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Consonants: the Key to Intonation 1 CONSONANTS: THE KEY TO INTONATION Jo-Michael Scheibe, DMA Professor and Chair Department of Choral and Sacred Music USC Thornton School of Music [email protected] Introduction Basic Principles of Phonation The Importance of Consonants Technical Considerations for Articulating Consonants Consonants in Music Music in the Body Basic Principles of Phonation Train air to flow freely Sound quality & longevity of voice depend more on use of voice than physical gift of singer Good technique o What It Is Not o What It Is o Moves through time o Seems natural o Use of the [n] before all the five pure vowels Resources The Naked Voice, W. Stephen Smith What Every Singer Needs to Know About the Body, Melissa Malde, Kurt- Alexander Zeller, & MaryJean Allen The Importance of Consonants Definition Importance o Comprise 62% of all English speech sounds o 1.5 consonants occur in each syllable Carry more “information” than vowels Vocalization Technical Considerations What certain sounds do Process o Vernacular speaking o First Invention Consonants: The Key to Intonation Copyright © 2016 Jo-Michael Scheibe 2 Consonants grouped by airflow during phonation Quick Tricks o Mouth, lips, tongue and jaw must be sufficiently supple to provide timing of movements for each successive sound o Dentalize consonants [d, n, t, l] . As in Italian . Helps free resonance o Allows tone to continue with “minimum interference” Resources o http://www.seeingspeech.ac.uk/ipachart/display.php?chart=1&da tatype=1&speaker=1 o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfoRdKuPF9I o http://www.voiceinsideview.com/docs/Phonation.pdf o http://www.yorku.ca/earmstro/ipa/consonants.html Consonants in Music Execution o Rapid movement from one vowel position, through the consonant, to the following vowel o Move rapidly within the rhythmic framework o Vowel formations and articulations of consonants improves innumerable aspects Modification o Vowel Modification o Consonant Modification . Intentional de-emphasizing, altering or even substitution of consonants . Assist vocal production or text expression when singing . Consonant modification Pasaggi areas Extreme ranges Extreme dynamics Expressive purposes & onomatopoeia . Problematic consonants Stop plosives and lateral [l, g, k, d, b, t], especially in higher passages . Solutions Substitute fricative consonants Keep consonants forward Avoid interrupting breath stream o Pitched consonants Precision Consonants: The Key to Intonation Copyright © 2016 Jo-Michael Scheibe 3 Music in the Body Mythology o Things we say to improve sound, but have the opposite effect . Lifted soft Plate . Raise the eyebrows . Smile when you sing o People often do funky things with their mouths in an attempt to make their voices bigger or stronger. This practice infuses extraneous tensions into their voice o Results . Facial tension . Stop of breath . Artificial resonating space . Vocal production in back vs. front Importance of Flow Healthy Singing o Singing is not staid or stiff . Let go of illusion of stability . Usually leads to stagnation and tension o Vowels and pitches ring in different, changing spaces o Body alignment . Static body = static breath = static sound . Flexible body = flexible breath = flexible sound o Most common faults . Tuck and roll . Chicken necks . Facial tension . Shoulders o Posture and “Onset” . Release abs for full, relaxed breath . Vocal line is only as good as the first note . Alignment of body when seated going to standing . Check for good onset establishment Additional Considerations Facilitating Consistently Accurate Intonation Conclude each warm-up with a tuning exercise Encourage the mental & physical engagement of the singer Conductor’s ear & gesture are inextricably linked Placement of singers Beware of the perilous piano Conductor’s understanding of various tuning systems Consonants: The Key to Intonation Copyright © 2016 Jo-Michael Scheibe .
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