> My college voice professor tells me that I should > place the tone/sound/resonance in my nasal area, > however, it seems to make everything I sing sound too > nasal.
You have to make sure the palate is up when placing the sound in the mask or it may seem nasal. Now, does it sound nasal in your head, to YOU, or nasal out in the room to the listener. BIG DIFFERENCE. What you hear is not what they hear out there. When my voice is right, in my head, it sounds nasal, or whiny and very small like a little girl. Out there it is BIG and round but forward.
> Also, she is telling me to keep my lips "numb" > and only move up and down, like an oval type shape.
The lips don't have to be overly involved in the production of the sound. Work for freedom and relaxation. It sounds like your teacher is helping you get a rounder, warmer sound. This approach is sometimes called the "idiot jaw." I think it is a means to an end... to achieve relaxation and freedom which is so very important.
> > This is hard for me because I went to a different > college last year and a different voice professor who > told me to move my mouth as much as possible. wide > for e and so on.
The widening of the mouth for ee and ay in the middle to low voice can result in an overly bright, tinny, brassy tone and is undesirable. My voice teacher recently observed a Richard Miller master class and she told me how one girl inhaled and smiled, lifting the cheeks and widening the mouth and he finally just said to stop doing that because it made the sound tinny. She sang much more beautifully with an oval mouth. It sounds to me like you are working on some very important and good concepts. At a minimum, you should be able to DO these things, and see how you like the result. Tape your lessons. I think it's a good direction to move in. Be patient. Stick with it. This takes time!!! Years.
Good luck, Gina
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