APEL Vocal Training Guidebook

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(2) [email protected]. 2. http://www.apel.co.za. First Published by ICMA, 1995 P.O. Box 1749, Gallo Manor, GAUTENG, 2052, South Africa Reprinted 2003. Copyright  ICMA, 2003. This book is sold subject to the condition that is shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. The reader is advised to consult a medical doctor before trying out any exercises outlined in this book and by reading this book, agrees that he does so of his own freewill and choice, and will not, in whatsoever manner, hold the author liable, for any damages, failure, illness, loss or whatsoever consequence, deemed, rightfully or wrongfully to be caused, directly or indirectly by the use, exposure or influence of the material in this book.. Printed and Bound In South Africa By: ICMA. APEL: The Art of Purification and Enunciation of the Larynx. © ICMA 1995 — 2003.

(3) CONTENTS CONTENTS ...................................................................................................................3 PREFACE ....................................................................................................................10 PART 1: INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................11 WHAT IS APEL? .........................................................................................................12 A Fresh Start .....................................................................................................13 Wisdom of Planning .........................................................................................13 Two Hunters......................................................................................................13 The Most Unique Musical Instrument...................................................................14 What Voice Are You?.......................................................................................14 Conventional Singing........................................................................................15 Cultural Variations............................................................................................16 APEL — The Art of Playing the Larynx................................................................18 A Living Instrument..........................................................................................18 The Classical Voice ..........................................................................................18 The Language of Singing..................................................................................19 Medically Speaking...............................................................................................20 Dissecting Your Instrument ..............................................................................20 Your Instrument Is Fragile................................................................................24 APEL IS POSSIBLE .....................................................................................................25 A Little Boy's Dream ........................................................................................25 A Small Seed of Hope............................................................................................26 A Talent Denied ................................................................................................26 Light at the End of the Dark Tunnel .................................................................28 Who is Going to Teach Me?..................................................................................29 To Sing or Not to Sing ......................................................................................29 The Hunt for a Cure ..........................................................................................30 A Blind Man Leading Himself...............................................................................31 A Lot Of Research — A Lot Of Practice ...............................................................32 Two Years To Find A Cure ...................................................................................32 The Day Of Reckoning .....................................................................................33.

(4) [email protected]. 4. http://www.apel.co.za. The Cat Out of the Bag .....................................................................................33 The First Performance In Two Years................................................................34 Teach Us To Sing Like You Do .......................................................................35 A Tutor Learning To Teach Others.......................................................................35 Night School .....................................................................................................35 Behold Once I Could Not......................................................................................36 The Prophet in his Home Town ........................................................................36 Thirteen Years To Refine APEL............................................................................37 EXCUSES AGAINST APEL ...........................................................................................39 Literacy .................................................................................................................40 Not Educated?...................................................................................................40 A Matter of Confidence ....................................................................................40 The Right Voice.....................................................................................................41 Creating Originals Out of Simple Things .........................................................41 The Uglier the Voice, the Better Apel Works...................................................42 Lack of Experience................................................................................................43 The Talent Excuse .................................................................................................43 God-Given Talent?............................................................................................44 God-Given Gifts................................................................................................45 Running Out of Breath ..........................................................................................46 The Opinion Excuse ..............................................................................................46 Common Problems................................................................................................47 A Good Cough ..................................................................................................47 Hot Water With Glycerine ................................................................................47 The Crutch Mentality........................................................................................47 Legitimate Ailments ..............................................................................................48 Acute Laryngitis................................................................................................48 Chronic Laryngitis ............................................................................................48 Other Disorders of the Larynx ..........................................................................49 Personality Challenges .........................................................................................50 Popular Sanguine ..............................................................................................52 Powerful Choleric .............................................................................................53 Perfect Melancholic ..........................................................................................53 Peaceful Phlegmatic..........................................................................................54 Temperament Combinations.............................................................................55 THE ARCHITECTURE OF MAN.....................................................................................56 Man Is A Spirit Being............................................................................................56 Spirit, Soul And Body.......................................................................................57 The Difference Between Soul And Sprit ..........................................................59 The Nature Of Our Person....................................................................................61 Returning to God...............................................................................................62 The Heart Is In The Spirit .....................................................................................65 THE SPIRITUAL CONNECTION.....................................................................................68 The Singing God ...................................................................................................69 The Power of Music ..............................................................................................70 City Walls Fell Down Flat ................................................................................71 Prison Walls Came Down.................................................................................71 Army Ambush...................................................................................................72. APEL: The Art of Purification and Enunciation of the Larynx. © ICMA 1995 — 2003.

(5) [email protected]. 5. http://www.apel.co.za. Therapy in the Asylum......................................................................................73 God's Glory Manifesting...................................................................................73 A Stream of Songs ............................................................................................74 Managing the Heart..............................................................................................77 Pouring Out The Music.....................................................................................78 Skill versus Talent .................................................................................................80 PART 2: MUSIC .........................................................................................................83 INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC ..........................................................................................84 Pitch In Music? .....................................................................................................84 Unpacking A Sequence.....................................................................................85 Understanding A Combination .........................................................................86 Notes in a Tune or Song....................................................................................87 The Construction Of The Series .......................................................................89 Scales ................................................................................................................91 Tone and Semitone Concepts............................................................................92 The Major Scale................................................................................................93 MusicAL Notation ............................................................................................95 The Clef ............................................................................................................96 Time In Music .......................................................................................................98 Note Durations ..................................................................................................98 The Meaning Of the Time Signature ..............................................................101 Time Signature................................................................................................102 Time Signature Maps And Grouping..............................................................104 The Need For Grouping ..................................................................................105 Rests In Various Time Signatures...................................................................105 Sub-Division Of A Beat..................................................................................107 Dotted Note Values.........................................................................................109 Simple And Compound Time Signatures .......................................................110 Sub-Division Of Time Values ........................................................................111 Key Signature......................................................................................................112 Notation of Key Signature ..............................................................................113 THEORY TO MUSIC...................................................................................................115 Technical Degrees ..............................................................................................115 Degrees ...........................................................................................................115 Generic Names are Efficient...........................................................................116 Intervals Revisited ..........................................................................................116 Compound Intervals........................................................................................118 Natural versus Chromatic Intervals ................................................................119 Examples Of Simple And Chromatic Intervals ..............................................121 Inversions Of Intervals....................................................................................121 The Use Of Foreign Languages..........................................................................122 Various Expressions........................................................................................123 Chord Notation And Construction ......................................................................123 Introduction to Chords ....................................................................................124 Inversions Of Chords ......................................................................................127 Putting it All Into A Song ....................................................................................127 A Short Summary ...........................................................................................128. APEL: The Art of Purification and Enunciation of the Larynx. © ICMA 1995 — 2003.

