The Singers Thread

[Tessar]

Well now I'm all kinds of confused.

I had a coaching today (not with my regular teacher) and we moved my voice out of that "front/mask" area, and let it be completely in the back of my head, but not in my throat.

The recording sounded much better than anything I've done thus far, the high/middle parts floated out nicely with no thinning of the sound, my voice actually moved faster and much smoother than it has before... but it seems completely counter-intuitive to everything I've done before. I'm singing with a "Yogi-bear" voice, but it comes out sounding really nice.

I don't know what to think. I'm a little paranoid that it's going to wreck my voice. However, it is the way that the coach sings and his voice is still fantastic well into his 60's... and it made me sound a LOT better on the recording. It sounded more mature, but floated instead of sounding "pressed" like it would if I were forcing the sound.

So I'm going to try it. Fingers crossed it turns out awesome.

[Tessar]

Well if there was any doubt....

Let me recreate a little dialogue for you:

Me: Mom, could you come listen to something? I know you say you don't know about singing, but I just want your opinion.

Mom: Oh, okay.

Me: Okay, I'm going to sing something two ways... then you tell me which one you like better.

I sang the two different ways.

Mom: Oh DEFINITELY the new way. You sound like a real opera singer.

Me: I don't sound like a white boy trying to be black?

Mom: ..... uh.... no...... You just sound like an opera singer. It's lots better.


So there we have it, I guess.

[Voronwen]

Interesting....

I've heard of techniques like this, but there's controversy about them. They can lead to heavy over-singing and a truncated range. Watch how your voice responds to this and be careful.

Talk to your teacher!

[Tessar]

Oh I definitely will.

As I sang tonight, I noticed that I actually DO still feel 'mask' resonance.... I'm just not putting the entire "heft" of the voice into the mask which is why the super strong "buzzing" feeling is gone.

It seems to have opened up my high voice more. I'm able to start a pitch up in head voice on a pianissimo, without moving up from a lower note, and swell it then bring it back down very easily.

I'm going to work with the coach again tomorrow... he did warn me that what he's got me doing is tricky and not something he would do for most singers. His thought is that this technique can help me because I feel like I have a small, light voice, and he thinks it's actually a bigger, hefty voice that's trying to come out but my technique (which would work pretty well for a small tenor voice, he claims) is actually keeping my voice from filling out.

I am being very cautious. Even after an hour of coaching my throat felt just fine and I was popping out F's like it was nothing. I'd even dare to say that my throat feels a little better than it did earlier today (I'm in the midst of allergies. ugh)

I am very familiar with what it feels like to sing "throaty" because I did that for so many years, and it was very painful and unpleasant... so I should be able to tell right away if it becomes throaty.


I'm not sure what my voice teacher is going to say. She likes her "kids" to sing very lightly, so she may say I'm singing too heavily... but, on the other hand, when we fixed my support she said, "I just realized your voice is way too far forward because the new support is letting you jam it too high," so I know she was planning to bring my voice "back" a little. So.... either this is what she was going to aim for, or she'll hate it. Who knows. *sigh*

I'm not going to actually tell her all of the gory details, I don't think. I'll just say, "I think I figured out how to raise my palate correctly," and see what her response is. She's so defensive of ANYTHING she thinks another teacher might have mentioned to me that I think if I told her it was something the coach helped me do, she would automatically hate it.

Originally Posted by Voronwen

I've heard of techniques like this, but there's controversy about them. They can lead to heavy over-singing and a truncated range.

He was very emphatic in explaining to me that it was not something he would use with most singers, and that it's a technique that doesn't work for every voice... he said it's more for hefty, middle voices like a mezzo or a baritone with a good sized voice.

[Voronwen]

Originally Posted by Tessar

I am very familiar with what it feels like to sing "throaty" because I did that for so many years, and it was very painful and unpleasant... so I should be able to tell right away if it becomes throaty.

