I L L S
THE

Marking example: “Shenandoah”

The melody of “Shenandoah” has a range of an octave and a fourth and marking
CONTEMPORARY

reduces it to a sixth. Van Morrison’s recording of “Shenandoah” from The Long Road
Home is a pop version of this traditional song.
Example 8.1
American Folksong

B b/C Bb
q = 69

&b4 ∑ Ó Œ ‰ œ œ œ œ
F/C F/C C7 F
4 j œ œ œ
œ
SINGER

Oh, Shen - ah - doah I long to

Bb
&b
œ œ œ ‰ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ ‰ Jœ
Am F Gm7 C7 F

104
J
see you a - way you roll-ing riv - er. Oh,

Bb
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ j œ œ œ. œ
Gm7 C7 Dm7 F/C

&b œ œ œ ‰ œ œ
ELEMENTS

˙
Shen-an - doah I long to see you a - way I’m bound to

B b/C

&b ˙
Am Dm7 F/C F
Œ
OF

œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ w
VOCAL

roam ’cross the wide Mis - sou - ri.

Copyright © 2000 Berklee Press
TECHNIQUE

All Rights Reserved

 M A I N T A I N I N G V O C A L H E A L T H C H A P T E R 8

TECHNIQUE
“Shenandoah”
Example 8.2
American Folksong

B b/C Bb

VOCAL
q = 69

j
don’t sing

&b4 ∑ Ó Œ ‰
F/C F/C C7 F
j j œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ
4
œ

OF
Oh, Shen - ah - doah

Bb
altered melody

ELEMENTS
&b ‰ œ œ ‰
Am F Gm7 C7 F
œ œ œ j
J ˙ œ œ œ œ (œ)
œ ˙ œ
a - way you roll-ing riv - er. Oh,

Bb
Gm7 C7 don’t sing Dm7
j
F/C
j don’t sing
&b j ‰ œ œ œ
œ œ œ j ˙ œ j 105

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ.
Shen-an - doah a - way

SINGER
Am Dm7 F/C B b/C F

&b ˙ Œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ w

CONTEMPORARY
’cross the wide Mis - sou - ri.

Copyright © 2000 Berklee Press

All Rights Reserved

THE
 P A R T 2 M A S T E R I N G T H E S K I L L S
THE

Marking example: “The Water is Wide”

“The Water is Wide” has a range of an octave while marking reduces it to a sixth.
CONTEMPORARY

James Taylor’s recording of “The Water is Wide” from New Moon Shine may be of
interest to you. Pay special attention to the way he rhythmically embellishes this
song. This recording is a good study in vocal embellishments in a pop style.
Example 8.3
English Folk Song
q = 63
Intro (no chord)
SINGER

Am7 C7sus
&b4 Œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ
4
œ w œ
The wa - ter is

& b .. ˙ . Œ Œ Œ
F C7sus F F F/E
œ œ œ œ
106
œ ˙. œ œ œ
wide I can- not get o’er And nei - ther
ship sail - ing on the sea she’s load - ed
ELEMENTS

back up a- gainst some oak think - ing that

hand - some and love is kind and love’s a
Dm B badd2 Gm7 C7sus C7 C7/B b

& b ˙. Œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ Ó Œ œ œ œ
OF

have I wings to fly Give me a

deep as deep could be. But not so
VOCAL

fi
he was a trust - ty tree But first he
jewel when it is new When it grows
Bb B b/A Gm7

& b ˙. œ
Am7 Cm7 F7
Œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙. Œ Œ œ œ œ
TECHNIQUE

boat that can car - ry two and both shall

deep as the love I’m in. I know not
bend - ed and then he broke so did my
old it wax - es cold and fades a -
Bb
&b ΠΠΠ..
Am7 C7sus F F C7

w œ œ œ œ ˙. œ œ œ œ
row my love and I. There is a
if I sink or swim. I leaned my
love prove false to me. O love is
Copyright © 2000 Berklee Press
All Rights Reserved
 K N O W I N G Y O U R I N S T R U M E N T C H A P T E R 8

TECHNIQUE
fi Bb
&b w Œ Œ Œ ‰ œr œj œ
Am7 C7sus Dm

œ œ œ œ ˙. œ

VOCAL
way like morn - ing dew. And fades a -
Bb
&b w Œ Œ Ó
Am7 C7sus F F

œ œ œ œ w œ

OF
way like morn - ing dew.

ELEMENTS
107

SINGER
CONTEMPORARY
THE
 P A R T 2 M A S T E R I N G T H E S K I L L S
THE

“The Water is Wide”

Example 8.4
CONTEMPORARY

English Folk Song

q = 63
Intro (no chord)
&b4 Œ Œ
Am7 C7sus
œ œ œ œ œ
4
œ w œ
The wa - ter is

& b .. ˙ . Œ Œ Œ
F C7sus don’t sing F F/E
œ
œ œ œ
œ œ œ
SINGER

œ ˙.
wide And nei - ther
don’t sing altered melody
Dm B badd2 Gm7 C7sus C7 C7/B b
108
& b ˙. Œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ Ó Œ œ œ œ
have Give me a
don’t sing
ELEMENTS

Am7 Cm7 F7 Bb B b/A Gm7

& b ˙. Œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙. Œ Œ œ œ œ
œ
boat and both shall
OF

&b Œ Œ ∑ ..
Am7 C7sus F

œ œ ˙.
VOCAL

w œ œ
row my love and I.
TECHNIQUE

Copyright © 2000 Berklee Press

All Rights Reserved

Learning to keep your voice healthy is an important part of your studies. If you take
care of your instrument and follow common sense, you will stay healthy and sing well.