I started out by focusing on panting and not changing anything from the pant to my singing in the "breath gesture." The pitch is above the breath space.
Buoyancy! [bum bum bum] exercise. Sing-floaattt-sing-floaaattt. etc.
[blip] exercise. Gira la voce!
Did a lot of [blip] drilling and applying the "felicita" vocalize we made up for "Cruda sorte" in my other pieces by falling from above when I'm learning new music.
Showing posts with label January2015. Show all posts
Showing posts with label January2015. Show all posts
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Practice 1/29/15
I warmed up with my most recent lesson recording today, and I focused a lot on the whole panting idea and softening the back of the tongue. I worked on floating upwards after singing, and spending most of my "singing time" in a floating upward or releasing motion.
"Drop it, don't punt it."
I worked on the runs in "Cruda sorte" and applied what we did for drilling in that piece to "Noel des enfants."
Lesson Summary and Take-Aways 1/28/15
We started out the lesson by discussing good practice techniques. When I'm drilling for something that I want, (for example, [ble ble ble blebleble bleeee] then changing the vowel to the desired vowel), be sure to randomize the patterns so the brain doesn't get accustomed to it and put in tension in unnecessary places.
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:
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.
Practice 1/27/15
I had noticed throughout the day that my singing seemed a little edgy and abrasive, so I worked on adding "daylight" in between my singing and doing the [bli] exercises with [bli bli bli bliblibli bliiiii] on both ascending and descending patterns.
I did a lot of the vocalizes that I did in my 1/14/15 lesson and thought a lot about thinking high before singing!! Supple HIGH sigh. I worked a little more sigh into my singing as I went along and noticed that the abrasiveness in my voice wasn't really alleviating. I did a lot of sigh speech as well, experimenting with it especially because of what I saw in Master Class today.
***Something that was really effective for me was doing the sing-song speech and thinking of not necessarily how I managed release during that speech-like process, but converting the trust I had in my voice for "pitch" (even if it wasn't specific) to my singing. I didn't think of how I did it, but I thought of the pitches that I wanted and let the voice do its thing. The higher pitches came out very easily, and all of the ease I had in my vocalizes transferred easily over to my song (which is something that I've been struggling with for a bit; I'd do well in vocalizing but not so great in my actual music where it counts...) Ironically, it took a lot of concentration to focus on trust. Now to work on doing that with not only pitch, but with my breath gesture....
I did a lot of the vocalizes that I did in my 1/14/15 lesson and thought a lot about thinking high before singing!! Supple HIGH sigh. I worked a little more sigh into my singing as I went along and noticed that the abrasiveness in my voice wasn't really alleviating. I did a lot of sigh speech as well, experimenting with it especially because of what I saw in Master Class today.
***Something that was really effective for me was doing the sing-song speech and thinking of not necessarily how I managed release during that speech-like process, but converting the trust I had in my voice for "pitch" (even if it wasn't specific) to my singing. I didn't think of how I did it, but I thought of the pitches that I wanted and let the voice do its thing. The higher pitches came out very easily, and all of the ease I had in my vocalizes transferred easily over to my song (which is something that I've been struggling with for a bit; I'd do well in vocalizing but not so great in my actual music where it counts...) Ironically, it took a lot of concentration to focus on trust. Now to work on doing that with not only pitch, but with my breath gesture....
Practice 1/26/15
I referred to my write up for my 1/21/15 lesson for my warmup exercises. I worked a lot on allowing the vowel/pitch to originate higher than what I'm used to, imagining a sort of steeple/unicorn horn thing. As I descended in pitch, I staved off the low voice as much as I could. I worked on adding "daylight" in between notes, especially when I felt that I was using unnecessary pressure behind longer phrases/notes/higher pitches.
I've noticed that sometimes with my starting pitch, I push the pitch out, and it results in cracking or just a pressed sound, so I've been working on starting my singing as if I had been singing a phrase before that and I'm just allowing the sound to spin out with momentum. If that makes any sense.
