The Singers Thread

[Varnafindë]

Originally Posted by Voronwen

You seem to be one of these people who just lives, breathes, and does EVERYTHING music.

That's the impression I get as well.

I'm getting a small charity benefit together at my church. I have a pianist and a mezzo who want to work with me so far, but am hoping to get a few more classical singers and instrumentalists involved as well.

That sounds like a good project for you!

[Tessar]

Originally Posted by Voronwen

Wow! As usual, Tessar, i can't keep up with you. You seem to be one of these people who just lives, breathes, and does EVERYTHING music. For that reason you'll be just perfect for the career.

I almost can't keep up with myself, unfortunately! Over the last 6 months I have made so many changes to my voice, and particularly in the last six weeks or so, that sometimes I can't juggle everything and it all falls apart.

My teacher told me the other day that she's astounded by how quickly I'm making progress, but it's obvious that it's all happening too quickly for me to actually pull it all together. Every once in a while I'll be singing fine, and then suddenly it will all just come out as a mess for a little while till things click back into place. My brain can't keep track of everything right now, and it's not all habit yet... but it will get there . Even when it falls apart it's still better than my good days used to be, so that's a huge blessing .

So, tonight.... I was practicing, and I totally did these amazing D4's . I did an arpeggio up at maybe a piano/mf, then pulled it back to piano/pp, and then let it crescendo out to full volume, then brought it back to an (unfortunately shaky) pianissimo. The good news is that the tone coloring is staying consistent from the pp through to the ff, but I still can't do a Messa de Voce properly. The beginning pp is fine, but coming off of that ff back to the pp isn't something I can do yet. I'll keep working on it.

What I'm totally loving to death about the high palate is that now I can begin in my high register softly... I did a couple of the D4's without an arpeggio up to them, and while they weren't completely solid, I didn't totally lose my placement, and they sounded okay.

I'm getting a small charity benefit together at my church. I have a pianist and a mezzo who want to work with me so far, but am hoping to get a few more classical singers and instrumentalists involved as well. I'm looking at late spring. Practice has been very good for me on so many levels.

Now i just need to decide on exactly what i will be singing. So many arias, so little time...

QUANDO ME'EN VO!!!!!!!

*cough*

*looks around*

Who said that?! >.< Hector?! Is that you?

Well, no sense in fighting him on it. You'll just have to sing it. Then record it and send it to me. >.> So I can add it to my collection.

But seriously, this can only be a good thing . I'm glad you're getting it put together! Keep us updated. You should make sure you do a back-to-back contrasting thing... like do a fireworks aria, and then maybe a little Bach cantata with lots of long, legato lines. Even people who aren't strictly "musical people" are usually impressed when they hear a singer do two contrasting pieces back to back.

You and the mezzo should also consider singing the Pergolasi Stabat Mater... particularly if she can do straight tone/minimal vibrato. SUCH a beautiful duet.

[Voronwen]

Originally Posted by Tessar

I almost can't keep up with myself, unfortunately! Over the last 6 months I have made so many changes to my voice, and particularly in the last six weeks or so, that sometimes I can't juggle everything and it all falls apart.

My teacher told me the other day that she's astounded by how quickly I'm making progress, but it's obvious that it's all happening too quickly for me to actually pull it all together. Every once in a while I'll be singing fine, and then suddenly it will all just come out as a mess for a little while till things click back into place. My brain can't keep track of everything right now, and it's not all habit yet... but it will get there . Even when it falls apart it's still better than my good days used to be, so that's a huge blessing

It sounds as if you're in a good place for a 'growing' singer The voice will settle, with practice and time, trust me!

What I'm totally loving to death about the high palate is that now I can begin in my high register softly... I did a couple of the D4's without an arpeggio up to them, and while they weren't completely solid, I didn't totally lose my placement, and they sounded okay.

I hear you, about the high palate. It feels as if you can do anything, doesn't it? At least for me, it was a huge piece of the puzzle where gaining the fine control over the upper registers. And of course, this affects the whole voice. Keep up the good work!

QUANDO ME'EN VO!!!!!!!

*cough*

*looks around*

Who said that?! >.< Hector?! Is that you?

Hahaha!

... Actually, i do know this aria but have never performed it. I don't think i will, either - the character of Musetta just doesn't resonate with me. I've never been able to 'get' her enough to bring the acting out in the piece properly. For a Puccini piece i'm much better off with "O mio babbino caro".

