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Almost done with volume 2 but my uvula won't rise.

Hello dear people at KTVA,

Lately I've been checking on every aspect of my singing cos I think I may be ready to move onto vol 3 but last week I realized my uvula doesn't rise. I thought it did. I can make it rise a lot but when not making a sound but it just won't rise when singing (checked with hand held mirror.) It only moves a tiny bit when I sing. What does move considerably are the fleshy parts on each side behind the uvula, making the back of my throat narrower as I go up in range. Also rises the fleshy part right behind the uvula at its same level (not at the sides but right behind the uvula.)

How can I make it rise? I pay a lot of attention to smiling when doing the mods to give my tone more brightness through the mask. Hightm told me once this helps raise the soft palate, too. What I'm not sure now is if he was referring to the soft palate in general or the uvula in particular. My soft palate does rise, as I describe, but not my uvula.

I think I'm ready to move onto vol 3. I have already prepared samples to send you so you tell me if I'm ready. Is the uvula not rising at all a problem to move on? I'll send the samples depending on your answer on this topic.

Thanks a lot!!

SEbastián

Comments

  • Hello dear people at KTVA,

    I repost this discussion cos I haven't received an answer yet after 3 days. You always answer much earlier than this so I think maybe for some reason, it did'n reach you. Sorry if it did:

    Lately I've been checking on every aspect of my singing cos I think I may be ready to move onto vol 3 but last week I realized my uvula doesn't rise. I thought it did. I can make it rise a lot but when not making a sound but it just won't rise when singing (checked with hand held mirror.) It only moves a tiny bit when I sing. What does move considerably are the fleshy parts on each side behind the uvula, making the back of my throat narrower as I go up in range. Also rises the fleshy part right behind the uvula at its same level (not at the sides but right behind the uvula.)

    How can I make it rise? I pay a lot of attention to smiling when doing the mods to give my tone more brightness through the mask. Hightm told me once this helps raise the soft palate, too. What I'm not sure now is if he was referring to the soft palate in general or the uvula in particular. My soft palate does rise, as I describe, but not my uvula.

    I think I'm ready to move onto vol 3. I have already prepared samples to send you so you tell me if I'm ready. Is the uvula not rising at all a problem to move on? I'll send the samples depending on your answer on this topic.

    Thanks a lot!!

    SEbastián
  • streeterstreeter Pro Posts: 679
    edited October 2015
    It's not a huge deal. The way i gained control of it was to get the feeling like i was taking a big bite out of a sandwich. Resonance does significantly increase in the upper range when it disappears but it's not a deal breaker.

    The Main things that need to be in place before moving onto Vol. 3 are Breath control, support, Vowel Mods, Ability to Pare down the sound, Cord Closure, Tone and Pitch. I also found some of the latter exercises in Vol.2 could only be achieved once I had a good grasp of Vol. 3.

    Best way to know if you're ready for Vol.3 is to post a few clips of LAH LAA and EE and we'll give you a fair assessment.

    Don't be scared to dip your toe into Vol.3 if you think you're ready though. Don't be discouraged if you can't hit the first Lah exercise out of the gate in Vol.3 either. The Top note is a full Voiced B4. Just Pare down the sound and slowly add weight to it as you progress through the weeks/months/years.
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    Great response, @streeter.

    @sebastiancelesner, I was waiting for a response from Ken before answering your question. I forwarded your question to him, just in case his opinion differed from mine. He's a bit super-busy right now, so he may not have a chance to get back to me on that one, but my own response is much the same as Streeter's.

    For one thing, the uvula is attached to the soft palate, so you are making room back there for resonance to happen if the soft palate is lifting as it should. The uvula is just an appendage of the soft palate, although as it rises, it can tend to help close off the passage into the nasopharynx. We're all just a little bit different in the amount that the uvula will retract, also, so don't worry about it. Just observe and take note. Watch, and over time, you may see it begin to retract a little more.

    As Streeter said, let us hear your demos, and we can advise you if there is any reason why you should remain in Volume Two. Streeter is also right on the money about the shock you could be in as you do the third track on Volume 3 and get to that B4 in full voice. You will realize very quickly that you have your work cut out for you, so there is no reason to get too focused on the uvula itself.

    Proceed with submitting your demo and let's go from there.

    All the Best!

    Bob
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