Monday, February 11, 2008
Technique
The concert this past weekend went very well. The audience loved it and the singers all performed admirably. There are always a few minor hiccups, but nothing caused any real damage.
Someone commented on my voice recently. They told me that some of the vocalizing I do is much to low or baritone-like. I have had people tell me that I am ruining my voice my warming up to sing a low G. I know that most of the rep I sing will never go lower the C below middle; however I still see the need to keep my voice moving in those ranges. My motto "You have to have the bottom to have the top". Now I know this is not a motto for every voice type or even for every tenor, but it does work for me. Some people think that their technique is the only way to sing and anything else is horrible for your voice. I am of the mind that for each individual voice, there is a right way and a wrong way.
My voice is fairly powerful. I attribute that to the beatboxing that I use to do. It is a very taxing ability and the only way I was able to do it was to practice until my muscles were extremely strong. This was good and bad for me. Singing high notes came easily even if they were forced and strained. It took some time before I was able to relax my throat enough and open up my voice, especially through my passagio and into the upper register. Since I could control my throat that well, concentrating on the chest buzz and bringing that low feeling up throughout my range. It has been said that I will blow my voice out within the year if I continue like this. 3 years later and my voice is still growing.
People who sing with the top-down approach, bringing the falsetto down into the lower range, are good singers. Singing that way can protect your voice, however it is not going to achieve the top results for everyone who uses it. Singing with a different method would not work for me. There have been successful singers who use this technique and sing their whole lives and they did not damage their voices too badly(Jerome Hines, Franco Corelli, etc). To say that one technique is for everyone is completely wrong and if anyone ever tells you that, get away from them. If you have a teacher that says it is their way or bust, choose bust. That mindset is not healthy and will not help you.
If you have any questions about my technique, your technique or any advice you have heard about singing, feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail. I look forward to any discussions in this area.
- Gregory -
Someone commented on my voice recently. They told me that some of the vocalizing I do is much to low or baritone-like. I have had people tell me that I am ruining my voice my warming up to sing a low G. I know that most of the rep I sing will never go lower the C below middle; however I still see the need to keep my voice moving in those ranges. My motto "You have to have the bottom to have the top". Now I know this is not a motto for every voice type or even for every tenor, but it does work for me. Some people think that their technique is the only way to sing and anything else is horrible for your voice. I am of the mind that for each individual voice, there is a right way and a wrong way.
My voice is fairly powerful. I attribute that to the beatboxing that I use to do. It is a very taxing ability and the only way I was able to do it was to practice until my muscles were extremely strong. This was good and bad for me. Singing high notes came easily even if they were forced and strained. It took some time before I was able to relax my throat enough and open up my voice, especially through my passagio and into the upper register. Since I could control my throat that well, concentrating on the chest buzz and bringing that low feeling up throughout my range. It has been said that I will blow my voice out within the year if I continue like this. 3 years later and my voice is still growing.
People who sing with the top-down approach, bringing the falsetto down into the lower range, are good singers. Singing that way can protect your voice, however it is not going to achieve the top results for everyone who uses it. Singing with a different method would not work for me. There have been successful singers who use this technique and sing their whole lives and they did not damage their voices too badly(Jerome Hines, Franco Corelli, etc). To say that one technique is for everyone is completely wrong and if anyone ever tells you that, get away from them. If you have a teacher that says it is their way or bust, choose bust. That mindset is not healthy and will not help you.
If you have any questions about my technique, your technique or any advice you have heard about singing, feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail. I look forward to any discussions in this area.
- Gregory -
Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home
