From: Isabelle Bracamonte
Subject: Re: speech-level singing
To: vocalist
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

Hi Rocio and others,

That was a very intelligent and clear explanation of
what Speec-Level Singing is. I, however, believe,
after reading your posts (and having familiarity with
what some of Seth's students sound like, living in the
bay area where there are a few around) that
Speech-Level Singing, while it appears to work well
for baritones, basses and some tenors, is not a good
technique for the higher-sitting voices, particularly
sopranos.

My opinion, formed by both hearing singers trained
this way and reading your very clear posts about the
technical concepts, is that women's voices need a
sense of higher placement than an attention to the
spoken voice production can afford. On one extreme
(closer to Seth's side) is the strained, breathy
chest-heavy woman's voice (many beginning opera
students who have sung a lot of musical theater will
sound like this). On the other extreme is a round,
hooty tone which will float ethereal pianissimi but
will not carry over an orchestra (the "Julia Child"
voice but without the ringing singer's formant, or
focus). I believe that women's voices do not respond
well to a balance of air compression vs. phonation
that is based at the level of speech, or at the larynx
-- most need more focus and honk than that, and
attempting to carry the conversational larynx into the
head voice, without shifting the sense of placement
much higher, will result in either bland, unremarkable
voices or pressed phonation and pushing.

For basic concepts, and for musical theater, jazz,
pop, choral, and other singers, I think Seth's program
does quite well. But for training a truly operatic
soprano or high mezzo, as well as some tenors -- the
kind whose voice fits opera like a glove, but who do
sound rather ridiculous attempting any other
repertoire -- I think it fails to produce anything
more than a pleasant, not-unhealthy instrument.

I would say that Dawn Upshaw's technique comes closer
to speech-level singing than, say, Victoria de los
Angeles. Barring the size difference in the voices,
both are basically lyric sopranos.

Isabelle B.


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Isabelle Bracamonte
San Francisco, CA
ibracamonte-at-yahoo.com



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