Hi everyone!
Firstly, I'd like to apologize for not posting a class last Sunday. I had <i>4</i> major tests at school to study for and I just didn't have the time. I'm really, really sorry about that
. I've been bogged down by so much work and committments these past few days.
I know my classes are supposed to be on Sundays, but it's 10:30 pm on Saturday night and I probably won't be on tomorrow, so I'm posting this class 1 and a half hours early
. Hope that's ok! lol.
Also, I was wondering if y'all would like me to PM you when a new class is posted so that you don't have to keep checking back to see if there's a new class or have to look around the Music Department to find it in case it's buried under other class posts and got pushed to another page? If you would like to be notified, please let me know by saying so in your reply to this class
.
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Today we're going to do some simple vocal exercises. Please let me know if you have any problems understanding the instructions. I actually wanted to type out some original exercises, but I don't have enough time, so I'll save them for next lesson. For now, these are from
www.johnhenny.com . . ., but I think they're worth a try, and are quite effective
:
Exercise 1
Start with a yawning feeling to relax the throat and let the layrnx drop (this is the bump in the neck that moves up and down when you swallow). Then let out a siren type of sound ("wooo" or "weee") and feel it go up into the head cavities. Now let out a "wooo", like your cheering for someone. Also try hooting like an owl. Pay attention to the feeling of resonance in your head. This is your head voice.
Exercise 2
Keep the feeling that you are just starting to yawn and say the work "dumb". Place your fingers on your larynx and feel it descend as you do this. Sing a scale (dumb..dumb..dumb..dumb..etc.). As you ascend, let your voice cross over into the same resonance area you felt in the previous exercise. Keep your fingers on your larynx to make sure it doesn't pull up. You should begin to feel the shift from chest voice into head, and back again. Don't worry if your voice breaks or cracks at first. With practice, this will smooth out and disappear. You will always feel the shift in resonance, but ultimately the listener will never hear it.
Exercise 3
Now say the word "mum" in your normal speaking voice. As you sing a scale on this word, don't let it get louder or strained as you go higher. Keep it very light if you must. Once again, allow it to cross over into your head resonance area. It will feel weak at first, especially if you are used to pulling your chest voice too high into your range.
Never go higher than is comfortable and always stop at the first sign of strain.
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Please ask me as many questions as you like, and don't be shy about asking! See you again next lesson, and I do sincerely apologize once again for not being able to keep up with my classes
. I will definitely try not to let it happen again and if I really have no choice, I'll try and arrange for someone to replace me (I hope I don't have to do that, though!)
^raindancerPS: Apologies also for the lack of formatting (you're probably disappointed after the fanciful 3rd class [hehe I was so proud of myself for figuring out the formatting!]), but I'm sure you don't mind. After all, it's the content that counts...right? hehehe
.
