Emily C., Voice Lesson Summary, 1/27/14

Emily C., Voice Lesson Summary, 1/27/14

We started with some simple lip trills going down on 54321. Then we changed it to “thee,” going down on the same scale, making sure that my body is released (not relaxed). Brianna made me remember that I should always have a feeling of “huh” when I release my breath, and that my inhale should let the air in. I should have the mask resonance with the sensation of “ng” and that I should have height in my top jaw. There should always be fall-through and release in tongue. 

Apparently, my vibrato is really evening out (which I can feel), and Brianna wanted me to check if there is any tongue interference with my vibrato by having me feel around the base of my jaw while I sang, and there was no movement/tenseness. 

We expanded on the “thee” by doing a 8531, making sure to always have a “huh” sensation (I used my hands as if I was just dropping something to find this sensation). As a check, Brianna had me tilt my head back, sing the same exercise while tilting my head back to its normal position. I should have the same depth in sound and relaxed base of tongue as I do when my head is in its normal place. 

Next, we did a li le la lo lu 53421 exercise where I tighten my neck/shoulders/face and release everything before singing every phrase. We then expanded to 867564534271. As always, maintaining space, “huh,” and masky resonance. 

We then worked on “Non posso disperar.” Ignoring the diction problems, I really needed to work on adding “dump” moments and direction to each phrase, utilizing the syllabic emphasis and written-in accents to my advantage. I struggled with keeping an open breathing pattern that wasn’t in the upward motion. Brianna told me to imagine that my air is always coming in, even as I exhale. My exhalations should feel like I’m sitting on a ball, and that my ribcage is there to let the air swim through.