That's crazy about your voice. I know that both of us have young voices...
(I'm 20 and you're 27, coincidentally the same age as my sister) and we
probably won't mature and have consistency until we're in our 30's. I've
heard stories where a dramatic change in someone's voice has occured in a
matter of days!
What are you doing for warm ups? How often do you practice? I've been very
strict with myself and have successfully maintained a very constant range
in my voice. I've even been very selective about the songs I've sung often
opting for the tessitura of most of my repertoire where it sits higher and
it's climax aren't these hugely high notes.
Perhaps the highest note will be a Ab and the lowest note a G above middle
C (what's that... G4?). Even songs that concentrate even lower, forcing the
lower range of the voice to become rich, balanced, and well developped.
Then I'll have a couple pieces that will have some higher notes like a B
just so I can work on getting consistency on the higher range.
I understand what you're saying is that your voice flipping back and forth
is a freak thing, however, by tossing out those pieces that you found
impossible to sing you might never learn to cope with them. By keeping with
them I'm sure you'll start to discover and develop new parts, areas and
qualities of your voice you've never even thought you could have. It might
also help develop a consistency in your voice by tackling these seemingly
difficult pieces.
Another reason why your voice is so picky could be hormones. Young women,
such as ourselve, experience many hormonal fluctuations that can alter the
range of your voice. I heard that some opera companies in Europe will
actually have it in contracts with singers that they are not to sing during
that delicate time of month (^_~) because it is possible to damage the
voice if you work too hard then. The hormone problem won't be helped until
you go through menopause though, that's the bitchy thing about it.
As for excercises, I like the arppeggios... Yes, I'm a fan of the
arppeggios! Thinking of phrasing them in a beautiful legato line, smooth
and delicious. Very diva-ish. This excersize helps me achieve consistancy
between octaves and especially in my break. Sing Octaves, again with the
goal to make the execution very smooth, slur if you must, it's just to help
you again create consistency in tone and making things smooth. Once
excercise I used to work on is an extended arpeggio. This will help create
an elasticity in your voice, help with consistency in tone, and it's just a
great little excercise (C, E, G, C, E, G,[back down now] F, D, B, G, F, D,
C).
Next year I'm getting aggressive with my upper range, I'll tell you how it
goes. My first challenge is the a forementioned MONICA'S WALTZ. ^_^
Keep challenging yourself though, if someone sounds messy, don't toss it
away keep it. And try to figure out what it is that makes it sound so messy.
Good Luck
Marie
At 11:25 PM 4/6/00 -0400, you wrote:
>Hi...
>
>I know worrying about your Fach is silly...but I've had some really strange
>things going on this past year and I'm wondering if anyone else has had this
>kind of experience.
>
>A brief history:
>17-21yrs: Classical vocal training at university level, mostly singing light
>Mozart arias (Cherubino, Zerbinetta) and Handel arias (Messiah Soprano &
>opera arias)
>
>21-27yrs: Intensive early music participation, development of a very
>strong, pure, straight ren/medieval tone. Usually sing soprano for
>partsongs, range approx 2 octaves: F(below mid-C) to G (just above staff).
>
>Fall semester 1999: 27 yrs: Back to classical vocal training, arias:
>Erda's Warning(Wagner), Lascia chio pianga (Handel), Che Faro Senza Euridice
>(Gluck). Figured out how to sing an A (just off the staff). Originally
>fached contralto, however, opinions changed rapidly to "Verdi Mezzo"
>
>Winter semester 1999: 28 years...continuation of "Verdi Mezzo"
>fach...singing "Stride la Vampa", "O Mio Fernando", Composer's Aria from
>Ariadne auf Naxos, Mon Couer from Samson et Dalila, and "Iris Hence
>Away"(Handel). Couldn't hit the high B flat in the composer's aria to save
>my life...hid it away and didn't work on it. However, about 1 month ago,
>something weird happened and my Strauss aria (which climaxed on a high f)
>lost its sparkle and the low note (a middle c) got all chesty and yucky. We
>switched to the high version which was a major third above and it sounded
>great....thing is that I'd tried the high version early in the semester and
>my teacher said it was bad. :) He said, "I don't know where your voice is
>going (meaning registers) but it's going FAST.
>
>Well, he couldn't be more right...in the past 3 weeks I've gained a LOT on
>my top...I'm now able to vocalize to high C easily(haven't tried higher) and
>I can wham the B flat in the Composer's aria and the optional one at the end
>of Dalila's aria...
>
>I'm just wondering if anyone else has gone through this kind of thing...it's
>frustrating to me that my voice is changing so quickly that I have to throw
>songs away mid-semester and freak about songs I get which seem impossible.
>"Iris Hence Away" has become practically a joke...I wham the low notes worse
>than Horne!
>
>Any advice...repetoire advice, exercises, etc? I'm pretty much a free
>spirit with my teacher, so don't worry about interfering.
>
>My big problem to this point is a shaky jaw which goes away when the jaw is
>completely open. My teacher's solution is to have me sing into the mirror
>(which I hate!)...and I was wondering if anyone's done exercises to work on
>this issue....
>
>:)
>Kate Penney
>
>
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