03-15-2010, 11:29 AM | #461 | ||
Lady of Andúnië
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Mini-rant: I just have to say that it stinks sharing a house with other family members. People are coming and going at all times, different schedules, needing sleep at weird times, etc that it leaves me precious few hours a week to fit in practice Ah, this too shall pass! Re. your tension, pitch issue, etc (it's all related, imho) --- My instinct is telling me that your problem is coming from 'thinking too much'. I feel from what you've written that it'll all fall into place when you stop this kind of thinking: Quote:
There comes a point in time when there is a time and place for working on technique (ie. obsessing ), and a time and place for just making music.
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" ...But the Exiles on the shores of the sea, if they turned towards the West in the desire of their hearts, spoke of Mar-nu-Falmar that was whelmed in the waves, Akallabêth the Downfallen, Atalantë in the Eldarin tongue." "Ye who believe in affection that hopes, and endures, and is patient, Ye who believe in the beauty and strength of woman's devotion, List to the mournful tradition still sung by the pines of the forest ... " ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Evangeline |
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03-15-2010, 06:11 PM | #462 | |||
Cardboard Harp of Gondor Join Date: Sep 2001
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Guess what I did today when I was singing in the shower.... and may have been pretending to be Placido Domingo *cough* ....? I think I sang a little TOO open, but DANG!!!!!! It's something that I've done before, and pulled away from very quickly because occasionally there will be these tiny little flickers of what I thought was pain. Buuuuut now I'm not so sure. When it happened, my first thought was, "Ah, crap, I've sung too open and now my voice is going to be shot for the rest of the day." But then I started analyzing what I'd really felt, and I realized that there was indeed a tiny flicker of pain, but it was from suddenly tightening slightly, and I thought, "What if my throat is so used to singing with the tight muscular control that the flickers of pain are coming from it trying to jerk back to its usual closed tightness?" So I played around with it some more, against my own fears and better judgment.... and I think I might be on to something. I recorded it, and at first I was like, "Eww, that sounds gross," but the more I worked with it... I think it might be the correct way. I think maybe it is just a hair too open, but what's interesting is that except for those tiny little flicks of discomfort when my throat attempts to tense up, it feels fine, and after practicing for a while my throat still feels great. One interesting thing is that along with those little blips of discomfort, it's like my voice will also 'glitch' slightly for a second sometimes... like the cords don't quite come together for a second... BUT... that happened less the more I worked with it. Could that just be the muscles 'twitching' as they attempt to return to their old pattern? I'm going to try it for my teacher tomorrow and see what she says. The thing that really, really makes me have a hunch that it's correct is that I floated almost totally effortlessly up to a G when I was vocalizing, and I was so perfectly, completely on pitch that it surprised me. Even when my voice glitched a little bit in my lower range, the pitch didn't go astray. Isn't that odd? I'll have to ask her. Last edited by Tessar : 03-15-2010 at 06:13 PM. |
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03-16-2010, 10:46 AM | #463 | ||||||
Lady of Andúnië
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My closing piece is Je suis Titania! Quote:
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Playing around like this can sometimes lead to a breakthrough! It sounds as if you've found a more relaxed throat position - and maybe, just maybe, as a result, you will uncover a more sizeable instrument Tensions can make a voice seem smaller, because of all the constricting... but, onward..... Quote:
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" ...But the Exiles on the shores of the sea, if they turned towards the West in the desire of their hearts, spoke of Mar-nu-Falmar that was whelmed in the waves, Akallabêth the Downfallen, Atalantë in the Eldarin tongue." "Ye who believe in affection that hopes, and endures, and is patient, Ye who believe in the beauty and strength of woman's devotion, List to the mournful tradition still sung by the pines of the forest ... " ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Evangeline |
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03-16-2010, 01:21 PM | #464 |
Dread Mothy Lord and Halfwitted Apprentice Loremaster
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Out of curiosity, have you ever sung the Air des Clochettes from Lakme? That's a simply gorgeous piece, and from what you've said I suspect it might fit your voice well; am I right?