(6) [email protected]. 6. http://www.apel.co.za. An Additional Perspective...................................................................................128 The Compound Beat .......................................................................................128 Advanced Rhythm ..........................................................................................129 Developing Rhythm into a Song.....................................................................130 Melody and Phrases ........................................................................................131 Key Signatures And Scales.............................................................................132 The Harmonic Minor Scale.............................................................................134 Scale Degrees In Minor Keys .........................................................................136 The Melodic Minor Scale ...............................................................................136 Revisiting the Harmonic and Melodic Concept..............................................137 Constructing the Melodic Minor.....................................................................137 Octave Transposition ......................................................................................138 You Are Ready To Begin ...............................................................................139 PRELIMINARIES ........................................................................................................140 Personal Adjustments..........................................................................................140 A Long Hard Walk..........................................................................................140 You Need Space..............................................................................................141 You Need Time...............................................................................................141 You Need Support...........................................................................................141 Tools....................................................................................................................142 Stationery ........................................................................................................142 CD Player........................................................................................................142 Tape Recorder.................................................................................................143 Medical Considerations ......................................................................................143 Laryngeal Precautions.....................................................................................143 Speech Therapy...............................................................................................144 Other Medical Problems .................................................................................144 On A Spiritual Note.............................................................................................144 Biblical Reference...........................................................................................145 Spiritual Power................................................................................................145 Mentor.................................................................................................................145 Choose a Renowned Talented Singer .............................................................145 Identity ............................................................................................................146 PART 3: PURIFICATION.......................................................................................147 INTRODUCTION TO PURIFICATION ............................................................................148 The House and The Meat ....................................................................................148 A Parable About a House................................................................................148 A Parable about Meat......................................................................................149 Voices Need a Cleanup .......................................................................................150 Introduction to Purification ................................................................................150 Pitch And The Larynx.....................................................................................153 Time and the Larynx.......................................................................................154 Correct Pitch and Correct Time ......................................................................156 Purity in Harmony...........................................................................................156 Dissonance and Consonance...........................................................................157 Other Elements................................................................................................157 A Structured Approach to Purification ...........................................................158. APEL: The Art of Purification and Enunciation of the Larynx. © ICMA 1995 — 2003.

(7) [email protected]. 7. http://www.apel.co.za. Making Circles with Squares ..........................................................................159 PURIFICATION 101: HABITUATION ...........................................................................161 Habituation .........................................................................................................162 Introduction of the Envelope ..........................................................................162 Emission..........................................................................................................166 Selecting Notes ...............................................................................................167 Gearing............................................................................................................169 Resounding .....................................................................................................170 Stepping ..........................................................................................................171 The Basics of Pacing.......................................................................................171 Pace Up to Leaping.........................................................................................174 Sol-fa Chords ..................................................................................................176 Triadic and Tetradic Steps ..............................................................................177 Sequential Harmony........................................................................................178 Choreographic Steps .......................................................................................178 Acrobatic Steps ...............................................................................................181 PURIFICATION 102: OSSIFICATION ...........................................................................183 Revisiting Voice Physiology...........................................................................183 The Lungs .......................................................................................................184 The Vocal Cords .............................................................................................185 Back to Ossification........................................................................................186 Ruler Principle ................................................................................................187 Dynamics Envelope ........................................................................................192 Timbre Envelope.............................................................................................194 An Overview of Overtones .............................................................................195 PURIFICATION 103: EMANATION ..............................................................................197 Flowing is the Key ..........................................................................................197 Emanation in Speech.......................................................................................198 Translation to Communication .......................................................................198 Expressionism vs Impressionism....................................................................199 Principle of River Walking..............................................................................201 THE ART OF SONG ...................................................................................................203 Real Time Song writing.......................................................................................203 Extemporization..............................................................................................204 Types of Songs................................................................................................205 We are Vessels................................................................................................206 The Form of Music .........................................................................................207 RDVC — Motion and Structure .....................................................................208 Motion.............................................................................................................208 Structure..........................................................................................................209 The Form of MOTIFS .........................................................................................209 Motif Form (normative structure) ..................................................................209 Song Structure.................................................................................................210 The Musical Experience......................................................................................211 Sound, Movement and Arrival........................................................................211 Processes of the Elements...............................................................................213 Cadences .........................................................................................................214 Reading Sol-fa.....................................................................................................216. APEL: The Art of Purification and Enunciation of the Larynx. © ICMA 1995 — 2003.

