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Oasis fans apparently have straws to thank for Noel and Liam sounding as good as they have on this tour
Straw phonation, that is.
An Oasis fan on X posted four recent photos of Noel going around with a straw in his mouth and asked, "Why is he chewing on that all day long?" One of the photos (I'll put the tweet in a reply below):
There were some wrong guesses in the replies, but apparently the right one is a vocal technique called straw phonation. Which I hadn't heard of till now. Lots of information about it, and about when the Gallaghers started using it, and other singers who use it, here:
https://www.vinylmeplease.com/blogs/music-industry-news/oasis-brothers-use-straw-phonation-to-maintain-vocal-health-on-25-tour
A bit more info on why it works here:
https://www.youronlinesingingcoach.com/blog/straw-love
Straw phonation is what it sounds like! Really this means that you are “phonating” (i.e., making sound) through the straw. If you put your straw in water, you can think about it as making bubbles with your voice on. Typically, it’s made with an /u/ sound, like we hear in the word “you”. It’s a great exercise for the casual speaker and the professional singer, alike!
Straw phonation is part of a group of exercises called “Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises” or “SOVTEs”. Really this means that you have a small opening for the air to escape at the mouth or nose. That small opening creates back pressure, which is super beneficial as you can read about below.
-snip-
Straw phonation can really be quite magical, and its benefits are endless. However, it really does three main things. It reduces the tension, impact and collision at the level of the vocal cords. Vibration at our vocal cords can only happen because some of the pressure from our lungs is reflected back once it reaches our lips. When we use straw phonation, we increase the level of back pressure, essentially making the vibration at the vocal cords even more efficient. This efficiency acts as a little massage and reduces vocal fatigue.
This efficiency also balances the vocal cords in a way that provides extra support for changes in pitch. This is important for anyone with a voice disorder, as we constantly change pitch when we talk, and those can be the moments that our voices give out on us. However, it is especially important for our singers, as it gives them an extra support for tricky transitions. Practicing those transitions with a straw can improve flexibility and power of the vocal folds and can translate to when they are not using the straw. That balance also provides singers with the opportunity to expand their range, without tensing as they explore new notes.
Straw phonation is part of a group of exercises called “Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises” or “SOVTEs”. Really this means that you have a small opening for the air to escape at the mouth or nose. That small opening creates back pressure, which is super beneficial as you can read about below.
-snip-
Straw phonation can really be quite magical, and its benefits are endless. However, it really does three main things. It reduces the tension, impact and collision at the level of the vocal cords. Vibration at our vocal cords can only happen because some of the pressure from our lungs is reflected back once it reaches our lips. When we use straw phonation, we increase the level of back pressure, essentially making the vibration at the vocal cords even more efficient. This efficiency acts as a little massage and reduces vocal fatigue.
This efficiency also balances the vocal cords in a way that provides extra support for changes in pitch. This is important for anyone with a voice disorder, as we constantly change pitch when we talk, and those can be the moments that our voices give out on us. However, it is especially important for our singers, as it gives them an extra support for tricky transitions. Practicing those transitions with a straw can improve flexibility and power of the vocal folds and can translate to when they are not using the straw. That balance also provides singers with the opportunity to expand their range, without tensing as they explore new notes.
There are lots of articles and videos about this online. There are also lots of ads trying to sell people expensive reusable metal straws in small kits. That's obviously not what Noel is using, and I ran across this Reddit thread in r/singing explaining that you don't need to buy those kits: https://www.reddit.com/r/singing/comments/17h5ozt/do_i_really_need_to_invest_in_the_fancy_60/
This article in The Mirror has a lot about how Noel started using straws to help his voice, quotes from a 2022 podcast that you'd otherwise have to join Patreon to listen to. I can't quote more than 4 paragraphs of that section, but it starts with Noel explaining he learned about this while touring with U2 in Australia in 2019, after waking up one morning with his voice "shattered" after a late party the night before. They had another gig the next day.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/odd-trick-noel-liam-gallagher-35525430
“So, I went to see a vocal specialist in Melbourne. I go in there and the guy says, ‘Sit down Mr. Gallagher, so I believe your voice is a bit crook?’ I said, ‘Yeah. It’s a bit f*****, I’ve been on the road for a couple of years.’
He said, ‘Do you warm up before you go on stage?’ I said, ‘A bit, but I don’t really like belting it out.’ To cut a long story short he gave me this straw, just a normal paper straw, and he said, ‘Half an hour before you go on, in your room, put some music on and put this straw in your mouth and just hum along to whatever comes on and your vocal cords will warm up.’ I went, ‘Really?’ And he said, ‘Just try it mate, it will change your life.’ I did and it’s an amazing little trick.
“I was a bit sceptical, but it really does work. Usually it would take me a couple of tunes to get into it and now I’m straight into it, straight off the bat. I carry them everywhere now, I have a little pot of paper straws. Some of the girls in the office went, ‘Are you smoking again? People saw you carrying around a cigarette backstage, looks so cool.’ I was like, ‘No, it’s just a straw to warm up with.’
“The doctor said to me, ‘Maybe do it for half an hour after so you warm down.’ I would get on the bus and it would take half an hour to get back, I’d hum a little ditty on the way back whilst checking messages on my phone and you’re all good.”
He said, ‘Do you warm up before you go on stage?’ I said, ‘A bit, but I don’t really like belting it out.’ To cut a long story short he gave me this straw, just a normal paper straw, and he said, ‘Half an hour before you go on, in your room, put some music on and put this straw in your mouth and just hum along to whatever comes on and your vocal cords will warm up.’ I went, ‘Really?’ And he said, ‘Just try it mate, it will change your life.’ I did and it’s an amazing little trick.
“I was a bit sceptical, but it really does work. Usually it would take me a couple of tunes to get into it and now I’m straight into it, straight off the bat. I carry them everywhere now, I have a little pot of paper straws. Some of the girls in the office went, ‘Are you smoking again? People saw you carrying around a cigarette backstage, looks so cool.’ I was like, ‘No, it’s just a straw to warm up with.’
“The doctor said to me, ‘Maybe do it for half an hour after so you warm down.’ I would get on the bus and it would take half an hour to get back, I’d hum a little ditty on the way back whilst checking messages on my phone and you’re all good.”
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