👉👉👉This is a Part 2 of 2 lecture for The Breath Support Summit. For the Part 1 lecture on the balance of work between the abdominal cylinder and the thoracic cylinder click here: ua-cam.com/video/Zw5N6Dk9KnI/v-deo.html 🎯🎯🎯For a free preview of our body muscular exercises mentioned, click here: ua-cam.com/video/BYIbvoNJTGQ/v-deo.html 🏆🏆🏆For full access to the complete set of exercises Breath Support Summit, including one-on-one private coachings from our experts, click here: www.myoforsingers.com/bs-summit
About 35 years ago, my accompanist teacher at the conservatoire I was attending realised I was struggling badly. He reached out to a colleague (a World famous soprano, reckoned to be one of the finest of her generation) to ask who she would recommend as a singing teacher. The lady (London based, but a US citizen) replied:'I don't know anyone in Europe these days. There is nobody on the East coast, but there are a couple of people on the West coast I think are quite sound'. Sadly I think it's the same today. The physics are interesting, but the number of people who can actually teach singing (not just train already good singers) is vanishingly small.
I agree. There are a lot of teachers who just teach their way of singing and not healthy singing. theres also a lot of teachers who focus on just sound- and who's students are in pain- they end up coming to me!
I just want to say you are AMAZING in your scientific presentations of voice. They are informative, digestible, and applicable, without being traditionally academic (i.e. non-engaging and non-comprehensible 😅). I have booked a consult with you and very much look forward to speaking with you soon!
Very difficult stuff but explained in so simplified manner. It will be so helpful for many of us. Much appreciated. Thank you. However, couldn’t find the exercise video you have mentioned at the end of this. It would be really appreciated if you could attach the link. Thank you in advance
@@OpusMyo I'm a little confused, I hope you can help. I've seen in straw singing exercises the goal is to keep the same release of air (through a straw, measuring by water bubbles) the same on low and high notes. Is this a misconception or what am I missing? The only way I can think it is congruent with what you're saying is that maybe more air at a lower speed will have the same effect as less air at a higher speed, and hence overall the bubbles in the case would be roughly the same?
@@callmedeno Amazing question!!!! The trick answer is BOTH of us are right haha! Here's why: when we use the straw, the straw is what prohibits us from changing the air too much- we can change the bubbles a little bit (faster/slower, bigger/smaller) but it is literally containing the air for us. When we take the straw AWAY- our bodies have a much bigger continuum of options- we can expel wayyyyyyy more without the straw should we wish. Thats why we singers need to learn to control that value. The straw helps us control, which is why some many recovery exercises for the voice involve straws. They do help us- but by lightening the load or strain of the body. We must learn how to control the air without it. (Or sing only with a straw forever). So the REAL goal is: is your breath the same for a certain pitch WITH a straw as it is WITHOUT it?
@@OpusMyo That is very interesting. So assume there exists a monk who has been on a mountain with perfect control of the pressure and amount of air he can release but has no conception of singing. We would explain to him that with his perfect control if he wants to increase pitch the only thing that actually effects it is making well pressurised air release faster in smaller amounts than lower pitches. Aside from some glottal stop /tonal things, the throat and vocal folds can not be used to consciously manipulate pitch. The bottom line is that it is like a malleable water bottle made of the two anatomical regions you outlined in your video. If you want to move pitch higher, the upper section of the body can effectively 'narrow the hole' and with the lower half(torso) you can shoot the water faster? Thanks
There's a genuine flaw in this theory: The voice does NOT function like a wind instrument! It works like a string instrument. That is, because it's not true that the vocal folds are just membranes and not muscles. They are both. And the muscle part of it is activated through a branch of the vagus nerve. With the right training, that soprano could have the same amount of air expelled both with a E4 and a C5, because it's not true that the vocal cords are passive in sound production and just the airflow is activating them. That makes the voice so different from a wind instrument. The muscles in the vocal cords are active in the sound production process. With that knowledge the "right" airflow becomes more of an aesthetic factor than a necessary one and we singers become more independent vocally.
Explain how the muscles of the larynx are involved in the production of the sound like a "string instrument" other than manipulating the pitch. I have never heard of anyone producing a sound by rubbing their folds together in the absence of air. This would be like saying a clarinet is not a wind instrument but instead a percussive because the player's fingers are involved in the production of the sound.
