In a message dated 9/21/2000 2:55:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time, peggyh@i... writes:
<< 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. >>
I have a confession to make. I once actually learned an opera role from a recording. It was the biggest mistake I've ever made in my life. It was the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors. I'm a decent pianist, but Menotti's accompaniments just fall beyond my grasp. I had to learn the role fast, without coaching, and without my usual rehearsal pianist, and I thought, I'll just make a tape and listen as much as I can and work at the piano as much as I can. What I found when I got into rehearsals was that the singer on the recording had sung every single 7th in the role as an octave, and I had picked it up from her. And there are a lot of 7th's in that role! That's a mistake I'll never make again.
Lee Morgan Mezzo soprano and specialist in mother roles
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