|
 |
|
The Secret of
Performing With Vocal Power For Singers, Public Speakers
and Actors
By
Jonathan Morgan Jenkins
May I introduce the Vocal
Power Team!
Understanding the functions
of the Vocal Power Team is the key to becoming a powerful
and understood singer, public speaker or actor.
|
1) The Abdominal Muscles
2) The larynx
3) The Amplifier
"When you do the common
things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the
attention of the world." George Washington Carver
(1864-1943)
I am someone who has always
believed in teamwork. When I directed my 75 member choral
group, the Capistrano Chorale we were all dependent on one
another to practice and perform to our individual
potential. When we all did, the performances were
exceptional and when we all didn't the performances
suffered.
We have the same scenario in
our body. We have three separate body systems that must
operate at their individual potential and coordinate as a
team in order for our singing or speaking to be powerful.
The following material consists of excerpts from my
popular book Singing and Speaking on the Edge of a Grunt.
This material is simply an explanation of their basic
functions. The answers to how to coordinate them to
produce powerful vocal sounds are explained in the book. I
hope you learn something special from this material. The
body is truly an incredible machine!
1) The Abdominal Muscles
The Abdominal Muscles are
located between the ribs and the pelvis on the front
portion of the body. There are five muscle groups that
combine to completely cover the internal organs. Further,
they support the trunk, allow movement, and hold organs in
place by regulating internal abdominal pressure.
The five main abdominal
muscles groups are:
Transversus Abdominus
- The deepest muscle layer, its main role are to stabilize
the trunk and maintain internal abdominal pressure.
Rectus Abdominus
- It exists between the ribs and the pubic bone at the
front of the pelvis. This muscle group is commonly called
"The Six Pack". The main function of the rectus abdominus
is to move the body between the ribcage and the pelvis.
External Oblique Muscles
- They exist on each side of the rectus abdominus. The
external oblique muscles allow the trunk to twist to the
left or right.
Internal Oblique Muscles
- These flank the rectus abdominus, and are located just
inside the hipbones. They operate in the opposite way to
the external oblique muscles. For example, twisting the
trunk to the left requires the left hand side internal
oblique and the right hand side external oblique to
contract together.
The abdominals are an
extremely important part of the breathing process,
especially during exhale. They assist in forcing air out
of the lungs by depressing the thorax. Then, our fifth
muscle group begins its very important job. The fifth and
arguably most important muscle for our discussion is the
Diaphragm.
Diaphragm
- In the anatomy of Mammals, (Yes, we are one of those!)
the diaphragm is a shelf of muscle extending across the
bottom of the ribcage. The diaphragm separates the
thoracic cavity (with lung and heart) from the abdominal
cavity (with liver, stomach, intestines, etc.). In its
relaxed state, the diaphragm is shaped like a dome or
parachute.
2) The larynx
I must first say that I
consider the Larynx to be one of the greatest miracles and
gifts that mankind has ever been given.
Take a moment and consider
life without a larynx. If you could not sing, speak or
laugh I think you would agree that your life would change
in a major way. We have actually been born with a free
instrument. It is better than any instrument created by
man because it can not only create pitch, but it can
communicate words. No other instrument can do that. With
many people, though, they shy away from singing because
many students, in my experience, think they sound poor.
This is often because, as in my case, somebody close to
them laughed at them when they sang and maybe inferred
that they had no talent. Unfortunately, with the voice,
many people fail to understand that, like any instrument,
it must also be trained to reach its potential.
Of course, there exist many
people who sound wonderful without any training. The
mistake many of these people make is that they will
achieve exceptional voices if they submit themselves to
effective training. This is because their basic voice is
so far advanced without training. Often times I have seen
these gifted vocalists conclude they have a natural talent
and have a perfect voice that does not require training.
Another problem these people with natural voices have,
common to everyone, is the lack of knowledge of how to
achieve effective breath control. The truth that I have
found is that humans do not breathe correctly under normal
conditions. All of us must learn this basic and vital
ability.
In a comparable example with
the steps required to learn another common musical
instrument, if you were learning the guitar, you would not
expect to immediately be able to play it once you
purchased your instrument. That would be ridiculous!
Anyone would expect that they must take some kind of
lessons. One reason that our approach to training the
voice may be different is
that our instrument already
works. Since we have used it to communicate, starting with
our first scream, we have already developed some level of
vocalization and pitch. The important thing to understand
is that your basic level of development will be different
from everybody else. You must accept your current ability
and move forward with confidence and dedication to create
a voice that represents your individual potential.
3) The Amplifier
The what? Do I need my
electric guitar? No. Actually, an acoustic guitar would be
a better analogy. All kidding aside, without the
resonating cavities of the neck and head, our little voice
box would probably sound like a munchkin from the Wizard
of Oz.
Have you ever heard an
electric guitar played without an amplifier? No much to
hear, is there? But, plug it into a couple of high-end
Marshall Amplifier stacks and run it through some crazy
effects and you will hear it for a long distance. Here is
how this same principle works within our body.
As we have discussed, the
vocal cords are two bands of mucous membrane tissue
located in the larynx. The larynx is located in the neck
at the top of the trachea or windpipe. Vocal cords produce
sound by vibrating together as the air passes through them
from the lungs, supported by the abdominal muscles. After
leaving the larynx, the vibrations travel through the
resonating cavities (amplifiers) of the neck and head.
When they reach there, the sound is further amplified by
resonating (bouncing) against the hard boney surfaces that
enclose those cavities, especially the teeth.
This amplified vibration is
eventually projected, as a complex sound, beyond the body
via the open mouth. Before exiting, the sound is often
enhanced by the addition of words. This is accomplished
mainly with the tongue, teeth and lips. The result is
called diction. We will discuss diction in depth in
chapter five. At the end of the process, the resulting
outside of body sound is the sound of the individual's
voice. The individual's voice quality is also partially
dependent on the thickness and length of the vocal chords.
Further, the shape, thickness, and density of the bones
and cartilages, and the size and shape of the empty spaces
in the resonating cavities are of prime importance when
determining our voice.
I hope this information was
helpful. See you next time.
Jonathan Morgan Jenkins
|
