Wake up the Breath--from Vocal Training in Chorus by Robert Russel

Hi! again. As promised I'm sharing with you the following excercises on waking up the breath prior to singing.

Once the body is alert and energized through a physical warm-up, it is time to wake up the breath.

* Place your palms on the bottom of the rib cage, fingers crossing the abdomen and touching in front. Breath low and deep, observing that the fingers separate as the result of an effective inhalation. Hiss, long and sustained, keeping the rib cage and sternum elevated.
* Inhale and hiss, five times staccato.
* Inhale and hiss, twice staccato and then sustained.
* Inhale and sing on a comfortable pitch in mid voice, "Sah-sah-Saaaaaaah" (sing twice short and sustained.)
* Inhale and sing on a comfortable pitch in mid voice two staccato pitches, "Sah-Sah" followed by a sustained five-pitch scalar passage (5-4-3-2-1) on "Saaaaah" Repeat this several times, each time a half step lower, remaining generally in mid-voice range.

Other excercises
* Hold your hand up in front of your face fingers spread. Imagine that each finger has a candle lit at the end. Blow out the candles one by one with five staccato breaths.
* Toss an imaginary ball to someone across the romm. As you throw, exhale with a hiss.
* Toss an imaginary bell. As you inhale through the nose, reach up. As you exhale audibly through the mouth, pull down on the imaginary bell rope.

The intent of these vocalises is "vocal ease" Breath flow needs to be uninhibited and immediately connected to the sound. " To sing is to breathe " The flow of breath may be imagined as water pouring forth freely from a garden house. The sound on the breath is as a leaf on the stream of water, carried effortlessly and completely to the stream of water.

Observations about breathing.
* Never plan to use all your breath - This will create tension in the throat and the body.
* The issue with breathing is not who can sing the longest phrase, although it certainly is a goal of vocal pedagogy to increase the length of phrase that can be sung.
The primary issue with breathing is to keep a smooth, consistent stream of sound always connected to breath.
* Avoid holding back the breath. Give the Breath into the phrase. Holding back the breath to " save it" for the end of the phrase may lead to vocal tension and erratic voice-breath connection. The more breath you give to the phrase, the more breath you can give.
* Coordinate the breath with vocal onset, so that the sound is neither breathy nor tight.
* Maintain the body in its upright and ready posture.
* Take easy silent breaths with relaxed neck, head, shoulders.

Thats all folks!

Music is…..a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy …..Ludwig von Beethoven

SHIFTING FOR THE WORLD!

The problem of most ministries are people who don't know how to be pro-active in dealing with the day to day matters of church ministries.

Most people find it easier to complain about the problem, or to blame others, or to criticize others rather than to look at themselves and see what they can do positively about the situation.

Here's a Random thought from me.

" If only I can shift for others! But shifting a little each day,
I know, can help me change and shift the World. "

" Man is truly a special creature, for GOD so loved him that he is
given the Grace of Choice
-- a gift to choose to create a Heaven, or,
to create a Hell. "

KUYA RICKY'S COMMENT

We must maintain good relationships with current members and the leaders or officers must maintain a friendly attitude to current and new members

Taking Care of Your Voice

PROFESSIONAL VOICE USERS, INCLUDING SPEAKERS AND SINGERS, CAN FOLLOW PARTICULAR GUIDELINES TO PROMOTE OPTIMAL VOCAL FOLD HEALTH AND FUNCTION.

1. CONSULT AN EAR, NOSE AND THROAT DOCTOR - to obtain a baseline evaluation of your voice when you are healthy. Establish a healthy picture of your larnyx. This serves as a source of comparison when you encounter voice difficulties in the future.

2. Maintain Adequate Hydration. Many doctors propose that consuming approximately 64 ounces of non alcoholic, non caffeinated fluids per day is necessary to maintain adequate hydration. Research supports that adequate hydration allow vocal cords to vibrate with less "push" from the lungs, especially at high pitches. Well hydrated vocal cords resist injury from voice used more than dry cords and recover better from existing injury than dry cords. Increased systematic hydration also benefits by thinning thick mucuos secretions in the throat.

3. Always warm up and cool down. - stretching to vocal muscles prevents vocal injury during strenous vocal use.

4. Know your range - Avoid singing at the extremes of your vocal range.

5. Know the potential side effects of your medications - many commonly prescribed medicines can have a big effect on the voice.

6.Screen yourself daily for vocal cord swelling to determine whether you should perform or not.

7. Avoid vocally abusive behaviors :

* decrease overall volume

* no shouting/yelling

* don't whisper

* dont talk in the presence of a lot of background noise. Talk to people only at an arm's length away.

* don't try to sing during a bad cold or laryngitis.

8. Avoid eating or drinking anything that may create acid reflux or produce mucous.

9. Don't SMOKE.

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PRIMUM NON NOCERE

Hi! You must be wondering what's the meaning of my title. Well I came across it in one of my research. I credit the site Vocal Training in a Chorus by Robert Russel for this.
It means, " The first is to do no harm. " It's a Medical Maxim.
It's also a maxim used by vocal trainors. "Above all, don't hurt the voice.
Below are suggested techniques that follow this dictum, to do no harm. Singers are encouraged to sing individually with a sensitivity to the group sound.
I. Wake up the Body. - First we must prepare the body to sing. Several exercises can contribut to this readiness:
* Stand quietly and take a "sun breath", as you inhale through the nose (count to 4) raise your arms, keeping shoulders comfortably relaxed. Then exhale through the mouth (count to 4) gradually lowering your arms.
* Gently shake your wrists. Flop them in front of you. Shake your hands more vigorously as if trying to get the water off them.
* Move your elbow and hands in a circular manner. Wake up your arms.
* Roll your shoulders in a circular manner up and back.
* Extend one arm in front fingers pointed up. Pull gently on the wrist. Then Point the fingers down. Pull gently on the wrist. Repeat on the other arm.
* Clasp your hands together behind your head. Gently pull down on your head while exhaling.
* Turn 90 degrees to the right, facing the back of your neighbor. Rub the shoulders of the person in front of you. Turn around and repeat.
* Finally, stand quietly with arms relaxed on your side. Take a full breath while bringing your arms overhead. Keep your shoulders relaxed. Exhale, lowering your arms.

That's all for now! My next blogs will be about:
*WAKING UP THE BREATH!
*WAKING UP THE NOSE!
*WAKING UP THE VOICE!

input pleez!

Hi! To All Music Ministry Members ! I've created this blog to get your rants, raves or any random thoughts or ideas or comments on how to rescucitate our Music Ministry which seems to be on it's last rasping breathe!

Consider this as the emergency room where we are REVIVING, RESCUCITATING AND KEEPING OUR MINISTRY ALIVE!

VOCAL COACHING: July 2005

Y'all I will be posting my subscription to VOCAL COACH on this blogspot.
Feel free to access the site. It may help you in your ministry of music!

VOCAL COACHING: July 2005

Sigh of Relief!

At last a space to vent my random thoughts for the day!