In a message dated 12/07/2000 8:24:19 AM Central Standard Time,
jfretwell@h... writes:
<< My voice teacher has been the person who tells me that I need to keep the
back of my tongue down for this vowel. He has explained that the back part
of the tongue rises slightly and touches the molars in the back for this
vowel. However, my tongue rises up A LOT on [i], especially at the top of my
range. I can see it myself when I sing in front of a mirror. I have been
struggling with this for awhile and am wondering if there is some
physiological reason why I cannot keep the back of my tongue down for this
vowel. >>
"What makes the [i] vowel most distinctive acoustically is the high, close
position of the tongue. With the exception of the apex of the tongue, which
contacts the lower teeth, the front of the tongue is elevated so that the
tongue arches almost to the roof of the mouth. The highest degree of tongue
elevation occurs in front of the middle point of the hard palate."
-- Richard Miller,
THE STRUCTURE OF SINGING, p. 71.
If you are producing an [i] in singing the way you speak it, this is what you
feel. If you jag around with the position of your tongue to artificially
produce space that is not inherent in the vowel, you will be distorting the
vowel and not keeping the vowel integrity.
Just my $0.02.
Christine Thomas
Wauwatosa, WI
<A HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/mezzoid/myhomepage/profile.html">
http://hometown.aol.com/mezzoid/myhomepage/profile.html</A>
"I love to sing-a, about the moon-a and the June-a and the spring-a"
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