I've noticed that sometimes with my starting pitch, I push the pitch out, and it results in cracking or just a pressed sound, so I've been working on starting my singing as if I had been singing a phrase before that and I'm just allowing the sound to spin out with momentum. If that makes any sense.
Practice 1/23/15
ng-eee ng-eee on 54321, don't think of what happens muscularly; just think of height. Unicorn horn!
I thought a lot about the space between my back molars... As I ascended, I thought about "raising the top jaw" and increasing the space between my back molars. I also thought a lot about not adding pressure as I went further into the phrase, almost feeling like I'm lightening up as I went on.
I worked on Cruda sorte, and on the faster areas, I realized that I was struggling with articulating my consonants and maintaining high vowels at the same time, so I slowed things down, worked on just the vowels, and thought of maintaining high vowel space while articulating the consonant sounds in the very front tip of my mouth.
I thought a lot about the space between my back molars... As I ascended, I thought about "raising the top jaw" and increasing the space between my back molars. I also thought a lot about not adding pressure as I went further into the phrase, almost feeling like I'm lightening up as I went on.
I worked on Cruda sorte, and on the faster areas, I realized that I was struggling with articulating my consonants and maintaining high vowels at the same time, so I slowed things down, worked on just the vowels, and thought of maintaining high vowel space while articulating the consonant sounds in the very front tip of my mouth.
Lesson Summary and Take-Aways 1/21/15
Take-Aways:
Think of the vowel before the consonants: prepare it high. Shaper is below the tone maker.
Use daylight to relieve pressure.
Wait to give in to the low voice.
**********
We worked on "Habanera" from Bizet's Carmen...
When working with higher notes, the back of the tongue is higher and the jaw is more released than you might think. This goes against natural instinct to depress the tongue.
Remember that when descending in pitch, you maintain height. Have a little bit of "daylight"/lift in between each note. "When you're coming down, you're not really coming down." If you have difficulty adding "daylight" between notes, that means you're adding unnecessary pressure.
On the vowel [u], think of sucking on a lemon. Think high and back for higher notes.
"et" Mouth is really soft, and the vowel is really far back and up!! Bright vowels and high notes already have forwardness--they need "backness."
To maintain height, you need to feel like there's nothing that's closing down on the word; lift is reiterating itself. Thinking of bringing the bottom up to articulate, never the top down.
When your nasals are good, there is no pressure from below, but rather the vowel is coming down from the top of your head out your nose. 30% nasality + 70% non. To practice achieving it, start with no nasality and slowly dial it in.
Once you're below A4, allow yourself to release/sink on those notes and give them "body." (Don't press though.) Keep a greater sense of high until that point though.
[a] Needs to be up inside your mind (high starting vowel..) before you even sing it. Don't think of where the consonant is being sung; think of where the vowel is coming out (think unicorn horn).
Watch your B natural on descending! You go wayyyy flat; maintain height. It's the shortest half step you'll ever sing.
I hate [u]--> Teeth far apart in the back and sucking on lemons facial thing. Think of a ghost.
When singing higher notes, think lighter, "pleasant voice," Galinda the good witch.
On "garde" upward leap, thinking of opening up from the g, rather than pulling open the jaw.
"Sing in the middle of the sound, not the edges, feeling like there's a vast amount of voice that you're just not using at that moment."
[bap bap bap, baapbaapbaap, baaaa] 54321. Maintain buoyancy. No pressure increasing from note to note. Think of slide that goes up first and then descends. Try ascending, but be careful about increasing pressure.
1 5 5 5 54321 [bap], then 1 5 5 5 5432123454321.
There is a refreshing on each new note, even when it's a repeated note.
Work on refining aural mental understanding of French accent. "Their sound is kind of like a little ball that is just above the top teeth between the lip and the nose. The mouth is forward, and just swing the jaw back for singing depth. The sound is right up in the arch of the soft palette."
