Well... the middle of the voice is traditionally where most of your work in
solidifying your technique is done.
Regarding dynamic control : 1. Dynamics should be partly an increase in
breath flow but also very much a progressive change of resonance (I wish I
could underline that). 2. quiet should be focussed and fairly bright;
louder should be focused and fairly bright (the only difference is in the
spelling of 'focused' :o) )3. Don't get as quiet as you would in speaking
quietly -singing *is* supposed to be heard after all.
Size of mouth - every singer is *so* different, and the size and shape of
the mouth are at least as important in this as the psyche and the laryngeal
stuff. The ideal for bel canto was a fairly small mouth opening, though
there are many other approaches, and nowadays it is popular, and often but
not always effective, to open the mouth more on higher notes. For a
particular kind of vocal timbre the overall shape of the mouth is more
important than the absolute size of the opening. I would say you should
open the mouth as much as it needs to be open on a particular
vowel/pitch/dynamic and no more or no less. Stretching it way way open is
not going to be optimum.
Hydration is really important for a singer. I'm also a runner (quite
amateur, I confess) and runners are advised to drink enough that their
urine is almost clear. You could try checking the colour of your urine
periodically - to see how dark it is, and not forgetting that food with
some artificial colourings will affect the appearance of your urine. Beets
can cause unnecessary worry! Proper hydration not only keeps your mucous
membrane (on and around the vocal folds) healthty, but also helps healing.
Of course you can drink too much water - they say around eight glasses a
day is good.
I hope this helps, and if I've said anything totally goofy that someone
jumps in to save you!
john
still learning, fresh with the zeal of a current vocal pedagogy
practicum!
At 07:55 PM 1/11/01 +0000, you wrote:
>Thank you for your suggestions! You may have hit the nail on the
>head: I got started by singing in rock bands in high school, and
>after a couple of years of that I also did the jazz thing. On the
>one hand I got my high notes relatively early, but since then I don't
>feel like I've ever quite conquered the middle voice, or gotten much
>dynamic control. Do you think there's a connection? If so, what do
>I do about it?
>
>I'm glad you mentioned that your vibrato slows when the mouth is too
>open...I have been noticing that myself lately. Does anybody else's
>voice here respond that way? My mouth is smaller then 'average,' and
>I've been thinking lately that maybe I've been coached into opening
>it more than I should. Sound feasible?
>
>One final thing: could slight dehydration of the vocal folds or other
>health issues contribute to a slow vibrato and lack of dynamic
>control? I had an operation to correct a deviated septum and remove
>hyper-turbinates several years ago. I was living in Florida at the
>time, but since then have been attending school up north. In the
>drier climate I find I have to drink a large amount of water just to
>stay afloat. Also, what if any technical problems does acid reflux
>cause?
>
>many thanks!!
>-John
John Blyth
Baritono robusto e lirico
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
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