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Crux fidelis, inter omnes arbor una nobilis. Nulla talem silva profert, fronde, flore, germine. Dulce lignum, dulce clavo, dulce pondus sustinens. 'With a melon?' - Eric Idle |
03-16-2010, 01:33 PM | #465 | |||
Cardboard Harp of Gondor Join Date: Sep 2001
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Wow, is that the time?! I had no idea it was so late... I just realized I have a thing to go do somewhere else, and we can never, ever speak again.
But really, why don't you like Glitter and Be Gay? O_o I mean dang... that's one of my most favorite songs eveeeeeeer. Particularly when Dawn Upshaw sings it. But then I tend to love anything she sings sooo.... Quote:
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What's really cool too is that my melismas were cleaner than they've ever been before, which is super exciting, and singing Warm As The Autumn Light was a total walk in the park, which has never happened before. We also figured out how to get back some of my 'super lows' that have sort of... dried out... over the last couple of months. A year back I was singing low E's, then I started struggling with the low G's, and till this afternoon my low F's were getting to be sort of iffy, but we figured out how to regain solidity... it's all about the mouth shape in this case. Now one thing I'm trying to figure out is how to do the... I think the technical term is 'voce di finte'.... Basically that really light, falsetto-like voice up at the top when they don't want to full voice something. It's that super 'gentle' sound, which I think is really pretty as an effect. I think maybe I have the startings of being able to do it, but it's too weak right now. Maybe the vowels are wrong. After this competition business is over I'm going to ask my teacher about it. |
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03-16-2010, 01:37 PM | #466 |
Princess of the Noldor (and Administrative Empress of the Lone Islands)
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You're expanding both your high and your low notes? Amazing
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Signature picture art - Bard the Bowman - by vigshane Avatar art - Footsteps of Spring (a young Luthien) - by Henning Janssen |
03-17-2010, 02:21 PM | #467 |
Lady of Andúnië
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Ah, that one's a beast! Yes, it would fit my voice well, and i often sing the opening cadenza as a sort of party trick But i have never studied the entire piece. Someday, i will have to tackle it!
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" ...But the Exiles on the shores of the sea, if they turned towards the West in the desire of their hearts, spoke of Mar-nu-Falmar that was whelmed in the waves, Akallabêth the Downfallen, Atalantë in the Eldarin tongue." "Ye who believe in affection that hopes, and endures, and is patient, Ye who believe in the beauty and strength of woman's devotion, List to the mournful tradition still sung by the pines of the forest ... " ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Evangeline |
03-17-2010, 02:32 PM | #468 | ||||||
Lady of Andúnië
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The main fly in the ointment is that i do not play piano. I know my way around a keyboard, yes, but i cannot really play. My hands are child-sized, and i only have a reach of a 7th or so. God just didn't make me to make music with my hands! Quote:
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" ...But the Exiles on the shores of the sea, if they turned towards the West in the desire of their hearts, spoke of Mar-nu-Falmar that was whelmed in the waves, Akallabêth the Downfallen, Atalantë in the Eldarin tongue." "Ye who believe in affection that hopes, and endures, and is patient, Ye who believe in the beauty and strength of woman's devotion, List to the mournful tradition still sung by the pines of the forest ... " ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Evangeline |
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03-17-2010, 04:34 PM | #469 | |
Dread Mothy Lord and Halfwitted Apprentice Loremaster
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But seriously, yah, most classical singers can't really do non-classical music. I'd much rather hear Aretha Franklin sing Nessun dorma than hear Renee Fleming try to sing Muse. (What is that woman THINKING???) I made the mistake of getting Chanticleer's jazz album, and it really, really doesn't work.
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Crux fidelis, inter omnes arbor una nobilis. Nulla talem silva profert, fronde, flore, germine. Dulce lignum, dulce clavo, dulce pondus sustinens. 'With a melon?' - Eric Idle |
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03-18-2010, 10:42 AM | #470 | |
Lady of Andúnië
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I think some singers can 'cross over', but others can't. I'm still trying to figure out whether i can, or not. I think i can, if i stick to a very limited amount of Broadway (ie. the old classic shows that actually call for legitimate sopranos!), and Celtic. But that's really about all.
