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From:  Greypins@a...
Date:  Mon Apr 8, 2002  3:09 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] nasal consonants as 'head voice' triggers (NOT!)

caio,

lots of exercises can trigger 'head voice'. i would even say, for
some people, using nasal sounds can trigger 'head voice'. especially in the
case of those who become overly mechanical about a particular activity,
reminding them of the target and not the method, is useful in triggering the
desired result. and, for those who stumble across 'head voice' using
nasals, i am beside myself with joy.

however, there are just as many people who are led away from 'head
voice' by the use of nasals. in addition to just sounding nasal, that
action that would trigger them into 'head voice', is avoided. for example:
let's take the singer for whom a yawn might neurologically trigger 'head
voice'. as the velar port is closed during a yawn, this experience is least
likely to resemble the nasal sensation you are so fond of. so, for this
singer, nasals would take them away from that very trigger they need.

in the case of both trigger examples, while both might trigger 'head
voice', they create a problem at the next level when encountering words that
are formed by the opposing configuration. obviously, if the use of a
trigger is necessary for a singer to find 'head voice', the work must
continue in abstracting that which is 'head voice' away from its trigger so
that 'head voice' may be used without a trigger and may be applied in
situations that are opposite to the trigger.

the initial problem that generated this discussion, had the singer
looking for sensations peculiar to the trigger, not 'head voice'. the
problem arose from her teacher using the teacher's own personal perceptions
as a description of how it should 'feel' to this student, as if these
perceptions are universal. they are not. in tasting the same batch of
caviar, one taster might describe it as salty, another as fishy and a third
as both. until the fourth person tastes this same batch, it is hard to
predict how they will react. until a singer accomplishes a feat, it is hard
to say if their description will match the teacher's or, be completely
different.

mike






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