Thank you for sharing this video. I'm an older tenor who hopes to sing something beautiful this Christmas. My biggest challenge is breath. Without a solid foundation in breath, it's hard to build a healthy technique. Thank you for sharing this!
Thank You for those amazing exercises. I added 1 of them to my daily routine. Let's see how it fares, so far my support is going strong after trying it out for a day. I've got a question - what do you make of exercising at the gym as an opera singer? I do like my gym, and I feel pretty crappy without it, but I heard from my teachers and from a couple of opera singers that gym and opera are not a good combination. I am not willing to give up either tho! What is your take on exercising as an opera singer, Norman?
Just revisited this. Never actually did them because I was cocky enough to think I didn’t need them. But, I do, desperately. 75 sec is all I can hold my breath. I guess that’s not great. Pavarotti said he could go three minutes! Crazy. Anyway, I can only do it though if I allow everything to collapse while full and holding. Like relaxing. If I suspend the inhalation I can’t go for near that long. Which do you mean for us to do?
Hi Norman! One question about the intake of air. I try to discribe it as clearly as possible: When I'm standing in an anatomically good position, I'm using the muscles under my bellybutton to hold up my torso and my chest. If I don't my belly just hangs out and my chest collapses. I asume that we are supposed to keep those lower abdominal muscles engaged even as we breathe in, don't we? If my intension on the other hand is to really breathe low I could think of letting those muscles go. With the results mentioned above. What do you think about that? To let those lower muscles loose is obviously easier and more tempting when I'm sitting. Then I can just create what feels like a "big balloon filled with air" down there, which can feel very grounded and relaxed. But I still think we'll have to avoid that, don't we? Do you get what I mean?
Specifically with breath exercises, I’ve had friends who’ve struggled with lip trills or a clenched jaw while hissing because of their anatomical structure. They have a harder time executing the exercise without jaw tension even if, for example, they use their fingers to purse their lips. I imagine it affects their singing efficiency as well, but can’t definitively say one causes the other.
Ah okay that’s interesting. I’ve never met someone with that problem actually but I’m sure it’s really hard for sure! Sometimes I massage my jaw while warming up to release tension. And an alternative to lip trills would be using a straw in water. I think Soula demonstrates that in one of the videos. I’d like to be more helpful but it’s hard in a comment here haha. If your friend would like to get in touch we’re on Facebook/Instagram and we’d be happy to help 👍🏻
Hi Norm, I have seen many of your and Soula's videos. Your skills are quite accomplished and wonderful to experience, and what you teach is very valuable. Your videos, on the other hand, are quite frenetic and distracting from the fine material you have to offer and the obvious grace of your cultivated presences. Observing, for example, in many of your videos, the footage of you in your home, so finely detailed and classy, raises the quality of the instruction experience dramatically. But when you introduce multiple left-brain (written) comments sporadically, reaching for comic effect, frantically shuffle the film editing, and add music in the background, you create discontinuity and distraction which is annoying and counterproductive to your aim. Your level of accomplishment is more than enough to satisfy the serious viewer/student; you don't need any overstimulating special effects to entertain us. They actually diminish the value of your presentations. As singers, you know the importance of quiet concentration to produce the beautiful quality of sound you do, so please apply that principle to your video presentations and they will be winning. Thanks, Parisse
I found your video ! Thanks for your good explanations! But what your right hand indicate on the 2nd exercise your right hand coming down from the top as you tsk? Is that the image that the breath flows from the top to the bottom ? I tried the 3rd exercise, but my lips stop vibrating in short period of time. What am I doing wrong ?
Same here, I can hold air for a long time (apnea) but whren I try the trumphet lips exercice, air empties in just few seconds... looks like Im throwing away air too fast. what am I doing wrong?
How original! All the same....I wonder what vocal couch are you going to do if the "avioncito" wouldn't exist...terrible problem...why don't you ask the genios as DIMASH... Please be original!
The editing in this video is GOLD, Norman!
Maybe Soula will let me do all of them from now on 🤣🤣🤣
Thank you for sharing this video. I'm an older tenor who hopes to sing something beautiful this Christmas. My biggest challenge is breath. Without a solid foundation in breath, it's hard to build a healthy technique.
Thank you for sharing this!
I love it, cool🙂👍💙
U explained each one clearly n i learned better. Tnx. 🙏🏼
Thank you ❤
I liked very much your interpretation of Reine Liebe from Violanta, very beautifully singed.
Good video and music! :)
Thank You for those amazing exercises. I added 1 of them to my daily routine. Let's see how it fares, so far my support is going strong after trying it out for a day.