Good. I'm glad it's not pushing your voice back into the throat. We all know that's NOT where the resonance is supposed to be.

I'll just say, "I think I figured out how to raise my palate correctly," and see what her response is.

It's fine to get 'second opinions' and all. I'd be interested in hearing what she has to say. Believe me, she will catch it if she feels you're doing something unsafe or wrong. I'd listen to her in whatever she says about this.

He was very emphatic in explaining to me that it was not something he would use with most singers, and that it's a technique that doesn't work for every voice... he said it's more for hefty, middle voices like a mezzo or a baritone with a good sized voice.

That does make sense. As a light lyric/coloratura soprano, i would NEVER use a technique like that The higher/more forward resonance is where it's at for me. But that may indeed be just because i am a lighter voice...

Please do let me know what your teacher thinks. I care about that voice of yours, Tessar We all know you're headed for a shining career!

[Tessar]

Originally Posted by Voronwen

Good. I'm glad it's not pushing your voice back into the throat. We all know that's NOT where the resonance is supposed to be.

Indeed. In fact doing this has actually helped me not "grip" with the sides of my neck/throat as I ascend through my middle register into the high voice. I can't explain it very well other than saying that singing with a "yogi-bear" voice makes it sort of like.... singing into a cave that has no gravity. O_o The highs float up with the air current.

It's fine to get 'second opinions' and all. I'd be interested in hearing what she has to say. Believe me, she will catch it if she feels you're doing something unsafe or wrong. I'd listen to her in whatever she says about this.

I will listen to her for sure, but I feel like I'm going to have to do my own evaluation. I'm starting to think that she wants me to sing like a high-school student without a proper "body" to the sound. But I don't know... we will see what she says. For all I know I'll walk in and she'll love it.

That does make sense. As a light lyric/coloratura soprano, i would NEVER use a technique like that The higher/more forward resonance is where it's at for me. But that may indeed be just because i am a lighter voice...

See I always used to think, "technique is technique is technique," but the further I go, the more I'm starting to feel like people with different voices really do need different techniques. Like people with big voices really do have to sing differently from people with small voices.

I was thinking about it a lot last night, and I went and listened to a BUNCH of old and modern singers (I'm particularly thinking of Nathan Gunn, Renee Fleming, Robert Merrill, and a couple of Mezzos and Baritones)... and what I'm hearing is that the people who were really good do sound as if they have that back placement, and the people who aren't as good have the back placement but they put a lot of tension over the top of that trying to make it even darker, or trying to muscle out more sound.

But what I'm also hearing is that it sounds like some people, like Mario Lanza, Juan Diego Florez, Barbara Bonny, Sumi Jo, Gigli, etc. don't have that back placement, but they all have very light, very high voices (except maybe for Lanza, but I think his voice is more 'piercing' than it is 'big'... but the recordings make it sound 'big'). It seems like the bigger voices always do have that back placement.

And I remember reading an article about how Juan Florez was not a super great singer till he got with an amazing teacher who told him, "You're singing covered, and that's for big voices. Small, bright voices like yours have to sing brilliantly instead of covered, but big voices have to sing covered or they break."

So I guess maybe the question then becomes.... do I really have a voice big enough to support that kind of sound? It seemed crazy to me that when we fixed my support my voice didn't get bigger, but putting it in the back place has actually made it quite a bit more sizable, using less "pressure." It sounds sort of small and dark inside of my head, but on the recording it was really big, even, and warm. But I'm having an almost impossible time wrapping my head around the idea that I have anything but a "small" voice because that's how I've always thought of it... small but fairly warm. I wonder if it really is a bigger voice than I thought.


I'm also thinking about my awesome mezzo friend, and I believe she naturally has that back placement.... her problem was that she didn't have the breath support, self confidence, or the technique to bridge into the middle or head voice. I wondered how her voice could be so dark and luscious, and I'll bet the placement is back instead of jammed forwards like mine has been.


Say a prayer for me, because I'm working with the coach again today... fingers crossed for good things.

