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TVS Methodology involves a lot of focus on calibrating and tuning onsets and

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then putting those onsets on the move (for example, with sirens). This tends to
put both the singer and the voice teacher right in the face of any problems.
Training onsets and sirens like we do at TVS is like getting under the hood of a

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car and really examining the details of the problem. The wonderful insights
gained by training this way put me squarely in front of my student’s challenges.

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The term “onset” means “the beginning”. If the onset is like a serve in the

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sport of tennis or the pitch in the sport of baseball. In the sport of voice training,

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our “serve” or “pitch” is called the onset. Similar to a tennis “serve” and a
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baseball “pitch”, if the vocal onset is good, then the phonation or singing

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that follows will be good, but if the onset is bad, then the phonation or

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The TVS Onset package is a term that is used to describe the sum total of
technical components required at to ensure a high performance phonation for

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singing. When all the technical components at the onset have balance,
calibration and tuning, the “onset package” becomes a high performance
and favorable phonation suited for singing. Your onset in singing is the

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catalyst that determines the quality of the phonation that follows, whether
you are training vocalizes, or singing songs.

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Learning not only what the onsets are, but why we use each of them and how,

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is key to your success. The onsets are used for two primary purposes:

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Th ISOLATE INTRINSIC MUSCULATURE AND COORDINATED MOVEMENTS TO TRAIN COMMAND AND

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CONTROL OF THE PHYSICAL CONFIGURATIONS FOR SINGING.
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TROUBLE-SHOOT PROBLEMS WHEN YOU ARE TRAINING AND SINGING.

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The Onset Package & Technical Components

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Frequency
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ACOUSTIC COMPONENT

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(PITCH)

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Vocal Tract

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LOWERING THE LARYNX

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PHYSICAL COMPONENT
RAISING THE LARYNX

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NARROWING VOWELS

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Vocal Fold Compression d i
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PHYSICAL COMPONENT

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The Embouchure
DROP JAW

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PHYSICAL COMPONENT

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UPPER BITE / CANINES

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V LIPS

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TONGUE
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FORWARD / LEVERAGED

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Tune The Formant
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Auditory Imagery
FORMS OF FEAR

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FEAR OF SINGING IN FRONT OF OTHERS

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FEAR OF OTHER PEOPLE HEARING YOU PRACTICE

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OTHER FEARS…
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Two Categories of Onsets

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THE COORDINATION & TUNING GROUP

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A GROUP OF “PRECISION” ONSETS THAT FOCUS ON BUILDING MUSCLE MEMORY, COORDINATION,

ENGAGING RESPIRATION AND TUNING THE FORMANT (VOWELS).

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THE RESISTANCE TRAINING GROUP

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A GROUP OF “RESISTANCE” TRAINING, OR STRENGTH BUILDING ONSETS THAT FOCUS ON BUILDING

THE STRENGTH OF BELTING MUSCULATURE AND GENERAL INTRINSIC ANCHORING SUPPORT;

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CROCOARYTENOID (CT), ARYTENOIDS, VOCALIS, ADDUCTORS, AND OTHER MUSCULATURE.

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The TVS Specialized Onsets
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“Early Bridging” Onsets / “Top-Down” Onsets

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PULSE & RELEASE ONSET

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TRACK & RELEASE ONSET

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WIND & RELEASE ONSET

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V o MESSA DI VOCE ONSET

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“Late Bridging” Onsets / “Bottom-Up” Onsets

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*QUACK & RELEASE ONSET

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DAMPEN & RELEASE ONSET

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* = The Quack & Release onset could be classified into either group.

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