Customer Reviews

The Four Voices of Man

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jerome Hines has written one of the best books I've read yet on vocal technique. Perhaps it has something to do with his background in Science. Maybe it's just several decades of singing professionally while remaining teachable throughout.

Mr. Hines knows and demonstrates that there is not only one way to sing well. In fact, he advocates trying different ways and being forever curious about how others are singing and attempting to incorporate what works well into one's own singing.

Overnight, some of my confusion about vocal "placement" was cleared up and I'm already reaping the benefits of this well-thought-out book in terms of how I sound and how I'm approaching singing.

This book should be in the library of any singer who already has a decent grasp on singing technique. It is certain to be a great resource for professional singers for many years to come.

Mr. Hines has written a thought provoking book on renaming the traditional "voices" often referred to by singers (chest, middle, and high voices, for example). Whether or not you agree with his views, the book is definitely worth delving into for a fresh look at voice placement. Especially valuable is his advice to singers who are pursuing opera as a profession. Invaluable for the voice teacher and the advanced student.

One reviewer commented upon the idea of there not being `four voices' and said Mr. Hines is making the subject too complicated. In one way, the reviewer is correct- it can be a useful method to try and work the `chest' voice as one register. However, it is also my experience that learning how to do this is almost impossible without working the `registers' first- simply to find out what to do with them and find out what they feel like. Trying to hit a high note by using the same `register' as your low notes can be an interesting experience.
It also will likely be excruciating to your ego and to your vocal production.

When one tries to `place' the voice in certain ways, one can find their voice extending its range, depending upon the placement. Listen to recordings of such different singers as Jerome Hines, Nicolai Gedda, and Yma Sumac working the furthest limits of their ranges and tell me there are no such things as registers and different types of voice in one singer. Sumac demonstrated a range of five or more octaves. If you or anyone wants to try and emulate her range while not using registers and head voice, then good luck. Trying to make `one register' out of the voice, without knowing something about how registers feel can cause problems. Eileen Farrell said she never sang with registers, but how many people, including opera singers, have voices approaching hers? And other great singers with great voices have different stories to tell.
How does a singer combine a good top, good middle, and good bottom register in the same voice? It is not easy to do, but Jerome Hines has done it and has been doing it for over fifty years... in front of paying customers. If you bother to listen to him sing, you'll quickly find that he knows what he's talking about. As a student of singing, I've run across reams of good advice... and more reams of horrible advice. One teacher almost destroyed what voice I do have and his `methods' have caused problems for me ever since. On the other hand, Mr. Hines' methods seem to work for me. And know this: he has done extensive research into singing... period! Not just for the bass voice.

Want good examples of his singing? Get Otto Klemperer's wonderful recording of Handel's Messiah, if you can get hold of it. Also, if you can find any of his recordings of sacred music, you will find a resourceful singer, with a great variety of dynamics and tone color. Maybe Jerome Hines has lasted as long as he has because of an iron constitution, but he has outlasted a number of basses with similar voices, and, one would suppose, similar constitutions. I believe he has a lot to say here that is good for the voice. To those who find a book on the technicalities of singing to be too technical... well duhhhhhhh! What the heck do you EXPECT to find? Recipes for fried chicken? Anyone wanting to learn to sing opera who expects to find an easy way to do it had better think again. If Jerome Hines or anybody else puts out a book which claims to do that, then anybody and everybody should take their `wisdom' with a big grain of salt.

If none of Mr. Hines' advice works for you, then you'll have learned something. Maybe you will have to find a different method. Why not?

I just received this book today, and I read it entirely in a single afternoon. The preface to the book out right states that this book is not for anyone other than those with an established background in singing. This is not a book for a beginner, though it is NOT a difficult read.

As for the FOUR VOICES, well, aside from the fact so many like to "CLING" to what they have heard, he is simply stating things we all hear but don't always pay attention to. For men he is simple: chest voice, middle voice, head voice, and FALSETTO (a term now so totally rejected by people out to claim when a man's voice sounds exactly like a woman's it is just "natural head voice"). There is nothing NEW in any of that. Anyone who has ever heard a man's voice is able to hear all these ranges. And as for women he has "Belting" (which is more commonly known as "raw chest voice"), chest voice, middle voice, and higher voice (head voice). There is absolutely NOTHING complicated or NEW about what he is telling us.

What I find interesting are his explanations regarding the various methods of training voices, all of which may differe somewhat, but have famous singers in each type of training who were VERY SUCCESSFUL and had long careers. His purpose is to open our minds to more than "ONE METHOD" of learning to sing. One also learns which "method" worked best for him, and how aspects of the other various methods helped him regain his voice as it altered with "old age."

Much talk has been made about his use of singing the "Unmodified EE" throughout the range. He is NOT advocating this as a way of singing all the time, but rather as a way of strengthening muscles. It was those very exercises that restored his lower and lower middle voice when he was "an old man" and reversed the signs of aging.