(8) [email protected]. 8. http://www.apel.co.za. SONG ANALYSIS ......................................................................................................220 Studying Aural Music .....................................................................................220 Micro Analysis................................................................................................222 Middle Analysis ..............................................................................................224 Macro Analysis ...............................................................................................225 The Scholar's Habit .........................................................................................226 Putting your Knowledge to Work ...................................................................226 Transcribing SONGS ..........................................................................................227 The Extent of Music Elements in Transcription .............................................227 Transcribing One Note at a Time....................................................................228 Aural Training ....................................................................................................228 Four Types of Memories.................................................................................229 Improving Rehearsal.......................................................................................230 Motivation.......................................................................................................231 PART 4: ENUNCIATION .......................................................................................233 ENUNCIATION 201: INNER SONG ..............................................................................234 Enunciation is a Song......................................................................................234 The Foundation of Enunciation ......................................................................235 Singing is Singing ...........................................................................................236 Starting From Scratch .....................................................................................237 Tuning into the Spirit ......................................................................................237 Singing With the Spirit — Building the Inner Song.......................................240 Perceiving With the Heart...............................................................................241 Generating Melodies in the Heart ...................................................................242 Steps to Becoming a Creator...........................................................................247 ENUNCIATION 202: THE SILENT SONG .....................................................................249 The Breath and the Spirit ................................................................................250 Elements of the Silent Song............................................................................251 Engagement.....................................................................................................252 Shadowing.......................................................................................................253 Emanation .......................................................................................................253 Refining the Silent Song .................................................................................254 ENUNCIATION 203: THE AURAL SONG .....................................................................256 Note Blocks.....................................................................................................256 Dynamics ........................................................................................................258 Timbre.............................................................................................................260 Elemental Effects ............................................................................................261 Vibration .........................................................................................................262 Pulse Stepping.................................................................................................264 Vocal Harmony...............................................................................................265 Improvisation ..................................................................................................266 Falsetto............................................................................................................268 Timbre Morphing............................................................................................269 Performing in Public .......................................................................................270 THE BEGINNING OF FOREVER ..................................................................................272 The Ego Trap ..................................................................................................272 The Lucifer Complex......................................................................................273. APEL: The Art of Purification and Enunciation of the Larynx. © ICMA 1995 — 2003.

(9) [email protected]. 9. http://www.apel.co.za. So, You are Not a Preacher.............................................................................274 Expressionist or Impressionist? ......................................................................275 Just a Profession..............................................................................................276 The Singer's Habits .............................................................................................276 Practice Daily — Habit #1..............................................................................276 Grow Your Heart — Habit #2 ........................................................................277 Keep Your Focus on the Rules — Habit #3 ...................................................278 Style — The Unique Touch .................................................................................279 Mimicry Syndrome .........................................................................................279 Multiplicity .....................................................................................................279 Makeup and Crutches .....................................................................................279 Mirrors and Rubber Stamps ............................................................................280 Creating a Style...............................................................................................280 The Speech of Singing ....................................................................................281 Virtual Band....................................................................................................282 TOOLBOX .................................................................................................................284 Audio Trax ......................................................................................................284 Exercise Summary ..........................................................................................288 Exercise Worksheets.......................................................................................289 Meanings Of Foreign Terms...........................................................................318 Index ...............................................................................................................320. APEL: The Art of Purification and Enunciation of the Larynx. © ICMA 1995 — 2003.

(10) PREFACE The ability to sing belongs to ALL of us and I guess at one time or another, you also have had a desire to sing and especially all those times you listened to a singer whose voice you really admired. If your dream (or wish) to sing came true, your life would become different. People tend to believe that you can only become an excellent singer if you were born with the talent. On the other hand, almost everybody that believes this myth also contradicts himself or herself by encouraging would-be singers to sign up for singing instruction. Well if it is true that you cannot become an excellent singer other than through hereditary means, what good could the suggested training do? Most ridiculously, the suggested training teaches little or nothing about how to become a singer — instead, it teaches how to improve the supposedly already existent talent, i.e., not accommodating those who CANNOT sing. APEL changes all that by offering you and me, the untalented singers, a simple TECHNIQUE to acquire a beautiful and professional singing voice. APEL is THE ART OF PURIFICATION1 and ENUNCIATION2 OF THE LARYNX3. It is a unique technique developed over a period of two years4 by one Michael MICHAEL (the author). Thereafter, it took a several years to compile an accompanying training manual, which you now have in your hands. The training manual is accompanied by audio material containing reference recordings5; it contains the foundation upon which you are going to build your exercises. Your life is about to change for the better. This time around, if it does not, it probably never will. It is up to you WHETHER you fly or not, but up to the wind HOW you fly — APEL Truth.001 Your wind has just started blowing. Michael MICHAEL Johannesburg, South Africa (January 1995). 1. cleaning by getting rid of impurities an improvement that makes something more agreeable 3 a cartilaginous structure at the top of the trachea; contains elastic vocal cords that are the source of the vocal tone in speech 4 and perfected over more than ten years 5 the original concept was to provide an audio CD with all the exercises and demonstrations, but over the years, a this option resulted in an increased practice of mimicry of the author by students, to a frightening precision. 2.

(11) PART 1:. INTRODUCTION.

(12) WHAT IS APEL? You have made the right decision. You might not realize it now, but by the end of the APEL6 program, you will know it. Your friends will know it — it will be obvious. Let us discuss one important matter before you start. It is very important. I want to warn you, this is different from anything you have ever encountered before. APEL is based on nothing you have seen or heard before unless you have been in one of my classes before or know somebody who has. For this reason, your feathers might be ruffled a bit as you continue with APEL studies, unless you are pre-warned. It is not about me getting your money; in any case, the fact that you are reading this book means that I already have your money (unless of course you obtained the book illegally). I will not loose the money if you fail, but your failure in this matter is as much a loss to me as it is to you because the whole idea of this process is to build you up, not to build my bank account (which fortunately is unavoidable). Listen to me carefully; you might not have appropriately understood what it is you are getting into. It is good and powerful — but unless you are willing to walk the weird and unusual road, you might as well turn around now. If this method were ordinary7, the early music teachers would have implemented it 200 years ago. However, it is not conventional; in fact, it is crazy and unheard of. APEL was largely developed in the bush, in the dark8 and in isolation. It defies most conventional ideologies — APEL wages war against conservative singing principles, behaviors, and tradition. Most importantly, APEL works! Acceptability and norms do not hang me up — I am naturally very defiant, and you will learn that in this book. I do not apologize for my innovation or ideas. No, I am not a professor of music and I am not an academic — I am just a person who dares the impossible and thrives on swimming upstream, hence this book. I am giving to you in this book, what I learned over a period of more than 13 years9 — I made all the mistakes you can think of, and I experienced various stages of adjustment. 6. the ART of PURIFICATION and ENUNCIATION of the LARYNX APEL was solely and independetly invented by the author and this is the first formal publication of the technique 8 this is not a reference to occult darkness, but time of day 9 1981 to 1994 7.