I've got a question - what do you make of exercising at the gym as an opera singer? I do like my gym, and I feel pretty crappy without it, but I heard from my teachers and from a couple of opera singers that gym and opera are not a good combination. I am not willing to give up either tho! What is your take on exercising as an opera singer, Norman?
Thanks for the "imitate a trumpet" while doing the lip trill tip!
Awesome! Yeah it helps right?
Love it. Thank you! The captions and emojis and photos were the best. So funny. 😂
Haha thank you brother 🤣
Just revisited this. Never actually did them because I was cocky enough to think I didn’t need them. But, I do, desperately. 75 sec is all I can hold my breath. I guess that’s not great. Pavarotti said he could go three minutes! Crazy. Anyway, I can only do it though if I allow everything to collapse while full and holding. Like relaxing. If I suspend the inhalation I can’t go for near that long. Which do you mean for us to do?
Great exercises 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Interesting. Your first exercise is sort of a "variation on the theme" of the Farinelli Exercise. Thanks for sharing Norm.
Hi Norman! One question about the intake of air. I try to discribe it as clearly as possible: When I'm standing in an anatomically good position, I'm using the muscles under my bellybutton to hold up my torso and my chest. If I don't my belly just hangs out and my chest collapses. I asume that we are supposed to keep those lower abdominal muscles engaged even as we breathe in, don't we?
If my intension on the other hand is to really breathe low I could think of letting those muscles go. With the results mentioned above.
What do you think about that?
To let those lower muscles loose is obviously easier and more tempting when I'm sitting. Then I can just create what feels like a "big balloon filled with air" down there, which can feel very grounded and relaxed. But I still think we'll have to avoid that, don't we? Do you get what I mean?
Hey everybody ! It's NORM !
What i struggle with is the singing in hale do we really just open pur mouth slowly let air drop in????
I am no fan of classical music, but I would love to learn how to be an EXCELLENT singer, an Armenian one.
What modifications can be made for singers who have different mouth structures such as thin lips or overbite?
Do you find that is affecting your breathing? Or more when you are singing? (In terms of vowel modification?)
Specifically with breath exercises, I’ve had friends who’ve struggled with lip trills or a clenched jaw while hissing because of their anatomical structure. They have a harder time executing the exercise without jaw tension even if, for example, they use their fingers to purse their lips. I imagine it affects their singing efficiency as well, but can’t definitively say one causes the other.
Ah okay that’s interesting. I’ve never met someone with that problem actually but I’m sure it’s really hard for sure! Sometimes I massage my jaw while warming up to release tension. And an alternative to lip trills would be using a straw in water. I think Soula demonstrates that in one of the videos. I’d like to be more helpful but it’s hard in a comment here haha. If your friend would like to get in touch we’re on Facebook/Instagram and we’d be happy to help 👍🏻
Hey there! We address your question in our latest video. Thanks for your input! 😊
Hi Norm,
I have seen many of your and Soula's videos. Your skills are quite accomplished and wonderful to experience, and what you teach is very valuable.
Your videos, on the other hand, are quite frenetic and distracting from the fine material you have to offer and the obvious grace of your cultivated presences. Observing, for example, in many of your videos, the footage of you in your home, so finely detailed and classy, raises the quality of the instruction experience dramatically. But when you introduce multiple left-brain (written) comments sporadically, reaching for comic effect, frantically shuffle the film editing, and add music in the background, you create discontinuity and distraction which is annoying and counterproductive to your aim. Your level of accomplishment is more than enough to satisfy the serious viewer/student; you don't need any overstimulating special effects to entertain us. They actually diminish the value of your presentations.
As singers, you know the importance of quiet concentration to produce the beautiful quality of sound you do, so please apply that principle to your video presentations and they will be winning.
Thanks, Parisse
I found your video ! Thanks for your good explanations!
But what your right hand indicate on the 2nd exercise your right hand coming down from the top as you tsk?
Is that the image that the breath flows from the top to the bottom ?
I tried the 3rd exercise, but my lips stop vibrating in short period of time. What am I doing wrong ?
Same here, I can hold air for a long time (apnea) but whren I try the trumphet lips exercice, air empties in just few seconds... looks like Im throwing away air too fast. what am I doing wrong?
Uhhhhh! So original....lip trills...😅😅
WE DONT KNOW ENGLİSH AND WE DONT UNDERSTAND WELL .. HOW CAN U TELL STRANGERS ? SOMEONE WRITE OR SUMMARIZE ??
How original! All the same....I wonder what vocal couch are you going to do if the "avioncito" wouldn't exist...terrible problem...why don't you ask the genios as DIMASH...
Please be original!
What is avioncito
Norm get rid of this noisy muzak
Good video and music!:)