| | From: "Kevin Moulton" <kmoulton@b...>
"Kevin Moulton" <kmoulton@b...>
Date: Sun Apr 1, 2001 5:36 pm
Subject: Re: [vocalist] Low Notes for a High Voice
|
Karen,
Certainly you're right about "Music of the Night," but people confuse
commercial success with quality, so they request this song.
I'm also a Catholic chuch cantor, which means singing a lot of
material that is in keys comfortable for the congregation rather that
a tenor. Just this morning I can't tell you how many Ab's and Bb's I
had to attempt in leading the congregation.
Thanks for the advice. It's time to focus on this low note weakness
and turn it into a strength.
Kevin
--- In vocalist-temporary@y..., Karen Mercedes <vocalist-temporary@y..., Karen Mercedes < >
> > This problem has scared me away from some songs people often ask
me
> > to sing, like "Music of the Night", with it's annoying Ab's at
the
> > beginning of each verse.
>
> NO-ONE sings this song well. It is a killer song, as it actually
contains
> about three different tessituras. Parts of it are pure tenor. Parts
are
> pure baritone. Parts simply beg for falsetto. I wouldn't use this
as any
> kind of gauge for your ability to sing low, high, or anything in
between.
>
> >
> > The funny part is that occasionally I'll have a very strong low
> > range, but it's hit or miss. I've yet to be able to recreate
this
> > ability on demand.
>
> I suspect the real problem isn't producing the low notes, but
keeping your
> resonance consistent as you move down into the chest register. The
> physical acoustics of where those low notes will resonate are simply
> different from where your high notes will resonate - so how to
overcome
> that so you don't feel like you've got a completely different voice
when
> you sing low and when you sing high.
>
> Part of it involves becoming very aware of your vowel sounds all
through
> your range. YOu need to "tighten up" your vowel sounds the lower
you go -
> just as you will need to "open up" your vowel sounds as you get
higher.
> Start working with the Italian "i" (eee) sound. Sing a 5-note
scale down
> from middle C, and really pay attention to closing the "i" vowel
more each
> time you move down a note, and keeping it focused so the resonance
doesn't
> really change as you move down. It's not just a question of moving
> smoothly through the passagio (though that is part of it) - it's a
> question of keeping the resonance consistent despite the change in
notes.
> Do the same thing for all the other Italian vowels (and the French,
> German, and English vowels, if you like).
>
> The other thing to concentrate on is not letting the "support" and
> breath management get lazy just because you're singing lower. Yes,
> low notes will require less compression of breath than high notes.
But
> it's very easy to be tricked into thinking that less compression
means
> less "support" and less breath management. Think about creating an
even
> more solid base of breath support as you sing lower, to keep the
low notes
> "spinning" and energized. Don't let your vibrato "crap out" just
because
> you're singing low. Again, this means *consistent* breath
management all
> through your range. This is another thing to concentrate on as you
do the
> 5-note descending scale exercise.
>
> There are other exercises you can try, but I'd suggest starting
with this
> one and really concentrating on *consistency* of production - both
in
> terms of breath management and resonance/vowel "tightening" - until
you
> really feel you've got it "licked".
>
> Karen Mercedes
> =====
> My NEIL SHICOFF Website:
> http://www.radix.net/~dalila/shicoff/shicoff.html
>
> My Website:
> http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html
>
> -----
> We're sitting in the opera house;
> We're waiting for the curtain to arise
> With wonders for our eyes,
> A feeling of expectancy,
> A certain kind of ecstasy,
> Expectancy and ecstasy....Sh's's's.
>
> - Charles Ives
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