boobook@n... wrote: << For me, singing in a choir seems to be the only way I am able to indulge my passion. I am an amateur - I discovered I had a decent sort of voice 5 years ago, at 45. I have no illusions that there is any sort of singing career open to me at that late age, except for choirs. However, I also have a powerful voice, with a 3 octave range and I sometimes feel constricted in the choir. I am in the soprano section, and try hard to keep my voice quiet so I don't stand out from the rest. Sometimes I just want to let it rip - sing out, and sing in all of my range. Rather frustrating at times. I am also finding that my lower range is getting weaker - I guess because I am singing the soprano bit. I suppose I just have to accept the drawbacks of choir singing, as it is the only avenue I have to perform. Any comments anyone? I would also like your opinion on whether I should sing in the sopranos, or would it be healthier for my voice to go to the altos?>>
First, there are many ways to satisfy your singing urge other than choir. I encourage you to sing in a choir because that's what you like to do. It's my favorite thing to do, no matter what my age or how advanced my technique, at least if I like the director, the repertoire, and the atmosphere.
If you love choir singing and you want to reconcile it with your voice, I encourage you to do two things. Study voice privately, and work with your teacher on using a free and easy technique to sing in a way that's compatible with the choir's need. Like Lana said earlier, that may mean you sing mezzo forte when everyone else is singing forte. But always with a good technique, not by eeking out the tone or not supporting your tone. This may take more command of your technique than you currently have, but if you like choral singing, it's worthwhile to try and very rewarding once you have this ability.
If you really would rather do other types of singing, I encourage you to pursue that. Work with a teacher. Give recitals. Give group recitals. Perform free for retirement communities or nursing homes. Sing in church. Even if you don't think you'll end up with a career where they pay you to sing opera in the top companies, this can be fulfilling and rewarding for you to do.
Should you sing alto in the choir? I don't know, as I haven't heard your voice. Do you have good low notes, and can you sing them with a good vocal technique? Ask your director, or better yet, your private voice teacher. They'll know whether this will be good for your voice or not good for your voice. It would be "not good", I think, if you tried to sing everything with pure chest tone, and tried to take your chest register too high - as you could be avoiding use of any chest register in your soprano singing and that could cause your low notes to feel insecure. Private voice study is the best way to diagnose what's happening and correct the issues, whichever type of singing you do.
Peggy
--- Margaret Harrison, Alexandria, Virginia, USA "Music for a While Shall All Your Cares Beguile" mailto:peggyh@i...
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