Date sent: Wed, 15 Dec 1999 12:29:29 EST
Subject: Tenor timbre vs baritone timbre
To: vocalist
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

> I can virtually produce any timbre I want(silver, bronze, leather,gold,
> paper etc :)) ), so should I go ahead and train to be a tenor or should I
> follow advice and "wait and see" while I sing baritone?

Please just focus on singing well and not worry about fach. I wasted many
years training in the wrong voice category because I thought range determined
fach too. The truth is, training and physical maturity *changes* your range.
Who knows? Maybe you will be a tenor. But by exerting your vocal mechanism to
force your voice to sound "tenorish" or whatever right now, you may be
postponing the day when your voice can produce that tone freely and naturally.

Best wishes,

Tako Oda,
countertenor