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VoiceScienceWorks

ongoing discussions 

a forum to discuss the continuous mysteries and discoveries of the voice

changing perceptions

9/25/2015

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Can we know two realities at once? Does this help or distract from our singing? The more we learn about the workings of how our bodies produce sound, the more our perceptions seem false and in need of a updates.  Is it OK to let old perceptions stay where they are and allow the new facts to occupy some space next to them? Or is it dangerous to let the senses draw  a false map of our reality?
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Ever since  the discovery that the earth is a rotating object and the sun is a stationary object, has any  effort by the scientific community been made to change the language "the sun rises" and "the sun sets"? The world of science seems to have accepted that the generic perception of these elements goes against modern knowledge and what elementary education tells us. Is this false perception accepted because our brains are able to know the two facts simultaneously - I see the sun rising but I also know that the earth is the object rotating?

In singing, does the conscious brain have room to know two facts simultaneously? When is this helpful and when is this dangerous?

Some examples to consider-
  1. I perceive that I have "put" my sound up in my cheekbones when I create a strong tone.
I know that sound radiates everywhere and I cannot control where it is put. The sensation is most likely coming from the bones in my upper face vibrating sympathetically.

2. I perceive that I am "making" the sound  out in front of my face. 
I know that the source of the sound happens in the larynx and is filtered throughout the vocal tract. The sensation of where I hear and feel the sound is an aftermath of where the sound wave is actually created.

3. I perceive  that I am singing from my diaphragm. 
I know that the diaphragm is an involuntary muscle that I cannot directly feel. The muscle engagement I feel is most likely in the abdomen. 


Continuing the Discussion

In which of these examples do you think it's possible to feel the perception and know the facts simultaneously?

In which of these examples is the perception more helpful than the facts?

In which of these examples is the perception destructive to how the singer maps their body and produces their sound?

When do we owe it to people to correct their perceptions and when is it helpful to let perceptions be the guiding force?
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vocal violence

9/25/2015

2 Comments

 
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-
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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..?
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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