What is nasal resonance?

In fancy, science terms:

Nasal resonance is a technique where sound vibrations are reflected into the nasal cavity, occurring when the soft palate (velum) lowers and partially opens the velopharyngeal port.

A functional definition:

A resonant strategy that helps the voice ring and ping.

“An offer you can’t refuse”

Nasal resonance often gets a bad reputation. But remember, space is a luxury, and in singing, the more spaces you can utilize the more luxurious the sound will be.

Many singers report wanting to get rid of their nasal sound. Theatre critics frequently describe singers as sounding “nasal,” but it’s important to remember that nasality (or twang) is not the same as nasal resonance. 

A truly nasal voice, at its extreme, resembles the tone of Marlon Brando—different from the bright, twangy sound associated with theatre singing.

Both twang and nasal resonance have their benefits. Twang is a bright sound achieved by narrowing the oral tract, while nasal resonance is created by opening both the vocal and nasal tracts to allow sound waves to vibrate in the nasal cavity.

Under Pressure

What are the benefits of nasal resonance?

Let’s define some key terms:

• Subglottic Pressure: The air pressure created below the vocal folds by compressing our vocal folds.

• Supraglottic Pressure: The air pressure that builds up above the vocal folds, created by the resistance as we shape the resonance track in our mouth and throat.

Nasal resonance helps reduce pressure on the vocal folds by acting like a two-way funnel. Without it, sound would only exit through the mouth, like a megaphone, and it would require more effort to produce.

When we sing, we produce sound by applying subglottic pressure (air below the vocal folds). At the same time, we also apply supraglottic pressure, which comes from the resistance above the vocal folds, as we shape the sound in our mouth and throat. Each vowel and consonant changes how we shape this resonance, and therefore, how the air is resisted.

Singers often use a lot of subglottic pressure to make their voice louder. However, when the nasal cavity is used, less supraglottic pressure is present.

Consistency is Key

With nasal resonance, there’s a phenomenon called white space or, sometimes this is called an antiresonance. Antiresonance, you say! What’s that?” You just said nasal resonance helps your voice resonate better, right?

Essentially, antiresonance happens because certain frequencies are not heard in the nasal cavity. The nasal passages filter them out, creating a kind of “vacuum” in the resonance. Due to the physical shape of the nasal tract, certain frequencies are cancelled out in the nasal cavity. It’s like removing the frequencies that might stick out like a sore thumb.

This is helpful when you want more consistency between your notes and vocal registers. By reducing the distinct frequencies typically heard in certain vowels and consonants, nasal resonance helps blend your sound more seamlessly across registers and notes. 

Suggested Exercise:

Start by singing the lyric as you normally would perform it and take note of how it sounds. This is your baseline for comparison after completing the exercise.

Consonants like m, n, and ng, along with humming, naturally trigger nasal resonance since the soft palate is fully lowered. Humming is often used by singers as a gentle and effective warm-up.

Now it’s your turn:

Practice the entire lyric on a hum. This helps reinforce its prosody while engaging nasal resonance.

Transition from humming to the lyric. Start with a hum, then continue into singing the lyric on the words. This step minimizes reliance on the humming strategy while still encouraging nasal resonance.

Sing the lyric as you normally would. Compare how it feels and sounds now to your initial baseline. Remember, this is a comparison, not a critique. The voice is most effective when it is functional and expressive, not when it’s flawless.

When is Nasal Resonance Not Appropriate

It is not always appropriate to use nasal resonance on low notes, as nasal resonance removes higher frequencies and dampens the sound. WIth low notes that are already bass heavy, you don’t want to muddy the already dark sound.

In this case, nasality or twang is more effective as it highlights the high end of a dark tone. You can imagine this as a shining bright light, on a dark painting. By the same token, if a singer lacks clarity in their consonants, this may not be the right strategy for them as it can blur the distinctiveness of each consonant, reducing the unique fingerprint of their sound.

Nasal resonance is a great strategy, but it’s not the only one. The more versatile singers use many resonance strategies to create dynamic sound. Below is a great example of Jessie J showcasing different resonance strategies. Notice how her mouth isn’t even open, she is just using different spaces throughout her oral tract to resonate.