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From:  "katherine94040 <modulate58@a...>
Date:  Fri Dec 13, 2002  6:29 pm
Subject:  RE: Tone deaf?

IMO, there is no such thing as tone deaf. I think tone deafness is a
matter of inability of the vocal muscles to function, mostly due to
inactivity/atrophy. With a teenager, this is likely due to the
current blandness with which a lot of youngsters speak, combined with
the fact that so much of pop music is so restricted and dull in terms
of melodic line that even if they "sing along" they are not using
much of a pitch range, hence her current range of a fifth, about what
most pop music uses.

N.B. I am not down on teenagers. Adults are also guilty of talking
with a limited pitch range, especially those who grew up with rock
music being the principal thing they listened to. Yes, I admit I am
prejudiced against the current pop music. It's boring to me.

What to do? Somehow, if this girl is to sing, you have to provide her
some experience of greater pitch range. Have you tried the standard
stuff, like "sirens" and whatever sort of tricks you may have in your
bag to get her into higher and lower pitches? Maybe the ghost sound
Peggy suggested for vibrato would help. It has to be fun. The problem
is you have her for a half hour a week and the rest of the time she
is doing her usual thing. Can you get her to listen to real singers
between lessons, just so she can start hearing a bigger pitch range?

P.S. Whether I would teach the "apparent" tone deaf would probably
depend on what their goals were. I doubt a person who starts there
would ever make a real singer - not that it's impossible, but it
would just take toooooooo long.





  Replies Name/Email Yahoo! ID Date  
21466 Re: Tone deaf?buzzcen@a... buzzcen2000 Fri  12/13/2002  
21467 Re: Tone deaf?Lloyd W. Hanson lwh1 Fri  12/13/2002  
21494 Re: Tone deaf?Margaret Harrison peggyliebman Sat  12/14/2002  
21496 Re: Tone deaf?Lee Morgan   Sun  12/15/2002  
21499 Re: Tone deaf?Michelle <drama_diva_au@y...> drama_diva_au Sun  12/15/2002  

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