French vowels are very tall and thin, compared to american vowels that are more spread.
Higher, more hum-like start for each high start vowel.
Practice syllables with consonants just at the very beginnings, like you would practice [bap]
**Late 5 min. of the recording: To practice the high notes, do descending scales. Don't use the jaw to open up. Feel it from above. There's a section of every scale that you must allow to be very light and to just allow the voice to find the place where it wants to sink. "Vocal equivalent to delayed gratification."
Think of the vowel before the consonants: prepare it high. Shaper is below the tone maker.
Use daylight to relieve pressure.
Wait to give in to the low voice.
**********
We worked on "Habanera" from Bizet's Carmen...
When working with higher notes, the back of the tongue is higher and the jaw is more released than you might think. This goes against natural instinct to depress the tongue.
Remember that when descending in pitch, you maintain height. Have a little bit of "daylight"/lift in between each note. "When you're coming down, you're not really coming down." If you have difficulty adding "daylight" between notes, that means you're adding unnecessary pressure.
On the vowel [u], think of sucking on a lemon. Think high and back for higher notes.
"et" Mouth is really soft, and the vowel is really far back and up!! Bright vowels and high notes already have forwardness--they need "backness."
To maintain height, you need to feel like there's nothing that's closing down on the word; lift is reiterating itself. Thinking of bringing the bottom up to articulate, never the top down.
When your nasals are good, there is no pressure from below, but rather the vowel is coming down from the top of your head out your nose. 30% nasality + 70% non. To practice achieving it, start with no nasality and slowly dial it in.
Once you're below A4, allow yourself to release/sink on those notes and give them "body." (Don't press though.) Keep a greater sense of high until that point though.
[a] Needs to be up inside your mind (high starting vowel..) before you even sing it. Don't think of where the consonant is being sung; think of where the vowel is coming out (think unicorn horn).
Watch your B natural on descending! You go wayyyy flat; maintain height. It's the shortest half step you'll ever sing.
I hate [u]--> Teeth far apart in the back and sucking on lemons facial thing. Think of a ghost.
When singing higher notes, think lighter, "pleasant voice," Galinda the good witch.
On "garde" upward leap, thinking of opening up from the g, rather than pulling open the jaw.
"Sing in the middle of the sound, not the edges, feeling like there's a vast amount of voice that you're just not using at that moment."
[bap bap bap, baapbaapbaap, baaaa] 54321. Maintain buoyancy. No pressure increasing from note to note. Think of slide that goes up first and then descends. Try ascending, but be careful about increasing pressure.
1 5 5 5 54321 [bap], then 1 5 5 5 5432123454321.
There is a refreshing on each new note, even when it's a repeated note.
Work on refining aural mental understanding of French accent. "Their sound is kind of like a little ball that is just above the top teeth between the lip and the nose. The mouth is forward, and just swing the jaw back for singing depth. The sound is right up in the arch of the soft palette."
French vowels are very tall and thin, compared to american vowels that are more spread.
Higher, more hum-like start for each high start vowel.
Practice syllables with consonants just at the very beginnings, like you would practice [bap]
**Late 5 min. of the recording: To practice the high notes, do descending scales. Don't use the jaw to open up. Feel it from above. There's a section of every scale that you must allow to be very light and to just allow the voice to find the place where it wants to sink. "Vocal equivalent to delayed gratification."
Practice 1/21/15
I started out warming up with my last lesson recording again; it seems to be working really well for me, but only on my closed vowels. I'm interested in working on my resonance for my open vowels, such as [o] and [a]...
I worked on my fast runs in "Cruda sorte," trying out what Efrain said in his master class with Jaron; I used a consonant to enunciate each note so I had the notes internalized before adding on the appropriate consonants. I took it really slowly, making sure I had supple high sigh in my sound for each note.
