10 September 2012
Today it was very useful to notice about the performances at which we attended,how important it is to warm ourselves up a bit before going to the stage at 10.15 in the morning!!!
In fact all the people that had performed told that it was very difficult to stay completely connected with the feelings evokated by the song without the substain of the warming up before, that would work both psychologically and technically .
Than we noticed how important it is for singers to learn very well how to use the microphone,how to position it and how to move their selves according to the sound that is desired, the mic is another instrument as well indeed!I am very curious to find out more about voice effects after having attended the PJ Harvey live White Chalk tour a few year ago,in fact I am very obsessed about the the colour of the sounds all the tiniest shades you can have and sometimes I really can't stand the bands playing too aloud all to rehearse with musicians putting their guitar amps at the maximum with deaf drummers that make you became deaf as well and make you loose the ,ore important thing to find all the different shades and colours of sound:
The hearing!!!
I am a singer and I am looking forward to find out all the best ways to reach the sound I need to each different song.
Today I performed playing piano and singing a song of Beth Gibbons called "show".
My voice wasn't warm enough,but I tried to do my best within this limit.I was very nervous and exited at the some time and these feelings helped me,sustained me throughout the performance because become energy to help somehow my sleepy voice.
The next time I have decided to bring "Laura" the new song of Batforlashes and I asked to be accompanied by a pianist to have the opportunity to focus myself completely on my singing with microphone.
In fact all the people that had performed told that it was very difficult to stay completely connected with the feelings evokated by the song without the substain of the warming up before, that would work both psychologically and technically .
Than we noticed how important it is for singers to learn very well how to use the microphone,how to position it and how to move their selves according to the sound that is desired, the mic is another instrument as well indeed!I am very curious to find out more about voice effects after having attended the PJ Harvey live White Chalk tour a few year ago,in fact I am very obsessed about the the colour of the sounds all the tiniest shades you can have and sometimes I really can't stand the bands playing too aloud all to rehearse with musicians putting their guitar amps at the maximum with deaf drummers that make you became deaf as well and make you loose the ,ore important thing to find all the different shades and colours of sound:
The hearing!!!
I am a singer and I am looking forward to find out all the best ways to reach the sound I need to each different song.
Today I performed playing piano and singing a song of Beth Gibbons called "show".
My voice wasn't warm enough,but I tried to do my best within this limit.I was very nervous and exited at the some time and these feelings helped me,sustained me throughout the performance because become energy to help somehow my sleepy voice.
The next time I have decided to bring "Laura" the new song of Batforlashes and I asked to be accompanied by a pianist to have the opportunity to focus myself completely on my singing with microphone.
24 September 2012
Today we had performances of many different types:singer,drummer,trumpet..It was very interested to watch solo's of other kind of musicians.
For example I had never watched a drum solo and it was great for me to have the chance to listen how many differences there are between drummers because I had never put much attention on it and it is very important to make your more conscious about it when you have to choose a drummer that have to be kin to your music.
For example I had never watched a drum solo and it was great for me to have the chance to listen how many differences there are between drummers because I had never put much attention on it and it is very important to make your more conscious about it when you have to choose a drummer that have to be kin to your music.
1 October 2012
I enjoyed so much the performances today.We had two singers a drummer and a saxophonist,all playing very different styles of music and all so connected with their performance,very passionate and with a good technique at the same time.
It is so tangible when something happens during a performance that changes the atmosphere on the room and consequently brings the audience to have an experience,to be moved.
In fact I can tell that today was a very inspiring day for me.
It is so tangible when something happens during a performance that changes the atmosphere on the room and consequently brings the audience to have an experience,to be moved.
In fact I can tell that today was a very inspiring day for me.
8 October 2012
Today we had mainly singers.The first one performed a great song that I didn't know ,in a bluesy way.He had a difficult start because ,while singing the first verse,he realized he was an octave lower the right note,so he stopped and started again,and this time everything went quite well.The suggestion from the tutor was to try,the next time that something like this would happen,to make a mistake something creative, not stopping,when it is possible.
