As teachers of singing / singers, which do you consider most important: vowels or consonants? I've come across a mixture of views on this; some say both are of equal importance, some say vowels and others consonants.

I've generally thought that both are important, but that if vowels are not clear, then it doesn't matter how crisp you make your consonants; the words will still be indistinct.

Any views on this?

David

Clear diction is so important with any performance. Open vowels make for easier singing usually and clear consonants are needed to give them a kick start. I hate the dwelling on certain consonants that some singers choose to do in the mistaken belief that it adds to the drama of the work. It doesn't, and can be really annoying.

I'm not a teacher, just a singer, but I think both are important! When I learnt, I did lots of exercises on different vowel sounds up and down the scale, to maintain a good sound with plenty of support. Then the consonant sounds are fitted on almost in the way a clarinettist tongues to give a new note, which gives clear diction.

Some of the sounds I was taught to soften before a short vowel - things like "ch" as in "children", which give a very harsh sound were sung more as "shildren", as it's such a distinctive word that people recognise it anyway. And of course many people pronounce "r" differently when it's sung to avoid too much interference with the air flow.

With one or two minor exceptions, you can't sing on a consonant.

So without vowels you have little or no tone.

Obviously both are important, and consonants are needed for clarity, but I think you need the vowels first as a cushion and the consonants to then give shape and meaning (a bit as BerkshireMum described). Yes, I 'd go with your last sentence, David.

It IS possible to have the best of both worlds. The vowels are so important to achieve a good legato line. This is a priority. Also avoid diphthongs.
That said, the words need to be crystal clear, so crisp consonsnts are vital, but they should take up minimal space. And, of course, avoiding ghost vowels (e.g. sound pronounced as sounda, as some people do when trying to be clear).
So my answer would be they are equally important, but often you have to work on one thing at a time!

I think of the vowels as the washing line, and the consonants are the pegs.

You need both to hang the washing out!

Both are important, but in different ways I think.

As MaggieMay correctly said, it's nearly impossible to sing a consonant as they require occlusion in the vocal tract (there are a couple of exceptions, but generally we wouldn't sing them either - fricative sounds for example).

So your vowels are your voice - the way your voice sounds is down to how your vowels sound. Depending on the type of music, you may need to do certain things such as avoid diph / triph in classical styles (although not so in other styles), aim for open vowels in many classical styles, but aim for medial vowels in many musical theatre styles etc.

The consonants, however, need to be right to make diction clear, without good consonants, there is no diction and no way to understand what is being said. There are also stylistic considerations for consonants - the rolled r that is favoured in the bel canto school, but frowned upon in musical theatre etc.

Whether I would say both are equally important, I don't know - you can sing without consonants, you can't sing without vowels, but in most forms of music, you need to get both right - technically and stylistically - like the right and left hand on a string insrument.

I completely agree with people here. I think both are really important! xx

Yes, of course both are important and necessary. As in speech, you wouldn't want to miss out any.

The vowels are most useful for pitch, the consonants make diction clear. Imagine trying to sing - or talk - without either.

This occurred to me as I have an adult pupil who did up to Grade 8 at school (about 25 years ago) who learnt nothing about vowels - she says all the emphasis is on the consonants, and consequently, her singing is very disjointed.

Yes - if you establish the legato line on vowels first it is then relatively easy to put the consonants back in without disrupting it. Line plus clear diction is, in my opinion, beautiful singing.

I wouldn't go quite that far, but I would agree that it is impossible to have beautiful singing without line plus clear diction. Much more goes into it than that, of course!

I do find it helpful at times to sing a passage vowels only and then put the consonants back in later.

Yes, indeed, very effective for developing good vowel sounds - and deceptively difficult too - without the consonants....

Or dead easy if you were first taught to do it at about the age of 8.

Well, lucky you!

I remember from time to time talking to my mother vowels only.

Of coure the idea was stolen by the Teletubbies - "ee-oo"

You should sue.

What I can't cope with is professional singers who appear to have no diction whatsoever. Apparently someone forgot to teach Hayley Westenra about consonants; sometimes I think 'is it just me' and then I hear her sing again and I realise that no, her diction really is terrible. Katherine Jenkins has the same problem on occasion!

We did a concert a while ago and one guy sang 'Purpose' from Avenue Q. Now he'd had stage school training etc but his diction was terrible... my dad was doing the tech and he said that it sounded like he was singing 'Herpes'!