Herbert Witherspoon has laid out a wide-ranging list of VISIBLE faults which we can address in lessons and training the singer.
We work with what we HEAR and WHAT we SEE. That’s all we’ve got to go on.
I am replicating them in FULL from his book, Singing, published in 1925.
| Mouth too open |
| Trumpet lips |
| Throat swelling at base |
| Grinning smile |
| Throat enlarging and swollen veins |
| Trembling throat |
| Pushing down muscles under chin |
| Raised larynx |
| Palate pulled up and back, fauces widened |
| Wrinkled forehead |
| Wrinkled nose |
| Humped tongue |
| Tongue curled up away from lower teeth, sometimes almost closing the mouth aperture |
| Lowered larynx |
| Goiterous swelling |
| Falling ribs and chest on attack |
| Protruding abdomen |
| Poor standing position |
| Raising or hunching of shoulders |
| Too high or rigid chest |
| Too much drawing in of abdomen |
| Needless disturbance of the mouth |
| Non-active lips |
| Protruding jaw |
| Bowing the head for high notes |