[Tessar]

Originally Posted by Voronwen

Good. I'm glad it's not pushing your voice back into the throat. We all know that's NOT where the resonance is supposed to be.

Today we actually didn't sing at all, we just spent time doing some 'speaking' and 'speak/sliding' exercises on "oo" and "oh" to free up the back of my tongue.... and what do you know? They worked! I've been trying to get that to free up for the entire last semester with no luck, and he got me started on the path in just a few minutes.

That does make sense. As a light lyric/coloratura soprano, i would NEVER use a technique like that The higher/more forward resonance is where it's at for me. But that may indeed be just because i am a lighter voice...

I talked to him about that tonight and he said that it's not something he would ever do for any soprano voice, unless maybe it was a dramatic or a spinto soprano. He says it's strictly a baritone/mezzo thing, if they have a bigger voice. It's similar to what he'd do with a big bass voice, but the bass voice has to open more than the baritone or mezzo can so it's not 100% similar.

He doesn't think I'm going to have an enormous voice, but he thinks it's going to be very big, and quite powerful once we unlock some of my tongue and side-neck tension, and I learn to not push too much air pressure... basically, as he said, once my technique allows me to 'relax' into the voice rather than having to 'lift' it.

I'm also inclined to trust him because he revealed to me some of the extent of his former students' success, and oh my God.... I knew some of his students had gone on to do big things, but he was just listing them off like nothing, and I realized that he wasn't even naming all of them. He has had a LOT of students go on to successful professional careers, many of them even on to big international careers singing in Europe and at places like Covant Garden, or go on to study at the really big name conservatories with their top teachers.

We shall see...

[Tessar]

Well, I had an interesting, good lesson today. My voice opened up some more, but at the moment I'm having trouble singing the fast passages from "But Who May Abide," because everything is so open that I'm just flying off of the pitches.

I feel like I've gone from driving a small car to trying to maneuver an F-14.... it's a lot more agile, and I can do a LOT more things with it, but right now I have so much voice that I'm not quite sure how to move it that fast and still be accurate... I think I just need to learn how to let the breath do the moving on those fast parts like it is on the slow parts... on the fast parts I'm still trying to 'control' the pitch, and that doesn't work like it used to. O_o Now it's all on allowing the breath to move the voice, or nothing works.

[Voronwen]

Originally Posted by Tessar

I'm starting to think that she wants me to sing like a high-school student without a proper "body" to the sound.

That could very well be it Though i don't think it's so much that she wants you to sing like an immature voice would, but like a smaller voice would. Some teachers of college-age students worry about hurting young voices, so they tend to err on the side of 'caution' and have their students sing lightly... but that is not always what's best for bigger-voiced students. In fact many teachers of young singers don't understand the bigger voice - they are so used to working with the vast majority, which are smaller voices, and when a big voice comes along they're relatively clueless.

See I always used to think, "technique is technique is technique," but the further I go, the more I'm starting to feel like people with different voices really do need different techniques. Like people with big voices really do have to sing differently from people with small voices.

And I remember reading an article about how Juan Florez was not a super great singer till he got with an amazing teacher who told him, "You're singing covered, and that's for big voices. Small, bright voices like yours have to sing brilliantly instead of covered, but big voices have to sing covered or they break."

This is food for thought! It actually makes perfect sense.

So I guess maybe the question then becomes.... do I really have a voice big enough to support that kind of sound? It seemed crazy to me that when we fixed my support my voice didn't get bigger, but putting it in the back place has actually made it quite a bit more sizable, using less "pressure." It sounds sort of small and dark inside of my head, but on the recording it was really big, even, and warm. But I'm having an almost impossible time wrapping my head around the idea that I have anything but a "small" voice because that's how I've always thought of it... small but fairly warm. I wonder if it really is a bigger voice than I thought.