(13) [email protected]. 13. http://www.apel.co.za. that occur when you undergo voice training, and I am still learning, and hoping to learn a lot from you as well.. A FRESH START Forget everything, FORGET WHAT YOU THOUGHT SINGING WAS. I want you to switch your logic off until you finish reading the book, then I want you to do everything I tell you without asking questions — only then do I advise you to challenge the APEL technique. If you can, reinvent APEL; and you will see what new ground you will break. You are welcome to refute the teaching in this book, criticize it, challenge it and test it against every imaginable standard — but as I entreat you, wait until after you have read it and also applied it to the letter. I am assuming that you would not have bought the book unless you were serious about learning how to sing. So, let us do it. In the book I use analogies and illustrations, and give you many facts — there will be exercise10 pointers, but they are not as important as the UNDERSTANDING part. Your greatest skill will be to comprehend everything I am teaching you. Remember that practice in this method makes only 15% of the course. The other 85% is all UNDERSTANDING11 and remembering the facts.. WISDOM OF PLANNING You will need a plan before you proceed, the plan will revolve around time and relationships. Embarking on APEL means that you will spend an awful lot of time alone, and this will affect your family. You cannot study APEL in public; you require solitude and privacy. Leaders are inspired in public, but built in private — APEL Truth.002. TWO HUNTERS Two men went out hunting; the first (Tom) was very pompous and very energetic. He told all his neighbors that he was going to catch a big animal. He was of strong physical build and everybody thought he was an expert hunter because of the manner in which he boasted about himself. The community also held him in high esteem. He went out with his friend (James), who he laughed at and mocked quite often, because of the evident physical disadvantages he had. Nevertheless, his friend had determined in his heart that he also wanted to catch an animal for his family. However, he was meek and reserved. He did not say much, but he knew that he had to have a plan that would work. The two men went away together on a journey to go hunting. Tom was very pushy and demanding and when the first animal walked by, he suddenly got up and started chasing after it with an axe. He ran for hours after the animal. After hours of chasing, he lost the animal and was tired. He returned empty handed. James had been studying the animal's trail and behavior all along; he had discovered where it grazed and drank water, where it slept, and all its other habits. After hours of watching the animal from a distance, he knew when and where to set a trap in the path where the impala would walk past. Later in the day when the animal would have to drink water, it would walk the same trail — he went and lay under a tree at a distance, and. 10 11. exercise references will be made in footnotes like this one the technique is behavioural, hence the need to have a fresh and radical understanding of APEL.. APEL: The Art of Purification and Enunciation of the Larynx. © ICMA 1995 — 2003.

(14) [email protected]. 14. http://www.apel.co.za. when the time came, the animal walked by and was caught in the trap. He returned home with the animal and was not tired at all. A simplistic, yet educating story. Without a plan, life becomes a fruitless expenditure of energy — APEL Truth.003 A Meek Approach to APEL As I will remind you later, do not flaunt your APEL studies — do not attempt to measure yourself against people's comments. Think about it, it is harder to notice the improvement on one's effort if you see that person daily. For example, a person might be on a weight-loss program, but because you see them daily, you might not readily notice that they have in fact lost weight — but it is very easy to notice the weight loss if you had not seen them for three months — because the change amounts to a noticeable difference. At the end of this manual, we would like you to experience the joy of saying, "Once I could not sing, but now I CAN." In a few weeks12, you will be saying it because you can — not because you wished people would say so. When you say it, people will already have noticed the difference, unless you had irresponsibly been flaunting your efforts gasping for and craving13 their applause.. THE MOST UNIQUE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT In defining APEL, we must lay down a foundation first: . The foundation has everything to do with how your voice works.. . That foundation refers to your voice box as an instrument that produces a voice. As you might have already noticed, we will refer a lot to the voice, meaning your voice or sound produced when air from your lungs passes through the larynx and cause your vocal cords to vibrate — vibration occurs in the area of your mouth (your nose too) which is the equivalent of the air chambers in acoustic instruments.. WHAT VOICE ARE YOU? People have a tendency, legitimately so, to categorize voices into vocal parts or roles (more accurately referred to as vocal ranges) — and among men, those are bass, baritone, and tenor. We will have plenty of time to define and illustrate all of these. Do not worry about not understanding some of the concepts at this stage — the idea at hand is to show you what a unique instrument your voice is. Like any other instrument — YOU CAN LEARN TO PLAY IT. This is what this book is all about, LEARNING TO PLAY YOUR VOICE BOX. If you can just learn to see your voice as a musical instrument, you will find the whole technique outlined in this book easy to follow. Most of the traditional inhibitions will suddenly cease to hold water.. 12 13. it is possible to complete the APEL programme within 28 days with complete results pride is one of the biggest downfalls for aspiring singers. APEL: The Art of Purification and Enunciation of the Larynx. © ICMA 1995 — 2003.

