Let me start this month’s Tip by discussing
a book that inspired me – inspired me to
throw it against my wall and then tear up
the confusing and frustrating technique
taught at so many music schools and
academies. Brace yourself.
“Nadoleczny, in a chapter on vocal registers
in
UntersuchdenHunstges
über Kunstgesang
(1923, pp 32-46), presents a summary of
viewpoints and terminology from the period
of Tosi onward. Although even the existence
of registers has at times been in dispute, a
vocal register may be briefly defined as a
series of consecutive voice tone of equal
timbre, which can be distinguished from
adjoining series.
“Early in the
history of singing, performers perceived
that certain notes in the scale could be
grouped as to timbre and as to resonance
sensations. The trained singer learns to go
from one register to another without
disrupting the unity of scale, and thus
confounds the study of registers in the
professional voice. Committees of auditors
in the perceptual studies may find it
difficult to detect any register
demarcations, or perceive only those
exhibited in the extremes of range, when
they deal with well trained subjects.
“Regardless of
excellent technique that “hides” the events
of registration, almost all professional
singers are convinced that the register
phenomena do indeed exist. Much of their
work has been devoted to scale
equalization.” I suggest you read the above
out loud a few times to absorb its full
meaning.
That statement
is on page 287 of a 296-page book, by
Richard Miller, TheStructure of
Singing that has spawned a plethora of
classes in universities and other colleges
of music throughout the world, to teach this
book as Vocal Pedagogy. I knew
nothing about the book, until one of my
students at USC Thornton School, let me skim
through it. I posited that the original
editor--having tried to read it--must have
been acutely aware that a special, new class
would be needed ... to explain the book!
(And ... there was always, “another class,
another tuition!”)
Now, think hard
on this; had he placed this disclaimer
on the first page of the Preface to the
book ... and you had struggled through the
first several pages ... would you have
bought, much less tried to read it through?
Honestly?
“The trained
singer learns to go from one register to
another without disrupting the unity of
scale, and thus confounds the study of
registers in the professional voice.”
Why can only
we, “the trained singers” --meaning of
course we professionals who are out on the
stage being paid for doing the one voice
technique--do this miraculous thing--that
thousands of voice students throughout the
world using the register technique aren’t
able to emulate? Think on that, too!
Then Mr.
Miller--in my opinion--exacerbates his
position, by drawing upon committees that
support his point of view. That’s what one
usually does, when one is not firmly
convinced that his/her argument is sound
…and then he continues with:
“Committees of
auditors in the perceptual studies may
find it difficult to detect any register
demarcations, or perceive only those
exhibited in the extremes of range, when
they deal with well trained subjects.”
But, amazingly,
the next paragraph rationalizes his
inability to sing in one voice with:
“Regardless
of excellent technique that “hides” the
events of registration, almost all
professional singers are convinced that the
register phenomena do indeed exist. Much of
their work has been devoted to scale
equalization.” So there!!!
“Hides,”
suggests that there is a “break” there, when
there is not ... if you know how to sing it
properly! There indeed are “breaks” (passaggio),
in his technique--his never having
properly defined exactly what support is-inthe unsupported voice, one that has no
sense of the tongue’s function in the
equation! If, as within my technique you are
“lifting and growing," the arch of the
tongue upandforward, palate high .. none of
the other stuff is necessary! (I just
gave you a platinum gift!)… Further,
the “register” phenomenon is just a bandage
approach applied by those who simply do not
understand that there is a whole different
way to sing, beautifully and easier. Bel
Canto has a nice ring to it! (The most
common “break” for female voices is between
the A above middle and C, between the D♭-
G and higher between B♭
and C. For the men, the baritone and basses
and tenors are generally E TO G!) With my
technique ... there simply aren’t any!
Then I had an
epiphany: if I can write a book that
requires at least a semester in a college
class, a book that is so crammed with
extraneous terms in the medical vernacular,
the length of various parts of your vocal
anatomy, etc. I too can live on the
royalties and buy the airplane I have always
wanted. Two hundred and ninety-six pages of
‘let me cloud your thinking, overwhelm your
reason and common sense ... study, study ...
and one day, my son/daughter, you too
will/might be a great singer.’ ... and your
cry of “ … but, but … when I came here, all
I wanted to do is learn how to sing” is
lost, echoing down the halls of Academia!
Learning how to sing … ain’t in that book!
My thoughts were buttressed
by four of my students–who will remain
anonymous at their request, who had a series
of minor altercations with the Pedagogy
teacher when he tried to get them to sing
register to register, utilizing steps from
the book and to which they rebelled ,rather
demonstrating smooth transition of the voice
from top to bottom, bottom to top, with
“no events of
register demarcation!”
