The Happy Musician

Consonants are tricky to get right sometimes, so I will teach you one of the best ways to get your consonants to sound crisp and clear!

What is a consonant, and why does it matter in singing?

A consonant is, as defined by the dictionary, “A basic speech sound in which the breath is at least partly [cut off] and which can be combined with a vowel to form a syllable (group of consonants and vowels forming one sound).” Consonants help us speak clearly, with sounds like T (Tuh), B (Buh), and K (Kuh). There are more of these, of course – 21 in all if you don’t count “Y” as a vowel. Consonants are so important because they bring out the text that you are singing. If you mumble, your consonants are jumbled around and no one can understand what you are trying to communicate to them. Here are some things to know about consonants and diction.

Diction

Diction is the way we pronounce, enunciate, and speak words with clarity. It is important to use it in order to let everyone know what you are singing or speaking.

Helpful tips for diction while singing

1. Over-enunciate or put a consonant early while singing a word. It may feel weird, but especially in a room where sound doesn’t travel well it is very helpful to put the starting consonant early by at least half a beat (i.e. “Ffffor He both Heaven and Earth…” Notice the extra “F”s – those mean to put the F at least half a beat before coming in for your entrance).
2. Put a consonant at the end of a word as close to the next word as possible. For instance, “Luceat eis, domine” could sound like, “Luceat eisdomine”. It is helpful to combine words like this, especially when there is an S at the end of a word. Putting the consonant on the beginning of the next word can lower your chances of hearing multiple different cutoffs and consonant sounds.
3. Look for when the director cuts you off. Nothing infuriates me more than people cutting off all at different times (well, except maybe singing the wrong voice part or an unwritten harmony, but that’s a whole different issue). When you are cut off, make sure that the consonant at the end of the word is clear, so people know the final word of the song or phrase – that may just be the most important word.
4. Don’t get caught on “useless” consonants. Most of the time, all consonants will need to be enunciated, but on occasion people put too much emphasis on the wrong syllable or the wrong word. Just because you are pronouncing something crisply does not mean to get louder on the wrong syllable – or at all, for that matter.
5. Phrase with consonants. Similar to #4, make sure that however you would say the phrase is how you sing it. Don’t put too much emphasis on the wrong syllables. For instance, you probably wouldn’t say “mountain” with an emphasis or accent on both syllables. You are more likely to say “MOUN-tain” with the first syllable stressed. Sing it like that too.
6. When you get to a quiet part in the song, that’s when the words should be accentuated over the top. When the song is quiet, remember to phrase and to have clarity of diction. Quiet doesn’t mean mumbling or losing energy.

Thanks for reading! If I missed anything, please put it in the comments below. See you tomorrow for another post! 🙂

{By the way, my example in #2 was from “Lux Aeterna (from Missa).” I recommend that you go take a listen to it! “College Station HS Varsity Women’s Choir” performs it really well on YouTube! You can also look up the translation from Latin to English. The lyrics are beautiful.}

Cover photo by Papa Yaw