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John Henny

TMV World Legacy Member
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Everything posted by John Henny

  1. There is a genetic component to this as well. There is a percentage of the population where the folds are more sensitive than normal, and a percentage that is less sensitive. The same amount of abuse could have different results on two different singers. Depending on the abuse, and the singer, it can happen relatively quickly. I had a student win a scholarship to a prestigious performing arts school. They technique they forced her to use was so stressful she began to develop nodules within six weeks.
  2. Are there any online examples of a male voice going to C5 in overdrive? I would be curious to hear what happens between C4 and C5 in this mode.
  3. "In our data the singers exhibit very varied larynx positions when singing an ascending pitch series. Some singers raise the larynx with pitch, others do not...." Hermm and Sonninen. http://users.jyu.fi/~hurme/Sthlm.html It is interesting that the above authors reference the Pabst and Sundberg research, while also noting research from Dmitriev (1962, Golosoobraso-vanie u pevtsov. Moscow: Gosudarstven-noe muzykal'noe izdatel'stvo) and Shipp (1987, Vertical laryngeal position: Research findings and application for singers. Journal of Voice, vol. 1, pp. 217-222) argue for little variation of VLP in relation to pitch.
  4. I am certainly no expert on Voce Vista and spectrum analysis, however, it would appear there are two distinct resonance strategies going on between Bb3 and Bb4. Milnes is using a strong first formant tuned to the second harmonic approach on Bb3 (there is also a strong singer's formant cluster, from what I can tell). He changes this strategy to the second formant on the 3rd harmonic on Bb4, since F1/H2 is no longer acoustically viable for him. This change of the formant to harmonic relationship is a change of register. There is a passaggio between the two registration events.
  5. Steven, Again, absolutely spot-on! I truly appreciate your precision of ideas and concepts. This reminds me of a favorite singing story. A famous singer was asked how to sing an "ah" vowel, to which she replied - "which one?"
  6. You bring up a good point, and I should have been clearer. I should have stated the first formant supplied by the larynx is not an efficient resonator for higher harmonics (H3,4,5) as the singer ascends. Yes, if you narrow the epilarynx and twang you will get the effect of the singer’s formant. This does not, however, necessarily require a raised larynx and it is not a resonance strategy appropriate for every situation.
  7. Hey Martin, You are absolutely correct, the vocal tract must shorten or be made smaller in order to resonate higher harmonics. However, the fact is the larynx is only one part of the vocal tract and is actually very inefficient for high harmonics. One very strong resonance strategy is to maintain a stable larynx (or slightly lowering) in order to break its relationship with the second harmonic (H2). The singer can then tune or adjust the second formant F2 (by adjustments to the tongue, lips, etc.) to amplify the third, fourth or fifth harmonic (H3,4,5) depending on the vowel. This is a resonance strategy used by Pavarotti that Steven Fraser outlines so well here (half-way down the page). Note that Pavarotti does not employ a strong singer's formant but rather tunes F2 to H3. http://www.themodernvocalist.com/profiles/blogs/vocal-ring-and-operatic-tenor No, by "H" I mean harmonics. The singer's formant would be F3, F4 and F5. In my experience higher notes are not necessarily harder with a stable larynx and a raised larynx is not always necessary nor desirable.
  8. So can=should? That's the part I'm having a bit of difficulty with. Aretha Franklin sings (mostly) on a higher larynx, Pavarotti sang on a stable one. Stevie Wonder uses both approaches, depending on the tone color he wants. Are Stevie and Pavarotti wrong? You keep talking of the efficient resonance of a high larynx, but again, it is not that simple as the voice is not a slide whistle. There is a chamber far more efficient for higher resonances - the mouth, which can (and should) be made smaller to amplify H3, 4 or 5. Also note, no one is advocating a too low larynx, just as you are not advocating too high. Either of these can certainly cause issues.
  9. As they often say in poker situations - it depends. There are different types of baritones and tenors. The distinctions aren't really made in the pop and rock worlds but there are basically lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight classes of each in the classical world. A light baritone can more easily become a heavy tenor than a heavy baritone become a light tenor. Another thing to remember is these classifications are not based on range as much as tone color. A high Bb sung by a true baritone is going to be different than a lyric tenor. You also bring up the ever popular high vs low larynx debate. I have found singing on a stable larynx to be a very high skill set, requiring exactly what Ronws suggested: precise vowel tuning, control of airflow, etc. In my experience it is a very different sound than the higher larynx tone colors and well worth developing.
  10. Dr. Titze is stating that in his observations (of defining "belt" as an F1/H2 resonance) that the larynx must rise with the fundamental in order to maintain this relationship. He also acknowledges that the voice cannot continue this resonance strategy beyond C5. Dr. Titze also talks of the "biomechanical disadvantages" of this approach. In fact he advises a balance between a raised larynx and the lowered classical approach for those singers who wish to maintain vocal health in a number of styles. As Steven notes above, many singers are able to "twang" effectively on a more stable larynx. It really becomes a question of aesthetics at that point. The larynx of a well trained singer can (and I believe should) change resonance strategies, moving from a higher or lower harmonic as needed. The larynx need not follow the fundamental and it is not always optimal.
  11. Wow, that's great to hear. Thanks.
  12. This would be true, if the voice was a simple acoustic instrument that used a single chamber to resonate a single harmonic. The fact is the larynx should optimally change the harmonic it is amplifying and even give up being the primary resonator depending on pitch or vowel. Therefore it's not as simple as the position of the larynx following the fundamental.
  13. I believe it depends on why the larynx is raising. If there is a high larynx due to pulling chest voice too high, then yes there will be problems for the singer. Since this is such a common issue for singers the belief has sprung up that the high larynx itself must be the problem, which is not true. A high larynx is only a symptom of this incorrect resonance, not the immediate cause.
  14. Hello all, My first post here and all I can say is: "THIS!"
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