Research in the singing process (1993-2022) by Mikhail, Inessa, and Dimitri Niks
For three centuries the process of training singers was dominated by empirical and subjective explanations. The modern world dictates, objective explanations for the old singing art. A modern approach to the singing process based on the clarity and precision of the inner work of muscles seemed urgent and inevitable. This was the purpose of the many years of research that culminated in the Video Course presented here. The course of 10 Exercises will lead to special breath control, a constant resonating point for vowels and clear articulation. Altogether singers of any style can acquire a MASTERY OF SECURE AND BEAUTIFUL SINGING.
Additional Introductory Material discusses the problem of a healthy approach to the singing process and the possibility to preserve the voice in its youthful state.
Video Course: 10 Exercises to Sing Without Tension
Self-training course promoting the novel method of exercises for objective work of muscles. This modern approach is essential for singers of any style to prevent complications of the vocal cords and provide longevity of the singing voice.
Course Text
An annotated version of the full video text is available as a .PDF below (UPDATED VERSION for 2024) which includes practical hints on how to work with the exercises.
Part 1
Part 2
All of the exercises above (along with videos of Inessa Niks’ piano performances) can be directly accessed on our YouTube Channel: NIKS TECHNIQUE IN SINGING WITHOUT TENSION
Continued Research— Singing in High Space
By nature only few singers possess a wide range of the voice. Others, though very talented and creative often have limitations when it comes to the range of their voices. However, music often demands the production of very high notes sung in full voice especially in climactic episodes that creates enormous tension due to extreme stretching of the vocal cords. This leads to premature aging of the voice, medical complication or even tragic loss of the singing voice. It became evident to us that the many muscles in the mouth cavity directly or indirectly connect to the throat and larynx thus interfering in the highest note production. Researcher Dimitri Niks’ idea was to investigate the space of the nasopharynx: invisible tube located above the very back of the mouth cavity. We suspected that perhaps that some resonating point for vowels should be at the end of nasal pharynx. Understanding the difficulty of searching in the invisible space after a time of unsuccessful attempts the idea came to find some concrete reflection of this inner process. It was a eureka moment to produce sound from above the top bone of the head and then landing in the location where the backbone connects the top bone— the crown area (crown point being the depressed center of the crown area).