BEGINNING VOCAL TRAINING
Objective: To introduce the importance of vocal techniques, vocal improvement games and key physical terms of the voice, for the actor.
The students will be able to label basic physical features of the human vocal system.
The students will be able to display and practice breathing control techniques.
The students will understand the importance of pitch, tone, quality, volume, rate, articulation and pronunciation in speaking everyday as compared to the stage.
Terms:
Controlled breathing- control over the intake and exhale of breath to produce vocal sounds.
Diaphragm- muscular body partition between the chest and abdomen.
Lungs- holds air.
Larynx- upper part of trachea, contains vocal cords.
Resonators- throat, nose, mouth, sinuses.
Articulators- tongue, teeth, cheeks, jaw, lips, hard and soft palates.
Quality- characteristics that distinguish different voices.
Pitch- highness or lowness of vocal sound.
Volume- control for audibility of sound.
Rate- speed of the voice, suggests age and emotion.
Articulation- clarity in speaking words.
Pronunciation- accurately producing sound with syllables, accents and stresses.
Controlled breathing warm-up:
Allows deeper breath for controlled, prolonged sounds.
1) Yawn and relax.
2) Stand. Breath in normally, feel chest rise. Now breathe in and feel diaphragm expand, chest should not rise. Do this at home. Lie on your back and then stand and try to feel the same things.
3) Do this standing and hold exhale as long as you can by counting as high as you can.
4) Work with tongue twister: Red leather, yellow leather. Same breathing as above.
Continue tomorrow:
Warm-up
Intro to Voice, Controlled Breathing
Pitch, Volume, Inflection, Rate, Articulation
Tongue twisters
Controlled Breathing
An actor's voice is basic to his craft. His voice should be audible and flexible so that he can communicate a variety of characters, meanings and emotions. His voice should also be able to withstand strenuous rehearsals and performances. Vocal training is not only for the professional actor, all voices can be improved upon with care and exercise. Avoid colds, smoking and drinking and never strain your voice by yelling When exercising your voice strive for controlled breathing; a trained ear; a rich, resonant quality; variety in pitch, volume and rate; clear articulation; and proper pronunciation.
The first step in vocal training is the mastery of controlled breathing. Speech sounds are produced by air that has been forced through the lungs by the action of certain rib muscles and the diaphragm, a flat muscle separating the chest from the abdominal cavity. The exhaled air vibrates the vocal folds in the larynx. The sound produced is modified by the resonators (throat, nose, mouth, sinuses) and formed into vowels and consonants by the articulators (tongue, jaw, teeth, cheeks, lips, hard and soft palates).
To have the necessary air control for efficient speaking, it is advisable to breathe from your diaphragm. This means that your chest cavity is relatively still, while your waistline expands and contracts, and your lower ribs slightly rise and fall. Diaphragmatic breathing requires less effort than chest breathing, allows you to breathe deeply, provides the necessary waist control that enables you to project long passages without running out of breath. For controlled breathing practice these exercises:
1) Lie flat on your back with one hand on your abdomen and the other on your chest. Keep the chest still. The abdomen should out when you inhale and in when you exhale. Now stand up and like a dog, with only the abdomen moving in and out. Keep the area motionless. This is diaphragmatic breathing.
2) Use diaphragmatic breathing, take a deep breath and see how far you can count as you exhale on one breath. Do not force the count. When you grow tense, breath, start again, and exhale the air slowly for control. Work until you can effortlessly count up to sixty.
from the text:
Basic Drama Projects, Fran A. Tanner, Clark Publishing Co. 1982
