Kingyo Obsession
[Performance Notes]
All notes are sung in a voiceless plosive consonant, also known as voiceless bilabial stop. A plosive consonant is produced by stopping the flow of air by tightly closing the lips, and suddenly releasing it with a simultaneous pop by opening the lips. To make relative pitch differences with the plosives, accompany each pop with a whisper pronouncing pā. Always keep lips moist.

Kingyo Obsession utilizes five pitches, each a whole step apart. For conventionality purposes, each note is assigned a pitch (e.g. C), but these are notated as a criterion for the performers.


[Lower registers]
To create an effective "pop" in the lower registers, close lips and tighten the modiolus on both the right and left sides of the mouth. Build air pressure inside the mouth, and forcefully "pop" downwards. Do not use the vocal chord, or make the air sound audible. Make sure there is enough moisture on the lips.


[Higher registers]
To create an effective "pop" in the higher registers, close lips and tighten the Orbicularis Oris muscles on all sides of the mouth. Build air pressure inside the mouth, and forcefully "pop" in the direction of both right and left. Inevitably, the mouth widens in a horizontal direction. Do not use the vocal chord, or make the air sound audible. Make sure there is enough moisture on the lips.
Demonstration of correct and incorrect "pop" by Larissa Irizarry (Sept. 2017)