I thought that was a great advise because it is impossible to be "perfect" all the time and you can't control everything,the emotion often can make something unpredicted happens and sometime it can be good,sometime "bad",but the best thing it's not to judge it and stay with it open .another thing very fanny was that the chorus of this song said something as "I am sexy"and the singer was very good,but not so convinced to be that "sexy" at ten in the morning,on monday,worried about performing,etc :) so the advise was just to believe it more so to make the audience believe it as well!
After him we had a girl who performed a son of a musical without mic that was very good ,although I really didn't understand why she decided not to use it,in fact the music was too strong and she had to put too much energy to make us listen to her singing,she explained she wanted to be free to move with her body and the suggestion was to try to do it using a mic as well.That reminded me a singer that I love called Natasha Khan who,while performing on stage,usually likes to dance and move her body a lot and I think that if one feels the necessity to do it,has really to find technically a way to be free ,but conscious about every aspect at the same time.Natasha Khan, for example,to be freer to dance likes to use a mic without lead:
I thought that was a great advise because it is impossible to be "perfect" all the time and you can't control everything,the emotion often can make something unpredicted happens and sometime it can be good,sometime "bad",but the best thing it's not to judge it and stay with it open .another thing very fanny was that the chorus of this song said something as "I am sexy"and the singer was very good,but not so convinced to be that "sexy" at ten in the morning,on monday,worried about performing,etc :) so the advise was just to believe it more so to make the audience believe it as well!
After him we had a girl who performed a son of a musical without mic that was very good ,although I really didn't understand why she decided not to use it,in fact the music was too strong and she had to put too much energy to make us listen to her singing,she explained she wanted to be free to move with her body and the suggestion was to try to do it using a mic as well.That reminded me a singer that I love called Natasha Khan who,while performing on stage,usually likes to dance and move her body a lot and I think that if one feels the necessity to do it,has really to find technically a way to be free ,but conscious about every aspect at the same time.Natasha Khan, for example,to be freer to dance likes to use a mic without lead:
I went to her concert in Edinburgh and I loved her performance so much that make me cry .She was so moved,so free,her singing was so honest and her voice so intimate and energetic at the same time.Everything so inspiring...
22 October 2012
Today we had a singer that decided to bring a jazz song and to improvise.I think that the improvisation was amazing,she was comfortable in it,even if she had just a few rehearsals with the pianist.I think she has a great knowledge about improv,and I enjoyed the performance more at the and where,finally free from the fear of the audience she really started having fun.That reminded me how essential it is to find a way to connected immediately with your music so to not allow the fear to obstacle your experience in music.Therefore I want really to find my own way to concentrate and to release the breath before going on stage.
Today it was often suggested by the tutors to the singers to find a way to move more on stage to express better the feelings of the song.
I think that this is not completely right because the movement or the facial expressions are consequences,reactions while one is singing completely engaged with the song and touched by the music,therefore it can be worse than everything if one tries to pretend emotions that he is not truly feeling.
In fact I think that the point is to built such a solid structure ,analyzing the song and choosing in which way we want to sing each part of it,so that while performing, one will be able to rend himself completely to the moment and the present without being worried about technical things anymore,so to be "moved" by the experience and consequentially to move himself "physically".
Having said that,one of my favorite singer and performer is Beth Gibbons and, as we will notice watching this video,she usually sings completely still,often with closed eyes,holding a cigarette in one hand while griping the mic stand with the other!
So...
Today it was often suggested by the tutors to the singers to find a way to move more on stage to express better the feelings of the song.
I think that this is not completely right because the movement or the facial expressions are consequences,reactions while one is singing completely engaged with the song and touched by the music,therefore it can be worse than everything if one tries to pretend emotions that he is not truly feeling.
In fact I think that the point is to built such a solid structure ,analyzing the song and choosing in which way we want to sing each part of it,so that while performing, one will be able to rend himself completely to the moment and the present without being worried about technical things anymore,so to be "moved" by the experience and consequentially to move himself "physically".
