On Thu, 13 Apr 2000, Dre de Man wrote:
> And to become really naughty or nasty: I hate
> exercies! I am so happy I don't have to do them
> anymore! That stupid humming! You feel like a cow! I
> have honestly never learned anything from exercises. I
> think they are only good for a teacher, because with
> an exercise it is easy to hear what somebody does
> wrong. I can tell you, that I do a lot wrong when
> singing an exercise, I don't do wrong when singing the
> exact same notes in a piece.
Dear Dre and Vocalist:
Dre, I feel your pain! Your frustration is obvious, and I understand it
well. I don't know exactly how long you studied, but it sounds like taking
a break from instruction is a healthy decision. You're now transitioning
yourself into being your own voice teacher, and that's actually kind of
wonderful!
I would like to make a couple of observations about vocal exercises that I
hope will be of help to you: the goal of an exercise is to use the
necessary muscles for singing in a coordinated fashion, with just the right
amount of muscle contraction (too much contraction would produce unnecessary
tension). By muscles, that could mean laryngeal muscles, articulatory
coordinations and practicing them in sets and reps (like working out in a
gym), the hope is that you'll transfer those coordinations into any type of
song you like. Repetition is particularly important--this is what the
VoiceCare Network refers to as "taking target practice."
Think about playing darts, or learning to play darts. You don't always hit
the target, but you throw the dart, see where it lands, try to figure out
what happened, and then attempt to make a change on the next throw, so that
the dart gets closer to the bulls-eye. This is called "pathfinding
behavior." In other words, we are programmed to learn from mistakes as well
as success. We use the information we get to make changes and improvements
and modifications. Vocal exercises are pathfinders for singers. They help
us practice the necessary coordinations for healthy and expressive singing.
Therefore, they're good for your voice, as well as serving a diagnostic
purpose for the teacher.
Remember that the laryngeal and respiratory muscles function on the same
principles as other muscles. They respond well to careful and diligent
attention, they can hyper-function when not used wisely (when pushed beyond
their limitations), or they can atrophy from under-use.
The reason that I mention this is that I hope is that you won't stop
exercising your voice! If you want to sing professionally, then compare
yourself to an Olympic-caliber athlete. World-class athletes accept the
fact that to maintain their bodies in top condition, they are going to have
to put in a tremendous amount of time training. They don't skip the
warm-ups, exercises, or strength training, and go straight to the triathlon.
This is one of my greatest frustrations as a performer and teacher. Yes,
it's more interesting to "skip to the singing part." But I have seen voices
wrecked by this, and have come dangerously close to that myself.
When I was young and frisky, and rash and impetuous (and even obnoxious), I
pushed my voice beyond its limitations; I don't even think the word
"limitations" was in my vocabulary. I must have literally believed I was
damage-proof; that the laws of physics didn't apply to me. I sang without
warming up, I sang too much, I sang inappropriate repertoire, I sang too
loud, too high, I sang things into my voice by singing them over and over.
I can't do that anymore! I've learned that my voice eventually pays the
price, in terms of fatigue, wear and tear, or even potential damage. Even
if only for self-preservation, I have learned to be much more interested in
the foundational stuff; what goes into the building and maintenance of a
voice. I've learned to pay a great deal of attention to the foundational
stuff, before I get distracted by something more enticing. And I feel much
more confident because of it, both as a teacher and as a singer.
The fact that you mention difficulties in the exercises suggests to me that
you have some degree of unnecessary tension when you sing them. When you
sing the songs, could it be that you let go of that tension? If you dislike
exercises as much as you indicated, you could be "bracing" your body or
holding tension somewhere. The songs are more enjoyable (of course!:-), so
you let go. Something to think about.
Finally, one more suggestion. Now that you're on this break from study, why
don't you take this time, as you sing on your own, to read as much as you
can about anatomy and physiology of the voice? There are a lot of wonderful
texts out there, many of which have been mentioned on this list. Read
Richard Miller and Meribeth Bunch and Barbara Doscher; check out Bodymind
and Voice by Leon Thurman. Try to view the video series by Joan Wall. Read
about Alexander Technique or Feldenkrais, or even better, take some lessons
or a workshop. Sign up for a summer pedagogy workshop. If you're going to
be self-teaching, this is a fantastic opportunity for you.
I wish you luck--this is a very exciting time for you!
Cheers!
Jana
--
Jana Holzmeier
Dept. of Music
Nebraska Wesleyan University
5000 Saint Paul Ave.
Lincoln, NE 68504
jjh@n...
402-465-2284
Visit the Music Department website at http://music.nebrwesleyan.edu/
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