It probably is And face it, baritone voices by default are not exactly small. Even a smaller baritone or mezzo voice is still, in the grand scheme of things, a medium-sized voice. If it were a small voice, it would most likely be a tenor or soprano who just hadn't (either physically or technically) developed their upper registers yet.


More to come....

[Voronwen]

Originally Posted by Tessar

I talked to him about that tonight and he said that it's not something he would ever do for any soprano voice, unless maybe it was a dramatic or a spinto soprano. He says it's strictly a baritone/mezzo thing, if they have a bigger voice. It's similar to what he'd do with a big bass voice, but the bass voice has to open more than the baritone or mezzo can so it's not 100% similar.

Yes, i can see something like that working for a spinto or dramatic soprano, but not any other kind (and there are, what.... 6 different kinds of us..?! ).

But it's interesting to consider what we're listening to when we listen to different voice types, even within the same Fach. There is a difference, for instance, between the type of technique used by someone like Natalie Dessay or Sumi Jo and someone like Angela Gheorghiu (watch them on youtube sometime and compare - Gheorghiu does a lot more 'covering', and Dessay sings in the 'mask'). Then you have the voices of the past - take Beverly Sills or Lily Pons vs. Gundula Janowitz or Eleanor Steber. And these are just coloraturas vs. full-lyric sopranos! And the mezzos are a whole different thing entirely. Perhaps there's a correlation between how much of the kind of technique you mentioned can be gotten away with, and the relative size of the voice...?

He doesn't think I'm going to have an enormous voice, but he thinks it's going to be very big, and quite powerful once we unlock some of my tongue and side-neck tension, and I learn to not push too much air pressure... basically, as he said, once my technique allows me to 'relax' into the voice rather than having to 'lift' it.

These are important technical breakthroughs that i'm sure will make a big difference for you I dealt with the tongue tension issue myself. It's relatively common. You'll be fine.

Regarding your coach's track record of students with successful careers, i'd be inclined to listen to him, too. Does he happen to specialize in helping larger voices?

[Voronwen]

Originally Posted by Tessar

I feel like I've gone from driving a small car to trying to maneuver an F-14.... it's a lot more agile, and I can do a LOT more things with it, but right now I have so much voice that I'm not quite sure how to move it that fast and still be accurate... I think I just need to learn how to let the breath do the moving on those fast parts like it is on the slow parts... on the fast parts I'm still trying to 'control' the pitch, and that doesn't work like it used to. O_o Now it's all on allowing the breath to move the voice, or nothing works.

"But Who May Abide" is ... fast??!? Not in my world!

I love that piece, though!


Yes, you're on the right track with letting the breath move the notes !!!


(PS - this is fast. )

[Voronwen]

More thoughts, as i just came from a practice session.....

Originally Posted by Tessar

It seemed crazy to me that when we fixed my support my voice didn't get bigger, but putting it in the back place has actually made it quite a bit more sizable, using less "pressure."

That is exactly the opposite of what happened with my voice once i got things forward. My rather nondescript light-lyric sound became a typical silvery coloratura once i got my voice 'out'. The former, more 'backward' sound was the more 'manufactured', wannabe big-lyric sound, but the latter is my actual natural sound. It may be lighter, but it's got more shimmer as well as range and flexibility.

It sounds sort of small and dark inside of my head, but on the recording it was really big, even, and warm.

I can relate to that, too, in the reverse! When i freed my true voice by singing more lightly and placing it more forward, THAT is when i finally had major progress and vocal growth. My old 'lyric' sound was bigger and darker inside my head, but outside it was smaller. My new sound seems piercing and shrill in my head, yet on a recording it's that silvery light sound that carries very well. I kept asking my teacher, "Do i sound too shrill? Are you sure i'm not sounding shrill?" To which she would answer, "No! It's great out here!" I don't get to record that often because i don't own the equipment, but when i can now, i hear the difference. It was exciting to find that i was actually sabotaging myself in going for what i thought was a 'bigger' sound, and that it was actually ten times less taxing on my voice to just free it up to be itself - and, i get more sound out of it. I've heard it said that a well-produced voice carries well despite being small, so i know i'm doing something right!

