BREATHIN is ife of voice. ® BREATHS the ar we take into our lungs. Its the raw material and very life of v WHATS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BREATH AND VOICE? 2 ir. It i the out that voice jj : ice i ‘brating column of ait. It is when we brea that voice is Breath is air only. Voice is the vibrating col Aalie : ; produced in speech. When a person speaks softly, we say he spe: 2 figure of speech and is really not correct, for we cannot speak under the breath, but on the breath, (@)_ISITBETTER TO BREATHE THROUGH THE NOSE OR THE MOUTH? The nose, because the air is then pure, warm and moist. How? The tiny blood vessels in the nose warm the air. The tiny hairs lining the nose hold back dust and germs. Is it necessary to close the mouth every time we replenish breath? No. it distracts the attention of the audience and secondly it is not necessary. The air will escape from the lungs only if the chest cavity is narrowed. The narrowing is controlled by the intercostals diaphragmatic muscles, therefore air can be held in the lungs by keeping the walls of the chest erect. e ‘What is inspiration? The act of breathing in. ‘What is expiration? The act of breathing out. ‘What is respiration? The full act of breathing in and out. ) BREATHING FOR SPEECH PERFORMANCE, © ‘The breathing apparatus is designed to perform two vital functions. The primary one of feeding oxygen to the lungs and thereby keeping us alive, and the secondary function of supplying the force to create speech. In normal breathing, the intercostals muscles and diaphragm contract and relax with easy rhythm and we are not conscious of breathing unless we have exerted ourselves and are out of breath. However, normal breathing does not supply the breath needed for the actor or the public speaker. Although we do breath naturally, nature will do no more than keep us alive. ‘Therefore the performer should summon up the quantity of breath né for a welleprojected beautiful voice by using the correct method of breathing. recessary for a well-proj Scanned with CarTHE BREATHING APPARATUS Nasal passages (Nose) Pharyox ‘Vocal Chords (in the Larynx) Bronchus (Bronchial tubes) : Chest / >, Thorax ‘ Left Lung (PZ \ (PZ \ ) Abdominal Muscles This comprises the different parts of the body used in the process of breathing. ‘The Nose and Mouth The Larynx ‘The Pharyox The Trachea The Bronchial tubes The Lungs The Chest The Thorax The Ribs The Intercostal muscles ‘The Diaphragm The Abdominal muscles isu wield Car‘THE DIAPHRAGM AND RIBS MOVEMENT OF THE DIAPHRAGM Wi NCE yuainicu wih CarTue Nose axp Mout — We breathe through the nose or mouth. It passes air into the pharynx. ‘Tu Puarynx - This is a connecting passage between the larynx, mouth and nose. ‘Tue Larynx - It contains the vocal chords. Breath is transformed into-sound here. ‘Tut TRACHEA ~ This is the passage known as the ‘wind pipe’ through which air passes to and from the lungs. It subdivides into two tubes. BroncHaL tunes — The trachea subdivides into these two tubes. These enter the lungs and subdivide again into minute tubes. They end in air sacks in the hmgs. ‘Tre Lunes — The two lungs are the organs of breathing. They are roughly pear shaped, broactest at the base. They are light, spongy and elastic and capable of great expansion. They are situated in the chest on either side of the heart. The ribs form a bony cage around them. The lungs are the storehouses of breath. To fill the bases of the lungs, the lower ribs must expand. The empty lungs act like bellows and suck in the air. ‘Tue Cust — The part of the body enclosed by the ribs and the breastbone. THe Tuorax — Also known as the chest cavity is the bony cage or outer wall which contains the lungs, heart and the large blood vessels. Tue Riss — There are twelve pairs of curved bones all fixed to the spinal column at the back. They form a bony cage 2round the two lungs. This is called the thorax or chest cavity. The seven upper pairs are joined to the breastbone (sternum) in front. Therefore, the narrow upper part of the thorax is not expandable. The next three pairs arc joined to the breastbone by cartilages and can expand a litle. The last two are not joined to the breastbone at all and are known as the floating ribs. These two lower costal ribs are swung out by the intercostal muscles to make room for the expansion of the lungs. Tue INTERcostaL MuscLes - These are two sets of muscles between the ribs. The external intercostal muscles lift the ribs upwards and outwards during inspiration and the internal intercostal muscles restore them to their former position. It is the expansion of these muscles which helps the