Hello Matthew, you wrote:
Hi,
Well if you think your question is stupid, then I guess it’s okay to
give you my stupid answer ((grin)). I have answered this question in
my own to way to lots of people who just want to learn to sing. First
I’d like to address the following statement:
<<<learn how to sing correctly so
that you can sing mostly effortlessly and without hurting yourself>>>>
The problem here is that singing correctly isn’t exactly “effortless”.
Yes, singing well without neck, jaw, tounge, largynx tension will make
it so that your vocal mechanism stays healthy, but doing so is NOT
effortless.. it just SOUNDS effortless.
<<<If you're using your vocal mechanism
correctly, shouldn't you be able to do just about anything you want
with it for as long as you want? >>>>
No way! The idea isn’t so much that you “rest your voice”, to put it
more simply and clearly, it’s to rest your entire body. Singing well
requires muscle COORDINATION, not so much STRENGTH. So many people come
to my studio asking that I help them develop stronger vocal cords. I
try to be as clear as possible that singing isn’t about strength, it’s
about refined coordination of the breath, tension and relaxation. My
newest metaphor is to compare singing with playing ping pong really
well. Playing ping pong can’t be about strength.. (in my mind), it’s
about coordinating, and fine coordination because it’s a little light
ball and a little paddle and a little net and table. If an actor, music
theatre singer is just plain exhausted from long intense rehearsals
involving much more than just standing and singing, the vocal mechanism
is going to be affected because singing takes ENTIRE BODY coordination.
Think about it. Most all of us slump when we are physically tired. We
loose focus when we are tired. No matter how accomplished a singer’s
technique is, the technique alone will not be able to handle being
physically exhausted. The body MUST rest in order for a singer to do
his/her best. Remember, practically the entire body is used to create a
beautiful, resonant singing sound… we should really say.. “rest” not
just “rest the voice”.
It takes effort and energy to sing well, it is never “effortless”. It
should sound effortless.
Let me know if this makes sense?
Deanna
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