Inside Out vs Outside In
Guess which perspective I prefer?
Yes. That’s right. Inside Out. It’s the only way to fly as far as I am concerned.
What do I mean when I write “Inside Out?” I mean that singing starts in the ear. From inside. Rather than from outside.
There is a vast difference between these two perspectives. In one, you anticipate, listen, and feel. In the another, you push, manipulate, and hope for the best.
Guess which one is favored in teaching right now?
Outside In.
It’s everywhere. Really. It is. Go look at the teaching videos at Youtube. Go read the Journal of Singing. The Outside In perspective predominates. It’s visual, seems more accessible, assumes singing is a matter of “parts,” and if you can move the parts in just the right way—well—you can be a star.
Ok. I exaggerate about the star part, but you get my drift.
Humans want something to do, and if they can obtain the high knowledge (for that is what it seems to be) of “what to do,” great singing will happen as a matter of course.
To be sure, there are things “to do” according the the old school, but they are more than manipulation. They follow nature as Manuel Garcia would say. And as I have found (and I’ve done a hell of a lot of digging), the “to-do” list is shorter than most people think.
Of course, my perspective could be a product of living into my 60s. You know this, do you not? That the brain starts boiling things down after decades of input? There’s a science to this. There is a desire for the most important things as well as the desire to simplify. It has as much to do with vocal pedagogy as clothing in the closet. Less is more; wearing black all the time cuts down on decisions, and what are the essential things in singing?
I can tell you one thing: vowels.
Singing happens on vowels. Yes, consonants are as important. But for this post, we are talking about vowels.
Here’s what I find myself telling students often: clear vowels make for clear feelings.
That’s how you guide your voice.
Clear vowels start in the ear. They are heard before they are felt. Italianate tonal values? The ones used for singing? You’ve got to get them from your teacher’s voice. By example. Even if you don’t know (and sometimes it’s better not to know) what’s happening. Knowledge of the “parts” of your vocal tract isn’t going to help you with this. Looking at voice prints isn’t going to help you either. Why? The horse is already out of the barn.
(You can get a voiceprint to show you are singing with the singer’s formant, but it can’t tell you if the sound you are making is beautiful.)
Yes, the old school had their tools and techniques. But their teachings can’t help you if you can’t hear the vowel inside your head before you make it.
(What a bel canto-based vowel sounds like in the head is a whole other matter!)
Who do I sound like in this post? David Clark Taylor. You can find five of his books on the Members page.
Graphic used for this post is of the stirrup bone in the ear which interfaces with the stapedius muscle. The latter has everything to do with listening, the facial muscles, and front of neck.