chest to get larger from the sides, and from front to back when we breathe in. Tue piaruRaGm ~ This is a large muscle (shaped like an umbrella) separating the thorax from the sbdomen. When we inhale, the diaphragm contracts and flattens thus enlarging the chest from top to bottom, allowing maximum breath to be drawn into the lungs, which also expand. When we exhale the diaphragm retums slowly to its normal position. Twe ABDoMMaAL muscles ~ They remain still when we breathe in. When we breath out they are drawn in slightly. We can control these muscles and by deliberately drawing them in against the 2 ’ diaphragm, the diaphragm can_expand more slowly so that the outgoing breathe lasts longer. This i s called the “Abdominal Press”. diap hee cheery Scanned with Car@ Mow many methods of breathing are there? i thod. ‘There are three but only one is correct - this is called the Intercostal Diaphragmatic metho () Tue Intercostat Diarmacmanic Mer When we breath IN: © The sturdy intercostal muscles between the ribs expand. © This swings the lower costal ribs outwards and very slightly upwards. © Almost simultaneously the muscles of the dome of the diaphragm depress the dome (about 1 1/2 inches) into the abdominal cavity. © The upper abdominal muscles bulge out slightly to make room for it. Thus the thoracic cavity (chest cavity) is made both wider and deeper and the ‘Jungs have room to expand to their fullest and fill the lungs - especially the broad BASES - with the maximum quantity of air. NB. The widest part of the hung is the base of the lung, and the bases cannot expand unless the lower costal ribs swing out. Hence this is the best method of breathing. In breathing OUT, © The intercostal muscles recoil. © They then pull the ribs steadily and gradually downward and inwards (with no sense of collapse). @ Simultaneously the muscles of the diaphragm relax © The abdominal muscles act as a break on the diaphragm. + N.B. Only the pome moves, not the whole diaphragm thus the statement “When we breathe out the diaphragm rises and the ribs collapse” is incorrect and badly expressed. (5) There are therefore three sets of muscles used in breathing: 1, The Diaphragm 2. The inter ~ costal muscles (‘Inter’ means ‘between’ and ‘costa’ means ‘rib’— hence Intercostal) 3. The upper abdominal muscles Cc) Tuene ane Taner Kavos oF BREATH: (do Nor confuse with the three methods of breathing.) + Twat preata - the normal intake filling only 1/3 of the lungs - the narrow, upper portions. wr SUPTLEMENTORY OR COMPLEMENTARY REATI - which fills 2/3 of the Langs and can only be stored ifthe correct method of breathing is used and the lungs allowed to expand. » Resipuney arent ~ fils the very base of the lung - the reserve supply which can only be expelled by extra force such as abdominal pressure or diaphragmatic compression, veal cu wir calBENEFITS OF THE INTERCOSTAL. DIAPHRAGMATIC METHOD 1. The thorax is enlarged to its fullest, therefore the lungs have ample room to expand and thus store the maximum quantity of air 2. This large quantity of air means a firm, steady breath-stream which in tum produces a good tone, and gives support and helps to carry the voice a great distance. 3. We can attempt sustained or continuous speech, we have sufficient breath to phrase correctly and thus the ful! grammatical and emotional meaning of the passage is brought out. 4. This support also gives smoothness and fluency to delivery. 5. A large supply of fresh air is healthy and a healthy body means a healthy voice. INCORRECT METHODS OF BREATHING THE CLAVICULAR METHOD (OR SHOULDER METHOD) This is a wrong method of breathing. It is a shallow type of breathing, so called because of the rise and fall of the Clavicle or Collar-Bone. When we breath IN, the shoulders rise and the ribs are drawn upward in a narrow, confined movement. There is no expansion of the thoracic cavity and only a small, poor supply of air is drawn into the narrow upper portions of the lungs. THE ABDOMINAS. METHOD (OR STOMACH METHOD) A wrong method end unsightly. An attempt is made to draw the air into the lungs by the distension of the tummy muscles. Only a miniraum supply of air is drawn in, DISADVANTAGES OF THE CLAVICULAR AND ABDOMINAL METHODS 1, Non-expansion of the thorax means a small quantity of air, which causes a weak tone, lack of fesonance and power. 2. A weak breath stream means poor support and therefore loss of carrying power and loss of audibility. 3. Phrasing is mutilated and the sense destroyed. 4. Smooth and sustained speech is impossible due to jerkiness and lack of breath. 