On Tue, 26 Mar 2002, luccatom wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> Im wondering if I could get your input on how to prepare to sing a
> concert in a poor accoustical theater. The theater I am going to
> sing in has no microphone/amplification and it is very difficult to
> hear oneself singing. My question is, how do you go about singing
> well when there are poor accoustics and you have trouble hearing
> yourself? I've had much difficulty with this over the past few
> years and would appreciate anyones input.
Having recently done a concert in a room with acoustics so dead they made
the ossuary at Verdun seem lively by comparison, some lessons-learned I
noted down for my next performance in such an environment were these:
1) Expect to use twice as much breath to achieve the same effect as you
would in a "live" acoustic space. Plan your repertoire accordingly. If
possible, avoid performing works that involve extremes of breath
management - very long phrases, very loud or widely varying dynamics,
sustained decrescendi, sustained high notes, and high tessituras.
2) Rely less on listening to yourself, and more to feeling yourself. This
is really true regardless of the acoustic environment: an extremely "live"
acoustic space can be just as deceiving to one's own ear as a really
"dead" one. Better to become extremely sensitive to and familiar with the
physical sensations of *correct* singing, so that you can recreate those
sensations regardless of the acoustic characteristics of your performance
space. For example, get to know exactly how it feels to sing a high note
correctly, so that you can feel when you might be starting to overcompress
or "push" the sound in a "dead" space - and stop pushing.
3) Don't overcompensate (or undercompensate) for acoustics. If a space is
very "dead", don't sing with twice as much effort to make up for it. Sing
as you would normally sing. What the audience hears, and what you hear,
are two different things. If you sing elegantly with no excessive effort,
you will sound good, regardless of the acoustics. By the same token, if
you're in a really "live" space, don't get lazy - don't rely on the
acoustics to take up the slack of underenergised breath, etc. Acoustics
will not compensate for the poor intonation, inconsistent vibrato, etc.
that result from underenergised breath management.
4) Do a sound check with reliable people to help you. Try singing from
different parts of the stage, and have them determine at which place on
the stage your voice sounds most powerful and vibrant. Mark that place
with an "X" of masking tape, and do not stray more than 1 foot in any
direction from that X when you perform. (Obviously this won't work if
you're doing an opera or otherwise using staging or dancing - but if it's
just a "stand there and sing" type concert or recital, don't "travel" -
instead use gestures and expressions to physicalize your interpretation,
when necessary, while sticking to that "good spot".
Karen Mercedes
http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html
***************************************
In all thy ways acknowledge him,
and he shall direct thy paths.
- Proverbs 3:6
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