Vocalist.org archive


From:  Ernie Valenzuela <erniev@2...>
Date:  Thu Sep 21, 2000  7:18 pm
Subject:  [vocalist-temporary] learning a role pointers


Let's let Molly decide what she wants to do in resolving her
issue. After all, she posted the original thread & we don't know
precisely what her situation is in terms of time &/or money (two items
scarce to an undergrad's arsenal...as I recall).

Everyone has posted valid points, but by now I think the train has
just about totally left the tracks.

E.V.

----Original Message-----
>From: Margaret Harrison <peggyh@i...>
>Subject: Re: [vocalist-temporary] learning a role pointers
>Date: Thursday, September 21, 2000 12:40 PM
>
>
>RALUCOB@a... wrote:
>
>> peggy,
>>
>> i think her choice may be; learn it off a recording or, don't
learn it.
>> speaking the words in rhythm first and then picking up the pitches
off
>> several recordings (one would be risky) is probably the only practical
way
>> for her to learn it. people with poor music skills tend to learn
better by
>> rote imitation. and singers with little experience have a tendency
to have
>> little ability in imagining themselves singing something they have
never
>> heard others do. (well, in that light, it may be a really good idea
to
>> learn from several recordings. i'm glad i thought of it.)
>

Peggy posted:
>Mike, I can't disagree with what you're saying more, and we may just
have to agree to
>disagree, if you feel as strongly about your view as I do about mine.
>
>I worked on a couple of iterations of this very opera (and others even
trickier
>musically), and most of the singers had limited musical skills too, and
did not learn the
>music from a recording. They learned their music with the help of
people like me (good
>musician, fair pianist), the "real" accompanist (excellent musician,
excellent pianist),
>the music director, and no doubt the individual voice teachers. Tapes
were made.
>Woodshedding was done. There are no shortcuts on music this complex.
The worst
>experiences my director and I have had is with singers who learned their
music (especially
>rhythms) wrong by copying a recording. It is SO much harder to unlearn
something drilled
>in wrong, and so much wiser to learn the music accurately. It's slower
at first, but it
>actually saves time and grief in the long run.
>
>Back when I did this, there wasn't the internet, there were no opera
"practice perfect" or
>"music minus one" accompaniment CDs to help learn opera parts. But the
singers managed,
>and managed well, within the time period of an academic semester.
>
>Also, I think singers should not short-shrift their musical skills by
relying on the
>recordings to learn music (though I do like the ideas of using
recordings for musical
>ideas once the notes and rhythms are learned). I'd bet lots of money
most singers have
>much better music skills than they think they do (Not long ago a singer
new to my chorus
>swore up one side and down the other that she could barely sightread,
then we started on
>some brand new music and she sightread very well). And the skills can't
be developed and
>improved unless the singers makes the attempt. Believe me, if a singer
works hard to
>learn the music without a recording, by the time the music is learned,
the musical skills
>will be at least 100% improved and available to ease the learning of the
next opera role!
>
>Sheesh - I don't know a single instrumental musician who would even
consider for a
>fleeting moment the idea of learning new music from a recording! No
wonder singers have
>such a bad rep as musicians (unwarranted in most circumstances, I know,
but it only takes
>one to create a bad impression of us all among non-singer musicians).
>
>Peggy
>

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