"Rule" #1: All vowels, including i, are created with the tongue and the
lips. The jaw should not be involved at all, except to freely move to
open/close as needed to accommodate whatever part of the range one is
singing in (jaw more closed in lower register, jaw easily dropped open -
not forced down - in upper register).
"Rule" #2: Some very small amount of "spreading" (horizontal vs. purely
vertical stretch of the lips) may be helpful *for some singers* to brighten
the i and e sounds in particular, i.e., to prevent "covering". But it's
best not to start out with any "spreading", but instead to create your i
(or e) entirely using the tongue.
"Rule" #3: HEAR the pure i sound in your mind before you attempt to sing
it. Indeed, hear every sound in your mind before you attempt to sing it.
Hearing the correct vowels, correct consonants, correct notes, desired
coloratura, etc., is the best way to actually SING the correct vowels,
consonants, and notes, desired coloratura, etc.
"Rule" #4: The higher you sing, the more you have to drop open your jaw.
The higher you sing, the more you have to "modify" the vowel sound.
THINKING a "tight" i as you sing in your upper register while actually
singing a modified "loose" i (more of an e/a in actual fact) will, believe
it or not, make the modified "loose" i sound like the "real, tight" i.
"Rule" #5: The only part of the tongue that rises and lowers is the front.
How to determine the "front" (vs. middle or back) of the tongue. Place the
tip of your tongue against your upper front teeth. Flatten the part right
behind the tip against the hard palate. Feel where the hard palate stops
and the dip of the soft palate begins. The "front" of the tongue - and the
only part you should ever consciously move for articulation - is the part
that touches the hard palate and teeth. Of course the rest of the tongue
will "go along for the ride" when you move the front of the tongue - but
when you lift the tongue to create the "i", if you focus on the front only,
you'll be far less likely to raise from the middle or back, which will
create undesirable tension in the root of the tongue that can cause a
"strangulated" sound that translates, in the upper register, as a shrill
sound with few or no overtones.
Karen Mercedes
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