Musical personality in jazz – shaping your musical identity

There is an increasingly active conversation within jazz circuits about this crucial subject: “find your own voice, your own musical identity” and so on. There are one or more reasons for that, of course. Along with the technological evolution (internet, social media) and the rise in popularity of jazz educational institutions (conservatories, music schools, etc) that “produce” hundreds or thousands of new aspiring jazz musicians globally each year, one has much less chance to stand out and manage to have a particularly “big musical career” in today’s fast-growing international jazz industry.

Basically, the problem is that the “supply” of jazz musicians is much bigger than the actual “demand”. Jazz musicians, we all strive to get ourselves gigs, to establish our presence in the highly competitive jazz scene that bears no boundaries anymore, since the internet is a massive means for showcasing “promising talents, uprising stars”, you name it.

Don’t get me wrong, though. I myself use all these modern technological tools and resources to pitch my new albums, to brand myself, and to make my own musical statement. We all take advantage of the benefits of the internet and this is a blessing. The internet is an amazing tool, that connects us all under a huge “global jazz community” where we can share our music, get inspired by the works of others, exchange views and expand our network and creativity.

“…in order to stand out as a jazz musician, firstly you need to have something to say, and secondly, you need to have the musical personality to deliver your message in a way that will attract your potential audience.”

And now we come to the very point of this article: the musical personality of the jazz musician. It is today – more than ever – very obvious that in order to stand out as a jazz musician, firstly you need to have something to say, and secondly, you need to have the musical personality to deliver your message in a way that will attract your potential audience. By musical personality, I mean the style and the sound of the musician. The general term “style” comprises elements such as phrasing, articulation, timing, interpretation, range of dynamics, etc and the term “sound” is about the actual sound and nuances of our instrument and about the emotions that this unique sound evokes. (There may be a whole lot more features in these two very general terms but for the moment I’m only writing an article and not a master research analysis!)

Let’s consider that the first prerequisite is covered. The content is there: either it is original compositions or beautiful and interesting arrangements of standards, the jazz musician has something to say. The second part of the equation needs to be there too. And this is undoubtedly the musical personality. Think of the jazz masters, your favorite jazz musicians. I will give some examples by referring to my favorite jazz singers, in order to make it more specific and clear.

Take Ella Fitzgerald’s incomparable musical personality. Her amazing swing feel and time combined with her clear articulation and lyrical sound have offered humanity the utmost of listening pleasure. The tone of her voice is sensitive and elegant in ballads, dynamic and playful in medium and up-tempo songs. The range of her dynamics and her interpretation “palette” are huge and she conveys the song straight to the heart of the listener. Her musical personality is warm and playful and when we listen to her, the feeling we have is always joyful.

Another example of a unique musical personality is Billie Holiday. She had this “broken” sound in her voice and in her style of singing. She was “telling her story” in a fragile and almost talkative way and her own nuances were so characteristic, that there is no way that you will ever confuse her with another singer.

Betty Carter is one more example of a powerful musical personality. Her phrasing of the themes and her scatting was so adventurous, her timing so amazingly tight and her sound so profoundly present, that she was an exquisite leader and performer, an absolute joy and fun to watch and listen to her live performances!

Before you think that this article is only about female singers, I will write about one of my favorite male jazz voices, which is Chet Baker. Being an extremely talented trumpet player and a singer, he could touch the most sensitive string of your being, with the vulnerable tone of his voice and intimate interpretation. His often overly laid back phrasing, his soft and sometimes almost whispering sound caresses the ears. Chet’s incomparable vocal improvisation that was like an extension of his trumpet playing was literally jaw-dropping.

I would like to continue with the most innovative and artistic jazz personality of all times, Miles Davis but he should have a whole article (or one more book!) devoted to him. So I’d rather write a short note about Miles’ favorite singer, which was Shirley Horn. When I listen to her I want to sit comfortably on my sofa, relax, and reflect on my life. Her deep, mystical, and comforting sound, her unique story-telling phrasing with the long pauses that is incredibly “completed” by her own piano accompaniment, allows the listener to take it slowly and dive into the depths of the soul. Listening to Shirley Horn is a truly meditative experience. What an influential musical personality!

“A musical personality is just like a normal human personality. It does not develop overnight.”

After all the above, how can a young musician shape his/her musical identity, in order to grow into a prominent musical personality?

