At 4:31 PM 02/20/03, John Howell wrote: > [...] So a >vocal wobble can be the result of either excessive and slow AM from the >diaphragm or excessive and slow PM in the throat.
I would argue that AM can be created in the throat as well, albeit with different muscles from those which create PM. >Virtually all voice teachers preach that a vibrato is an inevitable result >of good vocal production. Translated, that means the it's an inevitable >result of the kind of vocal production they teach, which is operatically >inclined. An increasing number of early music singers are finding that the >lighter, unforced technique appropriate to early music allows much more >flexibility and much more controlable vibrato, including real trills rather >than forced vibrato trills. Good jazz singers never thought otherwise! I think that most classical voice teachers would not disagree with any of that except for your characterization of the lighter technique as "unforced", implying that the classical operatic technique entails some sort of extra muscular effort in the voice, which it does not. But yes, a lighter, more controlled technique which can include straight tone and so forth can be perfectly healthy and aesthetically pleasing. Only the narrowest opera snob would suggest otherwise. You will not, however achieve the same volume and projection if you control your vibrato. Opera evolved in a context where volume was required, and that's exactly why the traditional operatic vibrato developed: it was a natural side effect of the sort of vocal technique required for the bigger sound. Inevitably there is an aesthetic component here. Opera fans have come to like the sound of a natural vibrato, so to them giving up the control over vibrato is no loss. Jazz and early music fans have no need to sing loud enough to fill a large hall over a full orchestra, so to them giving up the extra projection is no loss. (A few years ago the chorus director at San Francisco Opera started asking for more straight tone from the women in the chorus, as well as making adjustments to the hiring to reflect this trend. He liked the sound better and thought it would be an improvement. One of the results was that the chorus because significantly less audible. After a while the experiment was quietly abandoned and things returned to normal.) mdl _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
