Taylor (and Reg) (and other non-nasal resonance folks),
This one, I'm afraid, goes squarely in the "agree to disagree" category. If
we could get together and sing for a while, I could demonstrate what I mean.
There are plenty of working singers and teachers out there who disagree with
you, and that's fine! It's certainly not my mission to convince you of
what, through many years of lessons with several fine teachers and much
experimentation, I have found to be true. I would also suggest that
scientific findings can be interpreted in various ways to support various
viewpoints. In any case, I would not expect you to disagree with your
mentor!
Suffice it to say that two of the things that people often comment on about
my voice are its ring and its richness. And yes, I can sing with a low
larynx at the same time as I employ nasal resonance, and no, there is not
"noise" in the sound. The raised velum is not either black or white, up or
down, sealed or not sealed; it can be raised to varying degrees, and a very
fine balance can be achieved allowing just a tiny bit of air through the
nose while at the same time allowing for a spacious, rounded pharyngeal
space. The sound is not nasal, and its ring is markedly increased. The
amount of air I refer to here is so small as not to decrease the length of
the line that may be sung without running out of breath, as compared to
singing the same line with the velum sealed.
Finally, please do not suggest that our disagreement implies that I have not
studied vocal anatomy and physiology; I have, and quite extensively. I
couldn't agree more that scientific investigation into vocal production can
only help us as teachers and singers, and it behooves us to be as informed
as we can possibly be. But I suggest that, as with most things in life, and
especially with an art as subjective as singing, we will draw different
conclusions from our studies, we will continue to hold some differing
opinions, and there will be times when our conclusions will overlap and we
will agree. As a student of voice science, please don't fall into the trap
of believing that, because you have some scientific information behind you,
there is only one answer and you have found it. This is a rich and varied
subject that we have chosen for our life's work, with rich and varied
approaches to it. And ideally, learning is a lifelong effort for all of us
in this field.
Robin Lynne Frye
Mezzo-Soprano
Voice and Piano Teacher
New York, New York
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