1. Gentle Force.—Chant and read sentences, as under "Pitch," with the gentlest force you can, and yet make it so as to seem to be clear and distinct. Do this on every pitch you can, high or low.
2. Moderate Force.—Read and chant as above on the middle and higher tones, with about the force of earnest conversation.
3. Loud Force.—Read and chant as above, using only the middle and lower tones of the voice, making the loudest tones you can, without straining the throat. Force of voice depends on the management of the muscles below the lungs; and you should have perfect freedom from all effort on the part of lungs, throat, or mouth, on any pitch, high, middle, or low. If any effort is perceptible to you, it will be a feeling of strength and power at the waist; and experience and practice must teach you how much or how little effort to make at that point. The loudest force, and at the same time the purest quality, is secured when it seems to make itself without the slightest feeling of effort on your part.
STRESS.
Stress is the manner of applying force to a word or accented syllable. Prof. L. B. Monroe, in his book on vocal culture, enumerates six kinds. The marks he uses to represent them exhibit clearly to the eye what the voice is required to do. With radical, terminal, and compound stress, after facility is gained by use of stroke from the shoulder, omit it, and do them forcibly without movement of any part of the body.
1. Radical Stress.—So called, because the stress is on the beginning of the word, and marked thus (>). Assume standing position with active chest, and take breath; touch the fingers to the shoulder, and strike forward and downward, stopping the hands half way, and clinching the fist very tightly; at the moment of stopping, speak the vowel "ah" very shortly. You will notice that the voice issues full, and seems to suddenly vanish in a manner well indicated by the mark above. Use any vowels, long or short, with middle pitch of voice. Practise afterward without any movement of the arms.
2. Median Stress.—So called, because the force is on the middle of the word, marked thus (<>). It is the same as swelling tone, but is much shorter. Practise with long vowels on middle tones of voice, making three short swells on the same vowel in one breath.
3. Terminal Stress.—So called, because the force is on the end of the word, and marked thus (<). Use the same movement as in radical stress; begin the sound softly when the hand leaves the shoulder, stopping it suddenly as the hands clinch. The voice seems to be jerked out. Practise also without arm-movements, using the same vowels as in radical stress.
4. Thorough Stress.—So called, because the force is loud from beginning to end, and marked thus (=). Prolong about ten seconds long vowels, with a loud full voice on middle pitch.
5. Compound Stress.—So called, because it is a union of radical and terminal stress, and marked (><). The force is on both beginning and end of the word, and may be made by striking twice in succession, continuing the voice from radical to terminal without pause of voice between the strokes.