Sandra wrote: << I am at a point of transitioning from seeing and singing individual words to seeing/singing phrases. I need to improve my ability to visually seeing the phrase, and the movement of the phrase. I tend to see "word, word, word" and "note, note note", and then that is how I sing it. Technically (in terms of breath support, passagio negotiation, etc), I am at a point where I can and should be sing phrases.>>
<<Any tips or advice on how to see phrases and phrase movement?>>
Sandra, that's a great question, because I think the phrase is the foundation of musical meaning. You can have the greatest tone in the world, and sing all the notes and rhythms accuractely, with great vowels and consonants, but if there is no sense of phrase the performance is boring, and meaningless in a musical sense.
You've gotten some great suggestions here. I would also suggest that you work on your phrases with your teacher as you work music technically into your voice. For me, I find having a sense of phrase gives my singing direction and energy that lets me sing with my best technique.
First, you want to break down the music to identify the phrases as phrases. Start with one phrase. Phrases always have a shape, like a musical hairpin (<>), with the highest point about 2/3 or 3/4 of the way through. You can find this point with an important word, or an important musical moment. Then sing the phrase, building toward the peak, and then relaxing after the peak. It's really important, though that your "relaxation" does not mean you stop supporting your breath with the same energy as when the phrase is building.
Art songs are a great place to start looking at phrasings, because the poetic text helps you see where the phrases are. I think the Purcell song in my .sig below, "Music for a While" is a great song for getting to understand phrasing, because the phrases are obvious and great fund to get.
Many phrases are written so they can be sung on one breath. If you have one of these, sing the phrase at a tempo where you can get it all in without breathing (when you practice). But even if you need more than one breath to finish the phrase, or the composer has written in rests (a la Caro nome), you can breathe so it doesn't interfere with the flow of the phrase. You can think in your mind that you're not stopping the musical and textual idea while taking the the breath, but are continuing the idea through to the end.
This is much easier to demonstrate than it is to put into words. So work on this with your teacher and/or a coach. Also, listen to recordings and listen to how singers or instrumentalists make their phrases. One conductor I like a lot for phrasing is the late George Solti. Listen to what he and his orchestra and singers do with on his Cosi fan tutte recording.
Have fun - the best part of your journey with music-making is just starting!
Peggy
--- Margaret Harrison, Alexandria, Virginia, USA "Music for a While Shall All Your Care
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