Page:Choirmaster's Manual.djvu/22

10 the lower notes, as "ah" produces a much louder tone than "oo" if left to itself.

To get rid of breathy sounds, practise Exercise 4.

Exercise 4.

(Do not sing these notes staccato, but as short as possible. Feel tones are made by a sort of "click" at the vocal cords, not by action of ribs. Do not allow the ribs to move until after the tone is made.)

Resonance. The registers of a voice are divided according to the feeling produced in the singer. The "lower medium" notes sound as if produced in the back of the mouth; the "upper medium," in the front of the mouth above the front teeth; the "head" tones are felt in the highest part of the back of the head.

The mouth is the chief resonance-chamber, and the wider it is open the greater the resounding space and the louder the voice; the pharynx and head-cavities all act as resonators, reinforcing the tones by the addition of overtones. "Ah" is the best vowel-sound for producing resonance.



Good attack is of vital importance. To accomplish a good attack, a slight, sharp inward movement of the abdomen is necessary. Practise notes of scale on "la." The