So i have to ask myself, in light of both my experience and yours.... Is the optimal placement opposite depending on whether you're a bigger/heavier or a smaller/lighter voice? It begs the question!

[Tessar]

Originally Posted by Voronwen

i don't think it's so much that she wants you to sing like an immature voice would, but like a smaller voice would.

Fair enough, and probably the case. She does, after all, think that I have a small voice... so it makes sense she would try to train me like one.

Some teachers of college-age students worry about hurting young voices, so they tend to err on the side of 'caution' and have their students sing lightly... but that is not always what's best for bigger-voiced students. In fact many teachers of young singers don't understand the bigger voice - they are so used to working with the vast majority, which are smaller voices, and when a big voice comes along they're relatively clueless.

This is why the guy I'm working with now told me he actually wants to work with me a couple of times a week for a little while, because he is concerned about my voice. After you've sung 'small' for a while with a big voice, you learn to engage certain vocal muscles that may not be willing to be disengaged later on. I recall reading that in an old singers magazine about some camp specifically for big voices... the kids who came in at 15-16 had bigger voices by the end of the camp than the 30 year-olds, because the older students couldn't get some of the vocal muscles to disengage.

Right now he told me his concern is to move my voice from one extreme of the spectrum to the complete opposite, and he doesn't feel like we can afford to take our time about doing it because he's afraid that the muscles will readjust if we give them time to slide back into the old technique.

Originally Posted by Voronwen

Perhaps there's a correlation between how much of the kind of technique you mentioned can be gotten away with, and the relative size of the voice...?

I'm guessing maybe it's sort of like people who are built to sprint, and people who are built for endurance running. You know? Either way you're running, but some people are just physically built for incredibly rapid movement, while others are really good at endurance.

Regarding your coach's track record of students with successful careers, i'd be inclined to listen to him, too. Does he happen to specialize in helping larger voices?

Not that I'm aware of. He studied for five years under a master teacher, apparently, watching her teach every day and she would explain her techniques for each individual student to him till he started to understand how to "build" different voice types.

Originally Posted by Voronwen

That is exactly the opposite of what happened with my voice once i got things forward. My rather nondescript light-lyric sound became a typical silvery coloratura once i got my voice 'out'. The former, more 'backward' sound was the more 'manufactured', wannabe big-lyric sound, but the latter is my actual natural sound. It may be lighter, but it's got more shimmer as well as range and flexibility.

Isn't that interesting? Especially the bit I bolded... my voice (I feel) has more shimmer and DEFINITELY much more flexibility than it did before, now that it's placed back.

So i have to ask myself, in light of both my experience and yours.... Is the optimal placement opposite depending on whether you're a bigger/heavier or a smaller/lighter voice? It begs the question!

I am asking myself the same question. It may not even have to do with size!!! I wonder if it has to do with the 'thickness' of the folds (or something like that) because I've remembered something...

Two girls at my university took the same diction class with me a year ago, and they both sang a song in German. One of the girls is a light lyric voice that just shimmers and is absolutely gorgeous... you'd love to hear her singing any kind of ingenue role or maybe Mussetta. The other girl has a full lyric voice that is big and dark, and you'd love to hear her singing Mimi. The first girl sings with everything placed in the mask, and the second girl has a back placement.... but when they both sang back to back I remember we all remarked on how strange it was that despite their totally different vocal colors, their voices were actually the exact same size!!!!!

My good tenor friend has a voice at least as big as mine, probably bigger, and his placement is totally forward.


Something else interesting, it may have something to do with the.... I don't even know how to say it... the "edge" of the voice? You know how some voices, big or small, have that bright, cutting edge on them that pierces through other sounds and kind of makes your ears ring a little bit, even if the voice isn't very big? Like they took an extra helping of squillo when they were making their voice. I don't mean a bad piercing, just the voice is very cutting. Then there are other voices that you don't realize are big till you're sitting in the back row and you suddenly realize that it sounds like they're sitting right next to you singing? It's a warmer voice, that doesn't sound as big.

