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Vocal Mechanism Coursework |
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Singing can be referred to as "sustained speech." To sustain, or hold, a singing tone we need more breath than for a short spoken tone. The vocal cords produce tone when set in vibration by "breath pressure." Singing involves four main body systems that, together, form the vocal mechanism:
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The breath system itself consists of the following parts:
Breathing apparatus functions can be best understood if broken down into segments:
Breathing: Normally supplies Oxygen, and carries off waste matter. The act of breathing, called "Respiration," consists of two parts: inhalation and expiration. The amount of air we respire is automatically governed by our needs. When sitting still breathing calmly, we need very little Oxygen. In turn, when running, we need great amounts of Oxygen, expelling large amounts of air through the open mouth. When singing, both still and agitated forms of breathing are used:
While breathing through the nose is relaxing and restful, it can only be done in singing during fairly long rests in the music. This should be the exception, and not the rule. Taking advantage of such rests, we find that a combination of mouth and nose breathing is an ideal method. Posture: Good posture is a must in order to breathe properly. To find correct posture, lean against a wall with your back. The back of the heels, hips, shoulders, and head should touch the wall firmly. The head should be held so that the eyes may naturally look straight ahead. Key indicators:
NOTE: When singing, do not constrain portions of the throat by tilting your head downwards. This has the same effect as putting a kink on a water hose, thereby restricting water flow. This is typical of individuals looking down on the choir director, while standing on an elevated platform. The head must look straight forward, while placing slight elevation on the chin. As tones elevate, so should the chin elevate in order to overcome restrictions and simplify tonal delivery. Breath Control: It means knowing how:
Expelling breath is controlled by the diaphragm and the muscles of the lower ribs and abdomen. The diaphragm is like a recoil spring, "pushing" the lungs back into relaxed position after taking a breath. It is this same diaphragm that, much like a bag pipe, controls the "power" of sound coming out by controlling its "recoil" or "deflation" characteristics. These muscles gradually exert pressure inwards. As they do, they create pressure on the air in the lungs. This causes air to pass up and out through the throat containing the vocal chords. These, in turn, automatically shape themselves for the tone you want, and the breath pressure sets them in vibration. While exhaling, the chest NEVER sinks down. For if it did, your breath system would collapse and you could not support the tone. The tone must be supported by controlled breath. Lie flat on your back and breathe quietly. You will note that the soft frontal area below the breast bone and the lower ribs swell out a little as you inhale. The bottom of the lungs inflates the most. The parts of the torso around the bottom of the lungs are movable and can stretch outward. This is the way nature intended for us to breathe. Using any other method would be incorrect. When we take a deep breath, the breath system acts as follows:
After breathing in, air is expelled slowly and steadily. You must control the amount of breath you emit. When singing, you must sing a group of notes on one breath: notes carry a group of words, like a sentence, and the word-group conveys a thought. This is known as a "phrase." Just like putting commas and other grammatical components where inappropriate, breathing in the middle of a phrase spoils both the flow of the melody and the meaning of the words. It is also not artistic to end a phrase feeling out of breath. The amount of breath you must inhale is decided by the length of the phrase you must sing. Short breath for a short phrase, etc. If you have more breath than you need, you place an unnecessary strain on your breathing muscles, running the risk of making tones sound "breathy." But, in the beginning, you must strengthen the breath system. Therefore, you must learn to control long breaths. Exercise: To make sure that you chest does not collapse, practice this exercise before a mirror. This exercise should be done every morning. The average beginner is able to repeat the alphabet only about two or two and a half times in one breath. But after a few weeks, the student will be able to do eight alphabets in one breath.
The vocal chords can accomplish only a few things: produce a tone, give a tone a certain pitch, and produce tones in different registers. The endless variety of tone color, the whole range of emotional expression, lies in the use of other organs. These have to be trained with the same careful attention that we bestow upon the training of the vocal chords. To help form a clear picture of the phonating system and its functions, we outline it under three headings: the vocal cords, the larynx, and the registers. Vocal Cords: The vocal bands are about one-half inch long in men, and a bit shorter in women. They are quite strong, but must not be abused. These can injure, and even be ruined. To produce a tone:
Larynx: Optimal results occur by standing still, and maintain a pleasant expression. The tone producing system works automatically and must be relaxed. This does not mean flabbiness, but controlled relaxation. Registers: a certain group of tones sung with a certain muscular adjustment of the vocal cords. At the points where registers change, vocal muscles readjust themselves automatically. This muscular change may disturb the beginner, who may then tighten the throat and try to force one muscular adjustment to do the work of two or more registers. This can be dangerous. But no trouble need be encountered if the student is particularly careful to:
All musical instruments have sound producing mechanisms and resonating systems. In the human body, the phonating system creates the actual sound: which is weak and often unpleasant, similar to removing the tone producing container from a wind instrument and making sounds through the mouthpiece alone -- yikes! Just like the instrument's extended tone cavity, the same applies to the human voice. There are two main factors to consider in a resonating container: the material, and the air it contains. The resonating system activates to:
When voice is projected outwards, the entire body vibrates with the force and tone being produced, thereby adding "color" and "timber" to the sound. As such, air delivery, posture, and the shaping of the mouth (articulation, discussed in a further topic below) all play an important, integrated role in the production of tonal sound. Articulation depends on various parts of the mouth. It complies with the physical pronunciation of consonants and vowels, that is, "diction." Proper sound enunciation involves controlled relaxation of all facial and mouth muscles, mainly the tongue and lips. This means that:
Tips for articulate success:
Soft, slow singing require utmost control of the entire vocal mechanism. Singing connectedly, and not in hick-up like bursts, is the basis of good performance, but used discriminately. When singing in a vocal section, strive for synchronization with your section to achieve a "single voice" objective. That is, all voices "start" and "stop" at the same time, otherwise a "machine gun" effect turns up robbing the section of impact, power, and lyrical comprehension by the audience. The student must practice tonality with a musical instrument as a guide, in order to build up tonality, pitch, and hearing. |
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