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Welcome to
Vocalist's Insightful Practices(VIP) Newsletter!
October 5, 1999
Table of Contents:
1. Welcome Notes
2. Vocal "Trivia"
3. VIP Q & A
4. Vocal Tip
5. Notable Quotables
6. Trivia Answers
1. Welcome Notes
Welcome to Vocalist's Insightful Practices (VIP)! Welcome
to our new subscribers and thank you to our friends who
forward VIP to their friends. That's how we grow and
have a greater impact on the vocal community!
VIP is a free monthly
newsletter that's goal is to promote proper vocal health
by providing valuable, yet simple tips to singers, vocal
coaches, speakers and anyone else who uses their voice!
I hope that this electronic publication assists you in
creating a voice which is more healthy, powerful and
enjoyable.
Please let me know how
I can be of service to you in reaching your vocal goals.
Take care of your voice, if it breaks you can't get a
new one!
Note to subscribers: Do
you have all VIP issues since it's premier in June?
E-mail me today to receive back issues! If you have a
question that you would like to see addressed in an
upcoming issue, e-mail me with the info! You may contact
me at mailto:DAmbrosino@musicsimplymusic.com
2. Test Your Vocal
Knowledge
1. In a standing
position, should the majority of your body weight be on
your heels or the balls of your feet?
2. Within the
hypopharynx, this flap-type valve closes the larynx
(opening to the lungs) as food passes to the esophagus.
3. True or False: When
experiencing irritation in your throat, you should
greatly limit singing AND speaking.
3.VIP Q & A
Q: How can I speak/sing
louder?
A: Often referred to as
projection, this is a pretty important skill for
speakers and singers to attain. Yelling and screaming
may make you sound louder, but it will also damage your
voice over time. Remember, as I've mentioned in a
previous VIP issue, ALWAYS have a slight yawn in the
back of your throat. This position will keep you lifted
off your vocal cords and allow the sound of your voice
to flow freely out you mouth. Breath is key in attaining
volume. When you speak or sing a phrase, simply inhale
more air than usual and expell it faster than usual. You
should immediately hear a difference. One visualization
I use with my students consists of imagining yourself
catching a medicine ball surprisingly thrown straight
into your stomach. Take a huge breath and imagine the
weight of that ball pushing quickly into your stomach
and notice how quickly your breath is released out of
your mouth. Obviously, when you speak or sing, you do
not want a violent jolt in your voice to occur. However,
this visualiztion as well as the visualization of being
punched in the stomach, provides a successful outlet in
which to train your breath to expell quickly; thus
creating volume in your voice! (This particular exercise
is also helpful in achieving accents or attacks on words
of notes.) Beyond this, would be to learn how to control
your volume levels and use them appropriately. If you
are a young person, age does play a role in your volume
levels and your ability to control your breath. A 10
year old will not have the power and volume of an adult.
Time to grow and use of proper vocal technique will fix
that. As with the practice of all techniques, repetition
is crucial. Consistent correct execution will eventually
lead to your breath remembering without you having to
think about it. In the meantime, think BIG! BIG
inhalations and BIG (and fast) exhalations!
4. Vocal Tip
As drier air sets in,
it's time to up the moisture content. Before you get
thirsty, drink lots of water ('til your belly goes
"gah gunk"!) Sleeping while a humidifyer is
running is also very beneficial. To avoid waking up with
a crusty nose, try applying a thin coat of vaseline in
your nostrils before going to bed!
5. Notable Quotables
" I don't know the
key to success, but the key to failure is to try and
please everyone." -Bill Cosby
"Although there are
at least a dozen singers who are more famous and
prosperous than Ella Fitzgerald, none of the others
achieves her flexibility. This may come as something
of a shock to the partisans of Dinah Shore and
Margaret Whiting, but it is nevertheless the truth,
for neither of them, not withstanding their enormous
and exceedingly renumerative popularity, possesses a
fraction of the talent that becomes audible the moment
Ella Fitzgerald begins to sing."
- George Frazier, jazz columnist
6. Trivia Answers
1. balls of your feet
2. epiglottis
3. true
Copyright © 1999 Diane
Ambrosino. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to
reproduce, copy or distribute VIP so long as this
copyright notice and full information about contacting
the author is attached.
The author of this
article is Diane Ambrosino and she may be contacted at:
http://www.musicsimplymusic.com mailto:DAmbrosino@musicsimplymusic.com
"We
enjoy what we do, and so will you!"
phone: 516-471-4358
fax: 516-471-8311
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