I worked on my fast runs in "Cruda sorte," trying out what Efrain said in his master class with Jaron; I used a consonant to enunciate each note so I had the notes internalized before adding on the appropriate consonants. I took it really slowly, making sure I had supple high sigh in my sound for each note.
Practice 1/20/15
I warmed up along with my most recent voice lesson: supple high sigh!!
I thought a lot about maintaining height as pitch descended, and I thought a lot about "stretching" before singing. I will admit that it was a little difficult to get into that high place initially, but I just kept thinking about the "teardrop" and thought about what the "interferers" were and how to release them. I also had to trust my voice to pitch thought. Although the notes on ascending exercises felt released and good to sing, I felt like they were really "separated," and it wasn't as legato as I wanted it to be. So I did some purring and I focused a lot on maintaining consistent and generous airflow as well as lightening (get more sigh-like) as I got higher.
I thought a lot about maintaining height as pitch descended, and I thought a lot about "stretching" before singing. I will admit that it was a little difficult to get into that high place initially, but I just kept thinking about the "teardrop" and thought about what the "interferers" were and how to release them. I also had to trust my voice to pitch thought. Although the notes on ascending exercises felt released and good to sing, I felt like they were really "separated," and it wasn't as legato as I wanted it to be. So I did some purring and I focused a lot on maintaining consistent and generous airflow as well as lightening (get more sigh-like) as I got higher.
Lesson Summary and Take-Aways 1/14/15
Take-Aways:
SING HIGH
SING SIGH
SING SUPPLE
********
When you're singing [i], you need to have more of a sense of a "steeple," a higher point of origin for the pitch. Use [ng] as well. Cue height mentally, but don't think of what muscles you have to use in order to get what you want. Just let the brain do the work and trust the body to follow. Height must be accompanied by an unimportant mouth.
[ng-i] Slow 54321 descent. Soft and supple unimportant mouth. Think of the dumplings with the wonton wrapper with the pinch on top as you sing for the top roof of your mouth. As you go down the scale, let each descending note keep the height. STRETCH BEFORE YOU SING. Do wayyyy more than you think you need.
I described my sensation when I was singing with better technique, using the "teardrop" imagery and resting the sound on the fat part of the teardrop.
8531 "why not." Unimportant mouth. STRETCH. Keep the tear drop high. Do more and not decrease it as you go down.
[bli bli] loosen the tongue and lips using the consonants. 54321 in quick succession. Closed vowels really help as well.
[whe....i] 87654321. Start high on the keyboard. Use the "wh." Modify the pattern to 8-876-654-432-5-1 so the descent doesn't "run away from you." The lip rounded voiceless "wh" is a lip rounding cue, which helps to release the back of the tongue.
12345678987654321 Slowly on [i......e]. Start on the bottom "plank" and go up the scale, remaining secure on that plank but opening up as you go higher, like a garbage can lid. It sort of feels like the transition from the [i] to [e] vowel happens naturally as the jaw is released. Cindy also played the bottom note as I went up, and this helped a lot. Really sing into the bottom note; it's your anchor/floor.
Edginess is a result of a hardening in the tongue or the soft palette. Use a stretching motion to remind yourself. Use a purr to also help remind yourself of release (esp. around the transition zone around A-C).
Vocalizes going down is to help with easy onset, blending of registers, sigh-like motion in the voice, working on a laryngal level. Going up is to work on resonance, due to not tightening the muscles in the larynx and those above it.
"If you've got ten feet of ground to cover in ten steps, you should probably walk a foot per step." When going up the scale, don't get lazy on "comfortable" pitches. THINK HIGH ALL THE TIME.
When modifying the vowel, learn to modify in the mouth, not the soft palette. Don't feel the energy in the back of the mouth; the energy of the muscles should be in the roof of the mouth--the hard palette.
If in doubt sing MUCH higher inside than what you think you really need to sing. Reiterate the highest note in your hear THE ENTIRE TIME.