A musical personality is just like a normal human personality. It does not develop overnight. It takes quite a lot of years and it requires experiences, growth, cultivating the soul, studying, playing, listening to the jazz masters, transcribing, recording oneself during performances, recognizing and analyzing own inclinations and drawbacks, building self-consciousness, being critical about oneself without being judgemental.

If you are a jazz musician that goes through this very important and long procedure, keep in mind and ask yourself the following questions, from time to time:

• What are your strong points as a musician? Enhance them.

• What are your wick points? Work on them to improve yourself.

• What are your nuances, those subtle distinctions that differentiate you from other musicians?

• Which are your favorite songs/standards that you enjoy performing and why?

• Who are the jazz masters that you always go back to listen to again and again and why?

• What are the feelings that emerge in you, when you hear your favorite jazz players?

• What are the feelings that emerge in you, when you hear yourself playing?

“Get to know yourself and be honest. Become authentic and truthful.”

The answers to these questions change from year to year, while you are evolving musically in the jazz idiom. The answers that will prevail are the elements that will help you shape your musical identity. They are those specific features that together with your actual personality and character, will eventually form your musical personality. Embrace your personality traits, either they bear dark or bright overtones. Don’t try to imitate others. Of course, we copy the masters when we want to learn a new skill but once you have the skill nailed down, then you need to fit it on your own body and dress it in your own clothes. Get to know yourself and be honest. Become authentic and truthful. Then you will transform into a strong musical personality.

Use Your Voice As An Improvising Instrument

Jazz Singing is a priceless educational process, in which the singer is getting to know his/her voice, appreciates its multiple expressive potentials and learns to use it as an improvising instrument. Meanwhile, he/she discovers the magic of jazz music and enjoys the unique experience of artistic expression and freedom!

Mastering vocal technique and improvisation skills in Jazz Singing.

• Vocal technique: breath management and development of vocal tone, range and volume.

Management, support-control of breathing for singing – Development of vocal tone, range and volume – Mastering the use of the vocal colour palette by shaping the vocal tract – Control of dynamics and frequencies of the voice – Looking inside the larynx and getting to know the anatomy of the vocal instrument – Understanding the way that the voice “works” as part of the human body – Acquiring the method for “healthy” singing – Vocal coaching: the direct application of the technique onto the song, as far as sound, articulation, stylistic expression and homogeneity of the voice are concerned.

The mission is to accomplish a “powerful” vocal instrument (making the best of all its range, volume and tone), which will allow the singer to acquire all the musical, expressive and improvisational skills, in order to be able to perform with musicality, self-confidence, freedom and pure joy!
After all Jazz Singing means to be able to use your voice as an improvising instrument!

• Vocal Improvisation: mastering jazz phrasing and improvisation (scat singing).

Swing feel: analysis of the eight triplet feel. Total grasping of the terms “time” and groove – Understanding the form and absorbing the harmonic progression of the piece – Rhythmic phrasing & Syncopation management – Improvising the melody – Mastering the jazz language, vocabulary & vocal improvisation (scat singing). – Rhythmic & melodic fluency, richness and accuracy – Developing the vocalist’s personal jazz style, cultivating his/her creativity, imagination and reinforcing his/her self-confidence and freedom of expression – Obtaining the ability to improvise instantly on any given melody, over any harmonic progression or rhythmic context – Achieving to be in a creative interplay within the jazz combo.

The singer is getting familiar with the swing feel, learns how to manage legato and syncopation and starts to develop phrasing skills. He/she masters the jazz vocabulary and obtains his/her personal jazz articulation in vocal improvisation (scat singing). While cultivating the rhythmic variety and phrasal fluency, at the same time the singer reinforces his/her creativity, imagination and personal aesthetics, which will allow him/her to become self-confident and go deeper in any jazz style.

The final goal is to be able to improvise instantly within any given melody, over any harmonic progression or rhythmic context, to “fit in” the musical environment and to be in a constant “interplay” with the rest of the musicians.

Swing Feel And Syncopation

At the very beginning of one’s jazz studies, swing feel is the first and most basic thing, which the student comes in contact with.
The musician learns what the swing feel is, analyzing the triplet eighths, in order to understand the origin and the certain “feel” that the swing eighth notes have and begins to further deepen into the concepts of the terms “time” and groove.
He/she practices on the “swing reading” of a score since the rhythmic values acquire another dimension and require different articulation, compared to reading a score of classical music. And of course all the above are being practiced within the singing process, as the actual experience is the only way to fully grasp the certain sense that “swing feel” has and to achieve singing “in the swinging groove”.

