AARHUS VOCAL FESTIVAL

May 6th - 9th 2011

The Complete Vocal Technique was one of the workshops on offer at AAVF this year and was led by Tine Fris (check out Tine's profile on dk.linkedin.com). Tine has studied this system of singing – developed by Cathrine Sadolin (a fellow Dane) - for 12 years. By using a combination of demonstration, group participation and individual coaching 'under glass', she introduced the concept of different 'modes' in the voice and the mechanics of how they can be produced.

Over the course of three sessions, and after the basics of posture and breathing had been established, the use of these different modes was explored and applied to a variety of different musical styles. Four modes were identified:

• 'neutral'
• 'curbing'
• 'overdrive'
• 'edge'(or belting)

Vocal colour and a variety of 'effects' could be layered on top of these. It was evident that the Danish singers attending AAVF have whole-heartedly embraced this technique and are already familiar with its use and terminology.

Traditionalists may struggle with some aspects of CVT, others may recognise the principles. Check out Cathrine Sadolin's videos on YouTube and let us know what you think.