Yes, the vocal folds are muscle and mucosa- but only the mucosal layer vibrates (see link below). Since the membrane is not muscle, and only muscle can move, therefore they are passive participants. The rate or way in which they vibrate changes based on the air that passes through them. The muscles fire only to change the length and width of the chords (to change pitch). I do partly agree that a soprano COULD put the same amount of air through the glottis on a C5 that she uses for a C4- but she will undoubtedly cough or gag; often what we call “overblowing”. There is too much air passing through those chords it is like a flag in a hurricane and if continued, the chords will eventually be in danger health-wise. If a person puts the amount of air a C5 needs through a C4, then the sound becomes airy/raspy/breathy/small/wimpy. LINK: voice.weill.cornell.edu/voice-evaluation/normal-voice-function#:~:text=Vocal%20Cords%20and%20Vocal%20Folds&text=In%20fact%2C%20the%20vocal%20fold,Only%20its%20outer%20covering%20vibrates.
@@dweblinveltz5035 True, also a string instrument is not a totally adequate comparison, because strings don't plug themselves, but vocal cords do somewhat activate themselves through bio-electrical impulses coming from the brain. (I'll elaborate in a minute.) And Sidenote: When he counts, he has different vocal heights, even with one of his vocal cords being paralyzed, since that is the Crico-Thyroid muscles that raise the pitch, not the thyro-arytenoid muscles.
@@OpusMyo Thanks you two for all that input. However, if it were true that it's only the mucosa layer that vibrates, then the guy in this video would have no problem phonating, because the arytenoid cartilages close, but his thyro-arytenoid muscle is paralyzed: ua-cam.com/video/qICIjCA6p0w/v-deo.html It's shown clearly how the arytenoid cartilages close, but nevertheless no clear voice is heard, as long as one of his vocal cords is paralyzed. (Only muscles can be paralyzed. Mucosa can't get paralyzed to my knowledge.) The vibration of the vocal cords also looks very different once both thyro-Arytenoids are active. We can literally see how in the beginning it's really just the mucosa that vibrates, and then later it's visibly more of the vocal cord. Furthermore here an example where it's very much visible that one of her vocal cords is active and the other one is paralyzed through mesuring the thyroArytenoid muscle activity of both vocal cords seperately. And only when both thyro-arytenoid muscles are active does she have a voice again: ua-cam.com/video/Wj_qEtuUNkM/v-deo.html The muscles MUST be active during vibration, as these ElectroMyography show. (Wikipedia Definition of Electromyography: the recording of the electrical activity of muscle tissue, or its representation as a visual display or audible signal, using electrodes attached to the skin or inserted into the muscle.) If the muscle did not vibrate with phonation, then the woman could still have a voice, because the mucosa would vibrate even though the muscle was paralyzed (which it does when the muscle is paralyzed, but it sounds hoarse, not like something that we'd call a voice... and it's very similar with the guy in the first link). Only when the ThyroArytenoid muscle is activated, she has a "voice" again. Furthermore, there were experiments already 50 plus years ago that activated certain areas in the brain of dead animals (no air-flow) and the vocal cords started to vibrate. Therefore, I maintain: Yes, air-flow is a factor in singing, but it's not the (only?) thing that gets the vocal cords starting or perform the action that we describe as phonation. For that the muscle seems to have to be involved actively vibrating. And while the venturi effect might still play a role, it's not the strongest factor in the system as seen above. Makes sense?
What about a dramatic baritone? Is the cord closure less at lower pitches and more on higher so this theory applies too, or is there anything else that happens? I mean, should a baritone press (inwards + upwards) the belly in higher pitches? And another question. Why should I press inwards the belly rather than push outwards, at this very special moment of a high note? What are the physics behind it? Thank you so much for your effort! You provides as such a clear piece of information, that most voice teachers bypass(and "appoggio" really makes no sense...)