In order to be solid into the groove, one has to become fully aware of syncopation, to have a clear sense of the downbeats and upbeats within the bars, in order to be able to accent the upbeats, exactly where they are placed within the pulse, given that in the triplet eighth feel (swing feel) the note falling on the downbeat (i.e. the tied first two eighth notes of the triplet) lasts twice as long (compared to the note falling on the upbeat) and has to be legato… whereas the upbeat (which is the third eighth note of the triplet) is shorter (as it lasts the 1/3 of the beat) yet emphasized.

It is very important to practice the swing feel using the metronome (which will initially click all the beats of the bar, so all the four quarter notes in a 4/4 measure), that will ensure a steady pulse (beat), called “time”, within which the singer will have to “lay” the swing eighths, knowing well that the downbeats must be legato and the upbeats accented.
Simple though this may sound in theory, it is quite difficult to achieve, when it comes to action. And it can get even harder if the metronome is set to tick only on beats 2 and 4 and when the text is getting more demanding, in case there is a more complicated rhythmic succession than just a simple series of eighth notes.

Therefore, when the singer starts phrasing, it is extremely important to accent the upbeats where they need to be emphasized (respecting the legato), so that there is no rhythmic “dirt” in the groove.
A continuous legato with too much laid-back feel, within which any attempt for accenting upbeats falls on the “cracks” of the groove, cannot certainly be considered as an interesting rhythmic phrasing!
Nor the interpretation of a jazz standard, as an exact “quote” of the original score (as if it was a classical piece) without any phrasing, swing feel and without taking into consideration the rules that syncopation imposes, can be regarded as jazz singing!
(At this point, you may be interested in reading the article “Jazz means improvisation”.)

It is also very common for a musician/vocalist to be rushing the groove (maybe because of his/her excessive zeal to continuously create motivations for syncopation, i.e. for accenting upbeats), by not playing the downbeats for as long as they should last, resulting in an un-grooving, stressful situation, that sounds like “hiccups” and bears no resemblance at all to the relaxed yet grooving sensation of swing feel.

There are many ways and number of exercises for practicing syncopation and swing feel. Just be patient and willing to deepen and study this seemingly very simple yet so essential first step in jazz music!
Because playing (especially swing, bebop or hard bop style) without swing feel, syncopation, jazz articulation and phrasing is rather a mockery than jazz playing at all.

Suggestion for studying – Exercises for syncopation from Ted Reed’s book “Syncopation for the modern drummer”.

Improvisation “From The Cradle”

It is a quite common belief, that improvising in jazz music is something that requires knowledge, maturity, experience, aesthetics, etc.
That’s the truth and this assumption is absolutely correct.
Nevertheless, I would like to get straight to the topic of this article and explain what I mean by the title “Improvisation from the cradle”.

According to modern pedagogical science, any field of knowledge is actually “owned” by someone (of any age) solely by the route of direct experience.
The theoretical training is certainly necessary, but never enough to fulfill or replace the actual experience.

Such is the case with improvisation in jazz music.
The student gets in touch (in theory first) with the various tools, rules, with the vocabulary (depending on the style of jazz he/she studies, per case) and so with these first supplies, he/she can start the magical journey into improvisation.

Of course, it would be absolutely desirable if literally from the cradle, children could get in touch with improvisation (starting from their early musical education), because they would manage to place the foundations of creativity, expressiveness, good taste, self-awareness and thus they would succeed a deeper contact with their inner self.

Accordingly, as one begins from an early age to experiment, to interact with the surrounding environment and to improvise of course – it is common knowledge that since children feel free in their play and in their song, they get to improvise constantly! –
in the same sense, anyone who wants to play jazz would benefit greatly if their attempts to improvise would be encouraged from the beginning of their studies.
Obviously, the first attempts would be unformed, non-artistic and without clear direction, but little by little, with the assistance of their studies, by having the ears wide open, by developing and deepening in the art and technique of improvisation, the results would undoubtedly be spectacular.