But seriously, this can only be a good thing . I'm glad you're getting it put together! Keep us updated. You should make sure you do a back-to-back contrasting thing... like do a fireworks aria, and then maybe a little Bach cantata with lots of long, legato lines. Even people who aren't strictly "musical people" are usually impressed when they hear a singer do two contrasting pieces back to back.

As usual, Tessar, we're on the same page I'm setting up the program to be just as you said. I have since (yet again) been called "lyric-coloratura" meaning i can sing lyrically and yet i have the flexibility and high extension for the coloratura stuff as well. So be it, then. So far my list includes "Tornami a vagheggiar" (fireworks ), "L'amero, saro costante" (lyrical), either "Ach, ich fuhl's" (very lyrical) or "O zittre nicht" (leaning towards this one because it involves *both* lyrical singing and the high F), "Vorrei spiegarvi, O Dio" (lyrical, but w/ high E's), "O quante volte" (very lyrical, can interpolate high E flat), "Be Kind and Courteous" (light and fluffy), "O mio babbino caro" (very lyrical, 'crowd-pleaser'), and as an encore, "Je suis Titania" (ultimate fireworks! ).

You and the mezzo should also consider singing the Pergolasi Stabat Mater... particularly if she can do straight tone/minimal vibrato. SUCH a beautiful duet.

I'll look into this, but isn't this from an oratorio? We're trying to stick to opera. So far we've got the "Flower Duet" from Lakme, but i'd like to find a second one. I thought about the "Presentation of the Rose" scene from Der Rosenkavalier. Sophie's part fits perfectly in my voice, but i think our mezzo is too low to sing Octavian. We could try it and see. Any other ideas?

[Tessar]

Hmmm, I don't think it's from an actual oratorio, but it's definitely not operatic.

I'm honestly not a fan of Rose and Cav... I personally find the music rather boring, but that's probably just me .

Once again not operatic, but a crowd pleaser is the Laudamus Te from the Vivaldi Gloria. Particularly if it's a church event. "Take care of this house" from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is a 'prayer' sort of... it was on Sumi Jo's "Prayers" CD, and it's a beautiful soprano/mezzo duet which can be sung operatically.

[Voronwen]

Originally Posted by Tessar

Once again not operatic, but a crowd pleaser is the Laudamus Te from the Vivaldi Gloria. Particularly if it's a church event.

..... !!!!! Tessar... what are you, telepathic?!

I'm not kidding, EVERY time i have thought about picking another duet for the mezzo and i, that "Laudamus Te" would come to my mind... and then i'd find myself humming it while doing laundry or something. That is such a FUN piece!

Hmmm, maybe this is a sign!

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Originally Posted by Tessar

You and the mezzo should also consider singing the Pergolasi Stabat Mater... particularly if she can do straight tone/minimal vibrato. SUCH a beautiful duet.

Ohgodohgodohgodohgod YES!!!!!!

<.<

>.>

Sorry, I just absolutely LOVE Pergolesi's Stabat Mater.

And, true, Vor, it's not from an opera, but in the eighteenteenth century, the sacred music was pretty operatic.

I'll look into this, but isn't this from an oratorio? We're trying to stick to opera. So far we've got the "Flower Duet" from Lakme, but i'd like to find a second one. I thought about the "Presentation of the Rose" scene from Der Rosenkavalier. Sophie's part fits perfectly in my voice, but i think our mezzo is too low to sing Octavian. We could try it and see. Any other ideas?

A sempre piangero from Giulio Cesare, perhaps? Though mostly sung by mezzos, Sesto can be done well by a soprano. Perhaps not your voice, though. For something a bit more upbeat, Scherzano sul tuo volto, from Rinaldo? Although, really, with soprano/lowish mezzo pairing, you could pretty much just raid every opera Handel ever wrote, and find lots of duets.

[Voronwen]

Originally Posted by Gwaimir Windgem

A sempre piangero from Giulio Cesare, perhaps? Though mostly sung by mezzos, Sesto can be done well by a soprano. Perhaps not your voice, though.

I love, love, love that duet! True enough, Sesto can be sung by a soprano and my last teacher sang the role. She was a straightforward lyric soprano, though, not lyric-coloratura (she used to tell me "I don't have those notes, no way no how!" ), so perhaps it is best for a lower soprano..... But i could give it a try. I don't want to give the audience stratospheric overkill.

For something a bit more upbeat, Scherzano sul tuo volto, from Rinaldo?

Ah, YES!!! Been there, sung it, LOVED performing it, and i think i still have the score!

Although, really, with soprano/lowish mezzo pairing, you could pretty much just raid every opera Handel ever wrote, and find lots of duets.

