Vocalist.org archive


From:  buzzcen@a...
buzzcen@a...
Date:  Mon Apr 9, 2001  3:02 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] THE AH VOWEL


In a message dated 4/8/01 11:44:06 PM Central Daylight Time,
lloyd.hanson@n... writes:
lloyd.hanson@n... writes:


> Randy and Vocalisters:
>
> I was not expressing a need to teach a raised soft palate as much as
> an awareness that this occurs quite naturally with the formation of
> some vowels.
>
> Thanks for the note.
>
>

That's cool. I had a rather disturbing conversation with a young, very
stubborn singer who kept ascribing mysterious properties to the soft palate
and the masque. When I talked to him about medial compression regardless of
registers, and vowel modifications, he acted as if the larynx had nothing to
do with phonation and that the cords should be parted and relaxed, which of
course would make it impossible to make sound. He also insisted that nodes
were caused by weak cords.

This poor child had obviously worked with some good singers from what he'd
told me (met singers), but like lots of great singers that teach they are
mostly ignorant of physiology and function. Those teachers are left to pass
along subjective experiences as fact, when they have nothing to do with fact
as possible.

Sorry if I came off as a little hasty Lloyd. The conversation with that
singer about the velum really rubbed me the wrong way.

Randy Buescher




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