Improvisation in music (in any genre) presupposes the freedom of expression and the true will of the musician to tell his/her own story, a spontaneous and not premeditated story, which as the “plot” develops, this same story is opening new and unexpected perspectives on where it could be directed, each time.
Someone who wants to be a writer starts writing no matter how “unripe” his early writings may be. An apprentice painter is painting the first strokes, even though the technique of freehand drawing is not mastered yet.

Freedom of spirit, expressiveness, imagination and musicality are inherent elements.
If they are not suppressed and “injured” by social – psychological factors, then they represent the basic raw material of the musician.
This raw material, which in the meantime is being increasingly cultivated, will very soon meet the framework, within which it can be combined with the knowledge, technique and all the other “tools”, that the musician will be taught in the theoretical – academical level, in order to finally achieve the musical result, which will have artistic, aesthetic value and a reason of existence.

One more conclusion is emerging from the above thoughts and I’ll take the opportunity to place it here as it constitutes my strong personal belief.
Every form of art has two aspects, the technical and the artistic one. None of these two should take precedence over the other, though. Instead, they must work together harmoniously from the very beginning as a wholeness, because only then, the ultimate carrier (the musician, writer or the artist in general) will be balanced and only then the final product of his/her art will be profound, meaningful and will manage to reach the human soul as its grateful recipient.

Singing And Psychism

Singing is one of the most archetypal human forms of expression whether these might have been vocalizations and yodels or more sophisticated improvisations and melodies along with words. However in our modern culture, people, especially those living in big cities, scarcely use this means of expression in their everyday life. Modern lifestyle along with any type of complex or “blockage” it causes in the first place, also deprives the humans of this very important and inherent way of expressing emotions and balancing the psychism, which is the use of their singing voice.

I would like to deepen a little bit more on the subject of the human psyche by adding one more important factor that affects the formation of the personality and the psychological background of a person. It is the crucial environment to which a human relates… and of course, this is the family, most of the time. It is not within my field of knowledge so I will not extend to such an analysis of the sociological and psychological elements of modern life and human evolution. I just want to place some arguments about how significant the mood or psychism is for the singing process, whether it concerns the professional singer or the person that just wants to express himself/herself with authenticity and sincerity.

Psychism is inevitably connected to the singing process, in my opinion. For example, when one is aware of the deeper emotions and connected to them, then the sound of one’s singing voice can be calm and free. Then, singing has this effortless free-flowing energy and the voice fills the space. The listener subconsciously perceives this specific “quality”, feels the “balance” of the performer (regarding what kind of emotion he/she wants to express) and surrenders with pleasure in the listening experience.

On the contrary, when the emotional state of the singer is negative or when insecurity and lack of confidence are very present, all these are reflected in the sound, which becomes dull. The song is not delivered with the required energy and there is a feeling that the body is not responding to the process. The flow of the breath seems to “slack”… and along with it, the voice and its expressive power are diminished, too. The listener subconsciously realizes that something is not working properly, but usually cannot decode and interpret the cause of this discomfort.

The voice is produced in the body. Therefore, since any psychological condition directly affects the body, it is clear that it also influences the singing voice to a greater or lesser extent. I emphasize the words “to a greater or lesser extent” because the human mind has the ability to recognize, come to terms with and eventually suspend these psychosomatic symptoms that affect the function and performance of the voice (from the technical and interpretative point of view) during the singing process.

Therefore the unceasing quest for emotional awareness and mental balance on behalf of the singer is of great importance! The authentic and honest expression through singing is priceless. For that very reason, this specific “contact” with such an almost divine experience is pleasurably overwhelming for the singer who will convey it but also for the listener that will receive it.

The appropriate teacher

Exactly like any other field of knowledge, the quality of the music learning process depends largely on the role of the teacher. Elements such as stimuli, information, tips, the technique of the instrument, general musical knowledge, the cultivation of aesthetic criterion, the opening-up of the thirsty spirit and its redirection towards wealthier sources, the love and devotion to music, the call to the inner quest for self-knowledge and liberation along with the inspiration that the student seeks, are highly necessary for music guidance, which needs to be provided selflessly by the music teacher.

In jazz music, all the above become even more necessary and urgent since the personality, aesthetic and spiritual growth of each musician are catalytic elements for the value of his/her musical entity and artistic creation. Having thus identified the main features that the path to the music knowledge should contain and assessed the enormous contribution and importance of the teacher-mentor, let’s look at how can one find the “appropriate teacher”.