Indeed! I love the arias from Orlando (both Dorinda's and Angelica's), maybe i'll look at some of the duets. Oh, there's so much in the Handel repertoire....! Love, Love, LOVE.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Yeah, Handel's slow, tragic music is often just ravishing. Cara sposa, Scherza infida...but Son nata lagrimar (what am I doing calling it A sempre piangero ) is pretty much the cream of the crop.

Another thought: Pur ti miro might work. I think it was actually written for two sopranos, but it seems to most often be sung by a soprano and a mezzo.

[Voronwen]

Son nata lagrimar

Yes, i knew immediately which one you were referring to. Ravishing, indeed!

I thought about looking at some of the Cleopatra/Cesare stuff, too, but i'm not sure whether my mezzo would be up for it.


PS~ for Tessar ~ There's a very good chance that i can have my recital recorded. Perhaps i'll be able to finally reciprocate with a little sound bite for you.

[Tessar]

*tiny, high pitched scream*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


!!!!!!!!!!!!


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG LOREENA MCKENNITT JUST CAME OUT WITH A BUNCH MORE OF HER SHEET MUSIC~~!!!!!!!!!! OMG OMG OMGOMG OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOGMOGMOGMOGM!!!!!!!


Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo freaking excited!!!!! I've had a couple of the ones she did a few years ago, and I play them all of the time... and I got Penelope's Song from her new album, BUT NOW SHE'S GOT ALL OF THE SHEET MUSIC OUT! At last the long years of waiting and hoping she would come out with all of her arrangements are OVER!!!!

I'm totally gonna buy Stolen Child, Snow, and The Two Trees!!!!!!!!!

Today is the most EPICLY AWESOME DAY EVER now that I have discovered this.






....



OMG~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I should mention that part of the whole reason I checked is that today I sang 'Dante's Prayer' for my voice teacher, and discovered that she is also a huge Loreena McKennitt fan. This woman gets cooler by the day. >.> I'm tellin' ya... how many operatic voice teachers do you know that would not only let, but encourage you, to sing Loreena McKennitt along with your Handel and Douglas Moore?

Plus I sang a Sara Berillis song for her last semester, and she told me today that she went and got the album and is now a Sara B. fan. OMG. Intensely awesome day despite the incredibly long hours .

[Tessar]

Originally Posted by Voronwen

PS~ for Tessar ~ There's a very good chance that i can have my recital recorded. Perhaps i'll be able to finally reciprocate with a little sound bite for you.

Oh, you know... no biggy. If you can, you can. If not, I'll just cry myself to sleep every night after the recital murmuring gently into the enveloping darkness, "Why? WHY?" as I drift away to unsettled dreams. No pressure.



I would seriously love to hear it though, if you can get some sound files! I'm so excited that you're doing this.

I'm finding more and more the trick to my high register is super bright vowels, keeping the corners of my mouth 'in and forward', lifting the back of my tongue 'up and forward', and keeping my palate high. It's a lot to think about, but it's slowly coming together .

I think I've also been singing with too little energy. I think it was required for a while to keep from being tense, but now I need to sing with a more intense, energized sound again.

I'm also working on not clipping off the first words of my phrases. I have an awful habit of making the first words of phrases very staccato and stopping the breath for a second. It's really bad if the word is sort of a 'filler' word like, 'and,' 'to,' 'by,' 'my,' etc.... If it's something like 'heart,' 'lord,' 'fair,' or... you know... a more "important" word I don't do it so much, but it's just a terrible habit that kills my legato line.

[Voronwen]

Originally Posted by Tessar

Oh, you know... no biggy. If you can, you can. If not, I'll just cry myself to sleep every night after the recital murmuring gently into the enveloping darkness, "Why? WHY?" as I drift away to unsettled dreams. No pressure.

LOL!

Well, since it's taking place at my church, and they are set up to record the service every Sunday, then it's only a matter of getting a willing volunteer to do the recording. We'll see.

My recital program is currently in flux, though. I'm trying to keep it light, with an almost musical theater type of feel. I'm keeping the Queen of the Night, and "Tornami a vagheggiar", and "Je suis Titania", but may be taking out some of the more serious arias and replacing them with fun 'soubrette' character arias like the Doll's Song..... which is way too much fun to sing, tee hee...

Randomness: I popped a G6 yesterday while raking leaves. Something made me laugh (yes, i tend to laugh in the stratosphere sometimes just ask Varokhar!), and i found that place where the air needs to come from to pop out the G's reliably. Woohoo!

