Sunday, November 24, 2013

Sarah Brenay - OB - Ch. 10

Summary: An understanding of the physiological and sensational aspects of articulation help singers create un-entangled, expressive, speech like singing. What we perceive as vowels are actually the suppression or enhancement of particular overtones caused by the resonant space created by the pharynx, mouth, and tongue. There are close vowels, which Brown refers to as "tongue vowels" and open vowels which he calls "lip vowels. Brown includes a series of exercises to help singers attain free, natural vowel formation. He describes the formation of correct dipthongs using the anology of a pig and its tail, the pig being the initial vowel and the tail being the second vowel. Consonants require extensive study as well. Consonant create back pressure which lowers pitch, and singers must be aware of this effect to create legato line uninterrupted by pitch deviation. Vowel sounds must fall on the beat, and therefore initial consonants must come before the beat. As pitch goes up, vowels sometimes need to be modified. To open the mouth properly involves the motion of the jaw and head.
Key Concepts: Proper articulation for singing is not the same as for speech. Vowels must be formed with the primal sound in order to resonate properly. Consonants must be articulated with more vigor. Achieving proper articulation takes a great deal of practice, but allows us to convey meaning and intent to our audience.
Key Terms:
Voiced Consonants - incorporate a simultaneous sound from the larynx and can be sustained
Unvoiced Consonants - do not have the sustaining properties of vowels
Vowel Formant - the composite of concentrations of energy at particular frequencies
Phonemes - single units of language represented by IPA symbols
Making Connections: This chapter cleared up a lot of questions I had about articulation and vowel formation. I found it very helpful. I have always loved the pig and tail analogy, it makes so much sense! Connecting my singing to speech has helped me free my articulators A LOT! Thank you Cindy!

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