Taylor (and Reg) (and other non-nasal resonance folks),
This one, I'm afraid, goes squarely in the "agree to disagree" category. If we could get together and sing for a while, I could demonstrate what I mean. There are plenty of working singers and teachers out there who disagree with you, and that's fine! It's certainly not my mission to convince you of what, through many years of lessons with several fine teachers and much experimentation, I have found to be true. I would also suggest that scientific findings can be interpreted in various ways to support various viewpoints. In any case, I would not expect you to disagree with your mentor!
Suffice it to say that two of the things that people often comment on about my voice are its ring and its richness. And yes, I can sing with a low larynx at the same time as I employ nasal resonance, and no, there is not "noise" in the sound. The raised velum is not either black or white, up or down, sealed or not sealed; it can be raised to varying degrees, and a very fine balance can be achieved allowing just a tiny bit of air through the nose while at the same time allowing for a spacious, rounded pharyngeal space. The sound is not nasal, and its ring is markedly increased. The amount of air I refer to here is so small as not to decrease the length of the line that may be sung without running out of breath, as compared to singing the same line with the velum sealed.
Finally, please do not suggest that our disagreement implies that I have not studied vocal anatomy and physiology; I have, and quite extensively. I couldn't agree more that scientific investigation into vocal production can only help us as teachers and singers, and it behooves us to be as informed as we can possibly be. But I suggest that, as with most things in life, and especially with an art as subjective as singing, we will draw different conclusions from our studies, we will continue to hold some differing opinions, and there will be times when our conclusions will overlap and we will agree. As a student of voice science, please don't fall into the trap of believing that, because you have some scientific information behind you, there is only one answer and you have found it. This is a rich and varied subject that we have chosen for our life's work, with rich and varied approaches to it. And ideally, learning is a lifelong effort for all of us in this field.
Robin Lynne Frye Mezzo-Soprano Voice and Piano Teacher New York, New York
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