Tongue

Recent breakthrough -- all of a sudden while I was driving in my car, I finally figured out what my teacher Dave Britton was trying to teach me all along when he said to get my tongue out of the way when I'm vocalizing.

If you try to be too self-conscious about it, it doesn't work (and that's true of most any technique in singing), but once I figured out how to place my tongue properly, all that is left is a rounded and open space in my mouth to create a free and open sound. And it's not just about creating space -- when your tongue is in the right place, it also helps you to "place" your projection forward.

The result? (1) A more forward and pointed sound; (2) A warmer sound because of the extra space inside your mouth; (3) easier access up and down your range, because now your breath can truly travel freely and you have less muscle getting involved and getting in the way. I can honestly say singing has just gotten 50% easier than ever before, but with 150% better production in terms of resonance and volume.

The last time I got such a breakthrough was when I figured out how to narrow my voice through the passaggio.

The Best Thing

最好的事 - 林憶蓮

作詞：李宗盛　作曲：黃韻仁

天陰有雨　我在想你

這一年裡　有苦有甜蜜

那無心的言語　掛慮猜疑　只是小插曲

都變成勇氣　讓我們守在一起

眼看那時間咻的一下子過去 到了冬季

在過去的日子裡你的怪脾氣　我會把它忘記

這三百六十五天所有的回憶　我能想起

最好的事　那就是愛著你

最好的事　那就是愛著　愛著你

不是運氣　好多的努力

愛不容易　如果不願意

從陌生相遇　如今熟悉　

喜歡我和你之間的關係　是愛人也是知己

眼看那時間咻的一下子過去　到了冬季

在過去的日子裡你的好脾氣　我會好好珍惜

這三百六十五天所有的回憶　我能想起

最好的事　那就是愛著你

最好的事　那就是愛著　愛著你

Rejuvenation

Somehow, after every episode of the flu, throat infection, or other such ailments, and the accompanying month or two months of vocal debilitation, my voice comes back stronger and better. Or could it be just the fact that I am getting older?

Even as late as mid-August, when I was back in California with plenty of sleep and rest, my singing voice was thin, hoarse, and without resonance. Almost as soon as I returned to Virginia, I was able to sing like I used to before. Humidity was a theory I considered, but if that had an effect, I would have heard much better singing from myself during the time I was in DC.

The only explanation I have is that I am now back to a regular singing schedule, as opposed to the summer when I barely had 5 minutes to sing every day. I have also become much more conscious about not dropping my breath support as I sustain my notes. When I am cognizant of having to keep my breath streaming, the results are far more consistent and reliable than I have known before. It all goes back to fundamentals of voice training.