tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6919674981128634746.post9030119447358306815..comments2023-11-05T07:41:34.380-05:00Comments on Kashu-do (歌手道): The Way of the Singer: Kashu-do (歌手道): Leaning On the Breath: An Attempt at a Scientific ExplanationKashu-Dohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375903978220316261noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6919674981128634746.post-25108778579367328722017-11-13T03:22:15.712-05:002017-11-13T03:22:15.712-05:00That's true. Thanks for your answer! More food...That's true. Thanks for your answer! More food for thought!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04796498390408771247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6919674981128634746.post-75991249154145361492017-11-13T00:26:23.080-05:002017-11-13T00:26:23.080-05:00Dear Math Flair, this contention is supported by e...Dear Math Flair, this contention is supported by empirical studies! What is not guaranteed is whether the larynx remains in a low position once phonation begins. That would depend on onset and phonation posture as well as continued breath compression.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6919674981128634746.post-40986838593474019572017-11-12T08:17:39.863-05:002017-11-12T08:17:39.863-05:00Dear Jean-Ronald,
Thank you for another wonderful...Dear Jean-Ronald,<br /><br />Thank you for another wonderful post!<br />Do you believe that keeping the space of "open intercostal muscles" also helps to keep the larynx down without the help of the tongue?<br />Thanks :-)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04796498390408771247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6919674981128634746.post-84799723530167685192010-10-27T08:25:41.543-04:002010-10-27T08:25:41.543-04:00Very good points! I address thise in my recent po...Very good points! I address thise in my recent post "Appoggio and Low Larynx" at http://www.tenortalkblog.com<br /><br />There is a difference between singing with a low larynx and singing with a low larynx with appoggio. Singing with a low larynx actually tends to diminish appoggio, especially if driven too far.<br /><br />JackAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10329997782941793036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6919674981128634746.post-64921044712780086572010-10-24T14:47:20.036-04:002010-10-24T14:47:20.036-04:00You are right, of course!
A "twang" in...You are right, of course! <br /><br />A "twang" in the sound is the resonance effect of what acousticians call an acoustic impedance mismatch; an epilaryngeal narrowing followed by a sudden expansion into the pharynx causes reflections and a resonator at the singer's formant frequencies. The expansion is always there no matter what, but the "twang" may not be of the operatic kind if the expansion area is too small. A lowered larynx and an expanded pharynx in combination with the epilaryngeal narrowing will create an operatic kind of twang, I believe.<br /><br />However, my point was that feeling of "leaning on the breath" could be a feeling of this acoustic resonance rather than an action at the fold level.Martin Berggrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09015025825598248479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6919674981128634746.post-32089179659327752922010-10-24T10:09:05.119-04:002010-10-24T10:09:05.119-04:00Martin,
This is an important component. Squillo ...Martin,<br /><br />This is an important component. Squillo is a result of not only the narrowing of the epylarynx but also a widening of the pharynx to produce that 1:6, 1:7...ratio that is necessary. In the case of the Italian singers, I would be willing to gamble that they begin with the epylaryngeal narrowing as a default. Italians simply speak with that kind of "twang" in the sound.<br /><br />What they often need in order to achieve the squillo is the other part--the pharyngeal widening, which depends to a great extent on the depth of the larynx. My instinct is that the average Italian tenor might begin his singing with a pressed sound (Corelli's caprino for instance) and eventually develop the balance of breath pressure and flow necessary for a floating low larynx.<br /><br />I would imagine the missing link for such singers is the laryngeal position which when achieved might feel like leaning on the breath to achieve support, airflow, laryngeal depth, which in turn would produce the 1:6 ratio for the squillo, given that the epylaryngeal narrowing was already there (which I suspect is the case).<br /><br />JRAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6919674981128634746.post-50968546591186649882010-10-24T04:33:29.307-04:002010-10-24T04:33:29.307-04:00The term "leaning on the breath" describ...The term "leaning on the breath" describes a sensation and may therefore be difficult to define in more precise terms. Nevertheless, I would like to suggest a somewhat different interpretation than the one you express in your post; one that is related to air resonance.