>
> << All you vocal gurus, what do you tell a student who
> refuses to use ANY effort to support? >>
>
> isabelle,
>
> unless you can explain to her clearly what exactly 'support' does and
how
> the method you suggest will do that, there will be little reason for her
to
> do it. in reading jerome hines' book 'great singers on great singing',
one
> could easily get the impression that not too many of them have any idea
what
> they are talking about (cornell macneil's warning seems most appropriate).
> obviously, they all have a feel for what they are talking about but can't
put
> it into any useful explaination (unless the reader is used to even vaguer
> descriptions). so, unless you can explain 'support' clearly or, somehow
> trick her into feeling it, she won't.
It is, seemingly a very difficult concept to grasp. I know that I have
recently realized (thanks to the help of my new teacher) that I have been
trying to use TWO breathing techniques at the same time. I thought I was
only working on the system that focuses on bringing the lower abs up and in,
and makes the upper abs protrude slightly. As it turns out, I have been
pushing out upper AND lower abs without even realizing it. This has caused
a great amount of subglottal pressure, and made singing difficult.
As far teaching students breathing, there is a concept in teaching of
"pendulum" swings. It seems to me that most ideas that are good ones can be
taken too far, and if a student continues too far (as I have, with excess
breath effort) on one "road", then they have to be brought back to balance.
I try to stress with my students this idea of balance, and let them know
that it might be appropriate for them, down the road, to work in the
opposite direction that they are currently working on.
Not hardly a vocal guru, but willing to share ideas,
David Grogan
Marshall, Texas
East Texas Baptist University
I also think it is important for singers to realize that they have to do
different things in their breathing for inhalation than they do for
exhalation. I find that Richard Miller's onset exercises help me a lot,
because I have to work on both, rather quickly, over and over.
That being said, if a student refuses to do what the teacher is asking them
to, I believe they should search for a teacher who teaches what they want.
No point in banging your head against a wall.
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