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Having Clear Diction Matters, and Here’s How You Can Get Better
Having clear diction is important because simply put, people want to know what you are singing about. If your message is unclear or muddled, getting the gist of what you are singing is extremely difficult.
And while there are songs that are beautiful without knowing what the message is, it is best practice to convey the meaning of the text.
Especially with the Psalms. We use these as prayers, praises, mournings, and blessings. As cantors, we need to know how to sing with clear diction to include the congregation.
Keep reading to see how you can achieve clearer diction as a singer or speaker.
Using Clear Diction as Cantors
I’ve already touched briefly on why having clear diction is important. And truthfully, it extends far beyond the responsibility to proclaim the Psalms with precision.
Let me list several reasons here why having clear diction matters:
- You can invite others to sing just by having them understand what you are singing
- It flows into your speaking as well, giving the announcements and song numbers with more clarity
- It will help the elderly and hearing impaired to understand what you are singing
- You demonstrate that you care about what you are doing
- You can sing the piece fuller and with a greater feeling
While this list is not exhaustive, it is a great start to understanding why clear diction is imperative as a cantor. Let’s learn about some basic rules of clear diction next.
Basic Choral Rules of Diction
We will start by outlining basic diction rules from a choral and classical music standpoint. Many of these principles can be applied across the board, and since cantors are not singing pop or country music, it is vital that they know and adhere to these rules.
Rule #1: Do Not Pronounce R’s
Unless they are at the beginning of a word.
For example. the “r” in rejoice should be heard, but the “r” in Lord or heart should be silent.
Even if the “R” falls at the end of a word, such as “singer”, it is better to sing it as “singah” instead of “singerrr”, which often happens with “r’s” at the end of phrases. Use the diphthong rules (mentioned later) for words ending in “r”.
When you do use an “R” at the beginning, you often need to use a “uduh” sound (a slight roll) in order for the “r” to not get stuck at the back of your throat and sound too closed.
Rule #2: Do Not Forget the Ends of Words
Most consonants that fall at the end of a word or phrase need to have a precise ending.
Consonants that need to be heard for clear diction:
- D
- T
- P
- S
- C
- K
- L
- M – sofer than the others
- N – softer as well
- TH – a softer version of T
- G – depending on whether is a hard G or soft G
When we leave off the endings, it often changes the word entirely and leaves the actual word of the song questionable for those who cannot see it.
Some of them will be pitched consonants and others will be non-pitched.
Side Note: You can learn more about the anatomy of this in Advanced Choral Techniques from Music Ministry 101. If you purchase the course, use code GESSICA25 to get 25 off. Mike is a great teacher, and he can show you a lot about advanced vocal techniques with great exercises and tricks!
This happens to me quite a bit when listening to a pop or country song. I think they are saying one word when in fact it is usually a completely different word (that often changes the entire meaning of the song). A misunderstanding that could have been remedied by one simple consonant.
Rule #3: Diphthongs Are Something to Watch
A “diphthong” is a word that contains two vowels or vowel sounds. To have clear diction, you must learn how to skate around these common vocal problems.
When speaking, normally we would pronounce both vowels. When singing, we have to make sure to only sing the vowel on one note or not to include the second vowel until the very end.
There are two ways that you can sing diphthongs with clearer diction.
Example 1: You sing “day”. First, you will sing the “eh” of the first sound of the word, and at the very end of the word or phrase will you attach a quick “ee” in order to relay the correct word while singing. This retains the classical sound of proper diction while still getting the message across.
This method might be more helpful when singing a lower note or a harmony part in a song or Psalm.
Example 2: You sing “day”. Focus on the first vowel in the diphthong, which is the “eh”. Then completely eliminate singing the second vowel of “ee” at the end. This helps keep the pure vowel form as well, without introducing another vowel to disrupt the vowel placement.
I would recommend this if you are singing a descant or higher notes. It keeps the vowel open and your throat relaxed. Just remember to fuel the sound with deep breathing.
See an excellent explanation and chart here.
