Posted by Andy on May 16, 2003 at 12:17:28:
In Reply to: Is it true ? posted by Bill on May 16, 2003 at 10:41:10:
Arnold Jacobs explained articulation and tongue placement in a very practical and easy to understand way. He said to use the various syllables, such as toe, too, and tah. However one says these syllables, which is different for everyone based on the structure of one's mouth, should approximate the the tongue placement during articulation. In other words, the tongue action during articulation should be very similar to the tongue action during diction in speech.
He also said that since the tongue is such a big muscle, and is not provided with very good sensory apparatus, it is difficult to control the placement based on feel. One should control the placement of the tongue in the mouth using the low vowels, oh, ooh, and ahh, without actually vocalizing. He recommended avoiding using eee or tee, since that caused the tongue to raise in the mouth, cutting off the air flow to the embrochure and thinning the tone quality.
Feel free to e-mail me privately if you have any questions about what I have written. Also, the book, Arnold Jacobs: Song and Wind would be very helpful for you to read.