| Share page | Visit Us On FB |
|
CONCEPTS OF PHONATION |
127 |
||
|
|
|||
|
anism to the whole posture of the body for singing. The larynx is attached to tht upper end of the trachea much as a nozzle is attached to the end of a garden hose. During the application of breath pressure against the occluded vocal lips (cords), the larynx is prevented from wobbling by an arrangement of extrinsic supporting muscles. These muscles, like supporting guy wires, radiate from the larynx upward to points in the head, backward to points in the spine, and downward to points in the chest and shoulders. Obviously, the slightest postural abnormality during phonation will tend to pull these extrinsic muscles out of alignment and also tend to pull the entire larynx away from its basic support against the spine, thus disturbing the phonating mechanism. "Elevation of the larynx during singing is a faulty mechanism/' [Negus, p. 383]
Because many common faults of phonation are attributed to faulty posture, authors of singing texts continually stress the importance of head position, chest position, tongue position, etc., as technical elements in maintaining a correct over-all posture of the body for artistic singing. Freedom and flexibility of the neck, shoulders, spine, ribs and chest are therefore contributing factors in phonation. Artist singers caution beginners against assuming backward tilting head positions, flat chest or drooping shoulders. Such postural deformities impose abnormal strains upon the neck muscles which, in turn, might set up chronic laryngeal tensions and result in injuries to the vocal apparatus under the exertion of sustained singing. [Ibid. p. 390]
Psychological controls. The foregoing considerations present forceful evidence of the complexity of the phonatory apparatus and indicate the extreme difficulty and hazard involved in imposing part-methods of technical training upon the muscular network that actuates the singing voice. It is argued, in 85 statements, that local effort of any kind in singing tends to disturb coordinations of the many interrelated parts of the vocal instrument. Psychological or indirect training procedures are therefore recommended, embodying three main objectives:
1. Mental ease. Mental ease or poise is cultivated in the student by removing all fear and caution regarding the vocal act. Formal discipline and criticism are reduced to a minimum. Feelings of frustration and failure are dissipated by preventing self-analysis, conscious effort and striving beyond the capabilities of the vocal instrument. Singing is taught as a soul-satisfying experience, rather than a laborious and self-conscious performance of vocal gymnastics.
2. Tonal imagery. The inculcation of strong tonal concepts requires previous experience in recognizing good vocal models. The ear is trained |
|||