Vocalist.org archive


From:  Mezzoid@a...
Mezzoid@a...
Date:  Tue Feb 13, 2001  3:43 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] vowel quandary


In a message dated 02/13/2001 6:55:06 AM Central Standard Time,
earthbounddiva@w... writes:
earthbounddiva@w... writes:

<< When you're singing this u vowel that's turning into an o for sake of
vocal beauty - I'm wondering how the inside of your mouth is feeling. I can
only think that the u seems to tense the back - and feels narrow all the way
through from the back to the front. The o is almost opposite, feeling open
all the way from the back to the front?

I would suggest playing a little - and trying to feel like the back of your
mouth is open more than the front of your mouth with the u vowel (kind of
like the shape of a funnel backwards in your mouth - but not SO small in the
front - just comfortable). Also - instead of thinking of the sound coming
straight out of your mouth - try to feel it at an angle going down - high in
the back - low in the front. >>

The image I go for in my singing and my teaching (after carefully explaining
what is happening technically) is that of the [u] without height as being
like a straw getting stuck through the back of your head - and the [u] with a
sense of height (or space, but that seems to make some of my students get
woofy) being like a straw that has the bend in it and it curves up.

The other image I like to use is that of a cornucopia. The cornucopia idea
also works well with keeping the sound from getting too big thru the top - I
liken it to imagining that you're filling the cornucopia with fruit. In
order to get the fruit all the way into that narrow space in the back of it,
you'll need to put in grapes and berries and other ripe, juicy, but SMALL
fruits. If you try to shove a melon up there, it'll be a big mess.

For those of you who don't like imagery, I'm talking nonsense. But it seems
to work with many people and for those who don't, I talk science.

Christine Thomas
Wauwatosa, WI
<A HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/mezzoid/myhomepage/profile.html">
http://hometown.aol.com/mezzoid/myhomepage/profile.html</A>

"I love to sing-a, about the moon-a and the June-a and the spring-a"


  Replies Name/Email Yahoo! ID Date Size
9464 The /u/ vowel Lloyd W. Hanson   Wed  2/14/2001   7 KB
9515 Re: The /u/ vowel thomas8@t...   Thu  2/15/2001   2 KB

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