1. Abdominal pressure is really neither "in and up" nor "down and out"- its a stabilization. It can be confusing because it *feels* more in and up to some and more down and out to others. (but thats why metaphors and descriptions are so dangerous, in my opinion). I recommend you try the exercises from the Breath Support Summit that go with this video, and can be found here: ua-cam.com/video/BYIbvoNJTGQ/v-deo.htmlsi=RoAnDkMoi6atk5A7 2. Chord closure happens slower at lower pitches, so more air escapes between the 'beats' of the chords. Technically, yes, more of the chord's edge makes contact as well, but we're talking like MICROmeters- definitely not something we can feel or should even worry about. What you WILL feel is that allowing more air to escape at lower pitches will stabilize the sound. 3. The only difference with dramatic singers is that they may need to go lower in the body aka add more support earlier in the range. I have a full/lyric pushing dramatic soprano voice and I have to add about 80% percent support just for a G5. 4. I teach virtual myo coachings where we can discuss breath support and other vocal aspects in sport-specific and scientific ways. If you're interested you can book here: www.myoforsingers.com
Good question! Many teachers will incorrectly teach a low-breath technique where the abdomin moves quite a lot->similar to yogic breathing. The issue with this is that the ribs don't expand much, so then the abdominal muscles have nothing to press AGAINST. Rib expansion is the first and most-important step in breath support. only then can one work on abdominal engagement.
@@bendanon258 Well you definitely need the rib cage expansion yes. You can choose whether the abdominal engagement is simultaneous to that or after. For example. if I'm singing something fast, I fire them together. If I have a slow inhale, I will do them separate.
@@OpusMyo WOW thank you so much for explained this to me. I've been confused about how to take a breath in order to feel the engagment about 10 years. That means a lot to me!
Ah, I didn't mean literally! The AREA of the body that will working most while singing a high C is the lower abdominals/pelvic floor, ie the FEELING of an inner tube around your hipbones. :)
I have a question. Do you think the feeling of the support going lower is gradual from the lowest note you can sing? In other words is the thoracic percentage highest on the lowest notes? I'm asking because I don't feel it that way. I feel that I need more pelvic floor in my lowest notes than just above. Otherwise I agree with your great video;)
GREAT QUESTION!!! Yes, I agree with you- i personally also need some lower ab pressure on my lowest notes as well. Basically because the most demanding parts of our range- both high and low- take the most amount of effort, so when performed healthily, the body recruits more of the musculature needed for that task, in this case, more ab pressure as well. Nice!
Nothing helps more than actually seeing my body and know how it works 😂. Metaphors are lost on me like I get them but seeing how the body functions helps me inderstand
Yes! I am a HUGE fan of using mirror and video tape to WATCH my singers and have them watch themselves, its very instructive and can often help them progress FASTER! Win win
Old italian opera singer word for the feeling of effort/contraction/engagement/breath support that is located right where the ribs separate in a V in the front of the body. Spelled 'appoggiatura' if you care to research further. **a word of warning however, it is an IDEA / METAPHOR, not a literal anatomical structure so take it with a big grain of salt!
can't find vid 2/2 edit: apparently this IS 2/2 even though the title is 1/2, but there are still no exercises as both videos promised. it's a shame because I really enjoy how you present info!
@@OpusMyo ah, thanks! I did end up watching this one already, but didn't know that it was the 2/2 follow-up. I think the descriptions and links can definitely be improved because on your main page, the exercise video is showing as uploaded before the part 1's so it's hard to tell they are connected. a playlist for this topic would help. thanks for your response
But i dont get a thing. How can chords be passive and not muscles if they are capable of moving and tightening? It needs some sort of musculature right? So where then the capacity to change pitch cones from?
The vocal folds are mostly mucus membrane (passive). there are various muscles attached to them in the larynx that stretch them to change pitch. think of a rubber band (passive) if I use my hands to stretch it (muscle) the band can change pitch- but only when I PLUCK it (another muscle.) So in this analogy the chords are the band, the larynx is my hand, and the breath support is the ACTION of plucking the band to make a pitch. [Side note I am planning on making another anatomy video explaining this in more detail soon, so stay posted!]
I don't understand. Volume represents the amoumt of air we inhale? High notes demand more air, not less, means more volume. And how we get high volume, when ribs collapse? We should go out of air in that case - no volume or too little.
Volume as in capactiy (1 oz, 2 oz etc). High notes require LESS air volume- or less air amount- regardless of whether they are loud or soft. We are also talking about PRESSURE. Remember pressure and volume ARE mutually exclusive- we need both in any combination. Yes, correct, we want to prohibit rib collapse so that all the volume doesn't release in one big flood of air. Everything is a continuum, a graded scale. Not 1+1. The exact combination of pressure and volume is dependant on the pitch and task at hand.
