Vocalist.org archive


From:  "westernactor" <matthewmurray@m...>
Date:  Fri Mar 8, 2002  9:25 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] Unlearning damage before you've learned anything?

--- In vocalist-temporary@y..., buzzcen@a... wrote:
> Let me take a guess at what your problem is (and forgive me if I'm
wrong).
> As you sing higher it becomes more and more difficult. The
muscular tension
> mounts, the voice begins to sound yelly or you flip into falsetto.
All of
> your teachers blame it on support, or tell you to lift your soft
palate, etc.
> No matter how hard you try, none of these work.
>
> Is this close?

That's one part of it, of course, a very big part of it. But isn't
that something just about everyone has to learn when they're studying
singing? I know that managing tension is a lifelong struggle, but,
aside from one or two HIGHLY isolated cases, I can't sing anything
anywhere in the upper part of my range (I'm a low tenor) without it
feeling and sounding terrible. And this is AFTER seven and a half
years, during which time I've actually lost comfortable notes at the
top of my range.
It's just the whole thing that I find frustrating or maddening. I
want concrete solutions where, I suppose, none exist. But because
everyone tells me something different about breathing or how to stand
or what to do with my ribcage or what to think about, I have no idea
what to do about anything anymore. I just want to stand there,
breathe, and sing, but it is never that easy with anyone. And it's
very frustrating. One of my teachers focused a lot on breathing. I
worked with him for about nine months and never really breathed the
way he wanted me to. (So, of course, I sounded terrible, but I sound
terrible anyway.) Then, my FIRST LESSON with my new teacher, he
basically told me to forget everything the previous one had told me.
I don't know how I can ever progress. How can I ever learn
anything? How does ANYONE ever learn to sing? I sincerely don't
understand it. I would think that after almost eight years of this,
I would have some clue on how to produce, if not a good, than at
least an acceptable tone with my voice that other people wouldn't
mind listening to, preferably without killing myself in the process.
BUT I CANNOT DO IT. And I'm tired of it.
I very much want to learn how to sing, but it's way too freaking
expensive if I never, ever get any better!

--Matthew





  Replies Name/Email Yahoo! ID Date  
17865 Re: Unlearning damage before you've learned anythImthurn Melinda   Fri  3/8/2002  
17869 Re: Unlearning damage before you've learned anythwesternactor   Sat  3/9/2002  
17873 Re: Unlearning damage before you've learned anythSharon Szymanski   Sat  3/9/2002  
17866 Re: Unlearning damage before you've learned anythReg Boyle   Sat  3/9/2002  

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