I apparently have one of the "warm" voices. So he warned me that I may never sound "big" on recordings, but that it will carry over an orchestra very easily and sound "warm" all of the way to the back of the house if I project correctly.

Isn't that odd?

[Voronwen]

Originally Posted by Tessar

This is why the guy I'm working with now told me he actually wants to work with me a couple of times a week for a little while, because he is concerned about my voice. After you've sung 'small' for a while with a big voice, you learn to engage certain vocal muscles that may not be willing to be disengaged later on.

Hmmm... i agree with this, you're basically building a new technique, on the foundation of the technique you already have. It's a crucial time for you...

I'm guessing maybe it's sort of like people who are built to sprint, and people who are built for endurance running. You know? Either way you're running, but some people are just physically built for incredibly rapid movement, while others are really good at endurance.

Good analogy! And it goes with what i was saying above... basically, you're being retrained to be a different kind of 'runner'. Be patient with yourself - singing is an athletic activity, after all.

He studied for five years under a master teacher, apparently, watching her teach every day and she would explain her techniques for each individual student to him till he started to understand how to "build" different voice types.

Sounds good. I'd love to find a coach like that..! Of course now i'm wondering what he would tell me, and how different it would be from what he's telling you, LOL!

Isn't that interesting? Especially the bit I bolded... my voice (I feel) has more shimmer and DEFINITELY much more flexibility than it did before, now that it's placed back.

It is, isnt it..!?!?!

I am asking myself the same question. It may not even have to do with size!!! I wonder if it has to do with the 'thickness' of the folds (or something like that)

I was just talking with my brother (whom i am informally coaching, but he's not a classical singer) about thicker vs. thinner vocal folds. The thinner ones are more delicate and have that brighter sound, while the thicker ones have that bigger, warmer sound and can carry the endurance you were talking about. Your anecdote about the two sopranos is interesting, though! Vocal color is another topic i'm sure we could talk about for years....

My good tenor friend has a voice at least as big as mine, probably bigger, and his placement is totally forward.

Or maybe because of the color of his voice, it only sounds bigger?

Something else interesting, it may have something to do with the.... I don't even know how to say it... the "edge" of the voice? You know how some voices, big or small, have that bright, cutting edge on them that pierces through other sounds and kind of makes your ears ring a little bit, even if the voice isn't very big? Like they took an extra helping of squillo when they were making their voice. I don't mean a bad piercing, just the voice is very cutting. Then there are other voices that you don't realize are big till you're sitting in the back row and you suddenly realize that it sounds like they're sitting right next to you singing? It's a warmer voice, that doesn't sound as big.

I know exactly what you're talking about. That too is a 'color' thing, not so much size. Myself and many other light, high voices have that little edge to them (which is different from a big voice with real squillo, i think, but that's a whole 'nother topic). I think this is basically a "dark" vs. "bright" kind of color issue. The warmer voices tend to be darker with less of that bright, ping-y edge. I always wanted the warmer sound (see above), but it's just that little edgy ping that makes a voice like mine able to carry. (I hope that makes some sense. )

I apparently have one of the "warm" voices.

Lucky....

So he warned me that I may never sound "big" on recordings, but that it will carry over an orchestra very easily and sound "warm" all of the way to the back of the house if I project correctly.

It is all about projecting properly, isn't it?


Btw, i love these long technique discussions with you, Tessar. It's nice to have someone to be a technique geek with!

[Rían]

I have no idea what you guys are talking about, but it's kinda fun to read occasionally - I know how fun it is to find someone to talk technically with

Keep it up! and I'd like some backstage passes from ya'll in a few years

[Varnafindë]

Originally Posted by Tessar

Then there are other voices that you don't realize are big till you're sitting in the back row and you suddenly realize that it sounds like they're sitting right next to you singing? It's a warmer voice, that doesn't sound as big.