[Tessar]

Originally Posted by Voronwen

LOL!

Well, since it's taking place at my church, and they are set up to record the service every Sunday, then it's only a matter of getting a willing volunteer to do the recording. We'll see.

Alas that I not only don't know where you live, but am probably too far away to help anyways.

My recital program is currently in flux, though. I'm trying to keep it light, with an almost musical theater type of feel. I'm keeping the Queen of the Night, and "Tornami a vagheggiar", and "Je suis Titania", but may be taking out some of the more serious arias and replacing them with fun 'soubrette' character arias like the Doll's Song..... which is way too much fun to sing, tee hee...

Doll Aria=sheer awesomeness. If you're looking for a down-pace piece to throw into the middle or something, you might consider Ach, Ich Fuls just because people seem to love that one, and it might be a nice contrast.

Randomness: I popped a G6 yesterday while raking leaves. Something made me laugh (yes, i tend to laugh in the stratosphere sometimes just ask Varokhar!), and i found that place where the air needs to come from to pop out the G's reliably. Woohoo!

WORD!!! My oldest sister would squeal on an A6 when she was surprised, but I don't know that she does it any more. She was 22 the last time I heard her do it, so I guess... two years ago. I think she's a coloratura, or maybe a lyric. Who knows? She used to have a pretty dang amazing A5 as I recall, back when we all did choir, but she hasn't sung in years... and she's an artist, so there's no telling what inhaling all of those fumes/powders/charcoal/etc. that artists use might have done to her voice.

Now that the opera's over I'm going to try to buckle down double-time to my practicing. I haven't been able to practice in about four weeks due to voice loss and then nightly opera rehearsals. Fortunately my voice is recovering better than ever since I never -completely- lost my voice, and we continued to make improvement even through the crappy vocal conditions.

I think I FINALLY have the hang of how the modification needs to work. I ended up just lining up my questions and then drilling my teacher to make sure I had a clear idea of how it works . So what we worked out (in terms that I totally understand) is that the vowel starts bright, then you keep the bright vowel and start modifying the mouth to be more open, then at the top (for me probably from E4-G/A4) you also modify the vowel open.

So on 'Baby Doe', I sing 'Ba' (C#4) with a bright a and dropped 'oh' mouth, 'by' (D#4) on bright e with a dropped 'ih' mouth, then 'doe' I open to 'ah' mouth and modify the vowel to 'oh'.


Today I worked for about 40 minutes in a practice room, then went to my voice teacher and showed her what I'd been doing and I was SO relieved that I'm getting it right. I was working on my C4, on 'ah' (one of my weakest vowels), and I was keeping the super bright vowel but modifying the mouth to 'oh', and working on floating/placement/dynamics. She told me that I was doing it with about half the 'pressure' that I've done it with before, so that was GREAT. Super exciting to continue making progress.

I'm going to keep working my way upwards. My D4's and everything above it still feels shaky, which she thinks is due to excess breath pressure and tongue/jaw tension, so I'm just going to really spend some good time figuring out how to work out those notes.

I think I'm still not doing the palate correctly. There just seems to be something preventing me from doing it right. Blech. Time and patience.

[Voronwen]

Originally Posted by Tessar

Alas that I not only don't know where you live, but am probably too far away to help anyways.

If i'm not mistaken, we're on opposite sides of the continent(?????), so, yeah..... Oh well!

Doll Aria=sheer awesomeness.

Yes, i am loving the Doll. It's so much fun, yet it requires that certain fussy picky precision that i'm just insane enough to really enjoy

If you're looking for a down-pace piece to throw into the middle or something, you might consider Ach, Ich Fuls just because people seem to love that one, and it might be a nice contrast.

I agree with you 100% on this one. But would it be weird to have two arias from the same opera, from two different characters, back to back on the same recital? I suppose i can always take out the Queen and replace it with Pamina. Heaven knows i have enough stratosphere in this program I just wanted an excuse to pop a high F!

WORD!!! My oldest sister would squeal on an A6 when she was surprised, but I don't know that she does it any more. She was 22 the last time I heard her do it, so I guess... two years ago. I think she's a coloratura, or maybe a lyric. Who knows?

...Or maybe she's a bit of both, like me!

Today I worked for about 40 minutes in a practice room, then went to my voice teacher and showed her what I'd been doing and I was SO relieved that I'm getting it right. I was working on my C4, on 'ah' (one of my weakest vowels), and I was keeping the super bright vowel but modifying the mouth to 'oh', and working on floating/placement/dynamics. She told me that I was doing it with about half the 'pressure' that I've done it with before, so that was GREAT. Super exciting to continue making progress.