5. The speaker tries to control breath in his throat and throws severe strain on the delicately- poised laryngeal muscles. This control should be exercised by the respiratory muscles. 6. In the Clavicular Method, the rise and the fall of the shoulders is very fatiguing, and an ugly dropping of the upper thorax is visible. Scanned with Car‘The Anpommat, Press is not to be confused with abdominal breathing. It is @ firm pulling in of the upper abdominal muscles to bring pressure on the diaphragm, which in tum presses in the base of the lungs and sends out the reserve supply of air. Tt should not be used constantly - only in an emergency when the breath supply is running short - ¢.g. 1 sustained speech. DIAPHRAGMATIC COMPRESSION It means the same thing - the pressure of the diaphragmatic mu supply of air from the base of the lungs. scles sending out the reserved Rup RESERVE BREATHING is the Intercostal Diaphragmatic method put to its best use. When the lower costal ribs are swung out during inspiration, they are not drawn downwards and inwards later but kept poised and extended. The work of breathing in and out falls on the sturdy diaphragm. The depression of the dome sucks in the breath in inspiration. The rising of the dome expels the breath in expiration. Younger candidates are unable to do this but Seniors must acquire the art. BREATH CONTROL Breath control is the conscious regulation of the outgoing breath in a steady economical expulsion of air to suit the needs of the voice. That is, if the passage is sustained and chances of replenishing breath are few and far between, the speaker should send it out slowly and economically tomakeit last. For good control complete flexibility of the respiratory muscles is essential. In other words breath control means delaying the rate of exhalation to suit the requirements of the voice. Isiit possible to replenish breath during speech? No. We can replenish it in between speaking, at the pauses and phrasing points, but not while speaking, because speech requires air to be outgoing, and air cannot be taken in and sent out at the same time! ‘WHEN BREATH 1s NOT CONTROLLED MEANINGFULLY: 1. Lack of breath causes a weak tone, lack of resonance and power, 2. Phrasing is mutilated and the grammatical and emotional sense destroyed. 3, Smooth and sustained speech is impossible due to jerkiness and lack of breath. Diaphragmatic Compression and Rib Reserve breathing may be used for the effective control of breath. scanned with CarRELAXATIO! Revaxarion 1s the ability to case the tension in the muscles of the body. It doesn’t mean they arc in a state of collapse, but that they are ready and alert to function properly according to the requirements of voice and movement. This is specially so in breathing as the increase or decrease of the chest depends on muscular contraction of the diaphragm and the Intercostal muscles. Why is relaxation important? 1. Good breathing is hampered by tie tensibn in the body. Intercostal diaphragmatic breathing cannot be used effectively and the voice loses its power without breath support. 2. Resonance is hampered by lack of breath control, also duc to the tension in the breathing muscles. 3. Distinctness - the crisp articulation of consonants and the enunciation of vowels - which gives clarity and richness to speech is also hindered by the tension in the organs of speech. This Teads to a rigid jaw and clenched teeth which makes the most essential speech organ — the tongue ~ unable to function without restraint. 4. Movement and posture are impaired by tension. It affects the outward appearance of a performer and causes awkward and ungainly use of the body. ‘How can we relax? It is possible to train oneself to relax. First we must understand that tension can be caused emotionally as well as physically. Since it is possible to bring emotions and physical actions under the contro! of our will, we can relax by mental effort. ‘There are many exercises for relaxation and the resourceful teacher will be able to improvise other ways to suit her students. A point to remember is to begin with very simple exercises such as clenching a rubber ball and relaxing the grip to let it fall. Then gradually proceed to control the muscles of the entire body or specific areas of the body. POSTURE Posture is sometimes referred to as deportment or stance. Posture includes carriage or general bearing of the whole body. Some people define DEPoRTMENT as the general bearing of the whole body and rosrun as the relative and unstudied position of the limbs — attitudes deliberately adapted (e.g. the attitudes of prayer; behaviour and manners). All these attitudes belong to the personality and are used by the actor for artistic ends. Whatever the definition, the points covering deportment cover posture as well The value of posture and deportment: 1. They help to reveal the outstanding characteristics of a person speaking or a person whose role you are portraying. 