Vocalist.org archive


From:  "David Grogan" <dgrogan@e...>
Date:  Tue Sep 24, 2002  8:28 pm
Subject:  RE: [vocalist] Head to Chest transition - Lloyd


<<Mary Beth said, in replying to a post made by Lloyd:

Developing male voices: This is a point I disagree on also. By using the
correct exercises, I am able to get all of my male students into head voice,
irregardless of age. The emphasis is on learning the co-ordination first.
All voices function anatomically the same, therefore to say that some voices
don't/can't learn a co-ordination until a certain age, is to make a wrong
assumption. However, although the co-ordination can be learned, the amount
of sound/weight one puts on the voice is completely commensurate with age.
To avoid learning the co-ordination until a set age, would be to say that a
young adult male should not start exercising until he reaches a certain
height or weight because his body would not be completely developed until
then. Certainly, one would not ask a 15 year old to sound like a mature 30
year old dramatic tenor, but he can learn the co-ordination at a young age
and build strength as the growth of his larynx allows.

-----------------------

Mary Beth,

While I agree that all voices work anatomically the same, they generally do
not mature at the same age. The female voice is usually at a more stable
level of development in the early 20s when compared to the male voice of the
same age. And, actually, there are exercises (weight-lifting, especially)
that one shouldn't pursue until the body has matured. It has been shown
that weight-lifting at an early age can mess with the growth plates, and
actually stunt growth. At least, that is something I read several years
ago. I suppose it could be an urban myth. I've been had by those before.

My impression from reading Lloyd's post was not that he "avoided" working on
the coordination, but that, in his experience, it was difficult for men in
their early twenties.

My two cents,
David Grogan
Longview, Texas




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