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From:  Greypins@a...
Greypins@a...
Date:  Mon Jan 1, 2001  10:17 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] Re: Resonance and Tone Color


In a message dated 1/1/2001 1:00:13 PM Eastern Standard Time,
lloyd.hanson@n... writes:

<< Singing is different from speech. But the resonance function of the vocal
tract is more alike between singing and speech than it is different. That
resonance function similarity is most present in vowel production. It has
been my experience that a singer makes the fastest and smoothest
improvement when he/she is becomes more aware of the function of the
elements of the vocal tract in producing each spoken vowel, and the
formation of the vocal tract for the singing form of a vowel is built on
the formation of the vocal tract for the speech form of the vowel. >>

lloyd,

i have to agree with what you say completely. i also have to admit i'm
a little surprised you said it, given our discussion on operatic singing
verses pop singing toward the end of the last millenium.

there are many types of music (musical theater, folk, pop, 'easy
listening', various 'world' musics, etc.) that are sung as an extension of
speech. the variety of singing is as wide as the variety of the people
doing the singing. operatic singing, especially that of the female opera
singer is, to my ears, as far from speech as possible (maybe amy vanderbilt
comes close or, julia childs). perhaps you are suggesting it as a place to
start.

if you are familiar with teresa stratas' weill recordings, in the lower
range her singing is much more speech-like than in her higher range. the
high range seems radically different from the lower range as opposed to being
an extension of it. also, julia migenes cd 'smile' exhibits quite a bit of
speech-like singing and it seems that it is only for the effect that she uses
her more operatic production.

i would think female opera singers, singing mostly in
'whatever-the-hell' voice it is as opposed to the same voice they speak with,
would be required, according to the approach you suggest, to speak in their
'head' voice in order to establish the appropriate model. (if male opera
singers use their speech as a model, most of them must talk like ted baxter.)

a big advantage to using one's speech as a model for singing is removing
the need for 'constructing' expression. just as one is expressive when
speaking while only intending to get a point across, if the singing is an
extension of one's speech, one need only to stick to the subject in order to
be expressive.

mike


  Replies Name/Email Yahoo! ID Date Size
8021 Female High Registers and Opera Lloyd W. Hanson   Tue  1/2/2001   4 KB

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