Acoustic feedback

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Daniel Perret on November 3, 2008 at 6:56pm

Hello Marco,

Good question. You are talking about the specific quality of 'space' needed, which brings also expansion of the mind and our whole being. Space is the closest of the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, space) to, what we could call soul. But also the divine, the Tao, or the Buddhist 'emptiness'. I feel the same as you when using my flutes. They need space. I am not shure wether it is necessary to join the feeling of space (eyes closed e.g.) to have to match the material surrounding (your cellar). This leads to an unnecessary confusion as that type of feeling of 'space' is a quality independent of the physical reality, which anyhow is only a small bit of reality, as we are told or know. I can though play my flute or sing in a small space and hold on to generate the feeling, say of space or luminosity, even if the accoustic circumstances dont reflect it like in a big space. It is a bit more 'difficult' but ultimately shows the essence of the feeling you try to express. Is that of any help ? That's how I feel about it right now. Greetings from Dordogne from Daniel Perret

Permalink Reply by Marco Tonini on November 4, 2008 at 10:09am

Hi Daniel,
I know a lot of psycho-therapists that conduct workshop saying people to sing with low intensity; sorry, but this way is very useless and without sense. Our psychophysic condition is fixed by a lot of external input that are codified by our senses.
So I can't sing my overtones using a low voice intensity, I must hear my sounds by my outer ears, not using only the inner ear.
When I explain to students the High Singing Formant, or the Formantic Theory, I use visual and acoustic feedback; thanks to power spectrum the singer hear its voice, its overtones, looking at its voice and its overtones, so he can obtain a better control. The inner acoustic sensation (the inner ear) alone is inadequate and useless.
If I sing in an open space, probably I loose my feedback and I can't obtain any acoustic sensations, I can only say "This is a wonderful place!"
Once I conduct the choir of the opera theatre of my town for a publi exibition in a open place. It was terrible, they were 70 chorists with amplified voice, but they couldn't hear themselves, so they sang well but without soul.

Permalink Reply by Daniel Perret on November 4, 2008 at 10:21am

Hello again Marco,
I know what you mean of course. Its two different aspects. You are talking about a technical aspect : nothing is like singing in a beautiful and acousticly satisfying space. I was hoping to contribute to your question by stressing that we are talking about two different aspects, two 'levels' of experience. I was talking about a feeling level, an inner level, to feel 'your soul' as you put it. And this can be done regardless of the 'outer' physical aspect, if necessary. So, maybe my answer does not hit what you were looking for. I'll be reading with interest if someone else comes up with some thoughts. sincerely, Daniel