Mike,
With utmost respect I must ask you, why did you go down this road speaking
of what his influences are doing? The bottom line is this guy came here
asking the fine people on this list to reveal some details of the craft
which is singing to him which is what he aspires to. It doesn't necessarily
matter what his influences are doing technique-wise. What matters is that he
doesn't ruin his voice trying to imitate or duplicate them. I know
first-hand that he is going to do it with or without a teacher's approval. I
know I did! So why not alleviate that step of letting the guy go out there
develop miserable habits, tensions, etc. Then spend 2+ years just getting
back to square 1?! Its ludicrous.
And that comment about trained meaning different things to different
people: I am not sure where you were going with that. I know quite a few
pop, rock and metal singers who are just as diligent with heir training,
technique, vocal usage, voice care as any opera singer, myself included. In
fact, the woman whom I just started studying with in NYC, (who is an
associate of Seth Riggs), is a true operatic soprano, (had opera career
singing in major houses throughout Europe). Her name is Badiene Magaziner.
If she says something is healthy singing, I trust that. I mean one can not
listen to a singer like Geoff Tate and not hear that the man is massively
trained and has his vocal chops in fine order. But I am not here to debate
the validity of pop/rock/metal singing vs. classical/opera because that is a
poor dead horse that has been beaten bloody and senseless.
To the original poster, blues singer, you NEED to find someone who is
capable of teaching/guiding you towards the attainment of sound vocal
technique. You see, if you try and "make" your chest voice go higher, you
are not allowing the cords to thin out and you're blasting air at the cords
trying to maintain that cord thickness and the resonance isn't being allowed
to shift upwards and vowels to modify. Your larynx is climbing up your
throat I'm guessing and you're seeing and feeling external muscle
involvement in the tone-making process. I am guessing things are sounding
pinched, strained, splatty, flat, no ring, resonance, etc. I know this all
too well cuz its the way I used to sing! Its a dead end road, believe me!!
As you ascend, you will feel the voice wanting to shift somewhere around D
or E above Middle C. This is your first bridge (passagio). Now when you are
approaching that area, I am guessing that you start to blast air at your
cords to maintain the thickness of chest register through the bridge. Thus
you're keeping that sound in your mouth, your mouth and the vowel are
widening horizontally, your external muscles are coming in to try and assist
the muscles inside the larynx in holding back the massive amount of air
you're blasting at them. Pressure is building underneath the glottis
(subglottal pressure), you reach a certain point and the cords being
stretched like this and not allowed to thin then shorten can't stretch any
further, this coupled with the massive subglottal pressure demands a release
thus the cords blow open and you hear a distinct cracking/breaking sound and
then, you, my friend, have landed in falsetto. That's my guess at what is
occurring. Let me know how close I am. ;)
And you more qualified folks, especially SLSrs, please help me out here.
Randy, Roccio, Barry, Mary Beth - help me out guys! :=)
Yours In Music,
Denis J. Lanza
Lead Vocalist - Infinity Minus One
-----Original Message-----
From: Greypins@a...]
Sent: Friday, September 28, 2001 9:27 PM
To: vocalist-temporary@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [vocalist] Question about Singing
denis,
you have to admit that there is a wide range of that which is considered
'trained'. i agree with you about the number of rock singers who would be
classified as baritones who manage to sing extremely high. chris cornell,
obviously, can sing extremely high and with reckless abandon. my concern
for the original poster is that it seems he has been catagorized as a
baritone. as he is interested in music where such designations are
inappropriate, it seems that he is headed down the road of frustration with
regard to his vocal instruction.
mike
|
