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From:  Debra Johnson <debbiejo53142@y...>
Date:  Sat Feb 1, 2003  10:53 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] The Language of Singing

Hi Peggy:

You wrote:
"Practice isolates certain movements or combinations
of movements when the intellect is involved"

I love that, but imagine if we could label those
movements specifically and train those specific
movements systematically rather than dispense o
altitudos!

From my experience with my voice teachers, I would say
what they primarily offer me are finely tuned ears.
And that feedback is helpful; but the imagery -- their
language (they ususally trot out a new metaphor every
week) has not been of great help to me to improve what
it is that they hear. In fact, I think my athletic
trainer has a far better sense of the actual
physiology involved in my physical muscular
coordination (perhaps it's more visible) than my voice
teachers have of the physiology of my vocal function
(I keep hearing the most astonishing claims that are
routinely refuted on this list -- one benefit of
belonging to this list). What I miss from my voice
teachers, often, though not always, are simple
physiological directions as to what to do to improve
-- the kind of thing one would expect any athletic
trainer to provide.

I am working on remedying that. But, pretending, for
example, that my throat is an elevator shaft is about
as helpful in improving my singing as telling someone
to pretend to be a bunny while practicing the
broad-jump -- not saying that you are claiming that,
incidentally, but while I'm on a roll . . .

I suspect that imagery and metaphor mark for the
teacher some personal milestone or function achieved
and therefore has great personal significance for them
and referring to it becomes a kind of personal
short-hand. But not having had the same personal
experiences that led to the coining of the metaphor,
much of the imagery and many of the metaphors feel to
me to be rungless ladders.

For what it's worth.

best,

Deb.

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