Amber- O.B. chapters 1-4 Summaries

O.B. Chapters 1-4 from Amber

Chapter 1 Primal Sound
Primal sound is the core of natural sound that emitted from us before becoming contaminated by speech or other artificial higher thinking type communication. Locating your primal sound is essential to having a good foundation for singing.
Key concepts: you have to develop a healthy speaking voice to develop a healthy singing voice. Primal sound is at the root of it all.
Key words: Think, let, pray, trust, first, new, initial, unoccupied, unique, basic, fundamental, original.
Connection: I have small children that run around laughing, shouting and screeching like maniacs all day long without losing their voices. I should pay more attention to what they are doing so naturally since it is obviously primal sound.

Chapter 2 Release
Building on the concept of primal sound, we must do all we can to train our vocal area to not overdo or strain ans when a lifter lifts etc. We need to avoide setting the vocal folds when under stress or otherwise in order to avoid hyperfunction, or muscular stress of the larynx.
 An exercise in twelve steps was given to help find release and help us to be more aware and mindful of release.
Key Concepts: To perform with the greatest freedom and the least effort. Let your larynx hang free. Speaking habits affect singing habits and vice verse.
Key Words: release, fixative, free.
Connection: I started this a year ago with a previous teacher. It seems like such a simple thing, but it really does make a difference.

Chapter 3 Posture and Breathing
Posture and breathing are intertwined. If you are having trouble breathing (while singing), you probably have bad posture. Likewise if you aren't aligned properly, you're going to have a hard time breathing properly.
A few exercises in posture and breathing  were given that required a gradual step by step procession.
In the end it was all still a matter of think and let.
Key concepts: To breathe freely, the body needs good alignment. If you're tall, be gloriously tall, but don't try to be taller than you are. Learn to think in terms of breath pressure or compression rather than support. “The beautiful voice is the result not of exertion of great power but rather of delicate control”
Key words or Phrases: perceiving of self-kinesthesia, Breath management NOT breath control.
Connection: Pay attention and stop trying too hard. Appropriate effort and breath is what's needed not an impressive one.

Chapter 4 Eliciting Pitches: beginning exercises:
Now that the foundation of primal sound, release, and proper posture and breathing have been established we can move on to some exercises involving pitch. Not definite pitches at first; just getting the concepts of primal sound and the rest into the range we sing in. There is sliding up the scale to establish kinesthetic actions to bring about automatic responses. There is altering the shape of your sound to help find the maximum freedom and looseness in vowel production. Then we get to feel the interplay of airflow and pitch, and how we must let the airflow do the work.
Key concepts: Let the airflow do the work. It's better to vocalize form the top down for a better sense of how airflow interplays with pitch. Effortless releas of sound.
Key words: effortless, airflow, elicit, release, Think and let.
Connection: These are the type of exercises we are doing in the studio this semester. They make much more sense now.