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From:  John Alexander Blyth <BLYTHE@B...>
Date:  Fri Jul 14, 2000  10:53 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist-temporary] Some questions. . . .


Your teacher is quite right. There is no point in doing things which hurt,
which, even if no permanent damage is done, will just lead to further
tension anyway. Something I do with high notes is this: I'm walking home
from work and I play a note on a pitch pipe, get that note in my mind and
then sing it with a small, focused sound. The sound is really quite large
and people blocks away turn round at the funny noise! The pitch pipe may be
handy because its reedy sound is a bit like that of an 'ee' vowel. That
should convince you that you can at least sing that note out of context.
Now getting it into context is the next problem.
There is a song (Ich grolle nicht, by Schumann) which has long sustained
lines in the lower voice, passing through long sustained lines in the
middle voice and then suddenly leaping from a D to an A with an awkward
vowel change. To sing that A out of context is easy for me, but in context
very hard. One has to be completely sure of a number of things, so that one
does not sit in the crack between different things. First you have to
really, really decide what vowel you are singing; then how it will change,
which you can break down into pitch and resonance, as well as interruption
by a specific consonant and/or a change to another *very specific* vowel.
In the example I give I confess I'm working on it. Even a master singer is
going to have trouble with the sudden change from 'chest voice' to 'head
voice' in this context, and so people usually squeeze out the top note. I
hope to manage a transition to mostly "head" a little earlier in the long,
hardly interruptible lines.
What this highlights is the difficulty of keeping a clear crisp "head
voice" immediately after singing big round heavy notes.
I fear this might be a mess of stuff to swallow, but you seem rather
motivated and knowledgeable, compared to the average 16 year old. I am only
another singer, not an experienced pedagogue - but it does seem to me that
you could try high notes out of context and spend at least smoe of the time
building from the top down. Dn't be afraid of thin or duck-like sounds in
trying this - it's a vocal exploration! john
At 05:37 PM 7/14/00 +0000, you wrote:

...
>
>My problem? I am deathly afraid of high notes! My teacher has told
>me that she believes (because of my high break---Eb) that I will be a
>dramatic soprano eventually, I just have to wait for my high notes to
>develop. Currently, however, I can't sing above a high A without
>tensing terribly, which is why I am sticking fairly close to
>traditional mezzo repertoire. I really do not have a lyric timbre,
>it's been rather dark since I can remember (which leads me to think I
>might be a mezzo).
>
>How developed were your ranges at 16? Do higher notes really just
>magically materialize as you mature if you exercise the middle and
>lower registers? Any tips to help me relax my upper register?
>
>On another note: I would love to start doing vocal competition. I
>have been chronically ill for two years now, so have been unable to
>do anything strenuous. However, I am starting to become stronger and
>think my next step should be to gain confidence in a competive
>atmosphere, since I am planning to study music after high school. I
>live in the Northeast. Any suggestions?
>
>Thanks in advance to anyone who responds :)
>
>----Kate
>
>
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John Blyth
Baritono robusto e lirico
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada

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