@@OpusMyo so if I want to sing a high note, i should inhale less air (in context of pitch only) and press my lower belly more. On the contrary, on lower notes I take more air and not press so much?
@@OpusMyo One more question: is there such thing as chest/belly breathing? Or is it all the same, just depends on how deep you breathe. I mean, it seems when you inhale, the chest comes first and after that - belly. And it's so in any case, never separated. But they say some people breathe with their chest only (and that's wrong) and some people breathe with their belly
@@irinazaharova4598 Yes...your high note 'recipe' is correct (although you can always inhale a normal amount of air and just keep the ribs expanded, therefore not letting any volume out. Opera singers use this technique- we almost always take large breaths!) For lower notes, you need to allow more air out- yes not pressurizing the ab cylinder as much but allowing air to escape, not holding it in so much
@@irinazaharova4598 Belly breathing is a yogic term that gain traction in the singing world. Many human will hold their bellies in or firm them for aesthetic reasons so yogis encourage movement in that area for their kind of breathing. Yogic breathing is not correct singing breathing. Unfortunately a lot of singing teachers teach yogic breathing, hence why many singers have heard the term. We want the ribs to expand, as thats where your lungs ARE! Not in your belly! Chest breathing while in practice is correct, however it can appear wrong if the singer is breathing too high in the ribs and engaging the neck and shoulders as well.
Hello! Why did you decide that vocal cords are not muscles?? How can you compare them to a flag? The flag cannot stretch! It turns out that your video is an error!
Well the chords are mucosal membrane tissue. Tissue is not the same as muscle. The chords are stretched BY muscles, but they are not muscles themselves. Think of stretching a rubber band. The band is made of rubber, our hands are the muscles that stretch it. The flag analogy is to explain that they are vibrating FROM THE AIR that moves it; a flag doesn't wave itself- the air moves it. Hope that helps.
Thanks for sharing this information about our anatomy of air circulation. You use word ”impossible”, about firing some muscles as if you had total understanding of our neurone system. That it impossible. There are yogis who control their pulse and actors who get tears from their eyes at will, or freakshow artists who play music with farting. Some entertainers stimulate audiences adrenaline and endorfin glands with their singing. Our knowledge about nervesystem is around 10% of the what we can know. ”Impossible” word is verbal violence. But thanks anyway for good lesson.
It's not made impossible because of the muscular-nervous system of the body. Its 'impossible' because of math and physics. In the same way it is physically (as in the science of physics) to press on one side of a balloon without changing the whole. Pressurizing a buoyant sphere in one location without it having an effect on the whole is impossible. But the main point I'm trying to make is that people tend to make this a lot more complicated than it needs to be- everything fires together as one!
Hello! I am writing again! If you stretch the vocal cords on a high note, the pressure will be increased even if the volume of air supplied to them is the same as on a low note. As in the example with a hose - without increasing the flow of water, when the outlet hole is reduced, the pressure and flow rate increase. Why are you misleading people??
Yes, your analogy is true. I agree with you that we need more pressure for high notes! But there are two extra problems: 1. sometimes the natural increase of pressure isn't enough- we need to create even more. (So the thumb does increase pressure, but we ALSO may need to turn up the faucet!) 2. humans can perform an additional change- we can also open the gottis at the same time as stretching the chords. This creates a high, "breathy" sound and will decrease pressure. (So you put your thumb on the hose but you also make a small hole in it). So its always good to be in complete control of pressure in the body cylinder rather than just letting the chords do it! Less stress on them!
👉👉👉This is a Part 2 of 2 lecture for The Breath Support Summit. For the Part 1 lecture on the balance of work between the abdominal cylinder and the thoracic cylinder click here:
ua-cam.com/video/Zw5N6Dk9KnI/v-deo.html
🎯🎯🎯For a free preview of our body muscular exercises mentioned, click here: ua-cam.com/video/BYIbvoNJTGQ/v-deo.html
🏆🏆🏆For full access to the complete set of exercises Breath Support Summit, including one-on-one private coachings from our experts, click here: www.myoforsingers.com/bs-summit
Thank you! Best explanation on the internet of breath support!!!
