| | From: "Lea Ann Martin" <LeaAnn@k...>
Date: Thu Feb 14, 2002 5:53 pm
Subject: Re: [vocalist] re: classical and then belting
| This is the attitude that many teachers have who don't really understand
belting. The singers who use a healthy belt technique don't have these
problems.
It's amazing how one teacher's views can differ with another...the difference
between my old teacher and the one I have now is shocking. A couple of weeks
ago we were warming up doing some scales and I think I was around an A above
high C...I stopped and said...I feel like that's in chest voice, she laughed and
said it isn't possible for you to carry chest voice that high. My other teacher
used to constantly tell me I was in chest voice...that was her main problem with
me, I was miserable...I truly thought I had no head tone at all...she said I was
breathy and that was caused by too much head tone and that I was never quite
nasal enough for her...which she equated with head tone. So when my new teacher
said things like you have a huge range for a mezzo..I was stunned...I had always
thought my range was very poor. I can go infinitely low...with no problem at
all....and now I can vocalize to C above high C on a good day..usually just to
B. My other teacher's voice was just so different from mine..she wanted my
sound to be like her sound...a light lyric soprano..and that's the tone she
expected...even though she never told me so..she just corrected me when I
produced any kind of dark tone. My new teacher said...that dark tone is part of
your natural instrument, you have no choice over it. So it was hard for me to
vocalize with my old teacher....I could never reach a high note because the tone
wasn't something she liked, so she would stop at a G above high C and that was
it. It's also a thrill to be able to talk about opera with a teacher...my other
teacher was really interested in fake books etc...and I could never ask her a
question about the way an opera singer did this or that...there was a day I told
her Renee Fleming to my mind had a faultless O mio Babbino Caro...and she told
me she didn't know who she was. It really really bothered me..I just felt like
she was totally out of the loop. I told her that I loved Opera News..and she
didn't know what that was either..she said "oh yeah I get lots of trade papers"
I didn't even have the heart to tell her what opera news was. Blech...I am just
glad I have a new teacher who is working and interested in my genre...I love
opera...and I feel better with a teacher who isn't too smug to ask a question of
one of her peers when she is unsure. She asks her own mentor about what sort of
rep students should be building...and she is truly interested..you aren't just
another check to her. She has a plan for each student...it's so
refreshing...and this speaks a little to teachers making selections for
students...I am green enough to NEED help with selections. I appreciate the
suggestion. I came into my first few lessons with her with a stack of music I
had purchased...and she quickly said this or that was not appropriate for my
voice...you aren't old enough to sing this..etc. I appreciated it! I am 31 and
I was surprised to hear I wasn't old enough to sing something. My voice just
isn't mature enough yet. So I can imagine a 12 or 13 year old let loose with
their own choices would be dangerous.
Lea Ann
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