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- Herausgeber: Mauro Banfi
- Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
- Sprache: Englisch
A book dedicated to students and professional singers interested in a funcional perspective of the daily practice of singing.
It rediscovers the often forgotten micro mobilities of the body, which are very useful for artists, by not considering posture as a static concept.
It is not a manual of vocal technique but it is a text aimed at improving the “body posture for a good voice “.
It’s dedicated to teachers and students who want to explore these topics with particular attention to the most frequent problems occurring to singers.
It also proposes exercises and pratical prevention in support of the artistic training.
Mauro Banfi, Osteopath and Physioterapist is specialised on the treatement of performing artists. His approach rapresents the updated result of practical experimentation, workshops, masterclasses for choirs , vocal groups , music schools and conservatories in over twenty years of experience.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015
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Mauro Banfi
Singing and posture, postural and osteopathic principles for singers
Author Mauro Banfi - self published 2015, all right reserved
Designs and pics Mauro Banfi
From the italian "Canto e postura, principi posturali ed osteopatici al servizio del cantante"
Author Mauro Banfi
first edition La Serenissima isbn 8875260400, 9788875260408second edition 2010 self publishedfirst ebook edition isbn 9788868850746Copy editor: Julia Challinor
Unauthorized reproduction,copying, distribution or any other use of the whole or any part of this documentation is strictly prohibited
Table of contents
Introduction
Posture and singers
The postural influence
A few words of physiology
The unexpected, the traumatism
The evolution of our posture
Recurring issues for a singer
Emotion, posture, singing skill
The toraco - diaphragmatic activity
Connections with the postural system
Links with the visceral system
The mysterious diaphragm
Hiatal hernia
The masticatory system
Resonators
The benefits of exercising
Relaxing the masticatory muscles
Perceiving the sutures
The gravity line
The bellows
The support system
The vibratory system
The visceral compartment
Weightless experience
When to contact an osteopathe?
Conclusion
Bibliography
Introduction
The interest in postural problems is growing in every field, given by the fact that the inability created by these pathologies causes considerable disruption to the patients’ work activities, it affects lifestyles and performances.
Recent studies conducted in the U.S., estimate that the social cost for dealing with postural disorders exceeds 100 billion dollars per year. Two-thirds of these costs are indirect, due to the reduced productivity of the patient. More precisely, because of indirect costs these subjects are obliged to make changes in their lifestyle and modify their work activities, sometimes even interrupting them.
In Europe, a French study of 2006, highlights the need for a legislative change in the field of labour law directed to these individuals that represent a substantial cost to the state; they are often eager to return to work but are not able to continue doing it, finally they lose their jobs and become ill with other disorders, both physical and psychological (especially depression).
Other researches, still in the field of occupational medicine, consider postural pathologies among the first causes of absence from work and its failure to yield. In other words, the social cost of postural pathologies seems to be very high, affecting, with serious repercussions, the patients’ quality of life, often forcing them to change the type of employment with its relative difficulties.
While it is clear that an activity that requires moving and shifting of heavy loads and repetition of gestures for several hours a day is arduous and demands a remarkable postural effort, it is less obvious though, the component of postural overload undergone by the human body during singing.
Having to deal with patients who performed lyric singing at a professional level, I have found in these a typical symptomatology, the presence of recurrent muscular rigidity and some recurring features in the postural pattern.
The singer’s postural health is an essential factor to perform properly in his profession. Even in the absence of symptoms, leading opera singers, in order to practice their profession, must be in optimal postural conditions and, as we shall see in a later chapter, must withstand very particular and specific structural stresses.
The analysis proposed in this book specifically refers to the postural component in singing, it does not offer an in-depth description of the vocal system at a level of vocal cords and larynx, which is of exclusive competence of phoniatric-speech therapy, nor it analyses the issue of dysfunctions of this apparatus.
The subject of the analysis presented here is the singer without phoniatric pathologies, but with actual postural problems (pain, tension, structure asymmetries) that adversely affect and perturb their profession. The main and immediate goal is to prevent postural problems.
In most cases, singers consider good posture as an important basis to reach the right timber.
Although during their artistic training singers are followed by good masters in vocal techniques, the masters’ knowledge of muscular and postural elements is often lacking and based on knowledge passed on by metaphors. On the one hand, this type of learning makes it easier to comprehend complex concepts, but sometimes it becomes misleading since basic concepts can be neglected.
To better understand the factors involved, the postural and respiratory systems used during the act of singing have been analytically examined. These systems’ connection with the sub-diaphragmatic visceral organs has been deepened to better comprehend the phenomenon of certain types of hiatal hernias, which are frequent in these artists.
From this starting point, I propose a personal experiential path to gradually recover the correct perception of a postural pattern.
The use of this text should not be considered to be a panacea to a singer’s physical issues. It does not have a clinical or therapeutic purpose, but rather it should serve as an addition to the personal knowledge of each individual reader. The reader will be able to treasure the exercises to improve posture and professional success, whether or not they are in agreement with the overall vision.