2. It shows the social position. 3. It shows the customary habits. 4. Itshows modes of walking, sitting, standing and greeting 5. Itaids correct breathing and breath control for perforraance 6. Itenables you to have a healthy, well trained body. vranicu wiur calalks into a room, the way sh The examinee's own personal deportment includes the way she walks = 7 pent fine a holds a book when reading, the way she sits or stands. As soon as oe eo eee , | personal deportment and posture merge into that of the imagined speaker ° Exercises in mit ‘The foundation of good posture is a well-trained, healthy and responsive body. Ex mime are excellent to develop good deportment. Remember, when reciting: FEET should be slightly apart. The whole weight of the body resting mainly upon one pe the other foot rests lightly upon the ground to form a means of balance and support. The weight should be shifted and the other foot changed quite often while standing. This should occur without conscious effort and quite unobserved by the audience. Shuffling and swaying should be avoided, as well as any stiffness or freezing of the position. The LEG of the foot bearing the weight of the body should be braced but not stiffly locked. The other leg should be quite relaxed WAIST — there should be a slightly tight or ‘belted’ feeling around the waist; the abdominal muscles should be slightly indrawn. BODY ~ erect, with no feeling of stiffness around the chest. SHOULDERS — square, but avoid any rigid, soldier-like attitude. CHIN = level; neither tilted upwards, poked forward, or depressed. This prevents the neck and throat muscles from becoming tight - a most important necessity for good speech and voice production. EYES ~a sincere focus should be adopted, never use a fixed stare or the opposite ~ restless darting of the eyes. See the scenes you are describing in recital work. For dramatic work, obviously, you use the eyes to observe the situation and other characters. When speaking in public, make eye contact with the audience. Finally, when you say a poem such as a lyric or ode, don’t stare directly into the eyes if the audience, but as you reflect, look over and beyond your listeners. HEAD ~ steady, with good front-face direction. Avoid nodding or shaking the head excessively when speaking. ARMS ~ hanging quite loosely by the side — nearly touching the sides, never held out and away from the body and not pressing or hugging the sides. HANDS ~ quite relaxed from the wrists. The fingers should be slightly curled, with the thumbs to be scen; the thumb to be lightly touching the curled forefinger, . When acting a part, such as Mrs. Cheverly, wear a dress adapted to the character. Consi or female? What social position, education, with superiors? Each recitor has to blend h Never blindly imitate; try to create with in speak. though you cannot wear fancy dress, you could at least der your character from the angle of deportment — male background? Is your character with equals, inferiors of er own personality with that of the assumed character. telligence. Be the character both before and after you Watch people round you in daily life and store memories for future use veanicu wiur cdlDIAGRAMS OF CORRECT AND INCORRECT POSTURE WaVOICE PRODUCTION eee What is voice? Voice is a vibrating column of air. What is voice made out of? Breath. ing the lungs, strikes the vocal ligaments and sets them How is voice produced? The air le vibrating quickly enough to form a tone. ‘The vocal ligaments are two muscular folds of flesh, roughly triangular in shape Ties ale by contraction and relaxation ~ like pads of Mesh. They lie m that section of the throat (behind the ‘Adam’s Apple) called the voice box or larynx. The slit between the vocal ligaments is called the storas. What makes voice carry? A steady expulsion of breath, good articulation, good resonance and 3 forward placing of the voice. Are words formed in your Larynx? No. Sound or tone is produced in the larynx, but the actual word is formed in the mouth. How is the spoken word made? the vocal ligaments. These a) Breath is turned into sound when the air leaving the lungs strik ligaments vibrate and form a sound, not a word. This sound is weak and thin. b) Sound is given resonance (or made fuller and richer) when the sound passes through the glottis (ie. the slit between the vocal ligaments) into the upper part of the throat called the Pharynx. Here the