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Date sent: Tue, 8 Feb 2000 12:28:04 EST
Subject: Re: demise of the umlaut/rounded vowels
To: vocalist
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

In a message dated 02/08/2000 8:39:43 AM Pacific Standard Time,
ejohans-at-uoft02.utoledo.edu writes:

<< It is already pretty much gone in American,
so that I have to have my students exercise rounding and un-rounding their
lips, in order to activate the under-used buccinator muscles. Rounding is
most necessary for efficient acoustical singing. >>


I find the rounding of the lips so often advocated by choral folks, while it
does give the "impression" of head voice in untrained singers and tends to
unify the group sound, often actually keeps young singers from finding the
right "placement"(I know that term bugs some of you, but try to bear with
me). The over-concentration on formation of the lips seems to keep them
singing in the front of their mouths (with a rather shallow sound resulting)
rather than in the higher space toward the soft palate which results in the
beautiful warm & rich resonant head voice...with lots of ping! However, I
would hate to see the umlaut go away...I use the u umlaut a great deal in
vocal excercizes to help singers find head voice. I believe it is the fact
that the jaw retracts a bit (rather than the rounded lips) which makes this
vowel so effective in finding true head voice. Regards, Barbara