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From:  Dre de Man <dredeman@y...>
Date:  Thu Apr 13, 2000  3:21 pm
Subject:  RE: [vocalist-temporary] fanfare for Heroic, Harmonious Hanson


Well Jennifer, I did something else a few months ago
(and I know that everybody is going to jump at me, but
since you asked): I stopped taking singing lessons,
started practising with a very good pianist. I also
record every minute I sing (about 60 a day),
especially when singing with my pianist. I should add
to that, that my recordings are quite profesional, and
that I have very good speakers.
Believe it or not, but since then my singing improved
greatly. One example: I can sing now a complete
program of 50 minutes continuous singing (Schubert,
Schumann & Mozart songs) without tiring my voice,
something I certainly could not do before.
I finally have a good support, my legato is better, my
voice is bigger, my diction is much better, my high
notes are, my jaw is finally relaxed (I thinks that is
where it all started) and my tongue is where it should
be.
But the most important thing: practising with my
pianist makes me happy, because I am making music,
instead of being told: 'this is not right and that is
not ok and so so on'. Singing the Mozart songs did
more good to me than all those terrible exercises. (of
course hsi aria's are great as well, e.g. Il mio
tesoro).
And to become really naughty or nasty: I hate
exercies! I am so happy I don't have to do them
anymore! That stupid humming! You feel like a cow! I
have honestly never learned anything from exercises. I
think they are only good for a teacher, because with
an exercise it is easy to hear what somebody does
wrong. I can tell you, that I do a lot wrong when
singing an exercise, I don't do wrong when singing the
exact same notes in a piece. At home I have an
interview with a very succesful tenor, that thinks the
same, I forgot his name, but is he from some
Latin-American country. I will qoute from it in my
next mail.
Despite all that: Of course, you will be right;
somewhere out there should be somebody that could
teach me a lot, since I also learned a lot from Mr.
Hansons remarks. But for the moment, I must say, I am
very happy not to have somebody that says: stand like
that, look like that, breathe like this, and
interpretate this song like I learned it. I must say
that in the beginning I learned something from my
teacher(s), and especially the last one was really
nice.
Maybe all this has also to do with the fact that I
have an easy voice, I am a light lyrical tenor with
easy high notes, but strangely enough with easy low
notes as well and with a not too small voice, so if I
just relax, support and keep my tongue in the right
place, it already sounds quite nice.

I will try to qoute from the interview this evening
(European time)
I hope I did not offend anybody, but not all people
are the same, maybe I am just somebody that does not
benefit much from singing lessons, somebody whose only
option it is to find it out himself.

Happy singing,

Dre de Man
--- Jennifer <jennibri@i...> wrote:
> > It's just the opposite from my experience with
> singing
> > lessons: there somebody tells to do things, not
> > willing or even being able to tell you why, only
> to
> > let you find out that those things mostly don't
> even
> > help.
>
>
> That's really sad. I almost always come away from my
> lessons having learned
> something valuable and improved in some way. Perhaps
> it's time to get a new
> teacher?
>
> Jennifer
>
>


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