I'm going to keep working my way upwards. My D4's and everything above it still feels shaky, which she thinks is due to excess breath pressure and tongue/jaw tension, so I'm just going to really spend some good time figuring out how to work out those notes.

I think I'm still not doing the palate correctly. There just seems to be something preventing me from doing it right. Blech. Time and patience.

The pressure issue you spoke of will improve along with the palate issue.

I think some of us just need to constantly remind ourselves. Have you seen an ENT? I'm not one to tell people to go running about to doctors (and i realize it's also not possible for many), but you may want to make sure that there isn't a physical issue standing in the way. Ask your teacher about it first, though.

[Tessar]

Originally Posted by Voronwen

I agree with you 100% on this one. But would it be weird to have two arias from the same opera, from two different characters, back to back on the same recital? I suppose i can always take out the Queen and replace it with Pamina. Heaven knows i have enough stratosphere in this program I just wanted an excuse to pop a high F!

Why replace it? I mean who's your audience? Most people only know of opera, even Magic Flute, in a very vague sort of way. They barely know snatches of the arias and certainly have no idea who the characters are. Unless you make a huge point out of it, or you have someone who's an opera lover, they'll have no idea.

Look at it this way... your goal is to entertain your audience and do what you love doing. Is it your fault that Mozart wrote two of his greatest, most beautiful arias into one opera for two different characters? I really think they wont care if it's two from the same opera and different characters so long as you present them with something totally gorgeous and to-die-for to listen to, which I'm sure you are 100% capable of doing.

I think some of us just need to constantly remind ourselves. Have you seen an ENT? I'm not one to tell people to go running about to doctors (and i realize it's also not possible for many), but you may want to make sure that there isn't a physical issue standing in the way. Ask your teacher about it first, though.

My teacher mentioned that maybe I have an oddly shaped mouth or something, making it harder for me to lift and maintain a raised palate. Who knows? Maybe at some point I will go see an ENT even if just to get a reference point for what my 'healthy' cords look like.

I had another breakthrough today... part of which happened yesterday but I think today I'm getting the hang of it: I'm keeping my ribs expanded AND relaxing my lower abdominal muscles... so the air is dropping -really- low when I breath, and I have that lovely 'support' from the ribs to maintain my sound on. It also makes me need about 1/3rd or even less of the amount of 'pressure' I was using before, which is AWESOME. When I get it working, and have the vowels placed correctly, it really does feel like effortless, floating singing and I'm in absolute control of my dynamics. Love it . Just got to make it consistent.

[Tessar]

I'm a little stressed out, though... For the NATS competition in a few weeks we just found out that I can't take my competition package (Papageno's aria, Warm As the Autumn Light, and I'll Sail Upon the Dogstar), because I have to have an art song in a foreign language.

So now I'm trying to learn Les Cygnes (the swans) by Hahn really fast. I need it ready for the first weekend of April and I'm just now starting to learn it.

Then today the opera director announced that he wants to do a major opera in the Fall, but doesn't know which one and wont give us any idea which ones he's considering. I know it's probably rude of me to think, but when he said that my first thought was, "You seriously brought us all together to tell us THAT? Really? Thanks... I guess?"

But what he really wanted to tell us is that he hopes to have auditions for this mystery opera at the end of this month. He might be able to tell us what it will be by the end of next week, but if I wait to prepare an aria till then it'll be too late... but I have no idea what 'kind' of baritone he might be looking for. !!!! That is super, super frustrating to me!

So my voice teacher suggested that I start learning Bella Siccome, because Warm As The Autumn Light isn't showy enough for a 'single-piece audition', and I'm not 100% sure about doing Der Vogelfenger. We'll have to see as we get closer I guess.

aaaaaagh.....

[Tessar]

ARGH. *sigh* After practicing for an hour and recording bits of my singing... I can officially say that my tone quality is improving, and is even very beautiful a lot of the time. Definitely a consistently 'nice' sound and often very beautiful.

But also super, SUPER flat probably 50/60% of the time, which is so completely unacceptable I can't even begin to explain how disappointed I am.

I'm trying really, really hard to focus on the positives... although my E's are still sort of 'meh' (depends on how I approach it in the song), my C's and D's are extremely consistent and sound great, my vibrato is very steady, good tone quality.... but argh. #$(%)#!!!!!! It feels like none of that matters if I sing flatter than a squashed paper cup.


