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From:  "Matthew Murray" <mmurray@c...>
Date:  Thu Apr 13, 2000  10:24 pm
Subject:  Avoid Frustration While Starting Out


A friend of mine recommended that I try the people on this list and
see if maybe they might be able to help me. Don't let me down. ;)

I recently started working with a new voice teacher, one who has had
excellent results with people in the past (including my friend,
mentioned above). I have had some voice lessons before with a number
of other teachers, so we're still kind of in the phase of
deprogramming me of a lot my older (not-so-good) techniques and
habits so that we might actually be able to get my voice sounding
sort of good. (It's never been good, but I also don't think it's
ever been worse than it currently is.)

However, I've run into some kind of a roadblock. We're working on
trying to actually get the lower abdominal muscles to work on the
exhale while actually singing. And I am having a really hard time
with it. I simply do not get it. My teacher has tried a large
number of different things to help me understand how to make it work,
but I just don't seem to be able to do it, regardless of how hard I
try. All of this combined has made me extremely upset and frustrated
over the whole thing.

My friend (mentioned above) said that I'm probably working too hard
at it, something my voice teacher generally seems to agree with. But
I don't know how >not< to work hard it. To me, I feel like all I am
doing is practicing and trying to get it work, and getting frustrated
as a result. Part of me can understand why that might not be
helping, but >no< part of me understands how to work >less< hard at
this. When I don't work hard at it, nothing happens. Now, when I'm
working at this harder than I ever have (because now, as opposed to
before, I actually have something to work >on<), nothing is still
happening!

I don't know if there's anything anyone can tell me, but I would
appreciate any words of wisdom or advice anyone may have.

Thanks,
--Matthew Murray



  Replies Name/Email Yahoo! ID Date Size
616 Re: Avoid Frustration While Starting Out Margaret Harrison   Fri  4/14/2000   3 KB
645 Re: Avoid Frustration While Starting Out John Alexander Blyth   Fri  4/14/2000   5 KB
750 Re: Avoid Frustration While Starting Out Jocelyn Gooch   Sat  4/15/2000   3 KB
761 Re: Avoid Frustration While Starting Out Jocelyn Gooch   Sat  4/15/2000   3 KB

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