Date sent: Tue, 1 Feb 2000 09:31:22 EST
Subject: Re: Just a reply to a few questions :)
To: vocalist
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

roxanne,
i stongly urge you to find out all about the larynx and how it works.
the vocal folds are in the larynx. if they don't work right, all the
breathing and standing up right will mean nothing.
hoarse but clear could be a couple of things. when you tighten your butt
and yours abs, it is 99% likely you will also tighten your throat. if your
larynx has previously bobbed up and down and is now being held in place, the
muscles outside your larynx could get sore from doing something new. you
could also have acid reflux.
the idea of projection causes lots of problems. sound, being a wave,
travels in a spherical direction from its scource, the vibrating vocal folds.
the purpose of breath in singing is to vibrate the vocal folds, not to blow
the sound to the audience. if you can't blow a candle out across a room, how
do people hear you? must be something else. think of how easy it is to make
sound with a piano without blowing into it (hey! maybe that's my problem!)
understanding how the voice works does not make you sing well (ever hear
a laryngologist sing?). but, understanding how the voice works can help you
eliminate actions that don't work. usually, if you are doing something that
doesn't work, you're lucky if it is only a waste of time. i hope this is
helpful.

mike