I just saw this post and am jumping in, so I'm not sure what the entire
thread should be. However, here is my pet peeve about "pushing" support,
breathing etc, as vocalists and vocal teachers.
If it hurts, don't do it! and certainly, don't keep on doing it.
In my opinion, one of the greatest misnomers in vocal pedagogy is this
idea of teaching "support." From a physiological standpoint, how much air
does it really take to move two pieces of tissue that are maybe 1/4 inch to a
1/3 of an inch long?Pushing more air through the trachea and through the
vocal cords does not make them vibrate more efficiently. If anything, the
extra air pressure will cause the cords to blow apart and the stronger
muscles of the larynx (the swallowing muscles, sorry for laymen's terms) will
have to get involved to keep the cords adducted. We then get a larynx that is
moving up and down throughout a scale, and the end result is fatigue,
tightness, and possible injury.
Simply, support is the feeling we get as the result of proper singing,
not the process to get proper singing. We feel support, or what I call
compression, as we sing higher, because as the cords shorten and thin, there
is less and less vibrating mass. Therefore, there is a longer and longer
amount of cord that is dampened, or that is closed and holding back the air
pressure.That is the feeling of support. In reality, it takes less and less
air pressure as we sing higher and higher, because there is less vibrating
mass and length of the cord to move.
So, in short, if you are focusing on increasing your lung capacity, the
strength of your abdominal muscles etc., in order to increase your singing
technique, the only real thing you'll end up with is a great looking set of
abs. Which, may or may not, help you in landing a really great role.
I have a great story about a professional tenor,( told by Dr. Izdebski of
the PVSF), who dislocated one of the cartileges in his larynx, because he was
trying to increase his lung capacity by swimming under water and holding his
breath for extended amounts of time. Guess what? He now no longer sings at
all........too much pressure for those little guys above the trachea to
withstand, something had to give, and it was in his larynx.
Thanks for listening folks!
Happy Singing,
Mary Beth Felker-Osborn
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