11. Elementary Consonant Sounds. (See § 6.) Contracting abdomen with each utterance, and taking care not to pronounce the name of the consonant, and not to sound the vowel following it, repeat the vocal sounds indicated by the sub-vocals and breathing sounds by the aspirates: EXERCISES FOR ADVANCED SCHOLARS. 12. Moving the jaws vigorously, repeat oo-oi-ai-ou, oo-oi-ai-ou, etc. a. In uncultivated voices, the muscular effort of articulating the consonants closes the back of mouth and the throat, thus keeping the vowel sounds down. In stammering and stuttering, the chief trouble is the same; i.e. the articulation, so to speak, swallows the vowel. So practice words containing consonants and open or long vowels, keeping vowel sounds as near the lips and the throat as wide open as possible, with the lower jaw forward and the throat in the position of wailing. If the exercise tires the muscles on the outside of the throat, no matter. b. Repeat the words in § 11, using, at first, a separate action of the diaphragm with each consonant, and dwelling upon each very distinctly, thus: b-o-b, d-au-d. Also, *Also, kng in k(i)ng. maim nine mouthing A cultivated voice out of practice can be prepared for public speaking by a two days' repetition of the above exercises. c. Moving the lips and diaphragm vigorously, repeat with and short vowels Wee-weck-wick - wack-wock, or quee-queck-quick quack-quock. Learn to use the open vowels with consonants, and the short vowels will usually take care of themselves. d. Practice difficult combinations of consonants with and without vowels. (See § 6: IV.) Add also t or d and st to the first three columns of the following: 13. Pitch and Time. (§§ 35-96.) Practice with different degrees of loudness and kinds of stress, with long and short slides in slow and fast time, these inflections: In the following the small preliminary note, in connection with each inflection, represents a slight slide of the voice that occasionally, especially in connection with terminal or median stress (§ 15), precedes the real inflection. This makes the voice in the downward inflection, for instance, move thus, rather than. This preliminary movement of the voice is not represented in the marks used in this book, except in the case of the upward circumflex ~, in which, because it is exceptionally important, it is marked lest it should be overlooked. It's a glòrious, a splèndid project! It's abominable, Indéed, is it só? Did he say só, and to you? Oh, you meant no harm,— ôh, nô, yôu are pûre. d. Rising Circumflex. e. Practice the scale both up and down with a long median swell on each note. This exercise, especially with oo, will also cultivate pure quality. f. Sound alternately a high then a low ah, aw, or oh. Develop low tones by practicing a low g, d, or b consonant element, or low whispered u in up; high tones by using them. Never practice too high. g. Base or contralto voices should gain perfect command of musical notes between mid e and g. Tenors and sopranos between mid g and b. h. Read the following, beginning low, and gradually ascending the scale on each syllable, and ending with the rising inflection: Do you mean to tell me that you could have thought that I could go all around town and tell everybody that I happened to meet that I could believe such a mean story about you as that? i. Read the same, beginning high, and gradually descending to a falling inflection. Also, low. gradually, rising, high, lower, lower, low, (descend) down, (Descend) To the deep, (descend) dòwn, Through the shades of sleep; Through the cloudy strífe Of death and of life; Through the veil and the bár Of things that seem and áre; Even to the steps of the remotest thrône, down! down! Practice exercises in §§ 149-151; § 97; § 92: a, b, c. 14. Forcé. (§§ 99-115.) Practice explosively, expulsively and effusively,-i. e. with dif ferent degrees of abruptness and smoothness, both loud and softthe exercises in §§ 10-12. a. Also, with different degrees of loudness, then with abrupt explosive and expulsive force, at medium or low pitch FORWARD, FORWARD, FORWARD, etc. Read extracts in §§ 107, 110, 111, 114, 118, 149: b, d, and §§ 211, 213. b. For smooth force, make at medium pitch, long, swelling sounds of oo (§ 13: e), beginning and ending soft, with the middle loud. Read passages in §§ 112, 119, 120, and those marked for effusive utterance in §§ 221-225. 15. Stress. (§§ 99-105.) Lift the arms at full length above the head, and strike forward and down. When the hands reach the hip-level, stop them suddenly and utter ah. This, which need not be continued after one can give the proper sound, will cause Initial Stress >, with the beginning of tone louder (not necessarily very loud) than its continuation or end; made with explosive or expulsive utterance (§§ 8, 10). With the same movement (§ 15) begin a soft sound as the hands begin to descend, and end with an explosion as they stop. This will give Terminal Stress <, with the end of the sound loudest; made with expulsive or explosive utterance (§§ 8, 10). Median Stress <>, with the middle of the sound loudest; made with effusive or expulsive utterance (§§ 8, 10). Compound Stress ><. This begins and ends loud; a combination of Initial and Terminal Stress. Thorough Stress, loud throughout; a combination of Compound and Median Stress. Tremulous Stress ~~~, a trembling tone. a. Practice each kind of stress with ah, aw and oh; also With vehemence, > Understand distinctly, you all are fools. determination, < I am determined to abide and remain. enthusiasm, amazement, defiance, grief, m Let all the grandeur of the law be recalled. Ah, is such the law,- the nation's law? b. Practice the different examples in §§ 99-105. 16. Volume and Quality. The flexibility of the organs, which is the inevitable result of practicing the foregoing exercises, will sufficiently prepare one for the direct study of these elements as explained in §§ 121-137. |