Hi Everyone!
I'm de-lurking briefly to give my quick input on this subject. It's one that
I've been confronted with often in my singing.
Short background on me, for those who don't remember me. I've been singing
in Germany for the past seven or so years. I have a job in an opera chorus,
but I also do a ton of other stuff, everything from opera, operetta and
musical roles at the theater, to a female jazz quartet, to pop music, to
Palestrina. Why do I do it? Because I really enjoy singing and performing!
Lately, though, I have been super busy with a bunch of different projects
and it gets a bit tiring, not so much on the voice, but on the brain.
What I have noticed in doing all these different kinds of singing, is that
my technique stays the same no matter what style I'm singing in. I like to
think of it as having a good basic technique that is my foundation and when
that functions correctly then I can sing in different styles (or make
different vocal effects) without having to worry about doing any damage. So
far, it has worked well for me. I really think, though, that one MUST have a
solid technique above all. To me a solid technique means that you are
relaxed when you sing and you don't really have to think about how you are
going to produce your sound. Also, you have a reasonably wide range and can
move through the registers with out any noticeable changes and, very
important, your pitch is quite good. If all of these things are in order,
then it makes no difference to me what style you are singing in, it should
be pretty good.
I know plenty of singers who only sing in the "classical" style and can only
sing about an hour a day before they get tired because they don't have a
good technique, whereas I tend to sing on the average about 4 hours a day,
every day, in all sorts of styles and really have no problems and I know
lots of other singers who do it as well. Another thing I think plays an
important role is confidence in ones abilities, but maybe that is another
subject....
Well, that's my 2 cents worth. Gotta get back to studying music!
Take care all!
Mary Kehl
|
