If you want to learn to sing,
learn to breathe below the neck;
let the air fill your belly,
do not tense the throat and chest.
When you let loose the sound,
if it buzzes only in your head
it will sound small and strained;
if you do not feel the vibrations
through your toes, it is not singing.
Before you exhale through your open mouth,
remember, once your jaw is dropped
your Eustachian tubes will crimp;
so be sure to listen long and hard
first – do not rush into the first note.
Leave aside your theatrics and gesticulations!
There is time later for that circus.
To sing is not to entertain, but to fill.
Believe in the song, do not choose lightly;
for singing is sustained speech,
and the overtones will echo long after
you pause for breath.
Do not try to own the song;
just let it carry you.
Do not try to add anything
just try not to take too much away.
Now: inhale deeply and begin.
31 MAR 2013