I just have to keep working and building on the good things... at least I'm not flat -all- of the time, right? That's an improvement. I just have to keep taking the pressure off of the voice, relaxing the tongue/jaw, and working on taking better breaths.

I have to sing for seminar tomorrow, and I feel awful . I don't want to sing like crap in front of my studio-mates! I can't get out of it though because I've had to cancel three times already... once because of health and twice because of opera.

Oh well. Keep working I guess.

[Tessar]

I didn't do so great in seminar, BUT my voice lesson was awesome. In the last five minutes I had an enormous breakthrough with my body tension. I mean literally the last five minutes... we were working the first phrase of 'Warm As The Autumn Light,' (which is literally just the words 'warm as the autumn light') because I told her that part of my problem with the whole piece is that I feel like I never, ever start that first phrase correctly, and it's hard for me to let go of that through the piece.

She had me start the phrase so softly that she couldn't hear it (the 'wa' of 'warm' at super, super pianissimo) and build it from there, then we let it be a tiny bit louder once I'd figured that out.... and something just 'clicked' in my body from doing that. I felt a whole load of tension just literally drop off of my body and all of the sudden I was singing with this spinning, free sound that I've never felt before.

My teacher and accompanist couldn't believe it, and we all got pretty excited. The tension wants to come back, but I -think- I understand how to make it go away now. I don't even really know what it is that I'm relaxing, but it's like suddenly my voice just opens up and I can sing with minimal effort.

Weirdness! I'm praying that the freedom doesn't vanish between now and tomorrow.

Usually it would really bug me to not be sure what it is that I'm doing to make that tension release... but at this point I don't even care. If it works, it works and that's good enough for me right now. I overanalyze my voice so much that at least this one great thing I'm just going to let happen on its own.


Oh, we also vocalized me up to a full voice Bb4. It's not surprising to me that I have those notes... I used to be able to do that thing where I could 'stretch' my voice up to the C5, but I've always known that I have a full voice Bb4 in me, I just don't know how to get at it a lot of the time. I don't think it means I'm a tenor, much as I would kill to be one. My breaks are in the spots that baritones have them, and I've just always had that weird little extension to the Bb, even when I was 16... although of course it's still one of those 'once in a blue moon' things.

[Varnafindë]

Originally Posted by Tessar

.... and something just 'clicked' in my body from doing that. I felt a whole load of tension just literally drop off of my body and all of the sudden I was singing with this spinning, free sound that I've never felt before.

My teacher and accompanist couldn't believe it, and we all got pretty excited. The tension wants to come back, but I -think- I understand how to make it go away now. I don't even really know what it is that I'm relaxing, but it's like suddenly my voice just opens up and I can sing with minimal effort.

Weirdness! I'm praying that the freedom doesn't vanish between now and tomorrow.

That's amazing, Tessar! The freedom isn't just something in your feelings either, then, since it changes the quality of your singing enough for all of you to hear it!

I'm learning a lot about professional singing from reading this thread. There's so much more to it than just learning a tune and a text by heart

[Tessar]

Originally Posted by Varnafindë

That's amazing, Tessar! The freedom isn't just something in your feelings either, then, since it changes the quality of your singing enough for all of you to hear it!

I'm learning a lot about professional singing from reading this thread. There's so much more to it than just learning a tune and a text by heart

It truly is so much more... and I hope that if anyone scans through a page or two of our discourse it will help them understand just how incredible those professional singers out there are, and just how much skill people like Voronwen really have to sing and perform these mind-blowingly difficult arias .


Today was sort of frustrating, but also encouraging. I couldn't get my body to let go of the tension, and now I'm hyper aware of it because I sang without it that one time in my lesson.

It's really difficult for me to let go of that tension! I don't know why, because it's so much easier for me to sing without it, but it just wants to hang in there. I did manage to let go of it almost completely at the end of a hymn during our third service, and I stayed relaxed and free for that third anthem, but then after the twenty minute sermon I wasn't able to let go of it again. Oh well.

I think it's really a mental thing. The tension comes from that gigantic ball of worry that I hold in the back of my head that says, "What if my voice cracks? What if the person standing next to me hates my singing? What if the director decides he doesn't like my voice any more? What if I think I'm singing well and I really sound horrible?" My sister thinks that I'm very self confident, but I told her that if she could live in my head for a day the screaming in horror would probably never end . I'm very self conscious all of the time, I just force myself to do things because I know what I want, and in the end I'm much happier for having done those things .