At the beginning of the twentieth century Ernest George White developed the technique now named after him when he lost the ability to either sing or speak as a result of misguided singing teaching at two London music schools. Through extensive self-observation he worked out what had caused the problem, and an effective way to remedy it.
White concluded from his study of anatomy that the small pieces of tissue making up the vocal cords (more correctly called the vocal folds) could not possibly be producing the human voice, so looked for possible sound-producing structures in the head.
The skull is not solid, but permeated with a system of air-filled cavities (the paranasal sinuses and nasal cavities) located behind the forehead and in a substantial proportion of the upper skull, nose and cheeks. These are interlinked and ultimately connect with the outside through the nostrils. White believed it is these sinuses and the nasal cavities that act as resonators to amplify the sound of the voice – just as other musical instruments rely on a hollow space or spaces within them to amplify their sound.
In his view the vocal folds do little more than provide a vibrating column of air to be developed into a voice in the head cavities.
White was definitely ahead of his time, and his Technique was never adopted by the mainstream, despite the numerous documented accounts of voices improved or restored. Now the mainstream has caught up with him to some extent, and other methods of singing teaching often include reference to the head sinuses, though White’s Technique is still a unique method.
Current thinking is that the voice is probably produced by the complex integrated activity of various components of the ‘vocal tract’, which extends from the lungs to the head sinuses. But in practice this doesn’t affect how White’s Technique is taught. It does not matter whether or not it is a physiologically accurate description of voice production. It is a teaching metaphor that has been found to be very successful.
White’s Technique, and now Better Voice, therefore treats the voice as coming from the head, while the throat is simply ignored. This makes full use of the head’s resonant qualities and takes the strain off the vocal folds.
So:
‘I have been a professional singer for 25 years. For the last 15 years of these I suffered with chronic throat problems through straining my voice, due to incorrect use. I was in terrible pain and my throat eventually seized up totally. I was virtually unable to communicate at all – in fact my life had come to a halt. I was not very hopeful when I started my course of White’s Technique lessons, as I had travelled the length and breadth of the country and spent a fortune on specialists for years. No one could help, only temporarily relieving the pain. Three months after completing my course, and doing my exercises faithfully, I simply cannot remember the pain I was in before. My recovery has been phenomenal! I could be speechless with the results – yet I’m anything but! No one can believe what has happened to my voice. It has returned to full power, and in fact I have more volume than I ever had. White’s Technique works!’ (Juliet C., vocalist and entertainer)
White’s Technique is suitable for singers in any genre, from classical to rock, or more than one.
‘I think I’m the kind of pupil that most vocal teachers wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with! Not only do I work in clubs singing ballads and jazz, but I also sing classical music. Operatic arias and jazz numbers need very different styles of voice, but White’s Technique has given me the vocal flexibility, strength and range to cope with whatever I want to sing – and to avoid damaging my voice in the process. It’s also got rid of the problems I used to have with catarrh.’ (Dee M., club singer and classical soprano)
The Technique also takes advantage of the fact that:
Singing is simply speaking on a flow of a larger range of notes and (usually) with longer vowels.
It’s quite logical when you think about it, but few people either seem to realise or make use of the fact. You may have heard professional classical singers whose voice can fill a concert hall without a microphone when they sing but who are almost inaudible when it comes to introducing a song.
We’ll be exploring the singing/speaking crossover more in Part Two, but some of the exercises in Units 5 and 6 will start to show you how singing and speaking can enhance each other.
‘After ten years in teaching I was becoming concerned about my voice’s ability to last a series of full days. After only five White’s Technique lessons I cannot believe the transformation in the power, range and tonality of my voice. I’m also surprised at how the Technique has made me a better singer.’ (Gary P., deputy head teacher)
At the beginning of the twentieth century Ernest George White developed the technique now named after him when he lost the ability to either sing or speak as a result of misguided singing teaching at two London music schools. Through extensive self-observation he worked out what had caused the problem, and an effective way to remedy it.
White concluded from his study of anatomy that the small pieces of tissue making up the vocal cords (more correctly called the vocal folds) could not possibly be producing the human voice, so looked for possible sound-producing structures in the head.
The skull is not solid, but permeated with a system of air-filled cavities (the paranasal sinuses and nasal cavities) located behind the forehead and in a substantial proportion of the upper skull, nose and cheeks. These are interlinked and ultimately connect with the outside through the nostrils. White believed it is these sinuses and the nasal cavities that act as resonators to amplify the sound of the voice – just as other musical instruments rely on a hollow space or spaces within them to amplify their sound.
In his view the vocal folds do little more than provide a vibrating column of air to be developed into a voice in the head cavities.
White was definitely ahead of his time, and his Technique was never adopted by the mainstream, despite the numerous documented accounts of voices improved or restored. Now the mainstream has caught up with him to some extent, and other methods of singing teaching often include reference to the head sinuses, though White’s Technique is still a unique method.
Current thinking is that the voice is probably produced by the complex integrated activity of various components of the ‘vocal tract’, which extends from the lungs to the head sinuses. But in practice this doesn’t affect how White’s Technique is taught. It does not matter whether or not it is a physiologically accurate description of voice production. It is a teaching metaphor that has been found to be very successful.
White’s Technique, and now Better Voice, therefore treats the voice as coming from the head, while the throat is simply ignored. This makes full use of the head’s resonant qualities and takes the strain off the vocal folds.
So:
‘I have been a professional singer for 25 years. For the last 15 years of these I suffered with chronic throat problems through straining my voice, due to incorrect use. I was in terrible pain and my throat eventually seized up totally. I was virtually unable to communicate at all – in fact my life had come to a halt. I was not very hopeful when I started my course of White’s Technique lessons, as I had travelled the length and breadth of the country and spent a fortune on specialists for years. No one could help, only temporarily relieving the pain. Three months after completing my course, and doing my exercises faithfully, I simply cannot remember the pain I was in before. My recovery has been phenomenal! I could be speechless with the results – yet I’m anything but! No one can believe what has happened to my voice. It has returned to full power, and in fact I have more volume than I ever had. White’s Technique works!’ (Juliet C., vocalist and entertainer)
White’s Technique is suitable for singers in any genre, from classical to rock, or more than one.
‘I think I’m the kind of pupil that most vocal teachers wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with! Not only do I work in clubs singing ballads and jazz, but I also sing classical music. Operatic arias and jazz numbers need very different styles of voice, but White’s Technique has given me the vocal flexibility, strength and range to cope with whatever I want to sing – and to avoid damaging my voice in the process. It’s also got rid of the problems I used to have with catarrh.’ (Dee M., club singer and classical soprano)
The Technique also takes advantage of the fact that:
Singing is simply speaking on a flow of a larger range of notes and (usually) with longer vowels.
It’s quite logical when you think about it, but few people either seem to realise or make use of the fact. You may have heard professional classical singers whose voice can fill a concert hall without a microphone when they sing but who are almost inaudible when it comes to introducing a song.
We’ll be exploring the singing/speaking crossover more in Part Two, but some of the exercises in Units 5 and 6 will start to show you how singing and speaking can enhance each other.
‘After ten years in teaching I was becoming concerned about my voice’s ability to last a series of full days. After only five White’s Technique lessons I cannot believe the transformation in the power, range and tonality of my voice. I’m also surprised at how the Technique has made me a better singer.’ (Gary P., deputy head teacher)