Having said that,one of my favorite singer and performer is Beth Gibbons and, as we will notice watching this video,she usually sings completely still,often with closed eyes,holding a cigarette in one hand while griping the mic stand with the other!
So...
29 October 2012
Today I performed the song "Laura" of Bat for Lashes accompanied by Prune at the piano,one of my classmates.
I enjoyed so much to rehearse with her,it is beautiful to share the some passions and not to be completely alone anymore on stage!
Everything has begun when we found out to have similar tastes of music and I invited her to come with me to the Bat for lashes concert at the Picturehouse of Edinburgh the 18th of October ,a band that she didn't know.
The concert was amazing ,especially this song was interpreted in a terrific way that left us without words and with glistening eyes,so, after the concert I asked her if she was interested in accompanying me at the piano for my next solo performance ,since I had just chosen "Laura",even if I was feeling very uncomfortable after having seen Natasha Khan singing it,because I thought that it didn't make any sense anymore to sing it after she did in that astonishing way.
In fact it made me feel as if I didn't have the right to do it.
Anyway ,she accepted and we rehearsed all the week before performing today.
I had a very difficult time while trying to find my honest way to sing this piece because the comparison with the perfection I saw at the concert haunted me ,leaving me doubtful about the power of my own voice.
But eventually I managed to take it easier , just trying to connect me to this song that I love so much,without thinking about the results,I just tried to give up this absurd fight and do my best.
Unfortunately today I woke up with a strange feeling,a funny sadness,as if everything was meaningless.I was on the verge of crying and I knew that I had managed to sing this song in a way I liked eventually,but this feeling was completely irrational and it was as if, in truth ,the inner battle inside me never ended.
So I didn't enjoy the performance because I kept on fighting all the time and I was very nervous so it wasn't such a pleasant experience and I think the audience could feel my anxiety ,although I had a good feedback.
But to perform comprehend also these kinds of shade.
I enjoyed more to rehearse with Prune than to perform this time.
This is the song,this is her beautiful voice:
I enjoyed so much to rehearse with her,it is beautiful to share the some passions and not to be completely alone anymore on stage!
Everything has begun when we found out to have similar tastes of music and I invited her to come with me to the Bat for lashes concert at the Picturehouse of Edinburgh the 18th of October ,a band that she didn't know.
The concert was amazing ,especially this song was interpreted in a terrific way that left us without words and with glistening eyes,so, after the concert I asked her if she was interested in accompanying me at the piano for my next solo performance ,since I had just chosen "Laura",even if I was feeling very uncomfortable after having seen Natasha Khan singing it,because I thought that it didn't make any sense anymore to sing it after she did in that astonishing way.
In fact it made me feel as if I didn't have the right to do it.
Anyway ,she accepted and we rehearsed all the week before performing today.
I had a very difficult time while trying to find my honest way to sing this piece because the comparison with the perfection I saw at the concert haunted me ,leaving me doubtful about the power of my own voice.
But eventually I managed to take it easier , just trying to connect me to this song that I love so much,without thinking about the results,I just tried to give up this absurd fight and do my best.
Unfortunately today I woke up with a strange feeling,a funny sadness,as if everything was meaningless.I was on the verge of crying and I knew that I had managed to sing this song in a way I liked eventually,but this feeling was completely irrational and it was as if, in truth ,the inner battle inside me never ended.
So I didn't enjoy the performance because I kept on fighting all the time and I was very nervous so it wasn't such a pleasant experience and I think the audience could feel my anxiety ,although I had a good feedback.
But to perform comprehend also these kinds of shade.
I enjoyed more to rehearse with Prune than to perform this time.
This is the song,this is her beautiful voice:
5 November 2012
Today we had a drummer,a saxophonist,and two singers.
I thought that, although the drummer was very precise and with an excellent technique,I didn't appreciate the piece he brought ,for its coldness.
