An Introduction to Speech Level Singing

The Clients
Why is SLS called "The Technique of Legends"?
Speech Level Singing has been studied by over 120 Grammy winners and was selected as American Idol's official singing technique. Clients who have studied the technique included: Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Josh Groban, Faith Hill, David Archuleta, Jesse McCartney, Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Michael Bolton, Luther Vandross, Kelly Clarkson, Cher, Tina Turner, James Ingram, Bernadette Peters, Barbra Streisand, Nicole Richie, Bette Midler, Liza Minelli, Enrique Iglesias, Madonna, Brian Wilson, Diana Ross, Prince, 5 Metropolitan Opera Audition winners, and countless actors in musical theater, television, and film.

The Revolutionary Technique...
Why is SLS different from other methods?
Speech Level Singing is founded on the concept of singing in the same comfortable manner as you speak, providing a healthy technique for all voices and all styles. The SLS technique allows you to sing through your entire range (three or more octaves) without breaking, straining, or changing quality. The larynx (the bump on your neck) houses your vocal cords. A singer who uses improper technique will find that the larynx will rise as they sing higher. The result sounds "shouty", creates tension, and damages the vocal cords. Speech Level Singing teaches the larynx to stay relaxed through your entire range and teaches the cords to make the proper adjustments while balancing air flow.

As a result, the singer will be able to produce the correct resonance shifts through their bridges without any disconnection. With this technique you'll be able to sing through all your bridges in a strong, balanced voice ready for any pitch, any volume, or any style!

More Insight into SLS

Basically, if the larynx stays down and the vocal cords stay together from the very bottom of the vocal range to the very top everything is fine. This also applies to all vowel and consonant combinations through out any phrase. If at any point the larynx jumps up or down or the tone becomes breathy then there is something wrong with the vocal process.

The larynx is the big bump in the middle of the neck just below the chin. This houses the vocal cords and controls the process of swallowing. When the larynx moves up, the muscles around the cords act as a sphinchter and closes so as to prevent swallowing down the wind pipe and into the lungs. This is a very important process when you need to swallow, but it is a very poor process when you are trying to sing. If you place your hand on your larynx and yawn, you will find that you can bring your larynx down as well. This is a good way to learn what it feels like to have the larynx stay down. The end goal here is to be able to keep the larynx from moving down as well as up. It should stay completely still as you ascend and descend.

The vocal cords, also known as vocal folds, are a pair of soft tissue cords that are joined at the front of the larynx and extend back. When they close, the back end of the cords come together (connect), and the flow of air is temporarily stopped. When the pressure of air from the diaphram overcomes the pressure of the muscles holding the cords together, they are blown apart and sound is made when they close again due to the resonation created. Then once again the air pressure overcomes the muscle pressure and the process begins again. If a singer is singing an A above middle C, this process happens 440 times every second.The pitch A above middle C vibrates 440 times per second. That is very fast and it is somewhat difficult to see this process happen even if you can see down the singer throat. Since the invention of the strobescopy it has become easier to view the vocal cord resonation process. If the vocal cords begin to come apart, the tone becomes breathy and the muscles around the outside of the larynxbegin to tense. This becomes what is called a constricted phonation and is quite harmful for the voice.

This is a very brief and condensed version of what happens when you sing, there is obviously a lot more going on. But, to give you an idea of what is correct, take these two ideas and while you are singing, monitor them. See if you can keep your larynx still and your cords together. You will probably find that there is a certain area of your voice that is easy for you to accomplish this, and certain points of your voice that are more difficult. These harder areas are called bridges, The key to Speech Level Singing is in understanding the bridges and the mix. Bridges in the voice are passage areas from one part of our vocal range to another. In Italian, they're called passagi-or maybe you've heard the term passagio. These passage areas are a result of vocal cord adjustments that must take place in order for us to sing high and low in our range. These vocal cord adjustments produce resonance shifts in our body.

Our first shift in resonance, or our first bridge, is our most crucial, because this is where our outer muscles are most likely to enter the picture. If they do, they tighten around the larynx in an effort to stretch the cords for the desired pitch.

Please consult one of our certified teachers for a more in-depth explanation of Speech Level Singing®.

Keep in mind, if you do not see a teacher's name listed on the Speech Level Singing website, they are not certified. We only endorse the information and work of certified teachers. It is unethical and illegal for any teacher to use the terms Speech Level Singing, Seth Riggs, or SLS that is not certified.

SLS Worldwide

By 2008, over 700 teachers were in the certification process, and the technique continues to rapidly grow and spread throughout the world. Thanks to exceptional leadership and vision, SLS has expanded to include the Summer Vocal Program, the mySLSworld Internet Community, collaboration with American Idol, international product sales, educational outreach, and certification and training of teachers in countries including the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, Austria, Italy, Germany, France, Denmark, Poland, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Singapore, with interest in Speech Level Singing growing daily in many other areas of the world.

The branding and positioning of “Seth Riggs” has now become bigger than the man. With a network of certified instructors around the world, Seth’s legacy will continue to impact the lives of singers and teachers in generations to come. The power of Seth Riggs is in the integrity, heart, and passion of the man himself – a passion that has inspired and shaped the voices of millions of singers worldwide. At the very heart of it all remains his quest for knowledge about how the voice works and his desire to develop a technique that can be used by all singers in any language, style, or genre of music. Great teachers are perpetual students – they are always learning.