Atton Rand & miscellaneous names (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
suitably_heroic) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2024-03-06 08:58 am
suitably_heroic) wrote in fandomhigh2024-03-06 08:58 am
Entry tags:
Music, Wednesday
Atton had somehow found himself a small stool, and he was sitting on it in front of the class. This was his topic, so he figured he’d take a little of the pressure off of Lana. For now, anyway.
“Singing,” he said, “Tends to be something people think they either have a talent for, or they don’t. That’s poodoo. Even I’ve had to grudgingly admit that technique and soft squishy ‘reach within yourself’ kind of crap has got something to do with doing it well.”
He tapped his chair with both hands. “Now there’s not just one way to sing,” he said. “Most music genres, in fact, have their own quirks, whether we’re talking about loud, dramatic operatic singing, loud, dramatic metal grunting, or… well, all of the soft stuff in between. We don’t have the time to focus on teaching you the intricacies of any of them, but we do have the time to get you started on the basics. Which mostly means breathing.”
He pushed up out of his chair. “Breathing and singing are linked. I mean, the noise we make when we open our mouths is basically our body manipulating our breath on the way out, right? When we sing, we mostly use our diaphragm, a muscle right underneath our lungs.” He patted it over his chest. “It, not our lungs, is really the key to breath control,” he said. “As I understand it, anyway.”
He glanced at the class.
“I want you all to stand up and put your hands right here.” He patted his chest again. “Then, without squaring your shoulders or making a big deal about it, inhale. Let your breath move that part of your chest, and nothing else.”
A breath.
“...and release,” he said. “There. Now you know the basic, very first, for-beginners breathing technique for singing. We’re going to practice a few more today.” Beat. “And then? You’re all doing karaoke.”
He looked towards Lana. “Including you.”
Lana raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't argue. "Whether any of us can carry a tune is apparently a question for another day." She didn't think she was terrible, but she wouldn't be quitting her day job. "If you've ever done meditation," she told the class, "the breath is a similar technique. The idea is that you want it to expand your diaphragm, which fills more of your lungs than just the top, which is what happens when you breathe shallowly."
She demonstrated that, too. "So, as Atton said, keep your attention here," she gestured, "and breathe deeply."
And hope you could remember the tune to something Earthly in your vocal range.
“Singing,” he said, “Tends to be something people think they either have a talent for, or they don’t. That’s poodoo. Even I’ve had to grudgingly admit that technique and soft squishy ‘reach within yourself’ kind of crap has got something to do with doing it well.”
He tapped his chair with both hands. “Now there’s not just one way to sing,” he said. “Most music genres, in fact, have their own quirks, whether we’re talking about loud, dramatic operatic singing, loud, dramatic metal grunting, or… well, all of the soft stuff in between. We don’t have the time to focus on teaching you the intricacies of any of them, but we do have the time to get you started on the basics. Which mostly means breathing.”
He pushed up out of his chair. “Breathing and singing are linked. I mean, the noise we make when we open our mouths is basically our body manipulating our breath on the way out, right? When we sing, we mostly use our diaphragm, a muscle right underneath our lungs.” He patted it over his chest. “It, not our lungs, is really the key to breath control,” he said. “As I understand it, anyway.”
He glanced at the class.
“I want you all to stand up and put your hands right here.” He patted his chest again. “Then, without squaring your shoulders or making a big deal about it, inhale. Let your breath move that part of your chest, and nothing else.”
A breath.
“...and release,” he said. “There. Now you know the basic, very first, for-beginners breathing technique for singing. We’re going to practice a few more today.” Beat. “And then? You’re all doing karaoke.”
He looked towards Lana. “Including you.”
Lana raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't argue. "Whether any of us can carry a tune is apparently a question for another day." She didn't think she was terrible, but she wouldn't be quitting her day job. "If you've ever done meditation," she told the class, "the breath is a similar technique. The idea is that you want it to expand your diaphragm, which fills more of your lungs than just the top, which is what happens when you breathe shallowly."
She demonstrated that, too. "So, as Atton said, keep your attention here," she gestured, "and breathe deeply."
And hope you could remember the tune to something Earthly in your vocal range.