Page:Choirmaster's Manual.djvu/22

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
10
THE CHOIRMASTER'S MANUAL

the lower notes, as "ah" produces a much louder tone than "oo" if left to itself.

To get rid of breathy sounds, practise Exercise 4.

Exercise 4.

\relative a' { \override TupletBracket.bracket-visibility = ##f \tuplet 3/2 4 { a8 a a r a a \override TupletNumber #'stencil = ##f r a a r a a |
  b b b r b b r b b r b b } }
\addlyrics { uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh }


(Do not sing these notes staccato, but as short as possible. Feel tones are made by a sort of "click" at the vocal cords, not by action of ribs. Do not allow the ribs to move until after the tone is made.)

Resonance. The registers of a voice are divided according to the feeling produced in the singer. The "lower medium" notes sound as if produced in the back of the mouth; the "upper medium," in the front of the mouth above the front teeth; the "head" tones are felt in the highest part of the back of the head.

The mouth is the chief resonance-chamber, and the wider it is open the greater the resounding space and the louder the voice; the pharynx and head-cavities all act as resonators, reinforcing the tones by the addition of overtones. "Ah" is the best vowel-sound for producing resonance.




CHAPTER IV


ON THE ATTACK


Good attack is of vital importance. To accomplish a good attack, a slight, sharp inward movement of the abdomen is necessary. Practise notes of scale on "la." The