I told Cindy that I was dealing with some edginess in my sound, and she told me to do a lot of nose panting/mouth panting before singing because it helps to release the adductors. That was the same concept as the "sigh" concept in supple high sigh, but sometimes just thinking "sigh" just isn't enough. Alternate between mouthx3 and nosex3 before singing in 54321. But don't allow the brain to catch onto the pattern--randomize.
Pant on [ha ha hi hi ha ha hi hi (sung) iiiiii]. 54321. Make sure that the breaths between the pants and singing are the same; if you do something different, you're cueing the brain to add in tension. Just sing on the same breath (you're not running out of breath, obviously, so trust it!) and simply add vocal fold vibration.
Remember to soften the back of the tongue... Also try nose panting instead. Through the nose is different because you become more aware of the equality of air flowing in and out.
I described a glottal scrape to Cindy that I experienced in my voice sometimes in my practice. That's a result of the VFs coming together in a less than optimal way, as a result of hyper functional adduction. We can be prone to pre-nodular vocal swelling.
When prepping to sing something that you're worried about getting tight on, do a silent mouth pant/fast breath flutter before singing. We tried this on F5 87654321 and changing things up. [e]
This can be really helpful when you're nervous and you can't "figure out" how to breathe.
The sound doesn't come back up through the breath space, but above it!!! Some of the glitchiness in the voice when singing at the top isn't necessarily laryngeal, but a result of tongue tension. I was concerned that when I sang without tongue tension though (that's a horrible thing to say) that I wouldn't get up to pitch, but Cindy reminded me that was a problem in the mind, not in the body. I should think the pitch that I want.
Feel like you're higher than the pitch and that you're falling down onto it. Like how she dropped the book onto her piano. Release from above and you will never have to work to get to the pitch.
87654321-3-5-87654321. [e] When coming up, take your time, sing the note and let it float up/spin/lighten before singing back down. The notes you have sung are still sounding as you continue to sing, but you leave it behind. That made no sense in writing, but yeah.
1-3-5-87654321 [bummmm bummmmm etc.] Float back up on [m] for each pitch. Watch out on the bigger pitch interval. Drop, don't punt the pitch out! There's a difference. Buoyancy! Sing-releassseeeeeeeee-sing-reeleeeaaassseeeee etc.
[blIp] 1-----8531-------8531------1. Use the time in between to release to practice ascent. Upward scales are good, but arpeggios are the real test. Same concept as with the first vocalize mentioned in the first paragraph. Then try the same syllable for 1-23-45-4321. For 54, really release from a higher place!! High is a place you fall from, not the place you shoot at.
When singing the scale version 1-23-45-67-89-87-654321, Pretend that you're singing past the top note so you don't tighten up. [i] Gira la voce. Turning over into each note rather than dragging. Start turning esp. around A5, even if the passaggio is around C5. Don't pressurize before singing the top note.
54321234--54321234--54321 "gai lai" Take pauses in between to prep for the high note.
I described a sensation that I had when I was singing/practicing, I would feel like I was singing with good technique, everything felt released, but once I stop singing, I'd feel a dryness and get the feeling that I can't release down into my speaking voice. This could just be a result of over singing (even in a good place), or spending too much time in the high area, or just some small holding that you didn't notice before.
"Cruda Sorte":
On the difficult "turning" section on the last page, work on just drilling the higher notes, leaving out the "middle" notes. Do this for about a month and slowly add in gentle middle notes. (I'm sure I'm not describing this very well, but I'll most just need to refer to the recording anyways-- Time 33:52) Use a nasal-like sensation without squeeziness (nasal honk). Also try singing it on [nae nae nae] with exaggerated face, but then release the corners of the lips and allow the sound to stay in its same "pingy" place as you do so.
On complicated runs on the second to last page, work on just the first and last notes of each 16th note grouping on "down up." This is like the [blep] exercise.
Practice "bouncing" on a single note with vibrato and lining the bounce up with the speed of the notes that you'll be singing.
TAKE-AWAYS:
- [blep] drills! Each note starts "fresh" and feels release from above.
- Float/release between each note; think of the spinning plates.
- THINK HIGH.
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