Dear Isabelle,
Thank you for your reply and I owe you an apology.
Your reference to a shrill tone brought to mind the image of a glass
hard tone on the verge of collapse on the basis that a shrill tone is
produced by a comparatively rigid technique. This led to my
assumption of potential instability.
>What I mean by a pointy, focus-heavy voice will be
>extremely solid, stable, and full of core. It just
>won't have the luxury of space around it yet for
>warmth and roundness.
>
Help me Isabelle, I cannot understand this. If a voice is "solid,
stable and full of core", then I can't visualise a need for improvement,
but if it lacks "space, warmth and roundness", then it couldn't be
"solid, stable and full of core." To me a shrill or cutting voice would
distinctly lack "core" and the marginal technique would place the
singer at death's door until it was modified.
(The technique, not the door. : )
>Young singers generally want to sound soft, delicate,
>warm, and pretty. Singers who try to add space and
>warmth to their voices without first lining it up into
>point and focus, end up with airy wobbles and the type
>of "unstable" voice that reminds you of a 60-year-old.
Like Pavarotti you mean? : ) But seriously, we're not talking of
beginners who haven't got past the breathy tone 'for effect' stage.
I think I can see what you're suggesting now!
You're saying, stay with the 'forward production' technique
until you focus to a hard shrill tone and then somehow introduce
an appropriate amount' of pharyngeal resonance until a balance
is achieved. Is that correct? If so it always eluded me and resulted
in a wandering vocal technique and I've always had a well focused
voice.
It occurs to me that with a focus like this, a fear of losing it
could discourage singers from venturing back to the dark side which
promises more intense lower harmonics and a solid vocal core.
Perhaps the relative ease with which I've been able to adopt the
dark side proves what you say to be correct, but it took considerable
perseverance before I was prepared to accept that it was to my
advantage, and the over-riding effect, is an increase in vocal
durability. That has to say something important, after-all many
singers don't like to admit to physical pain after singing, because they
hope to get on top of it some day, which never seems to arrive.
One more observation. I regard a ' warm voice ' as one that
has a balance of lower harmonics as well as freedom. A shrill voice
has neither.
I'm sure that in getting more common we're raising the general tone
but you'd better not mention it to you husband all the same. : )
Oh go on then, newly weds must not have secrets!
Regards Reg.
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