Mike, I agree with you that the tip of the tongue should resting
against the back of the lower teeth. I have an article here to share
with you and other people, it was written by David L. Jones. He has a
website at www.voiceteacher.com. To save your time, Im just going to
copy-n-paste a portion of the article on tongue.
"So many teachers and singers are confused about the healthy position
of the tongue in singing. I have worked directly with singers who
have studied a 'flat tongued' technique and attempt to sing on this
type of production. The flat-tongued technique is basically a non-
productive futile attempt to find more acoustical space in the
throat. I can tell you without hesitation that this is an incorrect
and damaging technique. If the tongue is flat, then the mass of
muscle at the back of the tongue (tongue root) is forced into the
pharynx. This fills up the primary resonator (pharynx) with tongue
mass which can be compared to singing with a pillow in one's throat.
Trying to teach a singer with such a background can be a difficult
journey at best. Healthy nasal resonance cannot be present in a flat-
tongued technique. It is important to understand that healthy nasal
resonance (not nasality) is the only concept that completely releases
tension at the root of the tongue.
In a flat-tongued technique, the singer is primarily using a
technique which does not allow for a healthy change of register as
one ascends upward within any scale or arpeggio. The root of the
tongue places direct pressure or stress at the vocal cords or
glottis. After hearing a singer trained in this destructive
technique, it becomes obvious that this incorrect vocal concept does
not allow for the healthy pivoting of the vocal folds. Therefore
there cannot be a healthy transition into the head voice register.
Loss of high notes is typical in such an approach to singing. When
the tongue is too flat, then the singer has to force the voice into
the upper register with a tremendous amount of breath pressure. This
breath pressure irritates the vocal cords and the result is usually
hoarseness and an inability to phonate healthily. Some singers have
also suffered damage such as vocal hemorrhage, bowed vocal cords,
nodules, or polyps from singing with the tongue depressed or flat.
This constant pressure on the larynx and vocal cords created by this
technique is completely unhealthy for the voice. I warn teachers and
singers that those who pursue such a technique to get a 'bigger
sound' (this kind of sound is only big in a small room and is quite
small in a theatre.) can destroy their vocal health. "
One way to feel the correct tongue position is by using [v]
consonant. When you sing [vi, ve, va], your tip of the tongue should
not move from the initial position created by the consonant [v].
Just my two cents.
Richard
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