This discussion has listed the use of belts or links of chain around parts of the rib cage to insure an expansion of the small ribs at the bottom of the chest. This use assumes that if the lower ribs are expanded throughout the exhale during singing, the diaphragm will not ascend early in the exhale and, in so doing, removing the primary control the singer over his breath management. ...
Placement is often taught as a general idea such as put the voice backward or forward. It is also common to name a place such as put the voice into the nose, just behind the forehead, through the tope of the head, on the roof of the mouth etc, etc. While I was studying with Burton Coffin at the University of Colorado, Boulder, I constructed a vowel mirror similar to the one he used in his studio. His tone came from a small 4 octave electric organ usually using a flute stop. My tone came from an early Korg tuner that produced a square wave. That limited me to just the odd integer harmonics but it still worked adequately. It would have been better if it produced a saw-tooth wave that would contain all harmonics. ...
“Onset” is another word for attack. It is used by voice scientists because it has less violent meanings than does the word, attack. A glottal onset occurs when one can hear and feel the initial closing of the vocal folds after their initial opening/closing, as found in the disapproving expression in English, “uh, uh”. A breathy onset occurs when the passage of breath is heard over the partially open vocal folds prior to the initial opening/closing of the folds. ...
Being heard up close or far away. If the vocal tract is adjusted to emphasize the harmonic that best projects the voice, the voice is heard well in the hall but might be less well heard up close, especially from the side of the performer. Singers often refer to this as singing “over” or “above” the orchestra or as “floating the tone” out into the hall. A tone, “floated” this way can have great intensity or simply be easily heard or even be a mezzo forte, depending on the demands of the music and orchestra as well as the dramatic intent of that part of the opera. ...
It is my understanding that when the voice cracks the vibration of the vocal folds have become asymmetrical. That is, the left and right vocal folds are not opening and closing at the same time. One of the folds will move to close before the other one is ready to do so. This action implies that something of sufficient force has disturbed them from their natural tendency for equal perturbation. That force is initiated by the sudden removal of a standing wave in the vocal tract that is providing a stable oscillating environment through the effect of “inertance” (See Ingo Titae). ...
Male and female voices do not function in the same way for notes above their highest passaggio. The primary reason for this difference is the fact that the female voice is singing pitches in E5 to C6 range and male voices are singing pitches in the E4 to C5 range. The male voice is an octave lower than the female voice. That is so obvious it would seem redundant to mention it. However it is easy to forget that the harmonics are a numerical expressions of the lowest harmonic (which is also called the fundamental). Thus A4 has a fundamental of 440, its 2nd harmonic is 880, its 3rd harmonic is 1320, etc. A4 is a high note for a male voice but it is within the middle range of a female voice. A5 (880) is a high note for a female voice. Its 2nd harmonic would be 1760. Its 3rd harmonic would be 2460, etc. ...
The thickness of the vocal folds do not fit into two static categories such as thick or thin nor M1 and M2. The vocal folds change their length and their thickness in a continuous manner as the sung pitch is raised or lowered. In this they meet the myoelastic theory of vocal fold function as well as the aerodynamic theory that emphasis the Bernoulli Principal to assist with vocal fold closure. ...
The resonance strategy used by classical female voices in their middle range is to have the second formant of the vocal tract resonate the second harmonic (F2/H2) of the sound spectrum produced by the vocal folds (phonated tone). The higher one sings the higher the fundamental rises and so do all of the harmonics of that pitch. Eventually the second harmonic is too high and cannot be resonated by the second formant. Keep in mind that formants, which are the resonating potentials of the vocal tract, do not change their pitch. The pitches of formants can only be altered by changing the vowel being sung. All vowels have their own individual formant frequencies. ...
Recently on “Vocalist” an important question was asked about the location of female and male first (primo) passaggio: I’m confused! Why does the primo passaggio point in female voices lie lower as the voice gets lighter (Eb4 in sopranos, E4/F4 in mezzo-sopranos and G4 in contraltos) whereas the corresponding case in male voices is quite contrary (primo passaggio is higher as the voice gets lighter)? This is not too difficult to answer but it is problematic to use terms that are not ambiguous. The explanation for female voices is different from that for male voices even though the female first (primo) passaggio is in about the same position as the male single passaggio. The female voice has a second (secondo) passaggio about an octave higher than their first passaggio. The male voice has no second passaggio. ...
Recently “The Vocalist” has posted a series of emails from its members about Breath Management during the singing exhale. Below is my response to these emails. This discussion has listed the use of belts or links of chain around parts of the rib cage to insure an expansion of the small ribs at the bottom of the chest. This use assumes that if the lower ribs are expanded throughout the exhale during singing, the diaphragm will not ascend early in the exhale and, in so doing, removing the primary control the singer over his breath management. ...