Onsets
Onsets
The onset, sometimes called coup de glotte, or "strike of the glottis" - is how sound begins.
When we begin to phonate, or make sound, the vocal folds adduct (come together), and the vocal folds begin to vibrate through propulsion of the breath. A coordinated onset of the voice is a practice in consistency and awareness of breath and body.
We may hear different types of onsets in different styles of music. In bel canto, we strive to achieve a balanced onset, where the sound is clear and healthy, and vibrato can begin easily.
The types of onsets you may hear are aspirate, hard, or balanced. To begin a balanced onset, imagine you are fogging up a mirror, then begin a light, gentle sound.
Aspirate onsets sound as if all of the words sung or vowels sung begin with an American "H" sound.
A hard glottal onset, sometimes referred to as a glottal stop, is used for emphasis on text on occasion, or in pop music for dramatic effect. This can be discovered by saying "A Nice Man" versus "An Ice Man" - the sound you make to differentiate the word "Ice" is the sound of a glottal stop.
Onsets Examples:
Examples:
Listen to the way Britney Spears uses a hard glottal onset (honestly, its more of a vocal fry, and was definitely her signature style) to begin phrases in “Hit me baby, one more time” or “Oops, I did it again”
https://youtu.be/C-u5WLJ9Yk4?si=wVA1PVP8ZShg04KV
https://youtu.be/CduA0TULnow?si=sjKwQsct_jbAiuAY
Mariah Carey’s use of hard glottal onset can help us better understand text in “Emotions”https://youtu.be/NrJEFrth27Q?si=7TXvP1Vt2LwOHiEy
Listen to the way Billie Eilish uses a more Aspirate Onset on words like "Fifteen" and "Fair" for vocal effect:
Beyoncé mostly sings with balanced onset - listen & observe "Texas Hold èm"
https://youtu.be/jCOX8dT9q8M?si=HK3xF_G52wioID2I
Listen to Adele “Go Easy On Me” Refrain toward the end, she uses a more balanced onset on “Easy” - helping facilitate the melisma coming after the “coup de glotte” (First pitch) https://youtu.be/X-yIEMduRXk?si=pqVFHWB2yQI6li-x&t=113 (Actually… using the “f” fricative right before singing phrase is a great way to initiate the breath and bring in lower body support allowing for easily balancing sound)
Are there other singer examples you can think of that have very distinct Onset methods for stylistic purposes? Write in your singer journal, or add suggestions to the comment section below!
Explore singing legato through removing consonants, singing on a single vowel, or even singing on a lip flutter or raspberry. When you remove any non-legato sounds, what do you notice about your phrasing? In your sheet music, mark breaths according to punctuation, then use a legato lip flutter, raspberry, or vowel to sing connected, smooth, and legato through each phrase of music. What do you notice about the piece when you sing this way? What feels different? Where will you need to build up endurance? Write your observations in the comments section below.
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