I apparently have one of the "warm" voices. So he warned me that I may never sound "big" on recordings, but that it will carry over an orchestra very easily and sound "warm" all of the way to the back of the house if I project correctly.

To me, that sounds promising!

Originally Posted by Voronwen

It is all about projecting properly, isn't it?

That's something I can relate to from just speaking. A few years ago I offered to sing (with another girl, I didn't trust myself to do a solo) a Norwegian hymn at an English friend's wedding reception in front of 170 guests. Before singing, I explained what we were going to do, and read out a rough translation of the text.

Speaking loud enough to be heard by all of them is done differently from shouting to them - something about the lung capacity vs the vocal cords, I guess. Does it make sense? My friends in the amateur theatre group where I used to be the treasurer talked about projecting one's voice, and I think I understand.

(I could hardly hear the best man at that wedding giving his speech ...)

Originally Posted by RÃ*an

I have no idea what you guys are talking about, but it's kinda fun to read occasionally - I know how fun it is to find someone to talk technically with

Keep it up! and I'd like some backstage passes from ya'll in a few years

There are certainly technical terms I don't understand either - I don't know the difference between the size and the color and the temperature of a voice but I enjoy listening to you.

I second the demand for backstage passes!

[Voronwen]

Originally Posted by Varnafindë

Speaking loud enough to be heard by all of them is done differently from shouting to them - something about the lung capacity vs the vocal cords, I guess. Does it make sense?

Yes, it does. Lung capacity is another whole aspect of the "size" of a voice. In fact usually, the size of a voice has a lot to do with the size of a person. I was just talking with another singer recently whose voice is a similar type to mine and, we're also very physically similar - petite, small bones, small ribcage. Those big, booming voices tend to come out of taller, larger people. It's generally why women like myself tend to play the ingenue roles well into adulthood. LOL

I second the demand for backstage passes!

Awww, but of course!

On that note... now that i'm in the general area of Boston again, there's a lot of opportunity for becoming active in the Baroque scene. Auditions for the most part take place in the Spring, so i'm getting my act together for some auditions! Now i just need to decide on what to sing...

What does Tessar think?

[Tessar]

Ummm, Tessar thinks you need to ROCK THE HELL OUT OF THOSE AUDITIONS. That's what Tessar thinks, if you're asking his professional opinion.

But seriously, Boston is perfect. Do it, do it, DO IT! Cannot tell you enough how much I think you should go for it. You've got your technique in place, you've got the artistic skills..... so why not just do it? Go for it 100% and see where you land.


I talked to the teacher today about the "who needs to sing covered and who needs to sing open, and why?" and his basic answer was, "I don't know." In his opinion it may not have anything to do with the size of the voice, or even the fach. He said some voices are just made to be "reeds" (like Juan Diego Florez) and other voices are built to be "flutes" (like Lawrence Brownlee) Exact same fachs but a TOTALLY different sound.


I can't tell you how much I love this man. I don't think I've laughed so hard or so much during lessons in my entire life... he is so mean, but he does it with love and mischievous twinkle in his eye.

For instance, today after I sang, "But Who May Abide," he said, "You know, Tessar, here's the thing... out of every single vowel you just sang in that entire piece not a single one of them was right. Not even one. What the hell is wrong with your vowels?!" I laughed so hard. He sounds like he's being mean, but then he turns right around and assures me that it's not my fault, and we settle down to fixing the problem, but it's always like that, and I love it.

"You call that an 'ee'? That was such a lovely 'ugh'. Now sing 'ee'. Nooooo 'ee'. Not 'Euuuugh', sing 'ee'. NO! 'EE'! 'EE'!! 'EE'!!!... Okay that was it. Good, that's it again. Okay, great you've got it. Well done!" And the whole time I'm standing there bellowing, 'Euuugh!' 'eeeuh!' 'uuuuuuuurh!' 'eeeeh' 'eeeeee' 'eeeeeeeeeee' as I get closer and closer to the vowel till I finally get it right. Cracks me up to no end.


