Vocalist.org archive


From:  Gina <classicalsinger@e...>
Gina <classicalsinger@e...>
Date:  Thu Apr 5, 2001  3:31 am
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] not opening the mouth- suggestions from leading soprano


This is not the first time I have heard this "let a lot of air flow
through" concept. The first time I heard it was from a Doctoral
Professor at the University of Akron. I left the MM program because of
her. This was in 1993-6. Again I heard this concept at the University
of Arizona from two professors who teach alike, one of which recently
accepted a position at a prominent School of Music in NYC as a
professor. I always questioned it/ran from it because it goes against
the concept of appoggio as I know it... Miller/McKinney etc.
This soprano (who advised not to open the mouth, etc.) has big,
beautiful high notes (in spite of her technique?) but they seem
disconnected from the rest of the voice, and the middle is rather
wobbly. But she is working, working, working!!!
I am sorry I do not give more information about myself but prefer not to
at this time for my own reasons. Please understand.


Gina


"michael.chesebro" wrote:

> She also suggested
> >> pushing out the lower abdomen but increasing the
> >> amount of air flow on the top notes. "The top notes
> >> are almost all air."
> >
> If I wanted to give a singer a nodule, the first thing I would do is
> tell
> him/her to push air. Make your voice airy. Let lots of air through.
> The
> vocal folds work by resisting airflow. You can take that principle
> too
> far, however, all the wrecked voices I've encountered were air
> pushers. A
> singer often has no idea why their voice functions in a particular
> way.
> They have suspicions that they may believe in, but, applied to another
>
> voice could be disastrous.
>
> If you've had years of lessons, then you must have this instinct.


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