(15) [email protected]. 15. http://www.apel.co.za. Female voices can be categorized into contralto, mezzo-soprano, and soprano. Your voice should have an average of about two octaves14 — which will be discussed later in the book. As you know, men's voices are lower than women's voices — by about an octave. A man's falsetto will be in the same range as a woman's real or natural voice — but a little higher and thus categorized as an alto. While a boy's voice will be equivalent to the soprano voice. You may also know, that a boy generally sings in the same range of voice as a grown woman — that is, until the boy's voice breaks15 into a masculine tone or range. Although there are six conventional vocal ranges — they are generally reduced from soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto, tenor, baritone, and bass — to soprano, contralto (or alto), tenor, and bass. You may already have categorized yourself into one of these voices. The bottom line however is that, whichever voice you might be — you are an instrument and we must teach you how to play that instrument, and in doing so, do it such that you excel and not only excel, but also excel beyond your wildest expectations. THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME — and is about to happen to you.. CONVENTIONAL SINGING There are major differences between this training manual and the conventional forms of singing — it is perhaps important that we briefly take a look at the other accepted perception of what singing is; which has become a world standard and an academic convention. When you sing, you utilize your voice in the creation of song. Breathing is the primary generator16 that causes sound to be produced through the same vibration mechanism that occurs when acoustic instruments are played, especially wind instruments, in which sound is produced by blowing through a pipe of some sort. The sound becomes louder by the manner in which it resonates in the chamber — i.e., the cavity in your mouth and nose. Although hard to believe, all cavities above your shoulders play a role in the production of the sound of your voice. You are an acoustic instrument, and the bigger your chambers17, the better. Not only must the voice be produced, it also needs to be articulated18 to create recognizable speech for communication and expression. For animals, to which speech does not play a part in the creation and performance of music, the songs are complete without the additional use of the lips, teeth, tongue, and palate. Human beings are the only known species whose music is lyrical and verbal19. What People Think About Voice Training Conventional20 voice trainers believe that vocal training is for the development of better control over breathing and the regulation of relaxation degree, body tension and resonance and articulation. I agree with that, but I also I believe that training should and can, go back further than developing what is presumed to be an already capable singer,. 14. an octave is one series of notes either ascending or descending to the next similar note when a boy’s voice tone changes into a man’s tone 16 the source of music 17 people with big heads have bigger cavities, like a boom box 18 bringing articulatory organs together so as to shape the sounds of speech 19 relating to or having facility in the use of words 20 this is no way despises the wisdom of formal education, it merely highlights the short-comings 15. APEL: The Art of Purification and Enunciation of the Larynx. © ICMA 1995 — 2003.

(16) [email protected]. 16. http://www.apel.co.za. but initiate talent in those who are not already accepted as singers. Teach the novice how to sing, and the expert, how to grow — APEL Truth.004 Most voice teachers will not take you in if they thought you could not sing. Does this not make you wonder — what is the use of training a person if you can only train those already capable? The world has not yet accepted that all human beings can sing — if they did, they would have made provisions for them; and not only for the talented. Many of the incapable among us, may be the giants we should have been inspired by — APEL Truth.005 Natural Singing? Besides training, every culture21 has a natural art of singing particular to them and that for me, is a sign that singing is a natural right. From whichever direction you approach it, there is enough natural instinct in us to awaken the talent or the ability. Most low-voiced males can naturally produce a falsetto22 tone by partially vibrating their vocal cords — it is a technical and precision art, but they do it without academic training. Who told them that by partial vibration, their tone would be higher? Nobody — but it is naturally there to be discovered, BECAUSE SINGING IS ALREADY IN EACH ONE OF US. Not All Roads Lead to Rome An acquaintance of mine, after training overseas as a singer and voice tutor, found the APEL singing technique bothersome in that it sounded contemptuous towards all that she had been taught to believe in. People do not take kindly to their philosophy being proved fallacious. Although that is not what we were doing — that is how it is sometimes perceived. If all roads lead to Rome, then the N323 route would cost you a lifetime — APEL Truth.006 I say, "Literally, you can't get to Rome on the N3!" If you believed all your life that was the way to Rome, it would be hard for you to hear me out, or even accept that I may be right and you may be wrong — it would be even harder for you to see my directions bringing results.. CULTURAL VARIATIONS Every culture has a unique quality of tone and approach to singing. There are always variations in tone, color, physical tension, and acoustical intensity of cultural music and style of singing. Some cultures use extensive melodic ornamentation, some light, and others none. The most noticeable of these is the classically trained, resonant, well-projected tone of opera24 singers. There are probably very few styles as popular or expressive as the relaxed, subtly ornamented, robust singing of black folk musicians; it is often enhanced with coarse, throaty effects. It can be tense and electronically distorted like rock — but it is not academic, yet very effective. It was developed instinctively. These people developed their styles not through some standing academic institution, but through inner. 21. think of the African harmonies which seem to be hereditary and not academic a tone produced by a male voice when they mimic a female voice freeway in South Africa from Johannebsurg to Durban 24 a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes 22 23. APEL: The Art of Purification and Enunciation of the Larynx. © ICMA 1995 — 2003.

(17) [email protected]. 17. http://www.apel.co.za. instinct, a substance we all have. Instinct is the substance at the foundation of APEL — APEL Truth.007 This inner ability, resident and inbuilt in all of us, should not be spoiled by people like me with thick training manuals. We should leave the true art of singing to the individual, while attempting to enlighten the path with principles — which should more guiding than demanding; this can be very difficult for the teacher to achieve. The line between confidence and obstinacy is very thin — APEL Truth.008 The Serious Way of Singing The high and clear-toned male voices were, and maybe still be favored in classical circles — Luciano Pavarotti being the well known example. This results in a vocal quality that is believed to help the listener hear the interwoven melodies of multipart vocal music. The bel canto25 style dominated Western singing between 1650 and 1850 — it is believed that this style was developed sometime in the 16th century. Around the 18th century, the castrato26 voice was used in opera and became very dominant in the 18th century. The bel canto era used breath extensively, to control the strength of sound — and is probably responsible for most of today's academic singing's emphasis on breath control. Other things contributing to style development were concert halls and perhaps various artistic goals, which prompted and inspired singers to want to modify this technique. Some examples of standards and milestones in the history of singing are perhaps the Polish teacher (and tenor), Jean de Resize and the Spaniard Manuel García (1805-1906) who developed new techniques to put more effect of resonance. Richard Wagner is known for his use of vocal colors — the vocal categories such as 'dramatic soprano' and 'heroic tenor.' This was only the beginning of what is today known as 'serious' singing — to an extent that although serious music is more popular and preferred by some cultures, the new and independent cultures feel a certain amount of obligation to conform to this style. A Short History of Singing27 The 20th-century music increased in operatic singing techniques. While opera was gaining ground, the microphone was responsible for more expression instead of power; this innovation produced a fresh art of singing, like Bing Crosby28 and Morgana King. The late 20's and early 30's gave birth to Afro-American vocal colors that had become prominent through jazz and blues. White singers, however (through the 1940s and '50s) continued to reflect European classical roots — believing this to be 'conventional.' This trend continues today, where generally, Caucasian29 singing tends to conform more to the bel canto tradition than does African singing, if at all. American and British pop styles were flavored with Afro-American traits by the 1960s. Composers began experimenting with intoned30 speech and melodic contours. 25. meaning beautiful song a male singer who was castrated before puberty retaining a soprano or alto voice 27 courtesy of Microsoft Encarta 97 28 formerly Harry Lillis Crosby (1903-77), American singer and songwriter, born in Tacoma 29 white person 30 speak carefully, with rising and falling pitch 26. APEL: The Art of Purification and Enunciation of the Larynx. © ICMA 1995 — 2003.

