Dear Vocalisters:
A mention was made recently about using the hands to lift the cheeks
and the effect it has on the soft palate. Although raising the soft
palate and any other method of enlarging the pharyngeal area is of
value to good singing the process of achieving this desired effect is
not so easy.
Basically, any conscious attempt to enlarge the pharyngeal area or
any part of that area results in little more than a tensing of the
muscles that would be in involved in achieving this goal. A much
better and easier method is to produce a particular vowel sound,
imitating the sound as produced by the teacher in the speaking voice
and then applying this pronunciation to the singing voice.
We achieve alterations in the vocal tract much more quickly by
imitating a particular vowel which creates the desired vocal tract
configuration automatically. Although the vocal tract is possessed
of many voluntary muscle systems it basically functions as an
involuntary unit because we manipulate it through our skills at
imitation more than through our conscious awareness of its voluntary
potential. To say it again, a conscious attempt to achieve a
particular conformation of the vocal tract usually results in a
tensing or hardening of the vocal tract muscles which is
counterproductive to healthy and vocally satisfying singing.
--
Lloyd W. Hanson
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