Yay! Thank you. So glad you liked it :)
About 35 years ago, my accompanist teacher at the conservatoire I was attending realised I was struggling badly. He reached out to a colleague (a World famous soprano, reckoned to be one of the finest of her generation) to ask who she would recommend as a singing teacher. The lady (London based, but a US citizen) replied:'I don't know anyone in Europe these days. There is nobody on the East coast, but there are a couple of people on the West coast I think are quite sound'. Sadly I think it's the same today. The physics are interesting, but the number of people who can actually teach singing (not just train already good singers) is vanishingly small.
I agree. There are a lot of teachers who just teach their way of singing and not healthy singing. theres also a lot of teachers who focus on just sound- and who's students are in pain- they end up coming to me!
I just want to say you are AMAZING in your scientific presentations of voice. They are informative, digestible, and applicable, without being traditionally academic (i.e. non-engaging and non-comprehensible 😅). I have booked a consult with you and very much look forward to speaking with you soon!
Oh thank you! And YAY! Can't wait to meet you! Remind me when we meet ;)
Very interesting and detailed ! Thank you ❤
This is the only video that has this specific info you see in colleges. THANK YOU!! You guys have no idea how much this helps
Very difficult stuff but explained in so simplified manner. It will be so helpful for many of us. Much appreciated. Thank you. However, couldn’t find the exercise video you have mentioned at the end of this. It would be really appreciated if you could attach the link. Thank you in advance
Hi Mohammad! For a free preview of our body muscular exercises mentioned, click here: ua-cam.com/video/w9Nw8u5amQ8/v-deo.html
For full access to the entire Breath Support Summit, click here: www.myoforsingers.com/bs-summit
@@OpusMyo I'm a little confused, I hope you can help. I've seen in straw singing exercises the goal is to keep the same release of air (through a straw, measuring by water bubbles) the same on low and high notes.
Is this a misconception or what am I missing? The only way I can think it is congruent with what you're saying is that maybe more air at a lower speed will have the same effect as less air at a higher speed, and hence overall the bubbles in the case would be roughly the same?
@@callmedeno Amazing question!!!! The trick answer is BOTH of us are right haha! Here's why: when we use the straw, the straw is what prohibits us from changing the air too much- we can change the bubbles a little bit (faster/slower, bigger/smaller) but it is literally containing the air for us. When we take the straw AWAY- our bodies have a much bigger continuum of options- we can expel wayyyyyyy more without the straw should we wish. Thats why we singers need to learn to control that value. The straw helps us control, which is why some many recovery exercises for the voice involve straws. They do help us- but by lightening the load or strain of the body. We must learn how to control the air without it. (Or sing only with a straw forever). So the REAL goal is: is your breath the same for a certain pitch WITH a straw as it is WITHOUT it?
@@OpusMyo That is very interesting. So assume there exists a monk who has been on a mountain with perfect control of the pressure and amount of air he can release but has no conception of singing.
We would explain to him that with his perfect control if he wants to increase pitch the only thing that actually effects it is making well pressurised air release faster in smaller amounts than lower pitches. Aside from some glottal stop /tonal things, the throat and vocal folds can not be used to consciously manipulate pitch.
The bottom line is that it is like a malleable water bottle made of the two anatomical regions you outlined in your video. If you want to move pitch higher, the upper section of the body can effectively 'narrow the hole' and with the lower half(torso) you can shoot the water faster?
Thanks
"We're not pianos" 🤣(12:06) Thanks for doing this. And I'm taking that line for when I teach my voice students.
There's a genuine flaw in this theory: The voice does NOT function like a wind instrument! It works like a string instrument. That is, because it's not true that the vocal folds are just membranes and not muscles. They are both. And the muscle part of it is activated through a branch of the vagus nerve. With the right training, that soprano could have the same amount of air expelled both with a E4 and a C5, because it's not true that the vocal cords are passive in sound production and just the airflow is activating them. That makes the voice so different from a wind instrument. The muscles in the vocal cords are active in the sound production process.
With that knowledge the "right" airflow becomes more of an aesthetic factor than a necessary one and we singers become more independent vocally.
Explain how the muscles of the larynx are involved in the production of the sound like a "string instrument" other than manipulating the pitch. I have never heard of anyone producing a sound by rubbing their folds together in the absence of air.
This would be like saying a clarinet is not a wind instrument but instead a percussive because the player's fingers are involved in the production of the sound.
Yes, the vocal folds are muscle and mucosa- but only the mucosal layer vibrates (see link below). Since the membrane is not muscle, and only muscle can move, therefore they are passive participants. The rate or way in which they vibrate changes based on the air that passes through them. The muscles fire only to change the length and width of the chords (to change pitch).