Teachers of vocal technique are recommended to read this text to complement their knowledge of notions of costal and diaphragmatic anatomy and biomechanics. The proposed techniques in the practical part are of osteopathic origin and incorporate concepts of postural re-education and manual therapy. These techniques are considered regularly in theoretical-practical workshops specifically organized for schools and conservatories or directly for interested artists. Singers of various nations, ethnicities, schools and languages sing distinctly and with various typical postures. The techniques suggested here fit individual problems; therefore, they represent an ever-changing growth that is enriched by the honest sharing of criticism, impressions, or tips from those who practice and read. With this purpose, thinking of the reader as part of a larger artistic and postural laboratory, I invite you all to make comments and open discussion on the following website. All messages will certainly be taken into account and will serve as a strong incentive to improve the method.
www.atelierposturale.com
For any request of information about the coaching or planning of courses, master-classes in your school, conservatory etc please contact [email protected]
Posture and singers
When a singer is subjected to a postural analysis and related treatment, the first step is to investigate the main body system tensions that underlie the problems. These tensions don’t necessarily correspond with the point at which a symptom has developed. So, the therapist’s task (in this case, the osteopath) is to follow the trail of the postural malfunction and determine which of the many possible factors may be the primary or contributing cause of the symptoms.
Therefore, it is essential to consider each singer as a single subject with specific problems that need to be individually assessed and avoid the use of easy miraculous strategies.
In addition to an observational approach and customized analysis, it is important to include the daily maintenance of the singer’s physical well-being, postural balance and muscular and mental elasticity. It is not a good idea to wait until a symptom appears to start taking care of oneself. We cannot link all a singer’s issues to the biomechanical system. The influence of emotions on an artist is an important factor; it plays a role in the origins of their learning difficulties and management of the art of singing.
This "general maintenance" has to be handled by the artist with humility, and by stripping him or herself of preconceptions. The singer who wants to go down this path will incorporate the exercises that he or she perceives as the most useful, starting necessarily from the body without ruling out complementary techniques.
What is posture?
The ancient Greeks already knew about the concept of posture. However, the study of posture dates back to 1837 with the early work of Charles Bell. Bell investigated a human being’s ability to remain standing despite destabilizing input in a philosophical rather than clinical way. Bell stated, "How does a man maintain an inclined posture, standing or facing the wind that is blowing against him? It is clear that he owns a sense through which he understands the inclination of his body and possesses the ability to correct the role of the limbs in relation to the gravity line.”
These were the first approaches to a definition of posture. Romberg later focused his studies on the role of eyesight and the foot’s ability to sense. The first studies of the vestibule date back to Flourens (1794-1867). In 1845, Longet defined the importance of the paraspinal muscles as postural sensors. Later, in 1911, De Cion furthered Longet’s studies on ocular-motricity function. These scientists and researchers were pioneers in the field of posture and posturology as a science that studies postural reflexes and their use for the purpose of rebalancing. To simplify, you could say that mankind has always been fascinated by the behaviour of a human body and how it moves and acts in the environment.
Thinking about it, it’s fascinating how man can keep control of his position either standing or moving. Under variable conditions, we stand on our feet, uphill or downhill; we oppose the rocking of a ship and move on rough terrain. The mechanism of control has always been seen as a sort of box in which stimuli arrive, are mysteriously processed and through an equally mysterious natural mechanism, answers are then produced to keep us standing. If this hasn’t already aroused surprise, you should consider that everything happens in perfect automatism allowing us to stand up straight and move while performing other actions like speaking, reading, or singing.
If we look closely at our upright position, maybe helping ourselves with a mirror, we can see that this is not synonymous with fixity. Standing upright includes a slow, small and constant oscillation, and above all, a kind of fingerprint of the posture system that is typical for each of us.
Until 1953, it wasn’t possible to assess and record the oscillatory phenomena of the body while standing. At that time, the first stabilographic platform (a platform that measures the movement of the centre of gravity) was invented by a Frenchman, Ranquet. As a result of this invention, and thanks to the evolution of current technology by Gagey and Bizzo, a more objective interpretation of the posturometric data extrapolated from the computerized platforms was devised in 1986 and is defined in the rules of the Association Francaise de Posturologie and of the International Society for Postural and Gait Research.
Posturology is born
Posturology is the science that studies human beings’ balance under specific conditions while standing in a neutral position in a state of physiology. It is based on the concept that the Fine Postural Control System (the black box that for the pioneers of this science was nothing more than an idea or an intuition) is actually at the basis of monitoring and maintaining balance while standing on two feet.
The structures that affect the Fine Postural Control System are represented by sensory receptors in two categories: endo- and exo-receptors.
The exo-receptors transmit information from the external environment to the central control system. The most important exo-receptors are: the retina, the inner ear and the feet.
The endo-receptors inform the Fine Postural Control System about changes within the body. They inform the system about joint positions, muscle contractions and ligament tensions. Consequently, endo-receptors notify the Fine Postural Control System about the proper position of the receptors of the ear and retina in relation to the activity of the podalic receptors (the position of the bipupillar axis in respect to the right weight load on the feet) and detect if 50 per cent of the body’s weight is on each foot.
