Natural Singers. They open their mouths and sing. It is fantastic.

Barbra Streisand is one. She only had one lesson in her life, never sings scales or exercises, shows up to perform, opens her mouth, and out it comes full-blown, godlike, as if from the head of Zeus. She was—as is said—born that way; nature has given her the setup.

Adelina Patti was another. When asked how she sang, Patti responded she did not have a clue, though she did have training courtesy of parents that studied with Francesco Lamperti. She also had a manager who was associated with Lamperti.

Where does this setup reside? The ear. Which unconsciously organizes everything. Nice, huh?

What have I learned about the setup?

The Garcias understood it from a physiological viewpoint. But do you know what their teachings embodied?

Joy.

If you want to understand how singing happens, sing with—no, strike that—from joy. Conjure the feeling of intense joy, hold it, and investigate its parts. That’s the instrument through which you sing.

But how many people pay attention to bliss? To their physical feelings when joyful? Precious few. Few have the presence of the mind to view their body and its feelings.

But real artists do.

How can one find the physical manifestation of joy?

Though the art of pretend.

Photo Credit: Barbra Streisand, Wikipedia