As you go down, take the pressure off for lower notes. Have a secret smiling moment on the inside for the lower notes. If you start to hear edge in your voice, SOFTEN YO FACE, YOU FOOL. Watch that you don't snarl--it's an external substitution for internal lifting. Maintain high, roof of the mouth sound as you go lower.
Don't scoop/swoop into high, turn over into high. Keep the board down! Esp. on those [o] [a] and [u] vowels. Don't think necessary of altering the vowel, but you're so supple that space can increase on its own.
SING HIGH
SING SIGH
SING SUPPLE
********
When you're singing [i], you need to have more of a sense of a "steeple," a higher point of origin for the pitch. Use [ng] as well. Cue height mentally, but don't think of what muscles you have to use in order to get what you want. Just let the brain do the work and trust the body to follow. Height must be accompanied by an unimportant mouth.
[ng-i] Slow 54321 descent. Soft and supple unimportant mouth. Think of the dumplings with the wonton wrapper with the pinch on top as you sing for the top roof of your mouth. As you go down the scale, let each descending note keep the height. STRETCH BEFORE YOU SING. Do wayyyy more than you think you need.
I described my sensation when I was singing with better technique, using the "teardrop" imagery and resting the sound on the fat part of the teardrop.
8531 "why not." Unimportant mouth. STRETCH. Keep the tear drop high. Do more and not decrease it as you go down.
[bli bli] loosen the tongue and lips using the consonants. 54321 in quick succession. Closed vowels really help as well.
[whe....i] 87654321. Start high on the keyboard. Use the "wh." Modify the pattern to 8-876-654-432-5-1 so the descent doesn't "run away from you." The lip rounded voiceless "wh" is a lip rounding cue, which helps to release the back of the tongue.
12345678987654321 Slowly on [i......e]. Start on the bottom "plank" and go up the scale, remaining secure on that plank but opening up as you go higher, like a garbage can lid. It sort of feels like the transition from the [i] to [e] vowel happens naturally as the jaw is released. Cindy also played the bottom note as I went up, and this helped a lot. Really sing into the bottom note; it's your anchor/floor.
Edginess is a result of a hardening in the tongue or the soft palette. Use a stretching motion to remind yourself. Use a purr to also help remind yourself of release (esp. around the transition zone around A-C).
Vocalizes going down is to help with easy onset, blending of registers, sigh-like motion in the voice, working on a laryngal level. Going up is to work on resonance, due to not tightening the muscles in the larynx and those above it.
"If you've got ten feet of ground to cover in ten steps, you should probably walk a foot per step." When going up the scale, don't get lazy on "comfortable" pitches. THINK HIGH ALL THE TIME.
When modifying the vowel, learn to modify in the mouth, not the soft palette. Don't feel the energy in the back of the mouth; the energy of the muscles should be in the roof of the mouth--the hard palette.
If in doubt sing MUCH higher inside than what you think you really need to sing. Reiterate the highest note in your hear THE ENTIRE TIME.
As you go down, take the pressure off for lower notes. Have a secret smiling moment on the inside for the lower notes. If you start to hear edge in your voice, SOFTEN YO FACE, YOU FOOL. Watch that you don't snarl--it's an external substitution for internal lifting. Maintain high, roof of the mouth sound as you go lower.
Don't scoop/swoop into high, turn over into high. Keep the board down! Esp. on those [o] [a] and [u] vowels. Don't think necessary of altering the vowel, but you're so supple that space can increase on its own.
Practice 1/13/15
So! I have been really struggling with tongue tension, and any time I ascended in pitch, it felt as though my soft palette was made of concrete; it felt heavy, sluggish, weighty, and very sound dampening. I was aware that the vocalizes and exercises that Cindy had shown me just before the break (12/4/14) were exactly what I needed, but every time I went to go and use "smiley/high cheeks," the [ae] vowel, etc., it didn't seem to be working.
