Ultimately we hcome to see press, vowel width and air pressure as three sides of the same coin. How they are adjusted is the untimate arbiter of timbreal result.
The wider vowel will give a brighter sound, but will tend to lift the larynx so will require more press. How 'wide' you can sing depends on how strong you press is (practise practise to build strength if you want to be a belter.)
At the same time, you will find it much easier to press in a high belt tone if your air pressure is not too high.
xxx more about thjis..
| Understanding very low air pressures |
| Ensuring natural strong cord closure |
| Allowing breath into the sound |
3 major elements: Shape, Press, Pressure. Together form the Balance.
Balance is interactive between the three elements.
By manipulating the balance we are able to build a soundscape of infinite variety and subtlety. 4
Depending on desired outcome, we can manipulate Shape, Press and Pressure to get the sound we want. The only caveat is that we MUST stay in balance. That doesn't mean we have to sound like a characterless clone. (At the time of writing, that's unfortunately what many singers think. I guess it's a fad, it will pass.)
Like riding a bicycle we don't have to stay upright all the time like Mary Poppins. We can lean into the corners, take shortcuts over the grass, ride on the sidewalk or pop a wheelie. But if we lose our balance down we go.
After-Press Cord Closure
Press is not just downward. We learn to control the throat in 2 dinemsions: depth and width. The wider, the more press is needed. Also the more air pressure the more press is needed.
If you want to sing hard, then you may need to keep the throat narrow to avoid the larynx popping. If you want to sing wide like a rock singer, work on your press till it is amazingly strong. And keep your air pressure down. If you are wide you are goibg to sound loud.
Now lets talk about wide... yes contrary to every thing aforegoing you CAN sing wide. But drop in forst. Press in deep then widen the vowel If you widen as you go in, it will break. A bit like a narrow gate you have to get through after which you are in the zone and can do more different stuff.
Air Blow
Vowel width (Narrowing
All of the items on the wish-list begin to be addressed once vocal function is close to correct. If there is still tension or distortion in your throat, non-resonant or non-normalised vowels, or lack of cord-closure, the delicate sensations by which the voice is controlled will be masked by the much more powerful sensations of throat closure,or breath depletion. With the throat relaxed, it is as if the 'control panel' for the voice becomes clear to us, and we begin to be able to utilise many new devices for creating the exact stylisation we need.
Among the controls an advanced singer uses are: