Resonance in Singing and Speaking | Page 9

shows the best position of the lips to give the sound of ee.
Hold the under jaw without stiffness and as far from the upper teeth as
is consistent with delivery of the pure sound of this vowel.
Figure 3 shows the best position of the lips to produce the vowel oo.
Figure 4 shows the position of the lips for the vowel sound of long o.
The opening of the lips should be made as round as is the letter o.
When preparing the lips to give the sound of o, the inclination is strong
to drop the lower jaw; in practice, to develop action of the lips, the
under jaw would better be held quite immovable. It will be found
possible to produce all of the vowel sounds without any change except
in the form of the opening of the lips. The vowel sound of i is an
exception; for as a compound of ah and ee, the extremes of the vowel
scale, it requires two distinct positions for its utterance with a
movement of transition between; it is not, therefore, a good vowel for
initial practice.
[Illustration: FIGURE 2.]
[Illustration: FIGURE 3.]
[Illustration: FIGURE 4.]
[Illustration: FIGURE 5.]
Figure 5 shows that the sound aw is produced from o by raising the
edge of the upper lip outward and upward, and flattening the raised
portion laterally.
Figure 6 shows the position for producing ah. It differs from the

position assumed for aw in that the opening of the lips is larger, the
upper lip is raised higher, the flat portion is wider, and the under lip is a
little relaxed. The form of the opening to produce aw is oval; the form
for ah is more nearly square.
[Illustration: FIGURE 6.]
[Illustration: FIGURE 7.]
Figure 7 shows the under jaw relaxed, as it should be in practice, to
enlarge the throat and give roundness and largeness to the tone. The use
of the word hung will accomplish this end.
The vowel sounds illustrated above are embodied in a series of vocal
exercises to be found in Chapter VIII on Placing the Voice.
CHAPTER III
BREATH CONTROL
It has been said that "breathing is singing." This statement is equally
applicable to speaking. While the aphorism is not literally true, it is true
that without properly controlled breathing the best singing or speaking
tone cannot be produced, for tone is but vocalized breath; hence in the
cultivation of the voice, breathing is the first function to receive
attention.
For singer or speaker, the correct use of the breathing apparatus
determines the question of success or failure; for without mastery of the
motive power all else is unavailing. For a voice user, therefore, the first
requisite is a well-developed chest, the second, complete control of it.
It must not be supposed that a singer's breathing is something strange or
complex, for it is nothing more than an amplification of normal,
healthy breathing. In contrast, however, to the undisciplined casual
breathing of the general public, the singer is a professional breather.
THE MUSCLES OF RESPIRATION

There are two sets of respiratory muscles, one for inspiration and
another for expiration,--twenty-two or more in all. The principal
muscles of inspiration are the diaphragm and the intercostal muscles
that elevate the ribs. The chief muscles of expiration are the four sets of
abdominal muscles and the intercostal muscles that depress the ribs.
The diaphragm is not a muscle of expiration.
THE DIAPHRAGM
The diaphragm is in form like an inverted bowl (Fig. 8). It forms the
floor of the thorax (chest) and the roof of the abdomen. It is attached by
a strong tendon to the spinal column behind, and to the walls of the
thorax at its lowest part, which is below the ribs. In front its attachment
is to the cartilage at the pit of the stomach. It also connects with the
transverse abdominal muscle. The diaphragm being convex, in
inspiration the contraction of its fibres flattens it downward and presses
down the organs in the abdomen, thus increasing the depth of the
thorax. Expiration depends wholly on other muscles.
[Illustration: FIGURE 8.]
The muscles so far mentioned are all that need "conscious education;"
the others will act with them voluntarily, automatically. The abdominal
muscles relax during inspiration and the diaphragm relaxes during
expiration, thus rendering the forces nearly equal, though the strength is
in favor of the expiratory muscles. This is what is needed, for the breath
while speaking or singing must go out under much greater tension than
is necessary for inhalation. Inspiration should be as free as possible
from obstruction when singing or speaking. Expiration must be under
controlled pressure.
THE LUNGS
The lungs are spongy bodies which have no activity of their own
beyond a little elasticity. They are controlled