Performance Craft and Instrumental/Vocal Technique
What you must understand
Technique is the physical foundation that lets musical intent reach an audience reliably. For instrumentalists this includes posture and balance, embouchure or bow-arm mechanics, hand and finger independence, articulation, breath support, and dynamic control across the full range. Vocalists need to understand supported breathing (diaphragmatic/intercostal), laryngeal stability, resonance and placement, vowel modification, and registration (chest, mixed, head voice). Across both, expect questions on tone production, intonation, flexibility, stamina, and warm-up/warm-down routines.
Traps in questions
- Confusing loudness with support: shouting or forcing is not projection; questions often reward the option that describes efficient breath and resonance.
- Mixing articulation (how a note begins and ends) with phrasing (the musical shape of a line).
- Assuming tension is strength: correct answers usually favour release of unnecessary tension.
- Ignoring context: a technique ideal for a classical aria may be wrong for a rock set. Read the style stated in the stem.
Rule of thumb
Use the cause-and-effect test: if an answer names a symptom (thin tone, flat pitch, cracked note), ask what physical cause the stem implies, then choose the option that fixes that cause without adding tension.
Worked example
A question states a singer loses pitch accuracy on the highest phrase and the tone becomes shouted. The best answer is not "sing louder" or "push more air"; it is to reduce excess subglottal pressure, maintain support, and modify the vowel toward a more open, resonant shape while keeping the larynx stable.
Exam craft
Practise describing your own technique in precise vocabulary; written responses that name specific body parts and actions score better than vague praise like "good breathing".