Question:
I am a 15 year old baritone from Australia, and I am singing the basso solo for the Mozart Requiem in the two movements that require soloists. I can sing the lower notes, however they do not expand and resonate as much as I’d like them to — they are simply too soft. I was told to use the french ‘ain’ sound in warm-ups to release the larynx, but often this seems to increase nasality. Could you suggest an appropriate solution to this, such that in about a month I could have a slightly thicker sound coming through?
Answer:
At your age, the one thing you absolutely must not do is push the extremes of the voice. Your low notes should be soft at your age and you should be very careful not to sing repertoire that demands too much of your instrument. You will have decades of singing if you are sensible now; you could create vocal challenges and future dysfunction if you are not. Low notes are one of the easiest places to strain and damage the voice. Also, the sound has to be in the nose. It should not be confined to it, but nasal resonance definitely adds volume. You might also ask if the rest of the ensemble can be very soft when you sing the low notes in order to support you.