(18) [email protected]. 18. http://www.apel.co.za. (whispers, shouts and rough sounds) and other vocal colors formerly excluded from Western art singing. The inner instincts were taking precedence over conventionalism. This is indicative of the variety of manipulations possible when using the voice as an instrument. You are about to learn how to do this.. APEL — THE ART OF PLAYING THE LARYNX Your voice is the only instrument you can learn to play without having to go out and purchase it. If you wanted to learn to play the saxophone, you would have to fork out at least $300 before you could start. Of all the instruments or ways of producing music, this is the only one that God decided to include in the creation package — how do I know that? It is a bold statement but it is true. Is this not evident in the fact that this instrument is already built within us? My body does not have a stringed31 instrument like a violin, or a percussion32 instrument like a tambourine — it has a built in wind33 instrument, namely, the larynx. This is the only instrument that is manipulated remotely through the mind and instincts; and above all, the heart. I always said that my voice ONCE MADE PEOPLE LAUGH — and after APEL, NOW MAKES PEOPLE CRY. I have never played my guitar in such an expressive manner that somebody cried, but I have sung and seen people's tears. That tells me something about the power of the voice — IT IS A LIVING INSTRUMENT; it has spiritual dimensions that I believe extend deeper than any known acoustic or electronic instrument. IT IS HUMAN — it has the Creator's touch. It is also, the most misunderstood and misused instrument. It is easy, and very easy to use — but tradition has failed it, and clouded minds from mastering it.. A LIVING INSTRUMENT I believe that the voice is the most SPIRITUAL and most POWERFUL instrument, made by a Superior Craftsman34. Very few solo instruments have the appeal and influence of the voice, or the ability to SAY SOMETHING with such precision. As we indicated, animals can sing, but they cannot say anything verbal, while human beings can both say something verbal and above all, communicate at a spiritual level through their music.. THE CLASSICAL VOICE In an attempt to understand the classical voice, we must look at some definitions in the classical context. Phonation Classically speaking, voice, or phonation, is the sound produced by the expiration35 of air through vibrating vocal cords. Voice is defined in terms of pitch, quality, and intensity, or loudness.. 31. instruments which have strings that are plucked to produce a sound instruments which are struck to produce a rhythmic sound 33 instruments which are blown into or through to produce a sustained sound 34 the Creator being God 35 the act of inhaling 32. APEL: The Art of Purification and Enunciation of the Larynx. © ICMA 1995 — 2003.

(19) [email protected]. 19. http://www.apel.co.za. . Optimum Pitch — the most appropriate pitch for speaking, and varies with each individual.. . Range of Pitch — the range covered on the pitch register by the voice. Both optimum pitch and range of pitch are fundamentally determined by the length and mass of the vocal cords; within these limits, pitch may be varied by changing the combination of air pressure and tension of the vocal cords. This combination determines the frequency at which the vocal cords vibrate, the greater the frequency of vibration, the higher the pitch.. Resonance After voice is produced, it is resonated in the chest, throat, and cavities of the mouth. The quality of the voice is determined by resonance and the manner in which the vocal cords vibrate; intensity is controlled by resonance and by the strength of the vibrations of the vocal cords. Classical Articulation Articulation refers to the speech sounds that are produced to form the words of language. The articulating mechanism comprises the lips, tongue, teeth, jaw, and palate. Interrupting or shaping both the vocalized and 'unvocalized' airstreams through movement of the tongue, lips, lower jaw, and soft palate articulates speech. The teeth are used to produce some specific speech sounds. The manner, in which you speak, is the manner in which you should sing. This truth is the greatest truth in this book. For all it is worth, the entire revelation of APEL was 100% influenced by this. It is not until you have learned to speak through your singing, that you will master APEL — APEL Truth.009. THE LANGUAGE OF SINGING Language is a system of symbols agreed upon by a group of people to communicate their thoughts and feelings. Italians share a common language because it is an agreed set of sounds and expressions that is commonly understood to mean certain things. Symbols may be verbal or nonverbal, that is, either spoken or written; additionally, nonverbal symbols may be gestures and body movements. In spoken language, the skills of articulation are used; in written language, spelling is substituted for articulation. In singing, there is a deeper level of communication that cannot be documented, the language of the heart that is heard and understood from heart to heart. True singing is generated by one heart and communicated into another — APEL Truth.010 Both auditory36 and visual skills are essential to the comprehension and expression of language. A singer can add a dimension to their singing by employing visual gestures, whether facial or manual37, the emphasis must remain on adding. Rate and rhythm also should be considered in the discussion about speech. Normal speech should not be so rapid, or so slow that it interferes with comprehension. What about singing? Rhythm is judged mostly in terms of fluency. Here is another fundamental. 36 37. of or relating to the process of hearing involving the hands. APEL: The Art of Purification and Enunciation of the Larynx. © ICMA 1995 — 2003.