Actually speaking of that, we did lighten my voice back up a bit. I've never sung my vowels correctly, which is something I knew but could never 100% fix. So he's having me speak all of the vowels super bright, then slowly inch them back into that 'deep', 'back' area while still maintaining the true vowel. Then I sing a scale down with the super bright vowel and do the same thing--keep singing it over and over, inching the placement back further and further each time while maintaining the core vowel.

So for now when I sing the "But Who May Abide," it's not as full as it was last lesson, but that's because the vowels are almost totally pure now, and I can't quite keep them pure -and- maintain the back placement yet. He's hoping that by the time I have to sing it next Sunday we'll have the vowels rocked back to the deeper position again, but right now he'd rather I sing it a little brighter, with correct vowels, than with the really lush sound but muted vowels.

But oh my God... on some of those scales? Listening to the recording I can hardly believe it's me making those sounds when I keep the vowel pure and jam it back all of the way. It's like this super bright, pure vowel embedded into this really lush, warm-chocolate sound. I love it. O_o It also makes my entire head buzz... I almost couldn't stand it at first... it felt like my head was just going to pop off and it made my vision go blurry. But I got used to it after a few minutes.


I'm all exhausted, but luckily not completely sung out. Two rehearsals, three morning church services, a two hour voice lesson, and then singing during the mass this evening and I'm all tuckered out... turned into a 12 hour day for me because I left the house around 7 a.m. and didn't get back till 7 p.m.

[Varnafindë]

That totally sounds like WOW.

[Voronwen]

Originally Posted by Tessar

Ummm, Tessar thinks you need to ROCK THE HELL OUT OF THOSE AUDITIONS. That's what Tessar thinks, if you're asking his professional opinion.

But seriously, Boston is perfect. Do it, do it, DO IT! Cannot tell you enough how much I think you should go for it. You've got your technique in place, you've got the artistic skills..... so why not just do it? Go for it 100% and see where you land.

Well then....!

I talked to the teacher today about the "who needs to sing covered and who needs to sing open, and why?" and his basic answer was, "I don't know." In his opinion it may not have anything to do with the size of the voice, or even the fach. He said some voices are just made to be "reeds" (like Juan Diego Florez) and other voices are built to be "flutes" (like Lawrence Brownlee) Exact same fachs but a TOTALLY different sound.

Hmmm... of course now i am wondering whether i am a "reed" or a "flute". I think i'm a "reed".... (ie. i'm more of a Musetta than a Mimi).

For instance, today after I sang, "But Who May Abide," he said, "You know, Tessar, here's the thing... out of every single vowel you just sang in that entire piece not a single one of them was right. Not even one. What the hell is wrong with your vowels?!" I laughed so hard. He sounds like he's being mean, but then he turns right around and assures me that it's not my fault, and we settle down to fixing the problem, but it's always like that, and I love it.

Ha! Vowels suck! But once you have them down, it's going to be great!

It sounds as if you've found a really good working relationship.

But oh my God... on some of those scales? Listening to the recording I can hardly believe it's me making those sounds when I keep the vowel pure and jam it back all of the way. It's like this super bright, pure vowel embedded into this really lush, warm-chocolate sound. I love it. O_o It also makes my entire head buzz... I almost couldn't stand it at first... it felt like my head was just going to pop off and it made my vision go blurry. But I got used to it after a few minutes.

Woohoo!!

I think i know what you mean by the feeling that your head would pop off and your vision go blurry... that's all that resonance It feels that way for me when the placement is just right, too... especially when i'm in my uppermost ranges (like when i'm working stuff from Schauspieldirektor or something like that). It's quite a feeling. Trust me, you can get high from it. Enjoy the ride!!!