relaxed throat allows the sound to grow fuller and richer, and lets @ strong column of this rich vibrating air, pass into the mouth ¢) This sound becomes a worD in the mouth, according to the shaping of the organs of speech. ‘The degree of pitch is determined by the sense of the passage. Therefore there are 4 stages which require consideration in voice production: 1. Breath Lungs Excitor 2. Note Vocal chords Vibrator 3. Voice / Tone Nasal cavity Resonator Oral cavity Pharynx Head sinuses 4, Speech / Word Organs of speech Is loudness the same as distinctness? No. Loudness refers to the volume of sound; distinctness to the carrying power and clarity of every syllable of every word. ° What do you understand by a well-produced voice? It is one that is placed in the front of the mouth, gaining brilliance from the hard palate and one that is supported by a steady stream of breath and resonance. Factors which contribute to good voice production: Relaxation and good posture; a good supply of breath and breath control; production of a firm (ones resonance; the back of the tongue should not block the outward flow of sound; the soft palate must be raised to avoid nasal tone, the formation of sounds should be forward in the mouth to aid projection and clarity of diction. is} yrauicu wiur CarRESONANCE What is resonance? It is the art of amplifying sound - making it fuller and richer. Resonance is the co-vibration in the head and chest. It produces a musical and vocal tone. The resonating cavities are filled with still air. The air in these cavities vibrates and the cavities act as sound boxes for the sounds produced by the speech organs. What is a resonator? It is something which can give richness and fullness to sound. How? By forming a hollow and letting sound vibrate. e.g. the cavity of the mouth; the hollow of a violin. What are the resonators of the human voice? Thcy are: 1, The oral cavity or mouth + It is the largest and most important © It is the most flexible * All sounds are shaped in it "The hard palate adds brilliance to tone * The soft palate combines with the lower pharynx to produce tone colour. 2. Pharynx # This is divided into two seetions * The upper pharynx extends from the back of the nose * The lower pharynx extends from the back of the mouth to the top of the larynx 3. Nose 4. Cavities behind the facial mask called Sinuses + A sinus is a small cavity behind the bone. * Inthe facial mask we have the cavities (MEFS) a) Maxillary (found under the cyc behind each cheek bone), b) Ethmoid (located behind the Maxillary Sinuses), ¢) Frontal (found immediately bebind the eye brow) and 4d) Sphenoid (a large cavity behind the Ethmoid cells between the back of the nose and brain). + These help to give upper resonance, brilliant ringing head tone. * A vibration can actually be felt when the resonators are used correctly. Therefore a good way to check for Resonance is to place the tips of your fingers on your face. If there is good forward placing of tone, it would be felt through the accompanying vibrations. 5. The Trachea or wind pipe 6. The pockets of the Larynx 7. The Thorax * It is debatable whether this is a resonator or not. It is not a direct resonator like the hollow chambers above the larynx, but it lends sympathetic vibrations to the lower notes of the voice veaniicu wir cdlTHE RESONATORS Bere - SINUSES ae PHARYNX _Vocal chords (Vibrator) TRACHEA -Lungs (Excitor) Diaphragm THE STRUCTURE OF THE LARYNX Hyoid Bone Thyroid Bone Cricoid. veamicu wich CarWhat do we mean by the adjustable resonators? They are those that can adjust or change their shape. e.g. The Pharynx and Oral Cavity. Why is resonance important? 1. It enriches tone 2. It gives carrying power Simple illustration - A record played on a portable gramophone will sound tiny as compared with the same record played on a big radiogram, because the wooden hollow of the radiogram gives richness and power. What is the scientific principle of resonance? ‘That any sound passing through any hollow is amplified. What do we mean by a ‘Breathy Voice’? Voice that is not fully vocalized, or sounded but which allows a lot of air to escape fiom the lungs. It causes an ‘Intrusive H* before vowels. The cause of this fault is a lack of breath control - i.e. lack of control over the Intercosta] and Diaphragmatic muscles. Why is it wrong for a speaker to keep thinking about his throat? Because this makes him unconsciously tighten and narrow his throat, and then vewel sounds grow impure, resonance is lacking, and half the melody and richness of speech is lost. The tightness will also strain the delicate muscles of the Larynx. scarmicu with Car