Here's some tips that have helped me:
Breathe into the resonance space you need to sing the next note well: This
means, essentially, allowing the jaw to drop to the necessary place to
accommodate the note, placing the tongue where it needs to be to sing the
next vowel, and making sure the soft palate is "raised" to where it needs
to be for the note. If it's a high note, this will mean a lower jaw (not
forced down, but allowed to "float" down), and a high palate, with the
tongue in the place it needs to be for the vowel. The time to put all
this together is during the release at the end of the note preceding the
breath - which brings me to tip #2.
Always, ALWAYS release the jaw at the ends of phrases/breaking points
before breaths. This "release" means totally relaxing out of whatever
vocal position you were in on the last note/vowel/consonant you sang.
Believe me, once you master this (it becomes second nature), you'll be
amazed at just how well the breath takes care of itself (just sort of
"goes in" instead of having to be drawn in). The idea is to release and as
you release, transition into that resonance space/shape for the next note
you'll sing.
Last tip is to be very aware of what you do at the ends of phrases with
your jaw. If you do the release I mention, you will NEVER actually close
the jaw and leave it closed. Indeed, good singer articulation means you
never DO have to completely close the jaw. Consonants are a function of
the tongue and lips, as are vowels. The jaw's only role is to widen or
narrow the resonance space required for the sound, depending on where the
note is in your range (lower, more closed; higher, more open). In short,
don't "bite off" the sound at the ends of phrases - allow it to spin away,
or stop it pneumonically (through action of the diaphragm - i.e., just
stop feeding it breath).
Hope some (or all) of this helps.
Karen Mercedes
http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html
______________________________________
I will sing with the spirit, and I
will sing with the understanding also.
1 Corinthians 14:15
|
