I just saw this post and am jumping in, so I'm not sure what the entire thread should be. However, here is my pet peeve about "pushing" support, breathing etc, as vocalists and vocal teachers. If it hurts, don't do it! and certainly, don't keep on doing it. In my opinion, one of the greatest misnomers in vocal pedagogy is this idea of teaching "support." From a physiological standpoint, how much air does it really take to move two pieces of tissue that are maybe 1/4 inch to a 1/3 of an inch long?Pushing more air through the trachea and through the vocal cords does not make them vibrate more efficiently. If anything, the extra air pressure will cause the cords to blow apart and the stronger muscles of the larynx (the swallowing muscles, sorry for laymen's terms) will have to get involved to keep the cords adducted. We then get a larynx that is moving up and down throughout a scale, and the end result is fatigue, tightness, and possible injury. Simply, support is the feeling we get as the result of proper singing, not the process to get proper singing. We feel support, or what I call compression, as we sing higher, because as the cords shorten and thin, there is less and less vibrating mass. Therefore, there is a longer and longer amount of cord that is dampened, or that is closed and holding back the air pressure.That is the feeling of support. In reality, it takes less and less air pressure as we sing higher and higher, because there is less vibrating mass and length of the cord to move. So, in short, if you are focusing on increasing your lung capacity, the strength of your abdominal muscles etc., in order to increase your singing technique, the only real thing you'll end up with is a great looking set of abs. Which, may or may not, help you in landing a really great role. I have a great story about a professional tenor,( told by Dr. Izdebski of the PVSF), who dislocated one of the cartileges in his larynx, because he was trying to increase his lung capacity by swimming under water and holding his breath for extended amounts of time. Guess what? He now no longer sings at all........too much pressure for those little guys above the trachea to withstand, something had to give, and it was in his larynx. Thanks for listening folks! Happy Singing, Mary Beth Felker-Osborn
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