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" ...But the Exiles on the shores of the sea, if they turned towards the West in the desire of their hearts, spoke of Mar-nu-Falmar that was whelmed in the waves, Akallabêth the Downfallen, Atalantë in the Eldarin tongue." "Ye who believe in affection that hopes, and endures, and is patient, Ye who believe in the beauty and strength of woman's devotion, List to the mournful tradition still sung by the pines of the forest ... " ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Evangeline |
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03-19-2010, 02:28 PM | #471 | |
Cardboard Harp of Gondor Join Date: Sep 2001
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So today I made an interesting discovery in my lesson. My lower abs still get super tight when I sing... I never really noticed it before because I was so busy trying to get my throat open and lift my ribs. Now that my throat's open though, it's like my body's going, "Okay! Ready?! HEAVE!!!---Ah, crap, wait the throat's open! Abort! Abort! We don't need to tighten!" "Captain, we can't abort! All lower abdominals have already been tightened!" "Dammit man, think of SOMETHING!" ... anywhooo..... It's mainly a problem on Der Vogelfenger because I have to take such rapid breaths during the phrases. When my lower abs are tight I just don't have time to get a good breath. So that's something to continue working on. You may have been right about the bigger voice thing. I've been finding that suddenly when I think I've hit my peak volume, and I inadvertently relax in an attempt to sing the next word softer, I actually sing even louder than before, and certainly louder than I thought I could. Which... is not so great for my dynamic control, but it's great to be so 'open' that things like that can happen. My voice teacher agrees with you, and she actually thinks that I have even more volume and 'size' in my voice for us to continue to discover. It's exciting! I'm certainly not pushing to make a bigger sound, but it's nice to know that my voice probably still has even more room to grow. A bigger voice can't be a bad thing for me, so long as I can learn not to accidentally sing loud when I'm trying to sing softly! We were laughing at the end of my lesson, remembering how eight months ago when I started with her I was complaining because she had me singing with such a 'wimpy' sound.... but because we did that, and I trusted her enough to do it, now I have a voice that's probably twice the size it used to be, and about a thousand times more consistent. Last edited by Tessar : 03-19-2010 at 02:30 PM. |
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03-20-2010, 09:47 AM | #472 | ||
Lady of Andúnië
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" ...But the Exiles on the shores of the sea, if they turned towards the West in the desire of their hearts, spoke of Mar-nu-Falmar that was whelmed in the waves, Akallabêth the Downfallen, Atalantë in the Eldarin tongue." "Ye who believe in affection that hopes, and endures, and is patient, Ye who believe in the beauty and strength of woman's devotion, List to the mournful tradition still sung by the pines of the forest ... " ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Evangeline |
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03-21-2010, 10:36 PM | #473 |
Cardboard Harp of Gondor Join Date: Sep 2001
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I think I've discovered a better sense of legato . I was singing, and noticing how my throat tightened instinctively when I tried to sing the word 'all', as if my tongue and jaw were already trying to move to create the consonant. I also always struggle with 'n's and 'm's not to accidentally get 'stuck' on them or begin them too early.
I tried imagining JUST the next vowel I wanted to sing... so I had to sing pretty slowly , but it seemed to work. I ended up 'working' the phrase "so in love with you am I," from "So in love" (just for kicks... I'm not currently working on it or anything), and DANG. O_o It made a huge improvement in my overall sound to add that legato movement. So it looks like I may need to do a 'slow' overhaul of my current rep to see if I can't work in this new legato ability . |
03-25-2010, 04:20 PM | #474 |
Cardboard Harp of Gondor Join Date: Sep 2001
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OMG!!!!!! I am suuuuuuuuuper excited!!!!!! I'm gonna sing A Chloris again! We realized I can't confidently learn Les Cygnes in time so my teacher said 'ever heard of A Chloris?' I pretty much flipped out with excitement!! SO HAPPY!!!
A Chloris has been one of my favorite songs for ages and I sang it my Freshman year but couldn't sustain the high part at the end... But now I totally can and I can even pianissimo it . |
03-26-2010, 10:24 AM | #475 |
Lady of Andúnië
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WONDERFUL, Tessar!!!
Isn't it a great feeling to finally be able to do justice to a favorite piece? I was like that with Mozart's "Ah, se in ciel, benigne stelle" - when i could finally sing it well, i was on cloud nine!