There are also specific receptors for vibration and these are the basis of the autogenous perception of a singing voice, regardless of the vibration that is perceived through the eardrum. The vibrations that are produced and make the bones and air cavities vibrate in a singer’s body form a sort of sound image thanks to the central nervous system. The body’s vibration is perceptible even with plugged ears and can be heavily influenced by muscle tension; vibration represents a complementary reference image to the quality of speech control. For this reason, the postural and resonant systems should be fairly mobile and free of any biomechanical limitations.
Postural control at a central level is carried out by control of the cerebellum and the subcortical nucleus; that is, in the unconscious parts of the brain, which are autonomous areas that regulate postural normality thanks to changes in the activities of postural muscles.
But, how does the body cope with this work for so long during the day? The postural muscles have special fibres, so-called red fibres, which can make slow contractions that are resistant to strain and consume little energy since they have an aerobic metabolism.
In addition to this metabolic strategy, there is another factor that allows the red fibres not to tire. Postural muscles are not a single entity; in fact, their function is organized in chains, which allow for a synergistic control of posture in a static upright position without straining individual muscles. This also ensures a minimal and physiological oscillation of the body that is typical in the neutral standing position.
The action of physiological oscillation, if more or less flawed in these muscle groups, leads to possible disturbances and postural problems.
Characteristics of posture
The use of the body is subject to a supporting static component. This is the component linked to the bone and muscle architecture that acts as a load-bearing pillar. It has a vertical plumb axis and is uniquely regulated in each person. The static component possesses its own peculiarity in relation to the performed art. The action creates a body morphology that represents our “pattern of motion”.
Another feature of posture is the predisposition to act. A body that is going to perform an action positions itself in a specific posture and pre-activates a whole series of muscles that will be subsequently used for the dynamic action. Being able to reach the correct starting posture for a dynamic action, like a runner who is about to begin his race, means putting the body in a position to carry out the artistic gesture in an optimal way. In cases of impediment, the body system must compensate for this deficit by using more muscle energy, which consequently distracts from an optimal performance.
Posture is normally used to communicate what our body and mind have gone through or are currently experiencing, either voluntarily or involuntarily. Attitudes of aggression or fear are roughly recognizable even on a body that is simply walking or standing in a neutral position.
When communication is voluntary (theatre, comedy of craft, dance), it may be subject to specific codes of movement that lead to a universal recognition of moods and psychological characteristics.
Even the psyche shapes the body. Repeated behaviours, stereotypes, postural bad habits or tricks can often hide situations of intimate discomfort that are then masked or transformed into gestures of closure or (vice versa) ostentatious confidence and morphologically aggressive postures.
Work shapes the body and the body becomes functional because of it. Every artistic activity that is prolonged for years affects the form, power and reactivity of the body system. The body adapts, trying to achieve the given task in the best possible way. It tries to reduce the gesture’s imperfections, making it less challenging and more efficient. However, we are not made to overdo the work.
The prolonged use of a singer’s body over years will result in far-from-correct physiology (characterized by a proper education), thus developing more and more instinctive artistic gestures. Just as the body being subjected to important strains when playing a sport at a competitive level, in the world of professional singers, artists can suffer from important workouts both in their micro systems (vocal chords) and support systems (muscles and supporting structures). Accuracy and gradual training are paramount. The choice of moving away from this rule is quite risky and often leads to serious problems.
What is the correct posture?
The structures and neuromuscular activities that control the posture of the human body make it essential to have a definition of normal posture.
Among various authors, one of the most important academics of posture, P.M. Gagey, offers a definition that directs attention to the quality of postural control and body symmetry.
Gagey’s definition of “normal” is a subject who has a body axis of gravity that passes through the following points on the sagittal plane:
top of the head first cervical vertebra, apex of the lumbar curve (L3) centre of gravity that is projected to the ground equidistant from the two feet.In the frontal plane, the following body lines should be horizontal:
bipupillar line axis between the lower corners of the ear horizontal line between nipples line between both wrists shoulder girdlepelvic girdleAlso, there must not be reciprocal twists of the scapular and pelvic girdle in the horizontal plane.
This definition has been taken from a reliable study made on thousands of people. Gagey and his collaborators consider the absence of abnormalities of the these areas as a factor that preserves the joint loads and muscle tension of the postural chains, not causing excessive stress and therefore, not creating pain or overloading pathologies. In addition, Gagey points out that only 10% of the population is considered “posturally normal”, because, in almost the totality of these subjects, morphological and postural abnormalities are present.
Other authors analyse posture in these terms considering asymmetries and torsions in the spine and girdle as components that undergo external stress and at the same time are capable of disrupting the postural system.
Normal posture in joung subject.
perturbations of this system can be caused by external or internal stress and strains, frequently related to the quality of movement we do, to the peculiarity of our job and the positioning we assume, all factors that after a long time modify our body.
We must blame ourselves when we throw our body in positions that seam to be relaxing but in reality keep us in a sort o postural numbness. On the other hand too frequently we assume acrobatic postures working on our pc or studying at the desk for many many hours a day. But a factor is out of our control, the force of gravity.