As we’ve said before… «In the beginning, there was sound» (go to the related article on sound), therefore the first thing we perceive when we hear a musical instrument, is always its sound. The dominant element that should lead the student towards the appropriate teacher is obviously the sound of the instrument of the particular teacher and in the case of jazz singing, it is the sound of his/her singing voice.

The first and quite infallible criterion is the identification of the student with the sound of his/her teacher. Out of pure instinct and without any musical knowledge or developed evaluative criteria, the learner is largely able to perceive the effortless sound in a voice. Learning to sing properly is a complex process that relies enormously on imitation. So it is very easy to realize how «vulnerable» the student can be regarding the information that his/her ear perceives. Therefore it is crucial that the teacher has an open, clear, flexible, and dynamic sound because it’s the only way to ensure that the auditory stimulus, which the student will be called to imitate, will technically be the most beneficial for his/her own vocal development and growth.

A second criterion, that the student should keep in mind in his/her search for a music tutor, is the training method and experience of the teacher, that he/she will eventually choose. It is particularly useful for the young singer’s evolution, to gain knowledge (technical, musical, etc) from a methodical teacher who has the indispensable inventiveness to transmit it in the most effective way. And of course,  it is essential for the student to be inspired by the teacher-mentor. Therefore it is highly necessary that the teacher can actually do (in practice) everything that he/she teaches in theory.
In plain words… it should not be acceptable to teach jazz vocal improvisation, scat singing, etc, without demonstrating all this information by improvising after all.

And the third and last criterion, which is directly connected to the previous one, is the presence of the teacher on stage – in this case, the jazz scene. Especially in jazz music, which is constantly evolving, the teacher should be active, playing this music, practicing, continuously evolving, in order to meet the constant demands and challenges, as a teacher and as a performer, too.

The role of the teacher is to guide the student towards the knowledge and skills that will help him/her develop into a complete musical personality with confidence, maturity and openness. To instill values, aesthetics and sincerity to the student, in order for him/her to become an authentic musician with self-awareness, who appreciates the virtues of other musicians (and his/her own, of course) and enjoys playing music with his/her colleagues.
Above all, what the teacher must transmit to the student, is the selfless love for music.

Jazz Means Improvisation

Throughout its recent history, evolution and contemporary route, jazz music has been identified with improvisation. One point in which jazz differentiates against other musical idioms (that also share the element of improvisation) is that improvisation in jazz is not a static “snapshot” nor is a purpose. We could say that improvisation is the very language of jazz.

The jazz musician deals with a musical piece, that constitutes the “medium”, which he/she uses as a motivation in order to express himself/herself, to expand his/her boundaries and imagination, to take risks, to be creative and of course to get into a musical conversation with the other musicians. One could compare this situation to the performance of a rope walker, who keeps his balance, has been practicing with discipline on the technique but is not able to predict what exactly is gonna happen on that rope, during the show!

The musical score (usually a jazz standard) is a kind of “canvas”, on which the musician will almost recompose its components (phrasing the theme, reviewing its harmony, improvising its melody, changing its time signature, etc), will interact with the rest of the group and will improvise, having mastered the piece’s form, while respecting its current arrangement, style and context.

As with every other instrument, the voice shares the same field of action. The jazz singer must always be alert, being able to rhythmically move with freedom within the form of a piece (phrasing the theme), changing-improvising the melody, having the ears wide open while keeping a constant conversation with the other musicians and improvise with imagination and inventiveness, taking the musical context and style of the piece, always into consideration.

In jazz singing, the voice is a musical instrument.
And in jazz music, the significance lies also on the “how”… not only on “what”.

Jazz is a common universal language, that throughout its history has proven its power to evolve, to bring musicians together (who have the unique ability to play and communicate musically, without even knowing each other beforehand!) and of course to unite cultures from every part of the planet, under the inspirational drive of continuous artistic creation.

Sound : Power And Homogeneity

The cornerstone, the center of gravity or however you call the mask in the process of singing, becomes immediately apparent how extremely important it is for the quality, power and homogeneity of sound.
The control of support in breathing (read more at the article about breathing), while the sound finds an “open space” within the oropharyngeal cavity (read more at the article about the mouth) and the targeting of the voice towards the resonator of the mask, show us the right direction for mastering homogeneity, volume and dynamics in our vocal instrument.

