In a message dated 6/21/00 10:58:37 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
ibracamonte@y... writes:
<< Is it enough to be able to pick up a new score and
sing through the role? This is simple sight singing,
but it doesn't help you learn what the role sounds and
feels like (unless you can also glance at the score
and instantly hear the harmonies, which I cannot).
>>
The more scores you work on the easier it becomes. Study each
composers style and idiosyncracies and how they repeat themselves.
<<Should you be a good enough pianist to be able to pick
up a new score, sit at the piano, and play through the
role to learn it? Not elegantly, perhaps, but enough
to bash out the piano parts while sight singing your
own part?>>
It would certainly help. Playing the piano is a very important thing
for a singer.
<<Should you be a good enough pianist to be able to pick
up a new score, sit at the piano, and play through the
role to learn it? Not elegantly, perhaps, but enough
to bash out the piano parts while sight singing your
own part?>>
Yes. Unless your voice is as great and as much in demand as
Pavarottis'.
<<Is it enough (I already know it's not) to be able to
learn a role by listening to a dozen recordings, then
singing through the part on your own at the piano,
playing only your own part when you have trouble
remembering it? This is otherwise known as the
hunt-and-peck method.>>
Of course not. Learn to play the piano. It should be part of your
training as a singer.
<<Is it enough to win the lottery, thus spending a few
hours a week having a coach (or, more cheaply, a piano
student with good sight-reading and/or bashing-through
skills) teach you the notes? I get the opinion that
your status with general directors and such goes down
the tubes if you aren't known in the industry as a
Very Good Musician.>>
Musicianship is extremely important. Get the best coaches you can afford
and use them frequently. 3 times a week is not too much when you are
learning repertoire.
<<Is it enough (this is where I am right now) to be able
to pick up a new score and sight-read through MOST of
the role, going to the piano when there's a tricky
accidentalled line or a complicated run? That still
means I have to turn to recordings to get a feel for
how the opera sounds (since learning a role a cappella
isn't very helpful).>>
It's not enough. Read the above answer. There is nothing wrong
with listening to recordings to get an over-all comprehension of the
harmonies of the score and to study the composers intentions.
<<How long does it take for an adult to get to a point,
pianistically speaking, where you can sit down and
bash through a new role at first glance?>>
That depends on how talented you are and on how much training on
the piano you have had in your childhood.
<<The piano instruction offered to voice majors at
universities and conservatories doesn't seem to get
singers to that skill level. I learned, in four years
of piano class, how to take home a cute etude,
practice both hands seperately until I could put them
together, practice the piece up to speed, and play it
reasonably well. This is a worthless skill in terms of
what I need as an opera singer (I need to be able to
teach myself new roles, not laboriously dissect and
practice playing a score for six months).>>
Practice. Practice.
<<Am I too late? Is there hope for me yet? Is it even
necessary? I'm trying to figure out how much of my
time to allocate to piano lessons, to sight singing
classes, or just give that time to language lessons
instead.>>
Depends on how hard you are willing to work. How much time you put
in, how talented you are, how you prioritize your time, how stable your
life is, how much money you have at your disposal. You need all three things.
Choose the ones you are weekest in to give more time to, to bring your self
up to par.
<<How do professional singers learn their roles?>>
Most of them are good musicians. Most are able to work by
themselves, and most use coaches when they musically know the role. After
working with coaches, they work the roles with conductors.
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