<br /><br />An important effect of practicing singing using occlusions, such as lip trills, zz's, v's, drinking straws etc., is that it is impossible to squeeze the folds too much together. Thus, the occlusion exercises are easy on the folds although a substantial support is needed to sustain the sound. When removing the occlusion while trying to maintain the same feeling of easiness on the folds combined with a strong breath support, something else has to replace the occlusion at the mouth. I think there is nothing else but an epilaryngial narrowing that can achieve this. This narrowing provides a resonance mechanism that produces the singer's formant and, at the same time, an inertial load that may help boosting the lower harmonics. Thus, I suggest that the "leaning on the breath" is the sensation of acoustic resistance from the epilaryngial narrowing. If the folds are kept non-squeezing, as in the occlusion exercises, the feeling can be that it is somehow the sound that is resisted in the region just above the larynx. The physical background to this feeling could simply be a high sound intensity below the narrowing. This interpretation is in line with what Ligni wrote: <i> They stated that this laryngeal leaning produces high, metallic resonance. </i> <br /><br />MartinMartin Berggrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09015025825598248479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6919674981128634746.post-10094574786679126912010-10-23T06:25:40.872-04:002010-10-23T06:25:40.872-04:00Dear Klaus,
I do agree there is some leeway but n...Dear Klaus,<br /><br />I do agree there is some leeway but not very much I suspect. Too thin a production would cause stiffness and a heavy production would tend to be ineffcient. I also think there are limits to how dramatic a voice can get. Kraus can never become Corelli. However when a singer has true efficiency, whether lyric or dramatic, they can produce a great amount of sound pressure. Often lyrics, like Björling among tenors had a lot more presence in the hall than more dramatic colleagues.<br /><br />I don't think any of this is God-given in the true sense. Perhaps God-given in so far that the singer was given the environment and cultural setting that encouraged such development. As a teacher I try to create such an environement in the studio that leads to the kind of glottal balance that fosters easier singing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6919674981128634746.post-70846160380094857082010-10-22T15:03:07.106-04:002010-10-22T15:03:07.106-04:00The term "leaning on the breath" describ...The term "leaning on the breath" describes a sensation and may therefore be hard to define in more precise terms. Nevertheless, I would like to suggest a somewhat different interpretation than the one you express in your post. <br /><br />An important effect of practicing with the use of occlusions, such as lip trills, zzs, vs, drinking straws etc., is that it is impossible to squeeze the folds too much together without losing the continuous production of sound. Thus, the occlusion exercises are easy on the folds although a substantial breath support is needed to sustain the sound. When removing the occlusion while trying to maintain the same feeling of easiness on the folds combined with a strong support, something else has to replace the occlusion mechanism. I think there is nothing else but an epilaryngial narrowing that can do this. This narrowing provides a resonance tube that produces a strong singer's formant and, at the same time, an inertial load that helps boosting the lower harmonics and lowers the phonation threshold so that the folds do not need to be squeezed. <br /><br />Thus, I suggest that the "leaning on the breath" is the sensation of resistance from the epilaryngial narrowing and associated inertial loading. If the folds are kept as non-squeezing as in the occlusion exercises, the feeling can be that it is somehow the sound that is resisted in the region above th larynx (but not at the fold level) instead of at the mouth as in the occlusion exercise.<br /><br />This interpretation of the term "leaning on the breath" would explain the quote (by Ligni) <i> They stated that this laryngeal leaning produces high, metallic resonance </i>. That is, this metallic resonance would be the effect of the epilaryngial resonator.<br /><br />MartinMartin Berggrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09015025825598248479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6919674981128634746.post-35359645740820721812010-10-22T10:25:45.103-04:002010-10-22T10:25:45.103-04:00I agree with what you're saying. I think you&#...I agree with what you're saying. I think you're hitting the source of confusion exactly. I think another piece of the puzzle, however, is the vocal onset. When Garcia talks about a (GENTLE!) coup de la glotte, or glottal attack, I think he's addressing this same issue of the larynx resisting the air pressure. I suspect part of the reason different singers have different opinions about leaning on the breath is because they have different closed quotients. In line with what you're saying, the more heavy the voice and high the closed quotient, the more you would expect the leaning on the breath to be an important part of their strategy.<br />So another way of saying the above is, the more brilliant and breath-efficient you want to make your tone, the more muscle tone you will need and the more you will feel like you have to resist the air pressure by leaning on your larynx.<br />What I don't know is to what extent these vocal weights are volitional and to what extent they are God-given and it's our job to find the right balance. Obviously some voices are bigger than others, but I think we have quite a bit of leeway on how vigorously we wish to use them as well.<br />-<a href="http://www.klausgeorg.com" rel="nofollow">Klaus Georg</a>KGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13546617658644151985noreply@blogger.com