I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing

For the person who's "always wanted to sing"

Putting my money where my mouth is–Recital post #1

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postcard design by Nathan Summerlin; www.pocketstudios.com

So I’m getting a duo recital ready with a longtime friend and student Diane–and I’ve decided to prepare the recital with exactly the same system that I ask my students to prepare the selections they work on for class or lessons.

Because I’m doing a set of three French selections and it’s been a LONG time since I’ve sung in French–I decided to use the following “tools” put out by The Vocal Library, which I have been telling my students about for a couple of years–but have never sat down to use myself.

They.      Are.      Fabulous.

[amazon_link id=”1423413016″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Pronunciation Guide for the French Anthology[/amazon_link]

[amazon_link id=”1423413032″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Accompaniment CDs for The French Song Anthology–High[/amazon_link]

[amazon_link id=”1423413040″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Accompaniment CDs The French Song Anthology–Low[/amazon_link]

…and if you want the companion book that contains the songs themselves, complete with background history and IPA:

[amazon_link id=”0634030795″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]High Voice: The French Song Anthology[/amazon_link]

[amazon_link id=”0634030809″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Low Voice: The French Song Anthology[/amazon_link]

Boy–things are sure easier now than when I was in college.  And I’ll have you know–it’s very disturbing to me that I’ve become one of those people that is able to say that.Continue Reading

Being Effective vs. Being Efficient

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Upon reading The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Feriss, Chapter 5

If you get it in your head that practicing is the way to reach your goals as a singer and you as a result, add an hour of practice time to your current routine—you may indeed get a lot out of that extra practice time if it is well spent.   But is that the most effective way to your goal?  Is more time practicing always the answer?
Continue Reading

common thread

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It seems to me that good singing technique all boils down to awareness of how sound is created and how it is sensed in the body.  More specifically—to understanding the relationship between engagement and release.

  • Where/when does a consonant release into a vowel?  (In the syllable “la” for instance, are you aware of precisely the second that the “l” becomes the “ah”?)
  • Where/when does an inhale turn into an exhale, and vice versa?  Is there a state of being “between” the inhale and the exhale?
  • Where/when does the diaphragm engage—where/when does it release and how can we best use the momentum created by that release?

Having to slow down enough to be able find the exact point of departure between an “engage” and a “release” has, for me, been the single most helpful tool I’ve used in improving not only my singing technique—but my level of satisfaction in the sound produced.

 

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