This is Part Two of a question from Mr. JG
Wan, Hong Kong. Jim is a simultaneous translator of
very high energy LIVE events translating on the spot
from English to Cantonese.
To read Part
One of this Q&A, see our December 2005
newsletter online here.
Question ~ “I have a little problem about
voice projection. I don’t understand how to do it. I
know people who are really loud without sounding like
they are yelling. I know about the visualizing you are
throwing your voice in an arc to the front of the
room, but still not getting it.”
Answer ~
Thanks for your question, Jim. The “arc to the front
of the room” is a combination of vocal,
energetic/kinaesthetic and visual
focusing.
Arthur Joseph, vocal coach to
Hollywood celebrities, describes the "arc" in his book
The Sound of the Soul like this, “When I
remind my
students to "see the arc," I am asking them to apply
this visual image to the production of sound.” “When
we inhale fully and deeply, we feel the energy in the
power of our breath welling up inside our body. As
we exhale, the air moves through our body, surging
upward like a geyser. But instead of freely releasing
the air with the sound, what do we do most of the
time? We tighten up. We tighten our chest,
shoulders, tongue, jaw. We stifle our sound, our
expression.” By “seeing the arc” you are enabling
free yet focused expression to ride the crest of the
irresistible breath.”
I have found what works to bring the concept
of “arc” into your presentation is to add your
personal interpretation of language thereby making
your visualization stronger. It helps you to
experience
your language, which makes your performance real
and 'in the moment' drawing your audience into your
own very personal
world. You can apply this to any sound, word,
phrase or idea. However, let’s just talk about one
word for illustrative purposes. I’ll use the
word “moon” and describe the process step by step.
- Allow a full and deep breath
- Release any tension you may be holding in
your body
- Think of the word “moon”. (My visual is a round,
full moon shining in a
midnight blue rural sky. Your image can be whatever
you like.)
- When you say the word “moon”,
visualize your sound soaring up, out and forward to
imagine “seeing” your moon in your sky.
- You can experiment giving your sound a
colour or imagine it is a laser beam of golden light or
a thread connecting to the moon in your upward
sky. Be as creative as you like with your mental
images.
- If you work in this way, you will find you
don’t have to worry about loudness or projection. It
will come naturally.
In his book, Arthur goes on to say, “We let our
sound soar up and out like a phoenix rising.
Eventually, it will descend on its own; gravity will
bring it down, but that descent need not be a part of
our visual focus. When you release a ball into space,
at the moment of release you are not concerned with
its coming down but with its trajectory. You know it
will come down. It is the same with the release of
our voices. See the arc, the soaring upward; do not
worry about the distance or volume. Just see the
arc. See your vocal expression, your energy,
soaring – not collapsing or descending.”