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" ...But the Exiles on the shores of the sea, if they turned towards the West in the desire of their hearts, spoke of Mar-nu-Falmar that was whelmed in the waves, Akallabêth the Downfallen, Atalantë in the Eldarin tongue." "Ye who believe in affection that hopes, and endures, and is patient, Ye who believe in the beauty and strength of woman's devotion, List to the mournful tradition still sung by the pines of the forest ... " ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Evangeline |
03-26-2010, 11:08 PM | #476 |
Cardboard Harp of Gondor Join Date: Sep 2001
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So, my teacher gave me a SUPER cool trick that I love to death and I think helped me make a breakthrough on my support.
You put a finger vertically against your lips, like you're shushing someone, and breath in through your mouth. Your breath automatically drops SUPER low into your body. O_o It shocked me the first time she showed me. It's actually really difficult, although not impossible, to keep from taking a low breath if you put the finger in front of your mouth. I've noticed that now when I take a breath like that, I'm able to sing with more freedom (particularly through my A#3 passagio area leading up to the Middle/mix/whatever voice), and my placement is better. Just using the finger-breath trick every other page or so helps remind me to keep breathing low. I've also started using it for every breath during warm ups and intense exercises, and it is SUCH a help, particularly now that we're working our way up to those high B flats at every lesson. Those are super hard O_o. Not on my throat or anything, it just takes so much energy to sing. I'm pretty sure I'll never perform them, but who knows? Maybe I have even more of a top extension than we thought. Still definitely not a tenor, though . Last edited by Tessar : 03-26-2010 at 11:10 PM. |
04-01-2010, 12:15 PM | #477 |
Lady of Andúnië
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*Never* say never!
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" ...But the Exiles on the shores of the sea, if they turned towards the West in the desire of their hearts, spoke of Mar-nu-Falmar that was whelmed in the waves, Akallabêth the Downfallen, Atalantë in the Eldarin tongue." "Ye who believe in affection that hopes, and endures, and is patient, Ye who believe in the beauty and strength of woman's devotion, List to the mournful tradition still sung by the pines of the forest ... " ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Evangeline |
04-05-2010, 12:54 PM | #478 |
Cardboard Harp of Gondor Join Date: Sep 2001
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So now they want an ITALIAN aria for this Friday, auditioning for an opera that we still don't know what it is.
This stupid opera, whatever it is, can bite me. Unless I get a part, then I'll be like, "Awesome!" but otherwise it can bite me. Blargh. Looks like it's time to haul out Ho Capito. It's not very impressive, buuut it does offer opportunity to act, so maybe that will be good enough to get me in. That's what the director seems to be looking for in the auditions... the acting. I hope. Geeze. -_- |
04-11-2010, 12:37 AM | #479 |
Cardboard Harp of Gondor Join Date: Sep 2001
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So, today pretty much kicked butt all around.
The drive down to and back from the competition was long (2:45 each way), but when I got there around 9:50 in the morning I walked into a practice room and vocalized up to a solid A4 several times with absolutely no hitches through the D/E area. That's when it really hit me that I might have a chance . So I sang, made the finals, and then sang again and took third. The two guys who took second and first were FABULOUS singers, so believe me I think the ranking was well appointed. I'm just so grateful to have won third place . I think this is a great step along the way.... last semester I made simi-finals at the big competition, this semester I made finals at the little one... by the grace of God maybe I'll make finals at the big competition next semester. My voice teacher is very confident that I'll be able to do it if I can keep rolling over the summer. That's all great, but I'm just so thrilled to have been able to perform well, and to have a feeling that my voice was actually going to be reliable. Even at the beginning of this semester I was struggling to sing the E's in my pieces, and now I can work them out without even warming up... and when I am well warmed up they're easy. Hopefully now I can start to try tackling some of the show-stopper pieces with F's and G's. You know what really surprised me, though? How incredibly stressful singing in the finals was. I would have thought that just knowing that even if I screwed up royally I would still place would have calmed me and made it as easy as pie, but I was very surprised to find that it was actually about 10x more stressful than the preliminaries had been. I loved it, but it was definitely exhausting. |
04-11-2010, 04:42 AM | #480 |
The Chocoholic Sea Elf Administrator
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Woohoo, progress! Go Tessar!
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