Vocalist.org archive


From:  "Lloyd W. Hanson" <lloyd.hanson@n...>
Date:  Mon Apr 10, 2000  7:31 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist-temporary] Support V Tension!


On Sun, 09 Apr 2000, Karen Mercedes wrote:

>If the tension is below the navel and above the thighs, it's support. If
>it's anywhere else, it's just tension. :)

COMMENT: I have some difficulty with this statement. For me it
strongly suggests that one must maintain some kind of lower abdominal
strength or tension to properly support the voice. Perhaps you are
merely suggesting that such lower support is always there and need
only to be noticed. If so, I would agree, but I have never found it
necessary to teach that the area you outline above is ever in need of
overt physical movement, tension or strengthening.

If one inhales such that the epigastric (That area between the navel
and the bottom of the sternum) becomes moderately full feeling and
the lower ribs (those disconnected from the sternum) are opened
outwardly in a lateral position one experiences a sensation similar
to that of surprise or anticipation. This feeling can occur even if
only half a breath is taken. In other words, it is not necessary to
inhale to capacity.

This is the position of appoggio and should be maintained as along a
possible as one sings. That is, one should maintain the inhalatory
position during singing without any inward movement of the epigastric
area nor the lower ribs unless the phrase is unusually long.

It is easier to maintain this inhalation, anticipatory mode if one
practices exhaling a small amount of warm most breath, as one does
when cleaning ones glasses. It is this rather small amount of warm,
moist breath that should be used in all singing. The voice does not
require large amounts of breath! It is also the use of the warm,
moist breath that makes one aware of the mild action in the lower
abdominal area. But that action is not overt nor even feelable by
the hands. If it can be observed or is able to be felt by the hands
it is excessive.

However, it is still common to observe students who have been taught
to release the muscles in their lower abdomen on the inhale and pull
these muscles back into their normally firm position on the exhale.
This extraneous activity is not necessary for singing and it has not
been taught in the traditional, Italianate school of voice. The
diaphragm descends only to a flat position at the bottom of the rib
cage during the inhale. It is not able to actively descend below
this level. For this reason, there is no advantage to releasing the
lower abdominal muscle wall (commonly called "belly" breathing) to
make more room for the diaphragm or to attempt to take a larger
breath. Breath capacity studies have shown that this release of
lower abdominal muscles actually reduces the breath capacity because
it tends to encourage the rib cage to sag slightly.

Generally there should be nothing about breathing for singing that is
much different than normal active breathing except that it is done at
will and with a great deal of awareness because it is used to
activate the vocal process. The most important achievement that
singers must accomplish is an awareness of how they use the breath
and how to maintain that use.


Lloyd W. Hanson, DMA
Professor of Voice, Pedagogy
School of Performing Arts
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ 86011

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