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From:  "Lloyd W. Hanson" <lloyd.hanson@n...>
Date:  Wed Feb 12, 2003  5:44 pm
Subject:  Vocal Onsets, a study of an exercise

Dear Les and Vocalisters:

I would add to your description of how you use onsets only the following:

Onsets allow the singer to know how well they control the amount of
closure (adduction) of the vocal folds. Onsets give the singer a
tool for practicing their pre-phonatory skills.

Not all singers are able to do a breathy onset or a hard glottal
onset. Neither of these two extremes should be used consistently in
healthy singing but all singers should be able to demonstrate both
extremes (breathy and glottal) of the onset exercise. The ideal
onset is somewhere in the middle between these two extremes and is
often called a "balanced" onset. It is a very precise, clear
beginning of tone without any glottal sound and without any breathy
quality.

Onset exercises consist of downward dominant to tonic scalewise (5,
4, 3, 2, 1) single tones of about a half note or whole duration at
MM 60. Once single tones on each pitch are achieved satisfactorily,
double tones are practiced (half notes), then triple tones( half note
triplets), etc on to 6 repeated onsets (two sets of quarter note
triplets) per pitch of the scalewise pattern. Most singers are
unable to complete even one pattern on single onsets satisfactorily
at first. Onset must be practiced until they become automatic and
comfortable.

If the singer tends to create a slightly glottal onset he/she is
encouraged to visualize a tone beginning automatically at the singers
will with no need to "produce" it. If the glottal quality continues
it is suggested that the singer begin the tone with a slight "sense"
of breath.

If the singer tends to begin the onset with a puff of breath he/she
is encouraged to use a slight glottal attack such as most of us do
when we give a disapproving "uh, uh" to a child who is misbehaving.

Each of these corrective suggestions are merely methods of getting
the singer to move on the continuum from breathy onset to hard
glottal onset such that he/she corrects the tendency to be favoring
one side of center or the othe.

An easy natural inhale is encouraged before each onset which resemble
a partial inhale. The epigastric area (that area between the bottom
of the sternum and the navel and the lower ribs, side to side) should
slightly expand for these inhales. The onset should be practiced
with a sense of suspended or holding of the breath. Each onset is of
rather short duration.

The balance of the onset exercise is the release of the tone or
offset. Each offset should be an accurate stopping of the tone
without any grunt, huff, puff, squawk or non-singing sound of any
kind. But each offset should be produced with a very slight pulse of
breath pressure with a concurrent slight pulsing of the epigastric
area. This very slight "push" assists in ending the tone with
vitality and, most important, sets up the onset of the next tone
because it automatically creates a slight inhale condition. As the
epigastric pulse is used to create the offset there is also an
epigastric "rebound" that creates a slight inhale and prepares the
singer for the next tone. I often demonstrate onsets/offsets on a
single tone and continue without taking a conscious breath for well
over a minute or two. Each offset creates the slight inhale
condition that gains back most of the breath that was expended on the
preceding onset.

Offsets are the most useful method of taking a quick breath in fast
moving passages in songs and arias and I often remind singers to
emphasize the offset on the last note they sing just before they must
take a quick breath. It properly prepares the inhale by providing
the "rebound" of the epigastric area.

I know of now other way for the singer to be sure they have achieved
the most correctly, healthful vocal fold closure (adduction) than
with onsets. If the onset is correctly balanced, and they can tell
that immediately by how it sounds, they have achieved the desired
vocal fold closure. If it is breathy they have not completely
adducted the vocal folds. If it is glottal they have overachieved
the correct adduction and induced too strong a medial tension on the
folds. Onset exercises are a prime example of an exercise that
achieves maximum efficiency of vocal production and insures that the
voice mechanism is functioning correctly. Onsets exercises give the
singer the opportunity to practice, consciously, their pre-phonatory
skills until they become automatically done as desired by the singer.

Finally, balanced onsets create the true phonational tone of which
each singer is capable. After the singer has achieved some ability
at doing onsets I draw their attention to their tendency to "fix" or
improve on the initial tone they produce. Singers do this because
each of us has an image of how we think we should sound. But the
fact is that the tone emerging immediately after a properly produced
balanced onset is the best tone we are able to phonate and it needs
no additional phonational correction. It might need some resonance
correction but that is the province of many other exercises. So I
encourage singers to sustain the tone that first emerges from a
balanced onset and become acquainted with their most natural
phonational experience.
--
Lloyd W. Hanson







  Replies Name/Email Yahoo! ID Date  
22610 Children's Voice Class RepertoireLeslie Christopher  Wed  2/12/2003  
22612 Re: Children's Voice Class RepertoireEdward Nortonbelcantist2003 Wed  2/12/2003  
22624 Re: Children's Voice Class RepertoireKaren Mercedessingwiththespirit Wed  2/12/2003  
22689 Re: Children's Voice Class RepertoireCindi Watersmusicteachky Sat  2/15/2003  
22694 Re: Children's Voice Class RepertoireLeslie Christopher  Sat  2/15/2003  
22698 Re: Children's Voice Class RepertoireCindi Watersmusicteachky Sat  2/15/2003  
22701 Re: Children's Voice Class RepertoireLeslie Christopher  Sat  2/15/2003  
22703 Re: Children's Voice Class RepertoireCindi Watersmusicteachky Sun  2/16/2003  
22707 Re: Children's Voice Class RepertoireLeslie Christopher  Sun  2/16/2003  
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