Singing: The Mechanism and the Technic [Paperback]

William Vennard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1967

By William Vennard. For Voice. This edition: Revised (4th) Edition, Greatly Enlarged. Text. Standard notation. 275 pages. Published by Carl Fischer (CF.O4685).

Contents
1. Acoustics
2. Breathing
3. Attack
4. Registration
5. Resonance
6. Vowels
7. Articulation
8. Coordination
Bibliography
Thesaurus
Index

Product Details

• Paperback: 275 pages
• Publisher: Carl Fischer; Revised & Greatly Enlarged edition (January 1, 1967)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0825800552
• ISBN-13: 978-0825800559
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #250,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading for Singing Teachers., May 1, 2000

By 

R. Kilgore (Sacramento) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Singing: The Mechanism and the Technic (Paperback)

Mr. Vennard was the head of the voice department at USC. His book is fascinating reading for singers interested in understanding their vocal instruments, but it is essential study for voice teachers.

Voice teachers necessarily employ metaphor in teaching because so much of the human voice is controlled unconsciously. But such metaphors should be grounded in the facts of reality - in the known sciences that apply to vocal production. For instance, when a teacher tells a student, `don't swallow your tone', and is met only with a look of blank stupor, that teacher needs to be able to start talking facts instead of fantasy.

Mr. Vennard demystifies the metaphors. He systematically anchors the art of the teacher to the known sciences of tone, timbre and resonance, and especially to the physiognomy of the larynx, the breathing muscles, and the upper respiratory tract. After covering the basics, he includes extensive discussions of vowel and consonant production, as well as a number of important vocal exercises. He closes with a brief discussion of the technique of messa di voce. I say it is brief, but it is really the ultimate subject of the entire book.

Messa di voce is an ancient vocal exercise done on one note and on one breath: a long crescendo followed by a long diminuendo. But this simple exercise involves a fantastically complex coordination of muscles, and, while the student need not understand more than a tenth of the science behind it, his teacher should understand as much as possible.

Many teachers of singing, and perhaps most of them, do not feel the need for such tools as are available in Mr. Vennard's book, but I believe the best teachers do.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The ultimate, understandable source for voice production, June 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Singing: The Mechanism and the Technic (Paperback)

This book demystifies the art of singing. You'll understand how centuries of well-meaning but unscientific voice teachers have confused students to this day. Get the facts now. All your questions answered. This book helped me smooth out four octaves with no break! Diagrams and throat photos are great. This book is indespensible for any voice coach or instructor or student.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best and most complete, June 2, 2002

By 

Charles Chapman (WEATHERFORD, OK USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Singing: The Mechanism and the Technic (Paperback)

The title is misspelled here, it is Technic - not Technical.

Despite all the voice-teaching publications since 1967, this remains the clearest, the most common-sense, and the best learning-to-teach-voice tool besides the actual experience of teaching. No other publication on the voice even comes close.