Sunday Musings (in pursuit of classical singing)
From the Little Soprano archive.
Originally written one Sunday morning, almost ten years ago, the comment it makes is still as pertinent as ever, especially for new or beginner singers, or those who have a penchant to return to classical singing.
August 2014
I read the quote below earlier this morning and paused to think on it a while.
I love to sing - everyone knows that - but I also love to write, and that love goes way, way back to before I ever sang a note. It was, I think my love of words that lit that first little singing flame. A beautiful marriage between verse and music. I was clearly thinking about singing at quite an early age ...
I’m not fearful of my singing path; I’ve pursued my craft tenaciously, very conscious of the journey and the absolute need to improve, spurred on by the excitement of improving ability and the lure of achieving my goal. But writing is something else - ultimately far more private. I’m more fearful of failure when I write.
How do you learn classical singing?
Where do you start, learning how to sing classically?
You've got to want to do it - be excited and curious enough to get on board.
The vocal journey has a very human beginning and it is good to remember that. At the heart of all we do as singers, is the joy of making music and the release of self-expression. Sharing with others is vital to the learning experience, because it provides a solid base for exchange, observation and mutual support.
Also, there is no quick fix - no singing teacher worth their salt has a magic wand. You - the singer in you - has to be bitten by the I-want-to-sing-classical-song bug for the duration and be lit up by it over and over again.
I remember years ago, watching a television advert, where an old lady taps a police officer on the shoulder in the street and asks,
“How do I get to Carnegie Hall?”
The officer answers with a wry smile, “Lady, you gotta practice!”
And he was right. Like anything else, you...
Vocal basics every beginner classical singer should know.
In 2020, I bought a new and interesting book, the delights of which I hardly had time to delve into amid all the extra online Virtual Studio classes and other activities, created by COVID-19 and the human desire for people, singers, to seek to connect.
The book had been sitting on my desk in the study since mid-June that year. Seeing it still there one day, I thought to remind myself why I bought it in the first place. Glancing at the back cover told me everything I needed to know.
"Somatic learning ... through the practice of these methods, a person can become more sensitive to the quality of his or her movement and more integrated in their co-ordination."
Ah - of course! It had to do with POSTURE and more importantly the habits (good and bad) which underpin everything we try to achieve as singers. Vocal Technique-wise, posture is the first of the 3 essential pillars that I talk about in my YouTube technique tutorials, particularly the Vocal Warm-ups.
(The book has a...
Singers: How should we practice?
In other words: practice certainly, but focus. So, just how should you practice singing?
Let me first tell you about this. It's worth thinking about, especially when it comes to muscle memory. Some years ago, I came across an excellent post in a roundabout way as you do, pulled in by its title:
You can see why can’t you? Learning rewires our brains. I was thinking of singing/performance. So I clicked the link to have a good read. (Tip - It's still a good read, even now.)
Funny how these things can pull together fragments of your life, personal and professional. I started thinking about my little daughter, Alice and the problems she had had with Leukodystrophy. But that's another story.
Soon I was deeply engrossed in fully understanding the important role myelination plays in our gradual acquisition of skills, thanks to Jason Shen’s clear explanations and diagrams.
But then, another pathway of understanding opened.
As a vocal...
Singers: Love Your Larynx
The importance of learning all this vocal technique stuff is seeing the bigger picture.
I know lots of new singers are frustrated by vocal technique. In a PDF guide linked beneath my YouTube video, I outline 5 essential vocal tools that really matter in the long haul for vocal health. Muscle-memory-building tools that you rely on the most in the basic use and care of your unique voice. Go grab your free PDF copy and learn more.
Getting to grips with the basic vocal roadmap is paramount ie the scientific reasons why/how the vocal process works so you can work out what is going wrong or RIGHT at any time.
Of course, it isn’t as simple as that … well, it IS actually. In part.
A paradox!
I love to teach my students to self-scrutinise. I give them enough vocal instruction and learning to enable them to feel confident as they experiment along the way. It’s like watching a tight bud unfurl and come into bloom. It’s...
Singing Tips for Beginners
Is singing a natural talent OR a learnt skill?
We all have a speaking voice and use our vocal folds/cords every single day, so you’re actually already familiar with how powering your voice feels. Learning to use your singing voice is just an extension of that same vocal process, using the same equipment. But with a certain set of learned basic skills. Ease your way in with one of my takeaways, a free PDF companion guide to this article: Need Help with Singing Basics.
Q: Can you teach yourself to sing or is it natural?
An education professor once said: “ Singing is more of a learnt skill than a talent.”
Singing does not lend itself well to self-teaching. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you don’t need guidance when you’re learning. Another pair of ears to listen to you sing and watch how you’re achieving the sounds you make is not only important but vital. Many factors govern why you have the voice that you were born with (unique...
Singing Basics Guide
Getting to grips with or making improvements to your singing and the methods to achieve progress are all far easier and more accessible than you think.
