Psycho Vox; or, The Emerson System of Voice Culture — John Shaqi
Psycho Vox; or, The Emerson System of Voice CultureEmerson, Charles Wesley
Science
Psycho Vox; or, The Emerson System of Voice Culture
Emerson, Charles Wesley
Voice
One should never attempt to locate the tone in any particular resonant
chamber by saying, “Now I will practise for head resonance, or now I
will practise for chest resonance.” I have known such attempts to result
in much injury to the voice. If the direction of the tone is kept
steadily toward the globe of light in front of the nares, while at the
same time imagining this globe to move in a forward and downward curve,
and if, in addition, the transient molds of resonance are perfectly
formed, each interval of the scale will be resounded in its proper
resonant chamber. The high notes will be resounded in the front part of
the nares, then as the voice descends in pitch it will be resounded
farther back in the nares, until the note is so low that the posterior
part only can resound it; finally, as the pitch continues to grow lower,
the nares cannot resound it at all. At this point the pharynx takes it
up until the pitch becomes so low that the trachea, being larger than
the pharynx, produces the resonance which is heard in the chest only.
After the proper direction has been established, viz., toward the globe
of light in front of the anterior portion of the nares, it should never
be changed, for this direction keeps the nares, pharynx, and trachea
open and free, so that each pitch of the voice will be resounded in that
portion of the resonant chambers which by its size is suited to its
pitch. What I have thus far said of the resonant chambers in the nares,
pharynx, and trachea applies to the fundamental tone; but while the
fundamental tone is resounding in the trachea, pharynx, or nares
posteri, smaller portions of the nares and transient resonant chambers
may be resounding the overtones, so that many resonant chambers may be
resounding at the same time, thereby giving the richest possible quality
to the tones of voice.
=_EXERCISES FOR SECURING FREEDOM AND PROPER DIRECTION OF TONE
AND FOR ESTABLISHING RIGHT HABITS IN THE USE OF THE VOICE._=
NARES RESONANCE.
EXERCISE I.—While the lips are closed, give a nares tone represented by
the letter _m_; then opening the mouth, without changing in any degree
the character of the tone and not allowing any breath or voice to pass
through the mouth, prolong the tone, holding before the mind the ideal
concept for direction of tone previously described. The lips should be
again closed just before the tone ceases. Repeat this on different
intervals of the scale, ranging from a comparatively high pitch to a
comparatively low one.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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