I do partly agree that a soprano COULD put the same amount of air through the glottis on a C5 that she uses for a C4- but she will undoubtedly cough or gag; often what we call “overblowing”. There is too much air passing through those chords it is like a flag in a hurricane and if continued, the chords will eventually be in danger health-wise. If a person puts the amount of air a C5 needs through a C4, then the sound becomes airy/raspy/breathy/small/wimpy.
LINK: voice.weill.cornell.edu/voice-evaluation/normal-voice-function#:~:text=Vocal%20Cords%20and%20Vocal%20Folds&text=In%20fact%2C%20the%20vocal%20fold,Only%20its%20outer%20covering%20vibrates.
@@dweblinveltz5035 True, also a string instrument is not a totally adequate comparison, because strings don't plug themselves, but vocal cords do somewhat activate themselves through bio-electrical impulses coming from the brain. (I'll elaborate in a minute.) And Sidenote: When he counts, he has different vocal heights, even with one of his vocal cords being paralyzed, since that is the Crico-Thyroid muscles that raise the pitch, not the thyro-arytenoid muscles.
@@OpusMyo Thanks you two for all that input. However, if it were true that it's only the mucosa layer that vibrates, then the guy in this video would have no problem phonating, because the arytenoid cartilages close, but his thyro-arytenoid muscle is paralyzed:
ua-cam.com/video/qICIjCA6p0w/v-deo.html
It's shown clearly how the arytenoid cartilages close, but nevertheless no clear voice is heard, as long as one of his vocal cords is paralyzed. (Only muscles can be paralyzed. Mucosa can't get paralyzed to my knowledge.)
The vibration of the vocal cords also looks very different once both thyro-Arytenoids are active. We can literally see how in the beginning it's really just the mucosa that vibrates, and then later it's visibly more of the vocal cord.
Furthermore here an example where it's very much visible that one of her vocal cords is active and the other one is paralyzed through mesuring the thyroArytenoid muscle activity of both vocal cords seperately. And only when both thyro-arytenoid muscles are active does she have a voice again:
ua-cam.com/video/Wj_qEtuUNkM/v-deo.html
The muscles MUST be active during vibration, as these ElectroMyography show.
(Wikipedia Definition of Electromyography: the recording of the electrical activity of muscle tissue, or its representation as a visual display or audible signal, using electrodes attached to the skin or inserted into the muscle.)
If the muscle did not vibrate with phonation, then the woman could still have a voice, because the mucosa would vibrate even though the muscle was paralyzed (which it does when the muscle is paralyzed, but it sounds hoarse, not like something that we'd call a voice... and it's very similar with the guy in the first link). Only when the ThyroArytenoid muscle is activated, she has a "voice" again.
Furthermore, there were experiments already 50 plus years ago that activated certain areas in the brain of dead animals (no air-flow) and the vocal cords started to vibrate.
Therefore, I maintain: Yes, air-flow is a factor in singing, but it's not the (only?) thing that gets the vocal cords starting or perform the action that we describe as phonation. For that the muscle seems to have to be involved actively vibrating.
And while the venturi effect might still play a role, it's not the strongest factor in the system as seen above.
Makes sense?
What about a dramatic baritone? Is the cord closure less at lower pitches and more on higher so this theory applies too, or is there anything else that happens? I mean, should a baritone press (inwards + upwards) the belly in higher pitches? And another question. Why should I press inwards the belly rather than push outwards, at this very special moment of a high note? What are the physics behind it? Thank you so much for your effort! You provides as such a clear piece of information, that most voice teachers bypass(and "appoggio" really makes no sense...)
1. Abdominal pressure is really neither "in and up" nor "down and out"- its a stabilization. It can be confusing because it *feels* more in and up to some and more down and out to others. (but thats why metaphors and descriptions are so dangerous, in my opinion). I recommend you try the exercises from the Breath Support Summit that go with this video, and can be found here: ua-cam.com/video/BYIbvoNJTGQ/v-deo.htmlsi=RoAnDkMoi6atk5A7
2. Chord closure happens slower at lower pitches, so more air escapes between the 'beats' of the chords. Technically, yes, more of the chord's edge makes contact as well, but we're talking like MICROmeters- definitely not something we can feel or should even worry about. What you WILL feel is that allowing more air to escape at lower pitches will stabilize the sound.
