July 13, 2014: On Lindquest’s ‘NG’ Tongue Position I can remember my study with Allan Lindquest years ago quite well. In fact, I memorized practically everything he said to me during that period of time. One statement that he kept repeating to me over and over was, “Breathe in the ‘ng’ tongue position, and pronounce in the ‘ng’ tongue position.” Like many elements in singing, there are subtle adjustments that need to be made to bring a singer to balance. In my case, my tongue was flat, retracted, and cutting my high range. My high notes were compromised due to the tongue-pressure at the glottis. No one had previously mentioned the tongue position much less addressed it in my previous years of study. But what he meant by this statement should not be taken literally. The tongue should never be frozen in position because clear articulation would be impossible. The tongue must be free to move in vowel-consonant relationship. What Lindquest was truly saying was to “keep the arch in the middle of the tongue (as in the ‘ng’) so that the higher overtones can be realized in tonal production.” We all know that the tongue is not arched for every vowel, but this was just a general image to keep me from dropping the back of the tongue so extremely. When I arrived at Lindquest’s studio in 1979, my vocal folds were over-blown from years of pushing too much breath pressure through the larynx and therefore the vocal folds. My tongue was extremely tense and dipped, as in the shape of a spoon, and it shook nervously. My tone had developed what could be described as a ‘tenor knurdle’. This was all related to the retraction and dipping of the tongue. Imagining the ‘ng’ tongue position was helpful at assisting me in realizing higher overtones. It also released the pressure at the tongue-root, which had previously compromised my high range. High notes began to develop slowly, but this took tremendous concentration. Changing such a habit takes repetition, focus, and careful practice. Many times Lindquest would refer to the ‘ng’ as part of Flagstad’s training. He learned a great deal about this during his study in Stockholm in 1938 and 1939. So he gave me exercises that would move from ‘ng’ to vowels. For example, he would have me sing ‘ng-i, ng-e, ng-a, ng-o, ng-u’ on a 5-tone descending scale. Repeating the ‘ng’ reminded my tongue that it should not drop too far. He also reminded me that the ‘ng’ should be produced with the middle of the tongue, rather than at the root of the tongue. This kept the root of the tongue freer. The Flat or Retracted Tongue Position: Sadly some singers employ a flat or retracted tongue position in their singing. This cuts high overtones and places tongue-root pressure directly at the glottis. It leaves the singer with no choice except to push hard on the breath pressure. Eventually he/she will lose high range, often because the larynx is locked down with the tongue-root. Then the vocal folds cannot stretch appropriately for the higher range. Usually the singer loses high range. Not for Everyone: Some singers, especially those with a history of an extremely high larynx position, need another thought besides the ‘ng’, because their tongue-root is too high, toward the roof of the mouth. Years ago, I had a dramatic soprano whose tongue jammed to the roof of her mouth for high notes, cutting her fullness of sound completely and throwing her tone in the nose. In this case we could not use the ‘ng’ for a long period of time, due to the fact that her previous programming was too engrained. Later, after working on relaxing the tongue-root a little lower, she could work on the ‘ng’ with great success, especially when using the image of the ‘ng’ being produced with the middle of the tongue. High Larynx History: Those singers with a history of a high larynx usually suffer from tremendous tension at the tongue-root. Slow work on the laryngeal tilt can help the singer to separate free laryngeal function and the tension at the tongue-root. When a singer learns to breathe the larynx slightly downward (with a forward tongue position) then he/she can begin to feel the ‘tongue-larynx separation’ necessary for freedom in singing. Laryngeal massage can be helpful at helping the larynx to achieve a lower release at inhalation. But this work must be done slowly and carefully. The pharyngeal vowel stretch that is on my instructional CD can be helpful with tongue-pharynx separation. This encourages a release in the laryngeal area as well. I often observe the singers lower laryngeal muscles stretch wide. My first work with a singer is on the laryngeal function and on the pharyngeal vowels. Without this work first, the singer cannot employ the ‘ng’ without closing the throat. Working on the ‘ng’ with a closed throat is counter-productive, and should be avoided until the larynx has been fully released. I remember a wonderful quote of Lindquest. He said, ‘We need a thread of ‘ng’, but NOT a rope!” The subtext to this statement is that we need to learn to vocalize in balance without taking a concept too far. Final Thought! In the end we need a good diagnostic ear to help us if we are to be free when singing. With the help of a good ear, we can begin to establish our ability to self-supervise through a learned pattern of sensations. Then we can feel freer to work on our own. Have a great day! David
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 12:13:55 +0000
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