In fact it was very difficult technically,but completely empty of emotions except enjoyment of the perfect execution ,and now I am very curious to see this drummer ,with his amazing ability, playing something a little bit more emotively engaging!
Unfortunately I have some problem to relate with this kind of way to play music almost if it was "mathematic", that's why sometime I can hate some Jazz musician with this attitude,from the bottom of my heart.
I know that I am too extreme,but when I listen to someone who plays without conceding anything of himself but technique I just start hate.
It 's like to have a completely different way to see the world!
Having expressed these not politically correct opinions,I think that the saxophonist was very good and always in perfect tune,although there was a lack of dynamic and I think that if he will manage to improve just this aspect, he will reach an absolutely terrific sound!
One singer performed a beautiful song of Nine inch nails,I found very difficult to bring such an energetic song without having a band supporting yourself and it made me want to try it to learn how to cope with these kind of pieces almost alone!It will be a great challenge and very useful ,to put myself in another uncomfortable situation to learn something new!Maybe it will be a perfect disaster...who knows!
The last singer chose a very difficult song and I thought he went completely crazy...he decided to perform an opera piece in italian,and while performing he realized he had gone too further...It is okay to put ourselves in an uncomfortable zone,but this was really too much,poor guy!
I thought that, although the drummer was very precise and with an excellent technique,I didn't appreciate the piece he brought ,for its coldness.
In fact it was very difficult technically,but completely empty of emotions except enjoyment of the perfect execution ,and now I am very curious to see this drummer ,with his amazing ability, playing something a little bit more emotively engaging!
Unfortunately I have some problem to relate with this kind of way to play music almost if it was "mathematic", that's why sometime I can hate some Jazz musician with this attitude,from the bottom of my heart.
I know that I am too extreme,but when I listen to someone who plays without conceding anything of himself but technique I just start hate.
It 's like to have a completely different way to see the world!
Having expressed these not politically correct opinions,I think that the saxophonist was very good and always in perfect tune,although there was a lack of dynamic and I think that if he will manage to improve just this aspect, he will reach an absolutely terrific sound!
One singer performed a beautiful song of Nine inch nails,I found very difficult to bring such an energetic song without having a band supporting yourself and it made me want to try it to learn how to cope with these kind of pieces almost alone!It will be a great challenge and very useful ,to put myself in another uncomfortable situation to learn something new!Maybe it will be a perfect disaster...who knows!
The last singer chose a very difficult song and I thought he went completely crazy...he decided to perform an opera piece in italian,and while performing he realized he had gone too further...It is okay to put ourselves in an uncomfortable zone,but this was really too much,poor guy!
12 November 2012
Today we had an amazing class.
There were 4 singers and 1 drummer that had to perform.
The drummer brought a very commercial song and quite easy for his level,,but he had so much fun playing it that make me really enjoy his performance.Obviously the feedback was to pick up more useful pieces for the next research songs.Anyway I liked his liveliness.
The other performances were very good both for the choice of the songs and the interpretations.
In particularly I appreciated so much a singer who performed a very challenging Queen song because she was so connected with the piece that her voice started flowing naturally with the emotions during the most difficult part of the music .
I appreciate her honesty and passion and it was very inspiring for me.
There were 4 singers and 1 drummer that had to perform.
The drummer brought a very commercial song and quite easy for his level,,but he had so much fun playing it that make me really enjoy his performance.Obviously the feedback was to pick up more useful pieces for the next research songs.Anyway I liked his liveliness.
The other performances were very good both for the choice of the songs and the interpretations.
In particularly I appreciated so much a singer who performed a very challenging Queen song because she was so connected with the piece that her voice started flowing naturally with the emotions during the most difficult part of the music .
I appreciate her honesty and passion and it was very inspiring for me.
19 November 2012
This solo class was very moving today.
We had two singers in particularly that delivered two very moving performances and one of them came across the difficulty of how to let strong emotions flow without obstructing the singing ,how to channel this energy.
In fact she delivered a very intense performance,although she was so uncomfortable and overwhelmed by the song.
