Posture - Stevie Wonder

[Martin H]

A great example of posture and mouth opening   :

 

[Robert Lunte]

Yes, great... 

 

His embouchure remains in a fairly horizontal orientation... this helps lower the acoustic mass, makes vowels shape more intrinsically and is generally more efficient. 

 

Martin, I tweaked your title and tags a bit... hope you don't mind. 

 

Notice the points regarding the "Horizontal" embouchure on this video... it may not hit on all the points Martin is trying to point out, but it kinda hits around a similar point. Coincidentally, I just updated the description on this yesterday... See the "benefits".

 

 

 

The Benefits of a horizontal embouchure:

1). Forces the body to lower the acoustic mass of phonations and stops the pushing.

2). Because it stops the mandible (lower jaw) from moving, it forces the body to shape vowels intrinsically, with “throat shaping” coordinations that make vowel modifications more efficient.

3). The physical space in the oral cavity is compressed which amplifies the resonant energy and makes the voice project more.

4). The closer proximity and amplified energy characterized by a good horizontal embouchure position adds sound color from the palette and in particular, the upper back molars.

5). The horizontal embouchure makes the body change its auditory imagery from perceiving frequencies as something that is “up/down” and “low/high”, deep or shifting formants.

[Danielformica]

If I learned anything from Stevie it's how not to over emphasize vowels and keep every vowel close the next one so you avoid splatting. I show my students that concert all the time.

[Robert Lunte]

Cool Daniel.