As to his "Pinched larynx," he is not referring to singing in a constricted way or any of those sorts of things. As one sings an unaltered EE up the scale, one will feel the larynx adjust, that is the sensation you get. One is very aware of the larynx. He also then states that when you modify the vowel, you feel this "pinching" stop and one senses nothing in the throat. He does feel a lowered larynx is the correct way to sing, but one has to also understand what the other way of singing feels like and understand that practicing that way CAN build strength in muscles that you need when singing with the low larynx.

The various reviews on Amazon regarding this book show that the persons who reviewed the book at times either didn't really read the book carefully (but rather skipped chapters here and there looking only for that "secret something" that would give them a voice over night), or because of training that is really quite limited don't fully understand what he is teaching. (don't worry, that will change as you learn and study more)

I found the book well written, and extremely easy to understand. I also have had a 35 year singing career, so experience has shown me a great deal of what he was saying to be true. One often needs to know MORE than what they actually learned when studying with their teacher. And he is right, though we can have super excellent teachers, they cannot know everything there is to know about singing. No one person can. And if a person is really being wise, they are constantly learning throughout their entire careers.

His comparision of the male voice ranges to the female ranges is quite insightful, and I have seen through the years many men taught by women (and vise versa) where the action of one type of voice range (soprano for example) was thrust onto the tenor higher range, when in fact, how a soprano sings her higer notes is not the same as how a tenor sings his.

I have worked with more singers than I care to mention who were taught to sing in the wrong vocal category, and mostly because their teacher was seeking only to make a copy of himself. I have seen countless students raised on singing Mozart (who is not easy to sing, and who really only wrote well for one voice range -- soprano), who at the end of their university days (after receiving their degree) couldn't sing a note. All because of misguided ideas that young voices must start out singing lightly and will develop into dramatic whatevers later in life (that seldom ever happens, seldom; and even with voices like Flagstad, it happened not on its own, but because of restudying).

Hines addresses all these issues, and quite to the point. And he talks about forming a career. I find that information MUST/SHOULD be in all manuals on singing. TOO MANY students of singing study how to sing, but never learn the basics of forming a career, nor the pitfalls of actually trying to form one. Most of the time they are taught by teachers who never had careers, and thus have NO EXPERIENCE to draw on in this area.

Those disappointed with this information, well, I am sorry you are, it is as valuable as any you will learn about registers or placement.

I rated the book very highly, as it is an excellent book, and it is packed with sound advice. One thing he tells you over and over again: when trying new things, never throw out that which is working for you. The new singing methods are only to enhance what you already are doing right, strengthening muscles, and helping you learn more than you know. He never advocates just jumping from one menthod to another.

He also gives the most sound advice: accept that when you fail, it is really your fault, and stop blaming others. That is like advice I received by a teacher I had after I failed miserably singing in a particular performance (at least it was a failure to me, and the critics were not too impressed either, even though the notes were all sung perfectly --- diction was the issue): "Accept your faults and change them."

This book may not be for everyone, but it is definitely NOT for anyone who is seeking some magic formula that is going to make them a perfect singer over night. There is no such formula, even though now days there are so many people out there telling you "buy my method and you will be a star" and bragging about how many grammy winners they have taught (but we are never given any names, nor do they tell you that NONE of their winners can sing a note of opera in a fashion acceptable to that art form). But it does give you advice that is well worth considering. It mentions many issues dealing with training the voice, all worthy of consideration. And it is easy to read and void of jargon that only confuses us to death.

This book by Jerome Hines is insightful reading material for singers and teachers of singing. You may not agree with all the vocal technique facets gone through therein, however, you will have to admit that Hines has a point in what he says. Being no substitute for a TEACHER, this book is a must read.

When I first saw this book and read its title, I was curious about what the four voices might be because I really expect the title of a book to tell exactly what there is in the book. But Hines doesn't write about the four voices only. There is something else in the pages that follow his explanations of the four voices: vocal health matters, career stuff, and things like that...

This is not at all to say that he wrote bad things. But I couldn't help thinking that he seized on the opportunity he was writing a book in order to include topics other than the four voices themselves.

I am glad I bought this book, though. I learned a lot from his experience.

I must say that Mr. Hines has done a fabulous job again. This book is easy to read, especially considering the content. Hines had me glued to the page. However, it is important that if beginning, aspiring, or amateur singers read this book, they do so under the supervision and discretion of a capable voice teacher. This discusses very advanced technical concepts that to a person with the proper background, could easily seem incorrect, even to someone with a moderate amount of classical voice training. Hines brings in aspects of technique that are very moldable, and can apply to a wide range of individual technical and stylistic preferences. I would recommend this book to teachers, and college level classical singers. I also highly suggest reading "Great Singers, on Great Singing" first, as Hines establishes many of his ideas from this book in his first book.

This amazing artist who stood the test of time, knew his own voice very well and was honest in his appraisal of his abilities. His writings can be very insightful for young singers looking for answers to their vocal questions. However, one thing that singers should not do is to praise a singer at the expense of disparaging another. It's important to be aware of ones own faults, otherwise how else does one improve, but nothing is gained by downgrading the merits of others(something the bass had a latent habit of doing).
Singers like Norman Treigle and Giangiacomo Guelfi, who may have rivaled and in some cases surpassed him both vocally or histrionically, should be remembered with generosity and praise for the amazing artists they were and still are. I was disappointed to discover that a man of Hines' caliber so publicly criticize the aforementioned artists in his writings and interviews, but then again he was only human and professional jealously is something all opera singers suffer from no matter how successful they become....!

