> experience, I am completely unable to make any form
> of the UH vowel sound forward or upper such that it
> will sound like the AH vowel in "File" without
> greatly distorting my vocal tract and creating
> strong amounts of tension. Have you learned to
> sing with an accommodation of the vocal tract
When I say the word, "cup" or "up," the vowel is
naturally forward. It's not a schwa -- it's a
combination of an Italian [a] and a mental image of
the sound between my front teeth and slightly above my
upper lip. When I talk to my friends and say the word
"duh," it's completely different. If you say [ap]
like an Italian (a little more relaxed with the
corners of the mouth -- as far as you can get from
[ae] as in cat while still pronouncing the forward
file-like [a]), that's how I say "up" naturally.
Doesn't that sound like "up" to you? I'm a native San
Franciscan, if that sheds light on regional
differences.
I just tried this out on my husband. If you smile
slightly and say the word "up" in a pleasant, soothing
voice -- that's the forward quality. If I elongate
the word and say "uuuuuuuuuuuuup" the vowel is
actually [aaaaaaaaa]. But a slightly longer position;
more relaxed in the mouth opening. It must just the
the forward way I say "up" and "cup."
I first started doing this because my teacher
suggested that I start singing an "UH as in up" in one
of my lessons; it worked so well to get the tone out
of the throat that we kept it. If she had said, "sing
the AH's like the UH as in duh," that concept would
have gotten thrown in the trash can. So it must just
be my [a]like way of saying UP.
Isabelle B.
=====
Isabelle Bracamonte
San Francisco, CA
ibracamonte@y...
ibracamonte@y...
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