THE IMPORTANCE OF DICTION

MARCH 2011

This from George A.: “How about a ‘Tip’ on the importance of diction.”

Yeah ... how about that? Give the audience a break! There aren’t that many theaters that have the where-with-all to furnish “super texts” on a screen whether with a translation–when in a language foreign to your own–or in English in which the singer is singing, to help clarify the text, particularly in the extremes of range. (See archives ...”Singing in English, February, 2009")

One great misconception is that the shaping of the mouth is the primary instrument for clarity of text/speech. One should take a page out of the “speech” portion of the book and look into the mirror to find ... that the mouth has very little to do with your ability to pronounce the words in a sentence in a clear and concise manner. It don’t hardly move at all!

So then, why do many singers exaggerate the mouth when trying to ‘project’ the sound to the back of the theater? (Well, they probably learned that in their freshman year in college where amateurs are teaching amateurs to be amateurs. Ask me how I know.)

My rule of thumb regardless of the language is that the core configuration of the mouth is LONG AND NARROW. How long? Long enough to keep the top lip down and narrow, covering the top teeth, which mechanically opens the “honk” and allows the tone to keep ringing forward!” “Think French!” Every tone should spin, ring and ping in the honk ... that is the placement, the “core,” the “handle,” that, with the use of pure vowels, allows the subtle configurations inside the mouth to easily shape the words you want to hear ... and put them waaaaaay over there!

The really good pro’s can do all sorts or things with their mouths and still make singing sound effortless and beautiful. Renee Fleming comes readily to mind, my having just seen/heard her about 4:30 AM this morning, on the Classic Arts channel, singing Schubert’s Ave Maria in Germany several years ago.

She most always shows lots of top teeth except when she goes really high–in other arias--when she shows a bit less. When one shows teeth … it means that the palate has not achieved its apex … and that’s where the extra overtones lie!!! A great voice; a great singer ... but I kinda wish she would narrow her mouth–with a little pinch, just under her nose–to allow every high note to fully rotate just a tad farther forward than she does ... as it would add about fifteen/twenty percent more overtones ... even though what she does is still gorgeous. Nitty, nitty, nitty ... but one can still hope ...

The great singers, of which she is a premier example, can “get away” with the exaggerated and wide production ... because she and they know exactly where the core of there respective tones are ringing! Put your finger on the bridge of your nose, just about between your eyes ... and that is the magic spot where the tone spins for the ultimate focus.

The arch of the tongue does the work to focus the pure vowel, supported by the flexible breath pressure on demand. With the mouth long and narrow, the back of the throat is long and narrow–think AW, as in “aw shucks”–and the palate in a yawn position, always. Then everything works between the arch of the tongue--the tip of which is touching the recess behind the bottom teeth, but not touching the teeth--and the small space behind the upper teeth, in a space not unlike the size of a ping-pong ball. Give me pure vowels flowing smoothly one into the other in that very space–remembering that the tongue must always be nudged forward on the open vowels, else it will drop and the tone will fall out of the honk–and I will show you a great singer. Listen to Renee ... she never falls out!