Rule #4: Learn How to Shape Vowels Correctly
When it comes to clarifying your diction, this can be a biggie, and it is one of the things that drives me the most bonkers as a music teacher. Classic vowel shapes = classic sound.
If just one person is singing their vowels with a different shape, it can throw off the blend and balance of an entire choir. Therefore, it is important that all people know uniform vowels and how to shape each vowel.
The video will give you a great exercise to help you visually see the shape without staring at your mouth in a mirror. (or you can video, that is a great way to check for accuracy, too!)
Clear Diction Rule #5: The article “THE”
When singing the article “the”, we should change the vowel sound.
If “the” comes before a word that starts with a vowel, we change it to “thee”. If “the” comes before a word that starts with a consonant, we keep the said “thuh”.
This keeps the words flowing nicely, especially from one vowel to the next.
Rule #6: Wouldja Fix it?
This diction issue is one that probably is the most prevalent in non-secular music. It often drives me nuts because it sounds really amateur. But it is an easy fix!
The sound comes from us melding two words together, often the words “would you”, “won’t you”, “could you”, etc. If you fail to end the first word before starting the next, it comes out with a terrible “wouldjoo”.
The easiest way to fix this diction problem is to insert a slight pause or break between those words or be sure to add the ending “D” or “T” consonant before carrying on with the “yuh” sound.
Rule #7: Odds and Ends
Some other reminders for Clear Diction:
- Watch “y” in general, and apply the diphthong example 1 to the in most cases, except when the word starts with a “Y”
- Vowels should be pronounced in Italian basics of ah, eh, ee, oh, and oo.
- Proper breath support and voice placement help will all of these diction principles.
- Consonants are a great way to help you clarify and energize a vowel
- Diction might vary slightly in different languages
Diction for Different Languages
Now comes a slightly different issue when it comes to achieving clear diction. What happens when the words you are singing are not the in the English language? Do the same diction rules apply?
For the most part, yes. The biggest thing you will need to watch out for is the actual pronunciation of the consonants and vowels. Each language will have its own slight variations of vowels in certain contexts and will use consonants differently in some words. For example, a hard “g” vs. a soft “g”.
If you need some Latin text help, please check out this helpful YouTube List I created.
Top 5 Tips for Clear Diction
In addition to the diction rules listed above, there are some underlying tips that help one be consistent and professional with their diction.
Here are my best tips for achieving and keeping clear diction:
- Consistently work on the other parts of your voice, too, like breath support, resonance, placement, and phrasing. Become familiar with your articulators (the lips, tongue, teeth) and practice using them while increasing your diction skills.
- Commit to learning proper diction in the next few things you sing. Practice again and again with the right skills, and then it will become easier for you. Record yourself singing and let someone else who doesn’t know the music listen to it. If they can understand you, you are on the right track.
- Learn how to relax your throat, jaw, and to relax your tongue. If these are not relaxed, it will be difficult to use diction properly.
- Start with the base of everything, which is your posture. Again, if you don’t have these things figured out, then you need to back up and master them along with clear diction.
- When you practice diction, overexaggerate for a while until you memorize how it feels and sounds to be doing things correctly. Muscle memory is an awesome thing we can have as singers.
In my signature course, Catholic Cantor Training: The Basics, I have included a section about Basic Vocal Techniques. Many of these issues are addressed in the course. You can check it out here.
A goal for better diction
If you are a singer who knows you need some help achieving clearer diction, this is a great place to start. It also may help you if you need a brush-up or are looking to learn more about your role as a cantor.
Either way, it is always a good idea to know how to sing with clear diction, to express the true message of the piece, and to convey it to the congregation. These diction rules and tips can help you get started on the right track.
What aspects of diction do you struggle with the most?
“Tuck the corners of your mouth in!” In your demonstration you did not provide this cue for every vowel. Strident wide mouth vowel are Screechy. Everything you tucked the corners of your mouth in the sound became more pure, resonant, and projected better. You will see this unit agreement within voice parts and especially between voice parts become more obvious and crucial in a capella singing. Resonance, overtone generation, and projection can even be achieved at near ppp volume. The sound will fill the space all the way to the back wall.
GOOD INFORMATION
Thanks so much!