However, I decided that instead of just listening to the lesson, I wondered if I had written anything in my lesson summary that I couldn't derive from the recording. And of course, there was a critical piece of information that I had been missing.
My problem was that I was using "smiley/high cheeks" and thinking of extending the smile more forward than what I needed. The wording I used in the summary was "diagonal smile," and that change in vocabulary and mentality really helped to release my soft palette and tongue. I really exaggerated the stretch of the back molar space and my sound came back. Of course, I've probably mylineated some nasty habits, because on occasion, I'd go back to my lack in "brilliance" in my sound.
Now that I've rediscovered my space, I just need to be careful not to over-sing, because I have a tendency to get really excited and then make my practice redundant by pushing for the desired sound over and over.
I thought a lot about "reopening" the voice/resonance every time I have to go up in pitch (it's hard to explain; do you a sort of quick blooming motion with the hand and stuff....).
I noticed that although the sound is very present in the mask/front area and that it feels high, I'm feeling sensation (air? vibrations?) that's more far back in the mouth (if I could feel my nasal cavity and the boundaries around it, I'd say it felt like I have an extra cavity/opening just behind it) than before. And singing like this FEELS SO FREAKING GOOD compared to how I've been singing this past week and a half.
My only concern is that I'm singing with too much spread, but at this point, I don't really care because I'm finally singing with release in the throat.
However, I decided that instead of just listening to the lesson, I wondered if I had written anything in my lesson summary that I couldn't derive from the recording. And of course, there was a critical piece of information that I had been missing.
My problem was that I was using "smiley/high cheeks" and thinking of extending the smile more forward than what I needed. The wording I used in the summary was "diagonal smile," and that change in vocabulary and mentality really helped to release my soft palette and tongue. I really exaggerated the stretch of the back molar space and my sound came back. Of course, I've probably mylineated some nasty habits, because on occasion, I'd go back to my lack in "brilliance" in my sound.
Now that I've rediscovered my space, I just need to be careful not to over-sing, because I have a tendency to get really excited and then make my practice redundant by pushing for the desired sound over and over.
I thought a lot about "reopening" the voice/resonance every time I have to go up in pitch (it's hard to explain; do you a sort of quick blooming motion with the hand and stuff....).
I noticed that although the sound is very present in the mask/front area and that it feels high, I'm feeling sensation (air? vibrations?) that's more far back in the mouth (if I could feel my nasal cavity and the boundaries around it, I'd say it felt like I have an extra cavity/opening just behind it) than before. And singing like this FEELS SO FREAKING GOOD compared to how I've been singing this past week and a half.
My only concern is that I'm singing with too much spread, but at this point, I don't really care because I'm finally singing with release in the throat.
Practice 1/12/15
For the past couple days, I've been working on singing "in a higher place," but I have been struggling with some intense tongue tension. In my practice today, I listened to both the 8/6/14 lesson and 9/4/14 lesson in an attempt to find more release in my tongue.
One thing that really helped me was to remind myself not to think about my tongue, but to think of the space around it. Be the director, not the actor. And sing through "wide-eyes."
I also did a lot of experimenting with "stretching" the vocal folds before singing to help with that "approach from above" concept, but I'm definitely still struggling with applying it to my music; I feel like I can do it just fine in my vocalizes, but using it in song is another story.
I worked on my NATS pieces with Dallas today, and that really helped to point out the problems that I was having that I had either not noticed or brushed over carelessly in my practice time.
The piece that is causing the most concern is "Voi che sapete" due to the time I spend in my upper passaggio... I've been tightening and dragging my voice on any upward movement in pitch, resulting in vocal fatigue and an alarming dip in pitch. So, yeah, I'm sort of panicking since I have to sing this for competition on Saturday.
I've been experimenting a lot, but I can't seem to find the same place of release that I was in a couple weeks back, which is frustrating. If I somehow manage to come up with something before Wednesday, I'll be sure to write it down....
