Okay, now that I have come back from NATS and thoroughly studied the judges'
critique sheets (which by the way, I think is the main reason to go to
NATS..) and also having had a lesson yesterday, I am determined to conquer
what I know is my main problem:a lack of warmth in the high register. I
have a high light "coloraturish" voice that tends to sound shrill in the
upper register. I have only been singing these high notes since my surgery
17 months ago, so it is a new area for me. My teacher made a comment once
that I sounded like an English choirboy. She has been working to try to warm
my tones by having me make very forward "hummy" sounds, flaring my nostrils,
pinching my nose then letting go at the high spot of certain vocalises, etc..
I don't think I am getting very far. I don't want to sound like a choirboy,
I want to sound like a grown woman. I understand the forward tongue
position, but in the upper register it doesn't work. I modify, but I still
have trouble finding the "place." Every so often I get it. Then I don't get
it again for days.
Some of this may be that I had a horror of high notes for years and am just
now feeling really easy with F's and G's (top of staff ). I also have a
problem with my larynx raising, but I don't know what to do about it. I sort
of naturally "pout" my lips when I sing, especially high notes, maybe I am
subconsciously trying to lengthen my vocal tract and add lower partials.
Is this a common problem? Someone recently made the statement that good
singing was easy vice versa, but I don't know. When I did it the easy way I
only sang in the lower part of my range and wound up having surgery. I know
I have some tension problems, but I am also working very hard mentally
energy-wise. Sometimes I am exhausted. Is this ever going to be easy?
Any insight or helpful hints?
Leslie
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