Thanks for publishing this video. I have been teaching this information to singers and choirs for years. Like Prof D Howard I have looked and felt the singing process. Maybe every singing teacher in the country should watch this as they make their lessons akin to alchemy with esoteric language.
It's not how much you open your mouth that matters, but the amount of openness one has in their throats. In fact, if you open your mouth too much, you close off your throat. Furthermore, the 'Ah' vowel has a wider mouth opening but the throat is more closed than an ''ì' vowel which has a more open throat and smaller mouth opening.
Absolutely agreed. I don't understand why the choral world is so fixated on the mouth being open. Certainly it's possible to have a mouth that's too closed, but it's also possible to open too much, as he does on his 'i' vowel. The only reason I can think of is that the opening of the mouth is easy to see, and therefore provides something that seems easy to work on. Working on the correct formation of vowels and use of breath is much harder to do, especially with a group.
Any practical advice on how to improve one's pitch range (both high and low, hopefully) that is as straight-forward and proven-to-be-effective as weight training for the physique? Or is one really born with a given tone and pitch range (because of the vocal cords' mass and shape) that is difficult to change or improve? Is it likely that many of the great pop singers (non-operatic) never took a voice lesson in their lives and that lessons only improve things like phrasing, sustain, maximum volume and volume dynamics?
40:00 Leaves is with a cliffhanger! What is the lil tube above the larynx responsible for this special frequency range performers are known for? Is this vocal compression control?
it's not a science. Science has to explain things. This video doesn't explain anything. This man just has an opinion about what you should do and gives no explanation about why and how it works. Think a little..why we should use the first type of breathing?.. Because it's right?.. Or because everyone told you that it's right?.. Because it should be right? OK, but it is not a science - it's just an opinion of a man, who cannot sing himself. The second thing after which I stopped the video: the diaphrgam cannot stop air coming out. Wait a second. Why doesn't it? It's a very serious statement Just think logically - it's a muscle. It can be stretched in very different ways - slow, fast, strong, weak. If you try to straight out your hand by other hand you can feel that muscles which usually bend your arm resist to your action, that means that diaphragm at least can resist to muscles underneath and thereby slow down the air flow..
@@ciankiwi7753 I think the truth is somewhere in between. His explanations really could stand to be fleshed out more, though he does make some explanations. Some of his information is correct, such as the information on breathing, but some is woefully incorrect. Opening that much on an 'i' vowel is completely undesirable within the speech range and only appropriate when above the speech range. He seems to be as much influenced by the misapprehensions that have spread throughout much of the choral world as he is by science or generally accepted practices of good singing.
Thanks for publishing this video. I have been teaching this information to singers and choirs for years. Like Prof D Howard I have looked and felt the singing process.
Maybe every singing teacher in the country should watch this as they make their lessons akin to alchemy with esoteric language.
Such a clear concise presentation of a difficult topic ! Five stars! Required listening for all musicians I'd say !
Excellent video, I am learning to sing and I need this knowledge to get the most out of my lessons.
It's not how much you open your mouth that matters, but the amount of openness one has in their throats. In fact, if you open your mouth too much, you close off your throat. Furthermore, the 'Ah' vowel has a wider mouth opening but the throat is more closed than an ''ì' vowel which has a more open throat and smaller mouth opening.
Absolutely agreed. I don't understand why the choral world is so fixated on the mouth being open. Certainly it's possible to have a mouth that's too closed, but it's also possible to open too much, as he does on his 'i' vowel. The only reason I can think of is that the opening of the mouth is easy to see, and therefore provides something that seems easy to work on. Working on the correct formation of vowels and use of breath is much harder to do, especially with a group.
Woa! What an old school!
Any practical advice on how to improve one's pitch range (both high and low, hopefully) that is as straight-forward and proven-to-be-effective as weight training for the physique? Or is one really born with a given tone and pitch range (because of the vocal cords' mass and shape) that is difficult to change or improve? Is it likely that many of the great pop singers (non-operatic) never took a voice lesson in their lives and that lessons only improve things like phrasing, sustain, maximum volume and volume dynamics?
Well done!
A wonderful lecture!
Excellent!
40:00 Leaves is with a cliffhanger! What is the lil tube above the larynx responsible for this special frequency range performers are known for? Is this vocal compression control?
Fabulous
Big applause
He should be given a TedTalk stage
it's not a science. Science has to explain things. This video doesn't explain anything. This man just has an opinion about what you should do and gives no explanation about why and how it works.
Think a little..why we should use the first type of breathing?.. Because it's right?.. Or because everyone told you that it's right?.. Because it should be right?
OK, but it is not a science - it's just an opinion of a man, who cannot sing himself.
The second thing after which I stopped the video: the diaphrgam cannot stop air coming out. Wait a second. Why doesn't it? It's a very serious statement
Just think logically - it's a muscle. It can be stretched in very different ways - slow, fast, strong, weak. If you try to straight out your hand by other hand you can feel that muscles which usually bend your arm resist to your action, that means that diaphragm at least can resist to muscles underneath and thereby slow down the air flow..
this seems awfully hateful and blindly targeted for no reason. he does explain plenty and he did demonstrate that he can sing (only subtly tho).
@@ciankiwi7753 I think the truth is somewhere in between. His explanations really could stand to be fleshed out more, though he does make some explanations. Some of his information is correct, such as the information on breathing, but some is woefully incorrect. Opening that much on an 'i' vowel is completely undesirable within the speech range and only appropriate when above the speech range. He seems to be as much influenced by the misapprehensions that have spread throughout much of the choral world as he is by science or generally accepted practices of good singing.