An adept of bel canto
Hello Divas and Dudes,
I`m Semi, a student of classical singing, trying to overcome my limitations as a singer. I didn`t write "opera singer" or "classical singer", because I have enough of these labels. Where is it written I shouldn`t sing my favourite songs from radio? I love opera, but my passion for singing is bigger than to be restricted only to one style.
And how did I end up with here? Truth to be told, I experienced some technical problems in my singing, mostly in the upper range, where my voice often cracked. My teacher couldn`t help, but gave me this great advice: Some things you must figure out yourself
)) So I did some digging around and my friend, who was also struggling with his singing, sent me a link on some Ken`s videos, and I knew it was what I needed. Because the principles were familiar to me.
For example the support mechanism - at our school, all the teachers always tell you, that you have to push down on your diaphragm, but no one tells that it is also important to relax it. And the open throat technique - many teachers talk about it, but if they can`t physically show you how to do it, what`s the point spending time with them? Many of them blame you, that you don`t understand them, everyone uses different terminology, and they may talk about the same thing.
For example the concept of resonance is very tricky and vague. When someone explains you that your singing will have more resonance if you imagine the tones are falling on your head like mature apples from an apple tree, it`s time for you to say goodbye. It`s crap, I need to know what to do with my muscles, not to imagin things.
I`m at Stage 1 for over a month and I can see, or better hear the results every day. My range was rapidly improved from the first workout, when I realized my biggest mistake, that I was singing my whole life only in my chest voice. I`m a high baritone with passagio around the E-F below the high C, and it is very difficult for me to reach the G or G# without starting to mix it with my head voice. I simply need to "shift the next gear", to use the hook vowel modification. Reach the high C is a piece of cake then ;-) Not to mention baritones are supposed not to sing these notes. Here is a small sample from today`s practicing:
http://soundcloud.com/samuel-chrappa/lah-demonstration
I couldn`t simply put everything from my past singing behind me. I love opera, but I want to be something more than an average opera singer, I want to sing someday without limitations of my range, type of voice or style, so I can sing all the songs I love. And I believe Ken`s program will finally give me the tools, the technical disposibility to transform my second-rare singing into something greater. But the way to that has only just began....
I`m Semi, a student of classical singing, trying to overcome my limitations as a singer. I didn`t write "opera singer" or "classical singer", because I have enough of these labels. Where is it written I shouldn`t sing my favourite songs from radio? I love opera, but my passion for singing is bigger than to be restricted only to one style.
And how did I end up with here? Truth to be told, I experienced some technical problems in my singing, mostly in the upper range, where my voice often cracked. My teacher couldn`t help, but gave me this great advice: Some things you must figure out yourself
)) So I did some digging around and my friend, who was also struggling with his singing, sent me a link on some Ken`s videos, and I knew it was what I needed. Because the principles were familiar to me.For example the support mechanism - at our school, all the teachers always tell you, that you have to push down on your diaphragm, but no one tells that it is also important to relax it. And the open throat technique - many teachers talk about it, but if they can`t physically show you how to do it, what`s the point spending time with them? Many of them blame you, that you don`t understand them, everyone uses different terminology, and they may talk about the same thing.
For example the concept of resonance is very tricky and vague. When someone explains you that your singing will have more resonance if you imagine the tones are falling on your head like mature apples from an apple tree, it`s time for you to say goodbye. It`s crap, I need to know what to do with my muscles, not to imagin things.
I`m at Stage 1 for over a month and I can see, or better hear the results every day. My range was rapidly improved from the first workout, when I realized my biggest mistake, that I was singing my whole life only in my chest voice. I`m a high baritone with passagio around the E-F below the high C, and it is very difficult for me to reach the G or G# without starting to mix it with my head voice. I simply need to "shift the next gear", to use the hook vowel modification. Reach the high C is a piece of cake then ;-) Not to mention baritones are supposed not to sing these notes. Here is a small sample from today`s practicing:
http://soundcloud.com/samuel-chrappa/lah-demonstration
I couldn`t simply put everything from my past singing behind me. I love opera, but I want to be something more than an average opera singer, I want to sing someday without limitations of my range, type of voice or style, so I can sing all the songs I love. And I believe Ken`s program will finally give me the tools, the technical disposibility to transform my second-rare singing into something greater. But the way to that has only just began....
Comments
Samuel,
Welcome to your new home. :^)
As you've already seen and heard from your experience with Ken's method thus far... You will continue to make improvements on a voice you've been hard at work on for years.
This is the real stuff that will transform your voice into something much more powerful than you would have ever become otherwise...
Welcome, welcome, welcome!
Bob
I'm sure that you'll have great time ahead with these practices and singing.