Would need some video to show the little preceeding brathingexercice... swinging up and down in your (liberated) knees, the whole body is following, even the arms go highly up and down, exspirating when all is up (arms on the toppest) explosing some Ft, making shure that all the time the feet keep deeply enracinated in the floor. No mouvement ahead without contre-mouvement in the floor. (To make shure my broken english, just tell it in french: Il s'agit d'une espèce de balancement des bras vers le haut et vers le bas, suivi de tout le corps: les genoux se plient quand les bras baissent, et se relèvent (jamais totalement, jamais raidis: tout doit se passer dans une certaine rondeur) quand les bras vont vers le haut. On inspire quand les bras sont en bas, et on expire en lançant un FT quand les bras sont en haut. Ne jamais décoller du sol, veiller à ce que les pieds restent toujours enracinés dans le sol, car il ne peut pas y avoir de mouvement vers le haut, vers l'avant, vers le ciel, sans prendre appui en bas, dans le sol.)

Ft tz ft tz ft tz (travail du diaphragme et du bas ventre)

Tzang (résonance ng au fond du palais, comme une cloche)

Tzangam (hot potatoe in the closed mouth for the last a: am)

Tzangambrbrbrbrbr (brbrbr: liberate your lips) this last complex one may go chromaticaly up and down.

(Ces exercices sont une synthèse rapide de ce que m'ont appris Bernard Scherer à Beuron, Francis Dubus au Puy , Franziska (?) à Lourdes et C-J Demollière à Metz)

Basically, depending on the time of day, people don't need a lot of "warming up." What they need is quick exercises that engage the proper techniques for singing, which may or may not be present, and may or may not have been used for speaking during the day.

Breathing exercises that engage diaphragmatic breathing and that help attune the singer to the position of the soft palate are helpful. I use a breathing exercise where the singers draw a breath in through pursed lips (like sucking through a straw) and remind them to inflate from the waist, not the chest. We "suck" in for 4 counts then reverse the direction of the air (without stopping) by hissing out for 8 - 12 counts, then repeating the cycle by sucking in again (and again without stopping the flow of air, just changing direction) and hissing out, always keeping a sense of expansion around the waist on the intake and pressure around the waist on the hiss. If you try the "soda straw suck" you'll notice that there's a sensation of cold air at the back of the throat. This is a good way of sensing a lift of the soft palate.

Another good diaphragm-engaging exercise is to start with an explosive "F" on quarter notes. The sensation is one of puffing out a candle. Have the singers execute a series of these "F's", feeling a "punch" from the muscles along the front of the belly. (Have them put their hand on their belly, just above the belly button.) Switch to "T" then back to "F". Then add "K", then back to "T" and "F". If they feel their belly move on "F" but not on "K" or "T", they're not using their diaphragm to support these explosive consonants.

A good "soft palate" engager is "hung-ee-aw," closing off on the "ng" right away by closing off the back of the throat with the back of the tongue. The jaw should be dropped and relaxed. Opening to the "ee" is achieved by simply relaxing the tongue so it pulls away from the back of the palate. The "aw" then opens the throat with the palate lifted. Again, the jaw should be slack. I do the "hung-ee-aw" on the 5th scale degree, with a descending scale on "aw" (5-4-3-2-1), then repeat up by half-steps.

Finally, may I recommend an exercise, also on a 5-4-3-2-1 scale, with the vowels "mee-meh-maw-moh-moo". This can be done on either all syllables on 5 then down on "moo" or one vowel per descending pitch. Two techniques are mastered here. The first is purity of vowels. Be mindful of the second one, "meh". This is the pure "e" vowel in proper sung Latin. It almost always comes out "ay" as in "May" rather than the pure "eh" as described in the Liber. The other is intonation on the third scale degree. It tends to be very flat. I accompany these, and put lots of internal note-motion in the accompaniment to add to the tuning challenge.

I always try to be sensitive to proper breath support and vowel formation. ISTM that these, along with understanding how the soft palate works are key to good vocal health.

But as I've always said, I don't make any of this stuff up, it's all stuff I've learned from other choir trainers. Any comments are welcomed!

I should also say that "i" is also a problem "ih" verses "ee"

Gentlemen all - thank you for your suggestions (not that I won't accept more)! These will be implemented forthwith. I do have one singer who carefully breathes "diaphragmatically" on exercises. Then as we begin the chant, I see her shoulders fly up around her ears. The transfer from the focused practice to the reality of a piece is always difficult (ask me about scales on the harp).

On the "eh" sound, I have a further question. I see that recommended for the Latin "ae." Is that the common understanding? And I will be listening for "in."

May all be beautiful for God in the next three days. And again, my thanks.

Michael,

I agree.

Charles, take a look at AOZ and JT's "Idiot's Guide to Square Notes." It clearly calls for an "ay" (I read, as in "May") rendering of the "e" vowel, contrary to the pronunciation guide in the Liber. I puzzled over this when I first read it last fall, but never remarked on it, as I have great respect for their work otherwise. Perhaps the favoring of "ay" comes from an approach to pronunciation taken from classical Latin. The other vowels seem to be presented in the monograph in line with conventional sung Latin pronunciation.

But, how many times have we heard in that hoary chestnut the Schubert Ave Maria the phrase, "Bay-nay-dihk-toos ihn ventrees tooee"? I seem to dig furrows into the organ bench with my nails when I hear it sung that way.

As for "ae", I ask the choir to favor a brighter "ay" sound, but avoiding at all costs a diphthong.

Re: "ay" Think of putting your mouth in position to say (or sing) "ay" as in May. But don't add the y or ee sound at the end. We don't want the diphthong. There 's no lack of consistency with the Liber; just a lack of thoroughness in our instruction.

Anyway, it's just a primer, an "idiot's guide," written primarily for Americans who are born diphthongites. But pointing out this inconsistency with the Liber qualifies you as someone who doesn't need an idiot's guide!

thank you!

Charles, we'll miss you!

Arlene, thanks. That does clear up the "e" vowel for me, and it is what I have been doing. The Liber's suggestion is quite misleading. It wants an "e" as in "get" and "met". Not a great singing vowel IMO. Then there is the "i". The Liber wants it to be like "sit". I don't like that much, but what should one do?

Mike

Singing "eee" for the letter i instead of "ih/fit/what have you" has an unfortunate tendency to nasality. That's why I've switched to teaching it that way myself. Also I favor a brighter "ay" sound, almost like the German vowel in Leben or reden, but it is very difficult to get my singers to leave off that confounded ayyyiiiiiii thing at the end of the vowel.

Pass the wine, please. Well, tomorrow, that is. Not today . . .