Rewrite in
your own words the 5 identifying characteristics of consonants.
1) Speech sounds created by restriction
2) Because of the restriction quality, they
are noise elements
3) Less sonorous than vowels
4) They form the beginnings and endings of
vowel sounds/syllables
5) They separate vowel sound in recognizable
units to communicate meaning
How are
consonants divided into two primary groups.
voiced and unvoiced
Describe the
3 movement categories for consonants.
Continuants – sounds that can be sustained as
long as the breath lasts
Stops – brings the flow of air to a complete
halt, also called plosives or stop-plosives
Glides – vowel sound that functions as a
consonant, starts in the position of one vowel but immediately glides towards
the subsequent vowel.
Describe the
2 other systems used for classifying consonants.
1) The way the sound is produced
fricative
– breath stream passing through narrow aperture
plosive
– explosion of compressed air through the mouth
nasal
– any consonant made by passage of air through nasal cavity
aspirate
– breathy consonant
affricate
– compressed air is exploded through the narrow aperture of a fricative
2) The place or articulatory position in
which it is formed
bilabial
– closing the lips
labiodental
– lower lip touching the upper teeth
dental
– tip of tongue touching the upper teeth
alveolar
– tongue touching the alveolar ridge
velar
– back of tongue touching soft palate
glottal
– glottis closed or nearly so
Rewrite in
your own words the 5 identifying characteristics of vowels.
1) No restriction to the phonation
2) They have duration
3) Require phonation (except when
whispering…)
4) Without vowels, there is no tone
5) They are shaped by articulators
Which
articulator is of primary importance in the making of vowel sounds? Why?
Tongue, because it is the primary determinant
of the relationship between the oral and pharyngeal cavities.
Describe how
vowels are grouped.
front, back, central à these draw their names from the
position of the arch of the tongue.
tense, lax à
comparing the tension of muscles of the mouth and throat ([i] and [I])
stressed, unstressed à stress being the relative
loudness of a syllable, has to be in a language context.
cardinal, Latin (singer’s)
cardinal
vowels à
[i] [a] [u], most extreme versions of a vowel from which other vary.
What are the
four levels of stress?
Primary – retains full quality
Seconday – retains full quality
Tertiary – reduced to a shorter form
Weak – reduced to a shorter form
What are the
5 Singer’s Vowels?
[i] [e] [a] [o] [u]
What is a
phoneme? The smallest unit of change
between vowel or consonant sounds without changing meaning. If two sounds cannot be interchanged without
changing the meaning of the word, they are separate phonemes.
What is an
allophone? Phonetically distinct articulations which can be substituted for each
other without change in meaning.
Which articulators are under the direct control of the singer.
lips,
jaw, and tongue.
Which articulators must be trained indirectly?
soft
palate, glottis, epiglottis, and larynx
What are the 2 basic principles which contribute to the effective
use of the articulators?
1)
All movements of the articulators should be quick, precise, and positive,
ending in a position which is free of unnecessary tension.
2)
In singing, articulatory movements must be exaggerated, especially with
beginning students, if the words are to be consistently understood
What does McKinney suggest imagining as a first step?
Imagine
that all your articulatory movements are taking place just in front of your
mouth, with everything moving very crisply and precisely.
What are suggestions that are made for use/position of lips?
Position
should assist in pleasant expression.
Feel as if the lips are rubber and bounce apart. Don’t pull back your lips over your teeth or
away from teeth into forced smile. Have
a feeling that your lips are not touching your teeth.
What suggestions are made for your lower (yikes) jaw?
The
ideal position can be achieved easily through the beginning of a yawn
position. Do not tense any of the
muscles that attach to this. The jaw
should drop down and swing back. When
you sing, the jaw shouldn’t stay in one place, or lock shut. Jaw should open wider for higher
pitches. Jaw should feel as if it’s
dropping of its weight.
What
suggestions are made for your tongue?
You must locate a resting place for the
tongue, which should probably be the gum ridge right below the lower
teeth. Don’t pull the tongue back at
all. Some vowels and consonants need
some tongue, but only use minimum. Tip
of tongue on reference point, body lies flat with gentle arch
Why is
tongue considered most important articulator?
Define/describe
consonants in general. A subordinate sound which is used with a
vowel to form a syllable; it does not form the nucleus of a syllable, but can
define its borders.
Why does
McKinney suggest firm consonants?
1. consonants are subordinate to vowels in
sonority and do not carry as well, especially in a large auditorium.
2. Firm consonants help the singer to
establish and maintain good, solid tone production on the vowels.
Define
vowels. Voiced, unrestricted speech sounds which are capable of being sustained
and thereby of becoming the basic building material of vocal tone.
What is the
function of vowels? To carry the tone
What is the
function of consonants? To break up the
tone into distinct, comprehensible units.
What is the
problem that inexperienced singers have with vowels? An inability to establish and maintain steady states of vowel posture.
How are the
concepts of vowel purity and phonemic identity different? Vowel
purity means that vowel are consistent throughout the entire range, but
phonemic identity, which is more accurate, indicates that the vowel differs in
different pitch ranges, but it has to stay in a certain phonemic range to be
identified as the correct vowel.
What are the
problems that occur when singers insist on singing “pure” vowels in the upper
voice? They are likely to encounter vocal problems such as loss of quality,
tight phonation, elevated larynx, and vocal strain.
What are the
different approaches to vowel migration or vowel modification?
1)
Some feel that you should recognize that
vowels do modify in the upper voice and should encourage it by allowing more
space, internally and externally, while still thinking of the basic vovwel
sound you are trying to produce.
2)
Other think you should encourage migration by
thinking the vowel toward which you are modifying.
3)
Others feel that since the vowels migrate
towards the center, all vowels should be colored with “ah” in the upper voice
What is the
critical factor in all systems of vowel migration/modification?
Phonemic identity must be maintained enough
to understand what is being said.
In studying
professional female singers, upon what is jaw opening dependent? Phonation frequency, not the vowel.
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