Kristina,
As a present singer, and a former saxophone/clarinet player, I have some
ideas about what might be going on. First, the clarinet takes much more air
than singing. When I tried to do both the same way, I was really
over-blowing. Also, there is a degree of mouth, jaw, and throat tension
necessary to play a wind instrument. My guess is that she is carrying this
over into her singing - probably without realizing it. One's throat has to
be open to a greater degree when playing clarinet, but if you tried to sing
that way, you'd get a back, throaty tone. Last, but certainly not least, is
that you get used to an incredible amount of air resistance when playing a
reed instrument. Not as bad as oboe, but clarinet isn't far behind. If she
is used to feeling that resistance playing clarinet, my bet is that she's
creating that resistance in her singing.
What really helped me was the concept of singing with a slimmer tone. Not
less air - I stopped the air when I thought of that - but a skinny stream of
air flowing freely. Tounge and lip trills were great for this. So were
staccato excercises.
I hope this is useful,
Jean Marie Henderson
>From: kriswrite@a...
>Reply-To: vocalist-temporary@yahoogroups.com
>To: vocalist-temporary@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: Re: [vocalist] Singer with heavy, dark, flat head voice
>Date: Sun, 1 Dec 2002 12:25:29 EST
>
>Thank you very much for your suggestions.
>
>She definitely does not have a problem with over-opening her mouth. Most of
>the time it's about right...occasionally, she closes off her sound by
>keeping
>her mouth too-closed. We are working on this, and it helps to a small
>degree
>with her intonation. I also don't think a "floppy" jaw is her problem.
>
>We are working on glottal vs. non-glottal attacks. But this does not seem
>to
>affect her main problems, either. I would have guess that she has a problem
>with placement--that is too far back. But her former teacher taught her
>mask
>placement very well (to the peril of other things...). When I try to
>correct
>her placement, it doesn't seem to change her heavy, dark, flat sound very
>much. And she does not have much of a tension problem.
>
>I have asked her to sing with as little airflow as possible, and this DOES
>seem to help with her excessive breathiness in her head voice.
>
>It may be worth noting that she's a clarinet player, too. I have a feeling
>that the way she plays her instrument is directly affecting the way she
>breathes when she sings. (I've also found that when she sits and sings, her
>sound quality improves...again, I think this a habit formed from her wind
>instrument.)
>
>As I think I mentioned before, her sound is much clearer and
>healthier-sounding when she's in her chest voice. It's when she goes to her
>head voice that this ugly, heavy, dark, flat sound occurs.
>
>I'm a little baffled...and perhaps more so just because she is such a
>promising student with so much natural talent.
>
>Kristina
_________________________________________________________________
|
|  |
