vocal violence

During a discussion at the Voice Care Network this summer, we brought up how the language we use in rehearsals, or even to refer to parts of the body, can often be aggressive and verging on violent.  I started making a list of terms that seem very aggressive for the act of singing-

ATTACK


"Attack the note"
"Give it  a strong attack"

CUT OFF


"Give me a clear cut-off"
"Cut off all together"


or else you'll cut off my arm..?

HOLD


"Hold this note as  long you can"
"Hold it out! Hold it!"


Whether you're holding on for dear life or holding a heavy object, nothing about the glottal closure and abdominal tension for those activities seems conducive with singing.

RIB CAGE


Compare the action of breathing to what the term 'cage' represents:
held
trapped
static
stuck
small

Bodymind instructor, Babette Lightner, suggested we coin the term Rib Wings instead, to embrace the ribs and their surrounding muscles' elastic ability to move side to side and front to back.

PROJECT


"I wasn't able to project that note"
"Project your voice to the back of the room"


The implication seems to be that your voice is an object you can throw or that if you work hard enough the air molecules expelled from your lungs will actually travel across the room you're in.

THROAT


"Feel an opening in the back of your throat"
"Don't sing from your throat"


It may not seem like an aggressive way to label that area of the body, but I was thinking that most people's experience with the term 'throat' before they ever began singing was at the doctor's office with the word 'sore' before it. Are we able to separate the sensation of getting swabbed for strep throat, or something of that nature, from the 'throat' part of the body involved in singing?

Besides 'pharynx', I've been finding success with specifying  'the air behind the tongue'.  That corresponds with its counterpart , the oral cavity, or 'the air above the tongue'. Terms that also fit well in the formant discussion.

Continuing the Discussion

Can you think of any others not on this list?

Why do you think this language developed in this way?

Have you had any successes with  'aggressive' language?

Have you had any successes with replacements for these terms?

~Laurel  Irene