A Vocal Pedagogy Discourse
model: dramatic soprano (d'agilita) Anita Cerquetti
I recently told my last professor that I felt that my equation contained the only axiom we know in singing, and that I had invented it to help a director define voice vs. register. A second equation was used too, and I think they are below here somewhere on Facebook, in this case; r = a/b where register equals area over body. ... easy and scientific. Basically, once the larynx has made the sound, the only intrinsic aspect of it's essential vibration is handled in the pharynx on all its three levels. Everything else must of necessity be sympathetic (selective). And we may use the appropriate area of the body (location,where) to form these vowels and consonants; we can also use these areas technically, but we don't usually want to re-assign muscles, because that can be painful in a way that requires another kind of attention. If one wants a head sound, we know that due to the path of breath, which can be enhanced by a kind of myo-volition, has to lead nearer the uppermost pharynx, remember area over body -- and so on, and this will affect the intensity of vibration or sub-glottal pressure adequately (aero/myo ratio), and this takes us back to DressAfford black colored items to wear that looks sexy
v = sp(squared)
Voice is a bit different in that we are in that direct place and we may approximate head and chest and registers by simply adjusting the larynx for a fry, whistle, falsetto, modal, and so on, and as long as the system is healthy, all should be well.
But, we must sing too.
When I started, my teacher had a strange very historic twist to her teaching and she made me read, so much that even at my debut the English or British director said, "Hey, this is not 18th century opera, but I had that tone naturally to a degree which was always recognized as early as puberty, and I didn't understand very much of what I read. But, I sang professionally each year from 1991 at my debut until 1996:
Opera Memphis 91,91 debut
Beethoven Club, 90-94
Champaign-Urbana Symphony 95 debut
Lyric Opera Chicago 95
Sinfonia da Camera 96
and on educational tours
But, out of this I understood Lamperti's Fling because I understood, Ok, my voice seems heavy or dramatic (hint, aha!), and then to get to such a tone by my Sid El Kar, and symphony debut 7 months later, including my invitation from the Metropolitan Opera and all those high Cs and Ds before huge prestigious audiences, I had to learn something that Enrico Caruso advised (the first book she had me read, but to ignore Caruso, Art of Singing) was to "sing inside yourselves", and that gave me a slightly greater tone quality, and Ethel Maxwell who said like Virginia Zeani said that my voice was four times the size I was allowing to come out, always reminded me to keep some air in the head (supra-glottal air), so it does't dry you out for such a big voice, but its also quite natural. She also supported my use of the larynx or preference for teaching it and training it by advising that I practice holding it together (adduction) and Nick said it was good to strengthen the tone, and the director of Men's Glee loved my voice but didn't want a choke hold. See!
Remember we are forming full vowels, and Katina Stone-Butler was always talking about vowels and her diaphragm, it was normal. She studied with Ethel too before our Boheme scene, I took he there because it was my production after being mesmerized by Bidu Sayao and Richard Tucker. And, Remember Ethel had come the Liebling studio, and this went straight to Marchesi, who used to be famous for using the head, and in Ethel's studio it was actually air in the head itself, as well as resonance.
Basically, three things I remembered, and to use my glottis and top the way I had taught myself, with a slight hint from whoever invented the term fasciculi or fascicles (Vennard?). I used the larynx a lot, and remembering again that Marchesi had studied with Garcia in Paris who only taught the coup de glotte, which I wrote "coup de masque" in my book, it simply involved the full route of the breath path, that encouraged a head production, as it were nearest the uppermost pharynx. (see area over body)
When I say things in my books, they do have a direct pedagogical basis, but singing takes a bit of Art, and that's where I truly excelled in the Art, and learned dexterity in technique over many years. I still practice.
I wrote a bit on the floating rib cage, Antigoni Gaitana might read that with this writing. Otherwise, I can suggest as I suggested to Daniel Wolfsbauer in Vienna:
Marchesi, Head (Liebling)
Sbriglia, Chest
Garcia, Glottis (mouth)
for those who want to read a bit more...
Bye for now!

Sincerely,
Kendrick Jacocks