3. The only difference with dramatic singers is that they may need to go lower in the body aka add more support earlier in the range. I have a full/lyric pushing dramatic soprano voice and I have to add about 80% percent support just for a G5.
4. I teach virtual myo coachings where we can discuss breath support and other vocal aspects in sport-specific and scientific ways. If you're interested you can book here: www.myoforsingers.com
Thank you for this!
You're so welcome! There are free body exercises that go with it on my channel- check it out here: : ua-cam.com/video/w9Nw8u5amQ8/v-deo.html
Can you please explain how to take a breath before singing?
If it’s important to fill the chest in air or just the lower just the belly?
Thank you
Good question! Many teachers will incorrectly teach a low-breath technique where the abdomin moves quite a lot->similar to yogic breathing. The issue with this is that the ribs don't expand much, so then the abdominal muscles have nothing to press AGAINST. Rib expansion is the first and most-important step in breath support. only then can one work on abdominal engagement.
@@OpusMyo so that means you need to expand the rib cage first and then expand the abdominal muscle ?
@@bendanon258 Well you definitely need the rib cage expansion yes. You can choose whether the abdominal engagement is simultaneous to that or after. For example. if I'm singing something fast, I fire them together. If I have a slow inhale, I will do them separate.
@@OpusMyo WOW thank you so much for explained this to me.
I've been confused about how to take a breath in order to feel the engagment about 10 years.
That means a lot to me!
How should I sit on the hip bones while singing a high note? 10:43
Ah, I didn't mean literally! The AREA of the body that will working most while singing a high C is the lower abdominals/pelvic floor, ie the FEELING of an inner tube around your hipbones. :)
I have a question. Do you think the feeling of the support going lower is gradual from the lowest note you can sing? In other words is the thoracic percentage highest on the lowest notes? I'm asking because I don't feel it that way. I feel that I need more pelvic floor in my lowest notes than just above. Otherwise I agree with your great video;)
GREAT QUESTION!!! Yes, I agree with you- i personally also need some lower ab pressure on my lowest notes as well. Basically because the most demanding parts of our range- both high and low- take the most amount of effort, so when performed healthily, the body recruits more of the musculature needed for that task, in this case, more ab pressure as well. Nice!
Where’s part 2?
Nothing helps more than actually seeing my body and know how it works 😂. Metaphors are lost on me like I get them but seeing how the body functions helps me inderstand
Yes! I am a HUGE fan of using mirror and video tape to WATCH my singers and have them watch themselves, its very instructive and can often help them progress FASTER! Win win
Thank you for the video. What is the appaja?
Old italian opera singer word for the feeling of effort/contraction/engagement/breath support that is located right where the ribs separate in a V in the front of the body. Spelled 'appoggiatura' if you care to research further. **a word of warning however, it is an IDEA / METAPHOR, not a literal anatomical structure so take it with a big grain of salt!
can't find vid 2/2
edit: apparently this IS 2/2 even though the title is 1/2, but there are still no exercises as both videos promised. it's a shame because I really enjoy how you present info!
Here's the exercise video: ua-cam.com/video/BYIbvoNJTGQ/v-deo.htmlsi=NyKxOEZ5X2ykZ0Ya
@@OpusMyo ah, thanks! I did end up watching this one already, but didn't know that it was the 2/2 follow-up. I think the descriptions and links can definitely be improved because on your main page, the exercise video is showing as uploaded before the part 1's so it's hard to tell they are connected. a playlist for this topic would help. thanks for your response
Literally doing this right this second! haha@@_roshi
@@OpusMyo you rock for helping to correct it! I'll definitely subscribe and looking forward to more of your content
But i dont get a thing. How can chords be passive and not muscles if they are capable of moving and tightening? It needs some sort of musculature right? So where then the capacity to change pitch cones from?
The vocal folds are mostly mucus membrane (passive). there are various muscles attached to them in the larynx that stretch them to change pitch. think of a rubber band (passive) if I use my hands to stretch it (muscle) the band can change pitch- but only when I PLUCK it (another muscle.) So in this analogy the chords are the band, the larynx is my hand, and the breath support is the ACTION of plucking the band to make a pitch. [Side note I am planning on making another anatomy video explaining this in more detail soon, so stay posted!]
