Isabelle wrote:
> Robin: Is the back of your nose (velar port, I think) > closed or open when you use nasal resonance without > nasality? I hadn't thought it was possible to leave > the nasal-air-passage open while singing and avoid a > nasal sound.
Yes, the velar port is what opens to let air through the nose. This opening, and the amount of air that travels through it, can be controlled. I believe that the optimal setup is to have this port very slightly open, with just a very small amount of air allowed through, and to have the soft palate raised enough that it allows a rounder, lusher sound and yet is not forced up so high that it closes off the velar port. As with so many things in singing, it is a matter of degree and balance. If you try to "talk through your nose", you will find that you can alter the degree of nasality that is present. So it is with singing. You can add just a bit of brightness and ring, while simultaneously taking a bit of breath pressure off of the vocal folds in difficult spots such as passaggio, by using the slightest bit of air through the nose. If I could demonstrate this for you, you would hear a pleasing increase in ring, but you would not call the sound a "nasal" sound.
Gotta run -
Robin Lynne Frye Mezzo-Soprano Voice and Piano Teacher New York, New York
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