This book is not only very good but very open minded. It does not blindly hold on to any of the dogmas that can so plague the world of artistic singing. However, it would be nice to find a vocal instructor who actually agrees with Mr. Hines's practical approach to good singing--that is the merging of four viable vocal schools of thought into one idealistic approach to singing. Most vocal instructors I have met seem to subscribe to one of the four philosophies or fall somewhere between them. Every student who is serious about the art of singing should have this book.

Mike Lynn

I CALL IT..FOR SERIOUS STUDENTS ONLY......FOR A WHILE HAD BEEN WONDER...HOW IS IT THAT THOSE GREAT SINGERS OF THE PAST DID IT....TODAY WE ARE "FULL OF LIFELESS SINGERS...TAHT SING TO PERFECT...WITH GREAT TECHNIQUE????".........THIS BOOK IS REALLY TELLING US....WHAT WE NEED IN ORDER TO "PRODUCE A BIG AND MANHOOD SOUND"....READ THE "FIRST VOICE CHAPTER"....DONT'T YOU THINK...CARUSO, DEL MONACO AND SO ON...."PUSHED THE VOICE"....IF YOU THINK THEY WERE "GOD SENT SINGERS"...AND EVERYTHING WAS SO EASY FOR THEM.....YOU MAYBE WRONG.....THEY WERE "SPECIAL" IN THE SENCE OF A "GREAT CHARACTER/PERSONALLITY" THAT KNEW NO DEFEAT"......I CAN NOT IMAGEN CARUSO/DEL MONACO...PRACTICING "REGISTERS...OR OTHER CRAP...OF TODAY SINGING TECHNIQUE".......THEY WERE "STRONG MENTALLY AND PHYSICAL".....LIKE A "WILD ANIMAL"....AND IF YOU LISTEN CAREFULLY....A "LION, TIGER, SEA LION....ETC...."GROANING"....YOU WOULD BE PROBABLY VERY CLOSE TO UNDERSTAND"...WHAT A "PINCH LARYNX IS".....AND WHY IS IT NESCESARY....BUT ONCE AGAIN.....IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT GIVEN 100% OR MORE OF YOUR VOICE!!!!!!
BUT IF YOU LIKE.....REGISTERS, EASY GOING TRAINING......ETC.....OR NOTHING RELATED TO "HARD WORK".....THEN FORGET IT...THIS BOOK MAY BE FOR YOU......BUT DISREGARD "THE FIRST VOICE CHAPTER"......

THERE IS A "PRICE" FOR EVERYTHING IN THIS LIFE......AND FOR SURE....THERE IS A "BIG PRICE"...FOR THOSE WHO WANTS TO "PRODUCE THE BIGGEST SOUND POSSIBLE" IN THEIR OWN INSTRUMENT....CARUSO AND DEL MONACO PAID "THE PRICE"...THEY MAY GOT "NODES OR EVEN WORSE".....BUT SO WHAT?.....TODAY "TENORS" PAID ANOTHER PRICE.....WELL BELOW THE STANDARS OF THE PAST.......

LISTEN "NATURE"....LISTEN THE "WILD ANIMALS GROANING"......AND MAYBE YOU WOULD BE IN THE RIGHT PATH......"LET NATURE BE YOUR MASTER".....AND DO NOT BE AFRAID OF PAY THE PRICE.....

I WOULD ALSO RECOMEND:
BEL CANTO BY JAMES STARK....
CHAPTER 1 " THE COUP DE LA GLOTTE".....EVEN MANUEL GARCIA RECOMENDED ALONG TIME AGO A "PINCH LARYX"......
ALSO READ CHAPTER 4 "APPOGIO".....READ "STAUPRINZIP"...A GERMAN TECHNIQUE...VERY SIMILAR TO "THE MAN FIRST VOICE"

OPERA NEEDS GREAT VOICES AGAIN...NOT THE CRAP OF TODAY SINGING....SURE I AM.....THAT VOICES EVEN BETTER THAN THOSE OF DEL MONACO OR CARUSO EXIST...BUT WE DON'T WANT TO SPEND THE TIME AND THE SERIOUS TRAINING FOR IT......

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

Jerome Hines had a long and distinguished operatic career, but he has perhaps thought too much about technical matters for his own and other singers' good. His explanations are confusing, on occasion self-contradictory, and in some cases read like an invitation to vocal abuse -- e.g., vocalizing throughout the range on an unmodified 'ee' vowel. It is hard to escape the suspicion that Mr. Hines was able to prosper because of an exceptionally strong physical constitution and set of cords. I think that most students attempting what he recommends would be in big vocal trouble fast.

The book was chiefly interesting for its recollections of performances and colleagues from Mr. Hines' past; but even here there is so much talk of vocal trauma, singing through laryngitis, and ruptured vessels that reading made me, as a serious amateur singer, so queasy I had to put the book down.

I think aspiring singers would be much better off imitating Bjoerling records than reading this book.