From: Isabelle Bracamonte
Subject: re: speech-level singing
To: vocalist
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

This is an interesting discussion -- we are having a
good exchange of ideas about these differing technical
concepts, and I feel like I'm learning things on both
sides.

I agree with Lisa-Marie's comment -- I find that many,
many women speak with an artificially lowered speaking
tone. I heard an interview with Blegen, and her
speaking voice sounds just like a little girl's. Many
girls (I've always heard) begin to lower their
speaking voices in pitch during their high school
years, wishing to sound less "girly-girl." I've
always meant to get to a speech therapist and find out
if my own voice is too low; I've heard it can cause a
low-level irritation to the cords. (However, I would
guess that SLS is based upon the healthiest speaking
tone of an individual, perhaps by having this
diagnosed in the first lessons.)

And, while my admiration for her artistry is second to
none, I am not a fan of Ms. Upshaw's tone. I find it
rather thin and bland for opera; the voice itself is
not striking. There are small voices which can "pin
you down" and sound, to my ear, more "operatic" -- I
assume that the factors of such a voice include a very
strong "ping" (singer's formant), and a combination of
richness and height/depth which I can't begin to
understand scientifically. My own training would call
it a combination of placement, focus, relaxation, and
(certain types of!) pressure and compression.

As a young student in musical theater, I and many of
my friend often made fun of the "honking and wailing"
opera-singer stereotype. Now, however, I much prefer
that sound to the rather plain, although simple and
beautiful, vocal quality I hear in singers like Upshaw
and associate with SLS. I find that style much more
suited for song repertoire and crossover styles.

But, of course, there's no accounting for other
people's tastes, especially mine. :) Thanks,
everyone, for keeping this discussion on the right
track (if you delve into last summer's archives on
this subject, you'll find an example of this
discussion going way off-track).

Isabelle B.


=====
Isabelle Bracamonte
San Francisco, CA
ibracamonte-at-yahoo.com



__________________________________________________
http://im.yahoo.com