Dear Nick and Vocalisters:
Messa di voce is a valuable training technique to improve vocal
coordination and develop vocal strength. It is the act of beginning
the vocal tone softly, gradually growing the vocal tone in volume
without changing the vocal quality and then gradually diminishing the
vocal tone back to the volume level of the beginning of the exercise.
It is absolutely essential that the tone be started with a clear, non
breathy onset and that that clear, non breathy tone be continued
throughout the exercise from its pianissimo beginning through its
forte middle volume back to its pianissimo final sound.
It is a major error to practice messa di voce by beginning with a
breathy tone or a falsetto tone because these tones are the product
of partially adducted (closed) vocal folds and the exercise is then
one of attempting to gradually close the vocal folds to achieve a
loud tone and opening the folds to return to the breathy beginning
tone. Such an exercise does not achieve the goals of the messa de
voce which is to gain control over the increase in amplitude of
oscillation of the vocal folds and the resultant adjustments this
requires of the thyroarytenoid and antagonistic cricothyroid muscles
as the amplitude increases and decreases. Practicing messa di voce
by beginning with a breathy or falsetto tone exercises primarily the
adducting/abducting muscles (the arytenoid muscles, that is the
lateral cricoarytenoids, and the interarytenoids) and very little of
the stretching muscles (cricothyroids and thyroarytenoids) and,
consequently, defeats he intent of the messa di voce exercise.
The messa di vocal exercise is one of the cornerstones of traditional
voice development.
--
Lloyd W. Hanson
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