Wisdom in Singing

"Don't sing until you'd die if you didn't," said Lamperti. There is a relationship, psychological and physiological, between the desire to sing and the body, similar to that between the necessity to sneeze and the muscular system. Not by movement but by sensation do you control the delivery of your song. When you are sensitive enough this can happen. Only through the sense of touch through the mucous membrane lining nose, pharynx, mouth and throat, does the mind control the vibration of the singing voice. The network of nerves in this "inside skin" are connected with the brain. They keep the singer informed as to what is taking place in these cavities, and finally anticipate and control the vocal process. Also, through the sense of touch in the tissues of the body does the mind control the power of the breath. The myriad ganglia (nerve centres) distributed throughout the torso, though acting reflexively, telegraph to the brain all that is taking place in the muscles and lungs, and finally anticipate and control the action of breathing to sing. Then the sense of hearing unites the pulsations in the voice and the energy in the breath to form singing tone. The nerves of the ear, whose tip-ends form the magical rods of Corti, keep the brain informed as to what this union of voice and breath is doing, and finally, anticipate and control the result. Therefore the perfect voice is born of countless sensations. It is effective only when the utmost collective energy is controlled to produce it. And when your emotional reactions to music and poetry are intense enough to arouse your entire personality, you are a great singer. Should your singing become as reflexive and "unpreventable" as sneezing, you are one of the few lyric artists. "How fast must I take in breath?" If you do not dissipate the sensation in your head of the last tone, you can inhale as rapidly as you wish. "Breathe through your tone," Lamperti said. "Why?" Because that is the position of singing. Why should you get out of position, while adding more energy to your breath power? If you can not feel the focus of tone in the bony structure of your head, vibration is not intense and breath is not compressed. What is co-ordination?     Freedom of action in every part, but with an understanding in every part of the mutual responsibility for the general result.     Until the energy in the vocal waves of vibration balances with the power in compressed breath, you have no control over your voice. Like two people trying to walk on the rails of a railroad - by holding hands they balance each other. They must be inseparable. Skill is keeping flowing energy and uniform tones continually interdependent. To do this everything must be so associated, that you can keep in mind what is past, be conscious of what is present and visualize everything in the future, in an orderly manner. "Covered tone" is a misleading term. "Closed tone" should take its place. In their inception all tones are dark to be open or closed at will. This muted beginning evolves into the "dark-light tone," which is the ideal quality of the human voice.

Never pull the voice away from its focus, nor push the breath up from its foundation, nor let diction leave the lips. Never disassociate these three - word, tone, and breath. The feeling of focus is like the touch of a feather within the head. The sense of breath support is like the satisfaction of a good dinner in the stomach. The sensation of good diction is like the tickle on the lips while "playing on a comb." The union of this trinity is like three children playing in a ring, holding hands. If one lets go, all are helpless. Should any one become too energetic the others are embarrassed. Word and breath are generally the guilty ones. The vibration that comes from the focus always seems small. The resonance that is started by the word usually feels large. The energy that streams from the body appears inexhaustible. When energy ceases, the union dissolves. The throat feels "open" only when diction controls vibration, resonance and breath-energy as a unit. Good diction alone excites the pneumatic action in the throat, causing it to feel "free," at the same time it commandeers the energies throughout the whole body and mind. Then singing is easy, and a pleasure to both artist and audience. Technique must touch the "quick" of your being. The voice is pneumatic. (Ventricular pouches in the larynx inflate when both false and true vocal bands (vocal-cords) approach and meet like two pairs of lips when kissing). Ventricular action is as necessary to the singing voice as the pulsation of the glottis. Therefore the voice needs both regular vibration, and full resonance before it can be controlled. This is what a "natural singer" does. The rest of us must learn to do it. The hollow feeling in head, throat and chest is an indication of ventricular preparation to sing. Why are the high tones of the majority of singers pinched and small? Because the throat is made to do double duty - control the breath current and furnish pitch of vibration. As the voice ascends to higher tones, control of breath should descend toward the pelvis. On low tones this gauging is felt at the diaphragm, and even higher. When breath is held and controlled abdominally (from waist to pelvis) the voice is free to expand on any tone high or low.

It causes no displacement in the body.

Voice and breath are like two dancers who eagerly approach each other, unite, --- and as one being express rhythm, melody, and mood of music.     Each knows what the other is thinking, feeling and doing.     Each assists the other to cause sound to glide, to run, to leap, to pause.     Each must be expert and efficient, or one will have to carry the other as a dead-weight.     Each must act as a counterpoise to the other to keep up unbroken continuity of motion.     Each adjusts itself to the intentions and movements of the other, even when contact is momentarily broken.     Contact of voice and breath must have all the degrees of energy demanded by rhythm, melody, mood of tune and text, without violence or strain.     This association becomes so intimate and pleasurable, that all rigidity and awkwardness, all pushing and pulling cease.     The union of breath and voice "brings a sensuous delight to the whole body from head to foot, as though the body were a tongue tasting something good" (Lamperti).     Voice and breath, though individual, at last become inseparable affinities. "Tone is the upper end of breath and breath is the lower end of tone," said Lamperti.