MCCOY CHAPTER ONE STUDY QUESTIONS: Sarah Boucher
Provide the missing descriptor in the following pairs: (2-6)
Clean –Raspy
Dramatic – Lyric
Loft – Twang
Clear –Breathy
Healthy –Damaged
Dark –Bright
Forward –Back
Ringing –Conversational
Nasal – Non Nasal
Free – Forced
Straight Tone – Vibrato
Wobble – Flutter
Define chiaroscuro. (2)
Chiaroscuro is the balance in the voice of both dark and bright qualities. The dark brings the warmth and the bright makes it carry.
How does the strength of the overtones vary in tones that are bright vs. dark? (2)
Bright tones=Higher pitched, stronger overtones
Dark tones=lower pitched, stronger overtones
What causes twang resonance? How would you describe the sound? (2)
Twang resonance is created by a "narrowing of the vocal tract". I would describe twang, as a more musical theater sound. It is an overall more nasal sound with more brass.
What causes loft resonance? (2)
Loft resonance is when the pharynx is enlarged and the soft palate is lifted.
What often causes the sound to be ‘back’ rather than forward? (2-3)
McCoy says that is frequently tension in the root of the tongue that creates this "swallowed sound".
Lyric and dramatic are indicators of both the size and the COLOR of the voice. (3)
Synonyms for light and dramatic might be FULL and LYRIC. (3)
What is the cause of breathiness? (3)
Breathiness happens when the glottis is not closing all the way. In addition bad breath support, increases breathiness.
What is raspiness? What causes raspiness? (3)
Raspiness is course and scratchy and sounds like hoarseness. It is caused by malfunctions in vocal fold vibration and could also be the result of voice disorders.
How are breathiness and raspiness different? (3)
Breathiness is more of a hiss behind the sound and raspiness is more like hoarseness.
What are signs of a damaged voice? (3)
Damages voices have unwanted noises like excessive breathiness or raspiness that is not in the singer's control. They also can have cracking, popping, diplophonia, intonation problems and wide and slow vibrato.
What is nasality? What causes nasality? (4)
Nasality occurs when the soft palate does not seal the passageway into the nasal cavity and sound resonates there.
Define free singing. (4-5)
Free singing gives the impression of ease to the listener and should feel good in the singer. Free singing is all about not being entangled, and letting the sounds come out without any control over them.
Define forced singing. (5)
Forced singing is taxing on the singer and can be heard by the listener. It is not allowing the sound to control itself but trying to control it.
Define vibrato. (5)
Vibrato is the vibrations that occur on a sustained notes. If it is even and free is it a characteristic of healthy singing.
What is the compass of a normal vibrato? (5)
A major second or more, top to bottom
Describe the characteristics of regular vibrato. (5)
Regular vibrato should have an equal balance of pitch and loudness modulation that occur together.
What does pitch-dominant vibrato sound like? (5)
Pitch-dominant vibrato sounds like a trill because it has no modulation in loudness.
What does loudness-dominant vibrato sound like? (5)
Loudness-dominant vibrato sounds like a goat, because the sound doesn't modulate in pitch.
What is the oscillation rate of a healthy, well-balanced vibrato? (5)
Between 4.5 and 7 cycles per second
Define wobble. (5-6)
Wobble is slow vibrato that is also wide in pitch compass. It is less than 4.5 cycles per second and it's pitch compass exceeds a major second from top to bottom.
What causes wobble? (6)
Wobble can be cause by poor technique, taxing voice use, neurological disorders or old age.
How can we avoid developing a wobble? (6)
Good vocal hygiene and fitness can help us to avoid development of a wobble.
Define flutter. (6)
Flutter is a fast vibrato that is more than cps 7 and a narrow pitch compass.
No comments:
Post a Comment