Vocalist.org archive


From:  Edward Norton <belcantist2003@y...>
Date:  Tue Jan 7, 2003  3:00 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] Soprano Question


Amen, Peggy! Pass the collection plates!!

"Margaret L. Harrison" <peggyh@i...> wrote:On Mon, 06 Jan 2003
23:02:04 -0500 Barb Roberts <mikebarb@n...> wrote:

> I also have wondered (for years) about the poor
> choral blend from the soprano section of the in the small church choir I
sing in.

I know that choral blend was not your original topic....

However, in a lot of years of singing in choruses made up primarily of
untrained singers, with mostly good directors, and the occasional ineffective
director, I have observed two surefire ways to achieve a good "blend", in any
section.

Way one is "vowel". If the director demonstrates and insists that the section
sing the same vowel, a host of techical problems go away and the choral sound
is effective, i.e., sounds good (I prefer that terminology to blended, as a
sound can be blended but not sound good). Common vowel problems for American
singers are that I as in "hit", E as in "bet", and e as in "bay", need to
sound much brighter, i.e., more towards i as in "sea". Also vowels in
diphthongs need conscious attention, especially in the "ou" as in "sound"
vowels, which Americans tend to say more like the "a" in "cat", than the "a"
in "father" which it should be for singing. There's more, but you get the
drift. My best director likes to say, "singers don't sing words; they sing
vowels".

Another way is simply asking section members to listen to each other. This
allows the powerful unconscious mind to achieve the necessary technical
adjustments. And everyone in the section can hear success, which is powerful
reinforcement for learning. Which makes it much easier for the director to
ask for the new, better, way of singing when section members inevitably slip
back into their more accustomed way of singing.

Peggy

Margaret Harrison, Alexandria, Virginia, USA.






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