One thing that really helped me was to remind myself not to think about my tongue, but to think of the space around it. Be the director, not the actor. And sing through "wide-eyes."
I also did a lot of experimenting with "stretching" the vocal folds before singing to help with that "approach from above" concept, but I'm definitely still struggling with applying it to my music; I feel like I can do it just fine in my vocalizes, but using it in song is another story.
I worked on my NATS pieces with Dallas today, and that really helped to point out the problems that I was having that I had either not noticed or brushed over carelessly in my practice time.
The piece that is causing the most concern is "Voi che sapete" due to the time I spend in my upper passaggio... I've been tightening and dragging my voice on any upward movement in pitch, resulting in vocal fatigue and an alarming dip in pitch. So, yeah, I'm sort of panicking since I have to sing this for competition on Saturday.
I've been experimenting a lot, but I can't seem to find the same place of release that I was in a couple weeks back, which is frustrating. If I somehow manage to come up with something before Wednesday, I'll be sure to write it down....
Practice 1/9/15
I woke up very refluxy today, with a burning sensation in the back of my nasal passage and throat. I drank some water and thought about keeping my speaking voice pleasant and high so I wouldn't agitate it. When I got to the practice room, I did very light vocalization, and the only good thing about having a reflex day is that I can more actively tell when I'm putting unnecessary pressure on my voice.
I did a lot of descending patterns and interspersed them with wobble exercises and gentle ascending short scales. I tried to maintain high cheeks and kept the same tips Cindy gave me via text in mind.
On my high notes, I worked on singing from above, but that's definitely difficult when the scale is ascending, so I juxtaposed it with the descending first. I tried singing the bottom of the scale with the highest note resounding through my head. It still takes a lot of focus to do that though, so I've gotta work on myelinating that.
As I went through my music, I noticed I had a habit of "deactivating" the cheeks on [a] or [o], pulling down the pitch and dampening brilliance. I tried singing without consonants so I could focus more on maintaining a consistent space while changing vowels. I also tried to have an [ae] sound in all of my vowels.
I did a lot of descending patterns and interspersed them with wobble exercises and gentle ascending short scales. I tried to maintain high cheeks and kept the same tips Cindy gave me via text in mind.
On my high notes, I worked on singing from above, but that's definitely difficult when the scale is ascending, so I juxtaposed it with the descending first. I tried singing the bottom of the scale with the highest note resounding through my head. It still takes a lot of focus to do that though, so I've gotta work on myelinating that.
As I went through my music, I noticed I had a habit of "deactivating" the cheeks on [a] or [o], pulling down the pitch and dampening brilliance. I tried singing without consonants so I could focus more on maintaining a consistent space while changing vowels. I also tried to have an [ae] sound in all of my vowels.
Practice 1/8/15
Just a quick recap: I had gotten sick during the last tail end of the break, so I just avoided singing/vocalizing during that time because my voice got very swollen. After my other symptoms had gone away, I started singing again (gently), but I still had the feeling that I was singing through cotton and my voice was super sensitive after singing.
I told this to Cindy, and she reminded me to keep "smiling/high cheeks," and when my voice went too breathy to think sob, and when it went edgy, to pant in between phrases to find more release in my vocal folds.
In my practice today, I started a little lower than I usually do. Did these vocalizes, but not necessarily in this order. All of them were with relatively low volume and keeping Cindy's pointers in mind.
[li le la lo li le la lo la] 534231271.
[prrre] 8531
Wobble on 54321 and 8-1.
[thi] 54321
[fi fe fi fe fi] 564534231
[thi the tha] 123454321234543212345678987654321
[pan] 54321
I worked more on my entrances and using a metronome to work on making sure that I remember my lyrics at my entrances so what happened in VRH doesn't happen again... haha whoops.
Focused more on coming in from above on my upward leaps; I can feel myself scooping a bit, especially on "Voi che sapete." Trying to keep things light and buoyant.
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