(20) [email protected]. 20. http://www.apel.co.za. truth about APEL — I asked myself a question at the beginning of my search for the truth about singing; the question was simply an attempt to understand what it is that makes singing either good or bad. At its most fundamental, singing can be reduced to pitch and rhythm — APEL Truth.011 Good or so-called normal speech, cannot be exactly measured or described. It can however, be judged, essentially only as it seems to be suitable to the sex, size, age, personality, and needs of the speaker. Good singing cannot be exactly measured or described either, but it can be judged fundamentally only as it seems to be suitable to the intended audience — singing is, for the same reason, a giving and a receiving language.. MEDICALLY SPEAKING Oftentimes, potential voice students are turned away from attempting APEL because of myths and tradition. For example, certain speech disorders such as stuttering or stammering are perceived to be a definite hindrance to singing. That is not true. While APEL is based on speech, it is much simpler than speech — APEL Truth.012 Singing, in fact, is easier than speaking, because in singing, most of the content is rehearsed; while in speech, most of the content is created as one goes along while the person is busy communicating. How often do you run through your full thirty-word sentence before you start speaking to someone, that is, unless it is somebody who makes you nervous? Is this not the reason why we sometimes often pause and utter an occasional um or er? Because speech is a learned occupation, any intrusion over one's learning ability might be perceived as a singing impairment. While this may sometimes be true, it is rare. Some of the common conditions capable of interfering with one's learning abilities are neuroses38 and psychoses39, mental retardation40, and brain damage, whether congenital41 or acquired. Vocal expression itself may be impaired by such physical disabilities as cleft palate42, cerebral palsy43, or loss of hearing; it may likewise deteriorate because of paralysis of any part of the articulating mechanism. Therefore, unless you are suffering from any of these medical conditions, you have no excuse to even think that you are entitled to an excuse. On the other hand, if you are suffering from any of these ailments, you still stand a more than 50% chance to become an excellent singer. It is your heart and not your head that produces the music — APEL Truth.013 All you will really need to learn is to permit your heart to flow through your mind and body.. DISSECTING YOUR INSTRUMENT We already told you that the larynx is the instrument of focus here, and it is therefore important to understand the physiological makeup of this instrument. When you take up. 38. a mental or personality disturbance not attributable to any known neurological or organic dysfunction any severe mental disorder in which contact with reality is lost or highly distorted 40 lack of normal development of intellectual capacities 41 present at birth but not necessarily hereditary; acquired during fetal development 42 the upper surface of the mouth that separates the oral and nasal cavities 43 loss of the ability to move a body part 39. APEL: The Art of Purification and Enunciation of the Larynx. © ICMA 1995 — 2003.

(21) [email protected]. 21. http://www.apel.co.za. guitar lessons, your instructor usually gives you a background of the guitar, a little history, and detail about the instrument.. Figure 1: Larynx and Larynx Cross Section44. There are really only two important things about your instrument — the larynx itself, and the skeletal structure thereof. Chamber The larynx is the hollow chamber in which the voice is produced, it is situated at the front or upper part of the windpipe of mammals, frogs, and toads; it is also called the voice box. In mammals, it leads from the lower portion of the pharynx45 to the trachea46 and is situated in front of or ventral47 to the esophagus, behind the skin and connective tissue of the throat. The larynx is supported by ligaments from the hyoid bone, situated at the base of the tongue. Structure The skeletal structure of the larynx is made up of three large cartilaginous structures, the epiglottis48, thyroid49 cartilage, and cricoid cartilage, and of several pairs of small cartilages, the most important of which are known as arytenoid cartilages. . Epiglottis — the first (the epiglottis) is a broad cartilage attached in front to the top of the thyroid cartilage. The epiglottis is the lid or cap of the larynx; it swings over the opening from the pharynx into the voice box. When you swallow, the larynx is raised to press against the epiglottis and root of the tongue, preventing food from entering the air passages. It is actually not possible to swallow and breathe at the same time.. . Thyroid Cartilage — just below the epiglottis is the second structure (the angular thyroid cartilage), composed of two vertical plates that join in the front. 44. Pictures courtesy of the Voice Center at Eastern Virginia Medical School the passage to the stomach and lungs; in the front part of the neck below the chin and above the collarbone 46 membranous tube with cartilaginous rings that convey inhaled air from the larynx to the bronchi 47 nearest to or facing toward the axis of an organ or organism 48 a flap of cartilage that covers the windpipe while swallowing 49 located near the base of the neck 45. APEL: The Art of Purification and Enunciation of the Larynx. © ICMA 1995 — 2003.

(22) [email protected]. 22. http://www.apel.co.za. of the neck. The intersection of these plates causes the projection commonly known as the Adam's apple50. . Cricoid Cartilage — finally the third structure at the rear portions of the thyroid cartilage grip (the circular cricoid cartilage), which keeps the laryngeal passageway open at all times. On each side of the rear upper border of the cricoid cartilage is a small, movable arytenoid cartilage.. Figure 2: Larynx Support Sysytem. Animals such as frogs and toads have a voice box that leads directly from the pharynx into the lungs. Frogs have auxiliary vocal sacs that, when inflated, serve to make the voice more resonant. The size of the chamber adds to the resonance and quality of the tone produced. To understand this, simply compare a double bass51 and a violin — besides the fact that the strings are of different sizes and diameter, the size of the chamber is largely responsible for the differences in the sound produced. Analogies of such resonating chambers are found among mammals in the hollow hyoid bone of the howling monkey and in the sac leading from the larynx of a gorilla virtually to its armpit. Think of this and relate it to the sound of a charging angry gorilla and you will see a clear correlation. In birds however, the voice is produced in an organ known as the syrinx52. Incidentally, a syrinx is also a primitive wind instrument consisting of several parallel pipes bound together. Lower animals use other methods to produce sounds. In the human larynx, there are two pairs of vocal cords. They are made of elastic connective tissue covered by folds of mucous membrane. One pair, the false vocal cords, extends from the epiglottis to the angle of the thyroid cartilage; these cords narrow the glottis (the pharyngeal opening of the larynx) during swallowing. It is impossible to utter (a sound) and swallow at the same time — APEL Truth.014 Below the false cords are the true vocal cords, extending from the arytenoid cartilages to the angle of the thyroid cartilage.. 50. so called because of the legend, referring to Genesis 3:6, of the apple that lodged in Adam's throat a huge bass violin 52 the vocal organ of a bird 51. APEL: The Art of Purification and Enunciation of the Larynx. © ICMA 1995 — 2003.

