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To: VOCALIST <vocalist>
From: Sally Collyer
Subject: Re: Breath support
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

If I understand it correctly, this thread is about running out of breath at
the end of a phrase. What about the following scenaria?

The singer is in the midst of a phrase and, for whatever reason, feels he
(or she, naturally) is running out of breath. Reasons, "I must conserve my
air reserves." Increases laryngeal resistance (stiffens vocal folds and
presses them together). Vocal folds are now stiffer and so require more
pressure to open them. (Loss of Bernoulli effect, now on the pressed side
of optimum efficiency.) More air is required to drive this new adjustment.
Runs out of air even quicker.

Alternatively:

The singer is in the midst of a phrase and, for whatever reason, feels he
(or she, naturally) is running out of breath. Reasons, "I must use my
remaining air most efficiently." Reduces laryngeal resistance to the
minimum possible to sustain pitch and loudness. (Maximises mucosal wave,
Bernoulli effect.) Imagery: continuing the flow of air, not damming it
back, open-throated.


I offer these for discussion because my finding in my studio is that
running out of air in phrases can almost always be traced back to the
initiation of fear causing inhibition of airflow. (I say 'almost always'
in deference to the potential for other factors to be at play but in fact I
haven't actually found one singer who has run out of air, just those who
run out of the ability to use it.) Singers grip with their throats and
lose that feeling of freedom and flow. It's a reflex ... and we have to
overcome it.

Sally