Consonant cutoffs

One of the greatest things about words is consonants: we think of the voice mostly in terms of vowel resonance but, if you stop to notice, it is the pronunciation of the consonants, in other words, the cutoffs, that carry the main emotional thrust of the lyrics. Next time you hear someone sing, whether opera or cabaret, pay attention to that.

Next time you hear someone play an instrument note their cutoffs: the instrumental equivalent of them there consonants — all too often not given their due.