Emily C.: DYV, Ch. 4

Discover Your Voice: Chapter 4

Emily Cottam

Chapter Summary: Singing is like skydiving; you have to train and prepare for it, but when the time comes, you must relax and trust the training you have done. The activator and vibrator must be well coordinated to create a full/rich sound; less is more in vocalization. Be prepared for singing before you sing-- “The sensation should be that you almost start to sing before you finish taking a breath.” Learning to sing should start with an effortless release of sound that comes as a result of gentle activation of the vocal cords paired with bountiful airflow. Sing on a sigh on a pitch, but sing as if you’re not on a pitch--just think of the pitch and let it out. When going down a scale, think of the numbers of the scale and just let the pitches fall onto the steps; it should be very gentle and easy. When learning to go up the scale, “bounce” off of the bottom note and provide “momentum”/adequate airflow to effortlessly ease you to the top. When adding vowel sounds to the mix, always maintain the sense of release in the “uh” position as you add vowels to the front. Downward progressional exercises are most beneficial because compared to upward exercises, it’s more difficult to tighten going down a scale than it is going up. Let the air flow do the work. The larynx naturally drops with breath intake. When learning to sing, don’t depend on feedback as you sing--predict the sound just from the preparatory position you take and determine whether it was healthy or not, rather than waiting for the sound to be made. By then, it’s already too late. Brown recommends recording yourself to be able to see results. 

Key Concepts: Basically, this entire chapter is about letting the sound happen and trusting the practice. If you practice effortless phonation to the point where it’s habitual, you’ll sing effortlessly in performance. All of the good things that you want to happen while singing (released sound, consistent airflow, low larynx) are results of good technique. 

Key Terms: elicit, preparation, “allow,” coup de glotte/stroke of the glottis, Bernoulli effect, elastic recoil

Making Connections: I’m going to really try recording myself to see the results of my practice rather than listening for changes in my sound. Recently, after working with Brianna and trying to focus on release in my jaw and maintaining a higher resonance, my sound has completely changed, and it’s difficult for me to tell what I’m doing right or wrong from just listening to myself as I sing. I still have a hard time trusting my sound (because I want to control everything), so I’ll definitely be working on “being in the moment” rather than focusing too hard on “what might happen.”