Your vast knowledge aside, these videos are a total delight to watch, particularly your wry observations and ever-present humor. I had a very impressive instrument that was nearly wrecked in four years by a teacher at the University of Washington who taught every possible disastrous approach you repeatedly detail, including the inverted megaphone, and pushing the voice into the front nasal cavities for "ring." My decline was so swift that the opera contract that I secured (without his encouragement) was cancelled after just three seasons. It took me another 20 years to recover most of the voice that I lost because of his ignorance and incompetency..
The group I work with had the honor of sharing the stage with a couple of ladies from Opera Memphis. We sang Bohemian Rhapsody. What an honor. Your teachings have been invaluable to my vocal health. Thank you
Now I get what, mainly, all the incredible voices are made of and, as others have said, have been able to mantain great vocal health, even through a reasonably regular singing schedule. You've probably also helped much greater singers than myself too, for which God reward you immensely, as I could never even begin to thank you for what good you did to me personally.
What a difference this has made to me and my teaching! Reminding students of the "Ponselle rectangle" and saying 'jawless, tongueless, throatless' as they are inhaling (down the spine, rectus abdominus pulled in!) is such a quick jog to the mind, that inevitably, the tone improves, the student 'feels' and so much benefit happens, almost as if it were magic! (but of course, it's not!) Grazie, Maestro.
Mike Do you have a video that contrasts sul fiato vs con fiato? One of the main problems with singers is that they put too much breathe pressure and as a result, they crack into falsetto. How can a singer feel and regulate the breath so that there is no excessive breath pressure? Which of the two that I just referred to causes excessive breath pressure? Let me know of a video that discusses the differences and which is the preferred way of managing the breath. Also, would releasing the breath relieve excessive breath pressure. Thanks, in advance. P. S. I have written to you before and you were very helpful.
Hi Mr. Trimble, Would it be possible to have a Q&A session in one of your future videos? One of my questions is how do you know when you're pushing your voice slightly and therefore over sing. It's often only noted after singing and that I find my speaking voice is weaker. Thank you.
I am starting to collecting almost every puzzle for my voice, but there are a few things that still are mystery. Intercostall breathing big yes, stop the breath big yes, but that throatless thing is still tricky.I thought that the source of vowels is throat, like in the speaking aeiou, from the throut and just deep breathing to sastain the high position in the mask. Many singers like corelli or kraus for my ear lowering the position of the larynx mechanically for the highest note, how i can achieve this acuti without making space with my trhrout? By breath itself for me it is hard, it sound not in the position. Perhaps when i develop more, i dont know. Maestro, can you answer that, maybe someone have a clue?
That lady is my wife of 33. years, Pamela Kordan Trimble. You can hear her sing in a couple of videos that were uploaded with mine. Her voice was especially beautiful in color. She is 75 now and I am 85, and we are a really cute couple! Thanks for asking about her. I'm her biggest fan!! MT
Salut, Asnoopbal! Yes, in. a way. It is important, crucial, really, to understand that there never should be any kind of muscular action in the throat to achieve an "open throat". The throat opens vertically as it is drawn inward and downward by the power of the inhalation into the lower back. The throat opens vertically as a reaction to deep breathing, and no muscular process in the throat is allowed to contribute to the downward movement of the larynx. Caruso said "the open throat. is maintained by the power of the respriation." The throat opens vertically as a result of the "sucking inward and downward" power of the inhalation into the lower back. There should never be muscular actions in the throat that contribute to the lower position of the larynx. The first rule of the bel canto era was "No action in the throat, jaw, or tongue". George London used to say, "Nothing moves unless the breathing moves it." Richard Tucker said "The voice does nothing. The breathing does everything". If you have read Caruso's book, you will remember that he mentions breathing 60 times in only 32 pages. That is an average of twice per page! The "Massive power of the respiration required for great singing" is one of the quotes from that book. Manuel Garcia said that "great singing depends on the super-abundance of the breath". Deep breathing into the lower ribs in the lowest part of the ribcage in the back of the body will gradually develop the power to open the throat vertically as a reaction to repeated deep inhalations into the lower back. Only deep breathing "behind you and downward", as described in Caruso's book will draw the larynx and trachea downward without the use of muscular action in the throat itself. Read Caruso's book (or my book which used excerpts from his and many other books, including Luisa Tetrazzini and Lilli Lehmann), and see how clearly he describes how to breathe. Lamperti actually drew diagrams to depict the breathing process. They show very clearly how the abdomen/navel is pulled inward while the breath is inhaled into the outward and downward expanding lower ribs low in the back. it is the same method as described by Caruso. The great tenor said to do a contrary motion while singing. The lower ribs will "squeeze together" as the lower lungs empty and the abdomen will release outward while singing. I hope this will explain the difference between lowering the larynx with muscles in the. throat and lowering the entire throat, trachea, and larynx using the "massive power of the respiration (Caruso)". The phonation will be affected by the deep breathing, also, and the tone will fulfill the description of the perfect tone, which , in Italian was "Chiaroscuro" (clear/dark). That is a subject that is too long for this discussion. Good luck in your search for beautiful singing. Michael t
I can't find my copy, so I'm not sure. it is published by Dover with a book. by luisa tetrazzini.. I"ve read it over and over, and my book, Fundamentals of Grear Voca Technique, is full of quote from Caruso's book, and. there are many quotes from a lot of books by the greatest singers. If I can find my copy of Caruso's book, I will write to you again. MT
