Participants:
Series Code: MMP
Program Code: MMP000023
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00:05 How can I sing beautifully my whole life?
00:08 This is a question that comes across my desk regularly 00:11 from well-seasoned vocalists. 00:13 And frankly it's a question I ask myself more and more often 00:17 as the years go by. 00:18 Let's face it, the human voice undergoes many changes 00:21 during the normal aging process. 00:23 It returns some men to the higher pitched tone they once 00:26 had before adulthood and it leaves some women with 00:30 a deeper voice. 00:31 Under normal conditions of health, nutrition, and exercise, 00:35 the human voice is relatively stable over about three decades, 00:39 that would be ages 20 to 50. 00:41 While athletic performance tends to peak in the 20's, 00:45 vocal performance often peaks in you 30's and 40's. 00:48 As we age, here are the list of things that happen: 00:53 The cartilage of the larynx ossifies, 00:56 that means it's hardening, makes it harder to thin out 00:59 the vocal folds and that means it's harder to sing those 01:02 high pitches. 01:03 But don't give up on high the notes. 01:05 Buzzing will help alleviate some of the stress on the 01:08 vocal folds, while helping to maintain and improve range. 01:12 Another thing that happens is the face takes on new 01:15 dimensions. Slight changes in the space of our skull 01:19 affect our resonating space. 01:21 To maintain resonances continue to exercise a soft palate 01:25 the way to do that is with your teeth closed. 01:29 The vocal folds also start to resemble worn elastic, 01:34 a little frayed around the edges. 01:36 It is harder for them to abduct cleanly, 01:39 making it more difficult to hold a steady pitch. 01:41 A constant flow of air might also be difficult 01:45 because the abdominal muscles are not consistently applying 01:48 the pressure and the support to the diaphragm 01:51 which of course monitors the release of the air. 01:53 Our pitch may wobble a bit and humming and buzzing long tones 01:59 and singing these long tones using various vowels 02:02 will help you get through those ragged vocal folds. 02:06 And if your tone falters, try going to something a bit lower. 02:11 Another thing that happens is the shape of the body changes, 02:15 especially around the belt line. 02:17 Saggage sets in and this is a dirty trick 02:20 because we sure need those abdominal muscles to create 02:23 the constant pressure on the diaphragm which regulates the 02:26 release of our breath and supports that tone. 02:29 So, you gotta keep doing those crunches and 02:32 any other abdominal muscle builders every day. 02:35 Despite all of our best efforts, time keeps stealing our bodies 02:40 and our voices and they will succumb to the aging processes. 02:43 However, I have an insurance plan in place, 02:46 I am headed back to my creator for an overhaul and a tune-up 02:50 very soon. 02:51 Let's all plan to meet in heaven to sing in that great chorus, 02:54 our voices will ring as never before. |
Revised 2020-03-05