The activation of the mask while singing and the support of the diaphragm in order to hold back the breath, are the two main elements that a singer is first trained in and they are the ones that “collaborate” in order to achieve homogeneity and power (i.e. the ability to project the vocal sound) at a primary stage. Almost at the same time and as the connection and cooperation of these two is improving, there comes the mouth, playing a significant role too, with the contribution of the dome in the oropharyngeal cavity and of the good articulation, in order to integrate the best possible result in the sound production of the vocal instrument.

If the sound is not guided towards the mask, then the result is a voice that’s weak and blurred, has low frequencies mainly, it’s lacking in “presence” (power and projection) and is incapable of maintaining a steady, resonant and homogeneous sound throughout its range. An even worse consequence of the above is the gradual fatigue of the voice that results in hoarseness, pain and the development of callus or even polyp on the vocal cords.

It is essential that the singer understands how to project his/her sound onto the mask and learns to recognize when it is succeeded and when it’s not, in order to develop a strong personal criterion, which will protect him/her from the above-mentioned risks. I’d like to emphasize at this point, the enormous importance of complete understanding the sensation of the resonator of the mask, because it is very common for a singer to believe, that he/she has “enabled” the mask, just because he/she manages to produce a nasal sound. Unfortunately, things are not so simple.

The activated mask throughout the range of the voice ensures the homogeneity of the sound since the high notes are given strength and volume with the assistance of suitable air pressure through the support of diaphragmatic breathing. Similarly, the low notes maintain their presence,  while the mask “uplifts” and “cleanses” the frequencies, that have the tendency to weigh down.
Finally, when you join all three elements Support – Mouth – Mask, then the most open sound can be achieved, full of vibrating energy, volume and dynamics.

Sound: Articulation And Volume

One more factor that affects the quality of sound of a voice and the articulation is the mouth. The singer has to learn how to articulate properly and to be able to produce a homogeneous sound (read more at the article about the sound). This is a goal that can be succeeded with the collaboration of the three elements Breathing – Mouth – Mask.
On this occasion, the mouth is the main element for the attainment of good articulation, volume and homogeneity of sound, along with the contribution of the mask, which will be analyzed in the next article.

It is very important that the singer practices articulation in front of a mirror, where he/she will be able to observe and control the opening and shaping of his/her mouth accordingly. Vowels should be pronounced clearly, thus the mouth (along with the jaw, tongue and all the other muscles, “working” together) should be flexible, free and expressive. The next step for achieving the “clear” vowel and the “rounded” sound is the creation of the called “dome” in the oropharyngeal cavity. This can be achieved by understanding the sensation of lifting the soft palate, therefore watching the uvula going up. This dome constitutes an opening, an expansion of the space inside the oropharyngeal cavity and it is the factor that gives “volume” and enriches the voice with harmonic frequencies.

All the above, with the simultaneous operation of the support of diaphragmatic breathing (read more at the article about breathing) and the targeting of the sound towards the mask (for which there will be an extended analysis at the next article), show us the right direction for mastering homogeneity, volume and dynamics in our vocal instrument.

Sound: Control of diaphragmatic breathing

The first and most important chapter, regarding the “opening” of the sound of the voice, is breathing. The great importance of breathing in singing, as in any other wind instrument, is absolutely understandable. It is even more important though, to realize the great value of diaphragmatic breathing in comparison to the “short” (shallow) breathing.

Diaphragmatic (deep) breathing is a natural process of the human body and its indisputable benefits can be found in any research on the subject. Despite all that, people rarely use it in their daily life, except for some cases such as during their sleep, when the body is totally relaxed. Most people adopt a “short” and shallow respiration, which does not oxygenate their body efficiently and it is not helpful during the singing procedure.

“Waking up” our natural deep (diaphragmatic) breathing is a necessary condition, in order to relax our body and understand the meaning of the terms support and control of breathing while singing. The activation of diaphragmatic breathing can be perceived through exercises, that are essential for practicing and mastering support and control of the “air pressure” required for singing.

What’s most important to keep in mind is that the air inhaled in order to sing is not different in quantity from the air we need for our natural respiration. The inhalation of a larger amount of air may have opposite results and negative consequences, regarding the natural function of breathing while singing and the procedure of support and controlling the airflow.

So it’s quite obvious that breathing-supporting is one of the three elements that constantly interact with each other, in order to achieve the most “open” and free vocal sound:

Support – mouth – mask = control – articulation – power
The three elements for mastering vocal technique.