@@OpusMyo amazing. Thanks! You have taught me something new
I don't understand. Volume represents the amoumt of air we inhale? High notes demand more air, not less, means more volume. And how we get high volume, when ribs collapse? We should go out of air in that case - no volume or too little.
Volume as in capactiy (1 oz, 2 oz etc). High notes require LESS air volume- or less air amount- regardless of whether they are loud or soft. We are also talking about PRESSURE. Remember pressure and volume ARE mutually exclusive- we need both in any combination. Yes, correct, we want to prohibit rib collapse so that all the volume doesn't release in one big flood of air. Everything is a continuum, a graded scale. Not 1+1. The exact combination of pressure and volume is dependant on the pitch and task at hand.
@@OpusMyo so if I want to sing a high note, i should inhale less air (in context of pitch only) and press my lower belly more. On the contrary, on lower notes I take more air and not press so much?
@@OpusMyo One more question: is there such thing as chest/belly breathing? Or is it all the same, just depends on how deep you breathe. I mean, it seems when you inhale, the chest comes first and after that - belly. And it's so in any case, never separated. But they say some people breathe with their chest only (and that's wrong) and some people breathe with their belly
@@irinazaharova4598 Yes...your high note 'recipe' is correct (although you can always inhale a normal amount of air and just keep the ribs expanded, therefore not letting any volume out. Opera singers use this technique- we almost always take large breaths!) For lower notes, you need to allow more air out- yes not pressurizing the ab cylinder as much but allowing air to escape, not holding it in so much
@@irinazaharova4598 Belly breathing is a yogic term that gain traction in the singing world. Many human will hold their bellies in or firm them for aesthetic reasons so yogis encourage movement in that area for their kind of breathing. Yogic breathing is not correct singing breathing. Unfortunately a lot of singing teachers teach yogic breathing, hence why many singers have heard the term. We want the ribs to expand, as thats where your lungs ARE! Not in your belly! Chest breathing while in practice is correct, however it can appear wrong if the singer is breathing too high in the ribs and engaging the neck and shoulders as well.
WHY DOES LARA FABIAN MOUTH BREATH OUT IN ON MIC?
❤
Hello! Why did you decide that vocal cords are not muscles?? How can you compare them to a flag? The flag cannot stretch! It turns out that your video is an error!
Well the chords are mucosal membrane tissue. Tissue is not the same as muscle. The chords are stretched BY muscles, but they are not muscles themselves. Think of stretching a rubber band. The band is made of rubber, our hands are the muscles that stretch it. The flag analogy is to explain that they are vibrating FROM THE AIR that moves it; a flag doesn't wave itself- the air moves it. Hope that helps.
Thanks for sharing this information about our anatomy of air circulation.
You use word ”impossible”, about firing some muscles as if you had total understanding of our neurone system.
That it impossible.
There are yogis who control their pulse and actors who get tears from their eyes at will, or freakshow artists who play music with farting.
Some entertainers stimulate audiences adrenaline and endorfin glands with their singing.
Our knowledge about nervesystem is around 10% of the what we can know.
”Impossible” word is verbal violence.
But thanks anyway for good lesson.
It's not made impossible because of the muscular-nervous system of the body. Its 'impossible' because of math and physics. In the same way it is physically (as in the science of physics) to press on one side of a balloon without changing the whole. Pressurizing a buoyant sphere in one location without it having an effect on the whole is impossible. But the main point I'm trying to make is that people tend to make this a lot more complicated than it needs to be- everything fires together as one!
Hello! I am writing again! If you stretch the vocal cords on a high note, the pressure will be increased even if the volume of air supplied to them is the same as on a low note. As in the example with a hose - without increasing the flow of water, when the outlet hole is reduced, the pressure and flow rate increase. Why are you misleading people??
Yes, your analogy is true. I agree with you that we need more pressure for high notes! But there are two extra problems: 1. sometimes the natural increase of pressure isn't enough- we need to create even more. (So the thumb does increase pressure, but we ALSO may need to turn up the faucet!) 2. humans can perform an additional change- we can also open the gottis at the same time as stretching the chords. This creates a high, "breathy" sound and will decrease pressure. (So you put your thumb on the hose but you also make a small hole in it). So its always good to be in complete control of pressure in the body cylinder rather than just letting the chords do it! Less stress on them!