(23) [email protected]. 23. http://www.apel.co.za. Vibration of this pair of cords by air passing out of the lungs causes the formation of sounds that are amplified by the resonating nature of the voice box. The bigger the voice box, the deeper the sound — APEL Truth.015 This is how your instrument works — you blow air through this pair of cords and they vibrate and resonate in the chamber. Pitch Manipulation There are two main movements in your biological musical instrument that control the nature and quality of pitch. The pitch of the sound is voluntarily controlled by muscles53 that rotate the arytenoid cartilages toward the center of the body. . Lower Tones — through the slackening and lengthening the cords one can produce low tones. . Higher Tones — toward the sides of the body, the shortening of the cords and pulling them tight will produce high-pitched tones.. In this context therefore, if one were to show you how to manipulate your vocal cords and the arytenoids cartilages, you would have mastered the art of playing this instrument. Most people believe they are singers because they were born with a voice54. It is not the type of voice you have that determines your talent, but the technique of breath and muscle manipulation, and this, is a simple art — APEL Truth.016 If you disagree with this statement, you are in fact saying that because the flute has a mellow and soft soothing voice; it is a better 'singer' than the tenor saxophone, which has a blasting and coarse voice. The extent of the angle formed by the plates of the thyroid cartilage determines the depth of the human voice. The angle decreases in males at puberty, causing decreased tension of the vocal cords and a consequently deeper voice, and increases in most females at puberty, causing increased tension of the vocal cords. On a guitar, the thicker strings produce the lower notes, and they are less tight than the thinner strings, which produce the higher tones. In a human larynx, the thicker and less tense cords will produce a lower tone in males while, in females, the thinner and tense cords will produce higher tones. The combination is that of chamber, size, and tension — you cannot use the thin string on a bass guitar, because no matter how low the tension, they just do not have the capability to produce a deep slow vibration loud enough to produce bass. On the other hand, attempting to use the thicker strings on higher notes results in a muffled high tone, which lacks the treble of a normal high note — besides, the thicker string will break if pulled too tightly. The chamber of your voice box is the acoustic power of your voice; manufacturers of speakers have used this theory for hundreds of years. The chamber of your speaker has more to do with the sound produced by your speakers, than most people are aware. Car speakers sound better when mounted on the resonant body of a car than on thick rubber padding. Remember then, the tension, size, and chamber characteristics of your voice. Any technique that manipulates the tension, size and chamber characteristics of your voice will elevate the singer to new dimensions of singing — APEL Truth.017. 53 54. remember that muscles can be exercised everybody, or almost everybody is born with a voice. APEL: The Art of Purification and Enunciation of the Larynx. © ICMA 1995 — 2003.

(24) [email protected]. 24. http://www.apel.co.za. YOUR INSTRUMENT IS FRAGILE The most common affliction of the human larynx is inflammation, or laryngitis55, which often accompanies colds, and usually comes with a temporary diminution or complete loss of voice. Other diseases commonly attacking the larynx include croup56, diphtheria57, and cancer58. Laryngeal cancer may be caused by cigarette smoking and by the intake of large amounts of alcohol. Alcohol and smoking are injurious to singing — APEL Truth.018 Being a nonsmoker and non-drinker I have never been able to appreciate the need to smoke and drink. On the contrary, there are millions of good singers who smoke and drink. These habits will not hinder you from singing, but you could do better without them. Persons who smoke and drink excessively run an especially high risk of developing cancer of the larynx. It can be treated by X-ray therapy, especially if diagnosed early, and by surgery. Surgical procedures include partial or total removal of the larynx. In instances of total removal, the patient must learn a new method of speech that involves, in part, swallowing air and bringing it up again. Various other surgical techniques have been developed to replace the removed tissue and restore speech of near normal quality; for example, insertion of a prosthetic59 device through a tracheoesophageal puncture (tracheotomy60) has shown a promising rate of success in test patients. Methods of looking after your voice in particular (and not the instrument itself) will be discussed later in the book.. 55. inflammation of the mucous membrane of the larynx; characterized by hoarseness or loss of voice and coughing a disease of infants and young children; harsh coughing and hoarseness and fever and difficult breathing 57 marked by the formation of a false membrane in the throat and other air passages causing difficulty in breathing 58 any malignant growth or tumor caused by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division; it may spread to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system or the blood stream 59 an artificial substitute for a missing part of the body of humans or other animals is called a prosthetic device, or prosthesis 60 emergency operation in which windpipe is cut and a tube inserted to permit breathing when air passage is obstructed 56. APEL: The Art of Purification and Enunciation of the Larynx. © ICMA 1995 — 2003.

(25) APEL IS POSSIBLE I grew up on a farm. My dad was the principal of the only high school in the area. The area in which I grew up was very isolated — to the north, there was a range of mountains, to the east, and south and west were rivers. Most of the children in the area did not have the same advantages as I had. My dad being academically inclined endeavored to expose us to as much privilege as was practically possible then — at least that is how I saw it. We had encyclopedias and many other reading materials, and although there was no television in South Africa back then (in 1969 through the early 70's) we watched a movie at least once a month on average. The point therefore is, I had nothing but the farm to occupy my entire thought life (of course, education was part of the normal activities); and besides the fantasies about cinematic61 unrealities which I was exposed to, the only other thing I had going for me was my imagination. I dreamt a lot, I developed a very strong vision about my future.. A LITTLE BOY'S DREAM That is the place where I learned to believe in the impossible. I did not know the difference between what was possible and what was not. It should not surprise you that in that period, I 'manufactured' cars for the local teenage community; I was in fact a toy factory, because to me, if it could be imagined, it could be done. My elder brother and I constructed a movie projector, or the closest we could get to a movie projector — and composed mini cartoon62 animations and charged the local boys one to ten cents to come and view. The cartoons were more static than animate, but we did it. At one time, we started on a 'helicopter project,' and then there was the karate and boxing tournament. There were hundreds of projects, or inventions if you wish, that we embarked on — because as far as I knew, everything was possible, ALL YOU NEEDED. 61. of or pertaining to or characteristic of the cinema a film made by photographing a series of cartoon drawings to give the illusion of movement when projected in rapid sequence 62.

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