Taylor and Vocalisters:
Just a short reply.
I don't think anyone, least of all Richard Miller, would ever
consider him a vocal scientist. He is a voice teacher and pedagogue
who knows and uses vocal science. I am interested in your quote from
the NATS Journal about Richard Miller because the Journal has always
been so very careful to avoid any comments about personalities as
should be the case for any learned journal. Can you give me more
information about the journal number and page of the quote. I will
write them to request that they maintain or return to their former
policy in this regard.
I admire the work of Richard Miller primarily because he was the
first to quite accurately compare the teaching methods found in
Europe and the United States in light of what he learned in his study
of the functional use of the voice and because he later began to
replicate the experiments of some the founders of vocal science for
singers such as Vennard, Coffin, etc. and relate this work to a study
of many of the great recorded singers of the past 75 years. As a
very successful performer himself, who gave up a career to take care
of his family, and a successful voice teacher and mentor of voice
teachers who has unselfishly shared with the world his substantiated
view of the art of singing, of teaching singing, and of music, we all
owe him a lot.
Just to be sure my stated point regarding the use of the soft
palate/velum is not misunderstood it is as follows.
It is my experience that the soft palate/velum can be raise without
complete closure of the velopharyngeal port. Perhaps this should be
considered a partial raising of the soft palate/velum. I have find
that explanation most acceptable.
Although the soft palate/velum must move upward and back to achieve
complete closure of the velopharyngeal port this does not necessarily
mean that all of the anterior portion of the soft palate is raised to
its maximum position. It is not uncommon for singers to produce a
non-nasal tone (evidence of a complete velopharyngeal port closure)
yet have a slightly lowered soft palate position that produces an
overly bright and sometimes harsh quality. A raising of the soft
palate often corrects this tonal defect even though the larynx
remains in its normal position and the velopharyngeal port remains
closed. I can only conclude that the soft palate is more adjustable
than a study of velopharyngeal port opening can determine.
--
Lloyd W. Hanson, DMA
Professor of Voice, Pedagogy
School of Performing Arts
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ 86011
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