> > Chris wrote: "BTW, I have a serious problem with my students' [u]
> > vowels. I thought they'd all be too closed, but they aren't. They're
> > this bizarre mix of [I] and [u] that I can't even begin to describe
> > with a single syllable and it REALLY affects the resonance. And they
> > don't hear it. When they DO find an [u], they can hear the
> > difference, but they don't feel it when they do this weird
> > mixed vowel thing and have no idea they're doing it wrong."
> > Laura replied: Many of my kids (students) do too! I thought it was
> > Albany thing, since I'd never heard it before.
LOL...are you talking about ewwwwwwwwwwwww sung as a pure vowel?!? Sorry,
thats a southern United States vowel sound. In fact, in many southern
states it is actually the state vowel. ;)
> > Susi added: May I join you in this one?! There seems to be a
> > reluctance in really projecting the lips and dropping the jaw, making
> > lots of space inside the mouth.
Perhaps I am misunderstanding you, or maybe we just think differently, but
I consider the [u] vowel to be primarily formed in the pharynx with the
lips affording the slight finishing we recognize as the [u] sound. I
often hear singers, especially with poor modification in the middle and
upper registers, attempt to add space to the [u] sound in the mouth. To
my ears, this distorts the vowel sound, adding extra vocal weight as well
as reducing potential resonance.
Best,
Mark Montgomery
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