In fact,at the end she started crying and she explained us later that she couldn't even sing the way she wanted because of it and it upset he a lot.
Anyway ,I was so moved by her intensity and I would prefer a billion times more a dirty note but plenty of life than a perfect one cold till death.
Having said that,it was very useful to reflect about this delicate balance to achieve by an intelligent use of vocal technique and,first of all,breathing.
This experience reminded me the time when I started studying acting and how all the job was about it:find the right support for each speech,each emotion,each motion ,each perform,and how it was so hard to find this balance,so difficult and even dangerous sometime,although the best feeling on earth when reached.
The other singer then chose a song of a swiss songwriter called Sophie Hunger and I enjoyed this performance, especially for the connection between the singer and the guy who accompanied her at the guitar,in fact this was very useful to let her sinking deeply into the music and the meaning of the lyrics so to help her delivering a great personal interpretation.
By the way,talking about the importance to channel overwhelming feelings into our singing in a constructive way,i think this video can speak a lot..
We had two singers in particularly that delivered two very moving performances and one of them came across the difficulty of how to let strong emotions flow without obstructing the singing ,how to channel this energy.
In fact she delivered a very intense performance,although she was so uncomfortable and overwhelmed by the song.
In fact,at the end she started crying and she explained us later that she couldn't even sing the way she wanted because of it and it upset he a lot.
Anyway ,I was so moved by her intensity and I would prefer a billion times more a dirty note but plenty of life than a perfect one cold till death.
Having said that,it was very useful to reflect about this delicate balance to achieve by an intelligent use of vocal technique and,first of all,breathing.
This experience reminded me the time when I started studying acting and how all the job was about it:find the right support for each speech,each emotion,each motion ,each perform,and how it was so hard to find this balance,so difficult and even dangerous sometime,although the best feeling on earth when reached.
The other singer then chose a song of a swiss songwriter called Sophie Hunger and I enjoyed this performance, especially for the connection between the singer and the guy who accompanied her at the guitar,in fact this was very useful to let her sinking deeply into the music and the meaning of the lyrics so to help her delivering a great personal interpretation.
By the way,talking about the importance to channel overwhelming feelings into our singing in a constructive way,i think this video can speak a lot..
26 november 2012
Today it was my turn of performing a grade 8 piece and I was so nervous,even having rehearsed a lot,because the song I chose was very different from the other ones I used to sing and,above all,very difficult for its high notes of the chorus!!!
I am talking about "Brazen"of Skunk Anansie .
I had spent so much time training my voice to sing these uncomfortable notes in a good and healthy way and it had required so much work that a final bad performance would really have been upsetting!
I noticed that the tendency to lose patience ,that made me willing to find a quicker way to reach these high notes, shouting and forcing my singing ,was my biggest enemy,that I had to fight against all the time.
But at the end I won this battle!I was so happy, after all this work,to having achieved my goal and so happy to feel the positive reaction of the audience as well!I just hope to be,the day of the exam at least as good as I was today,that's why i have to keeping on working in this direction.
There were other two grade 8 performances beside mine,one was a drummer's one and the other a trumpet's and I think that everyone did a very good job today.
For the next research song I want to pick up will be something different again,something a little bit more rocky,in fact I am thinking about "No one Knows" or "Into the hollows",or PJ harvey's "hardly wait"...let's have a look to this amazing interpretation of Juliette Lewis in "Strange Days"..
I am talking about "Brazen"of Skunk Anansie .
I had spent so much time training my voice to sing these uncomfortable notes in a good and healthy way and it had required so much work that a final bad performance would really have been upsetting!
I noticed that the tendency to lose patience ,that made me willing to find a quicker way to reach these high notes, shouting and forcing my singing ,was my biggest enemy,that I had to fight against all the time.
But at the end I won this battle!I was so happy, after all this work,to having achieved my goal and so happy to feel the positive reaction of the audience as well!I just hope to be,the day of the exam at least as good as I was today,that's why i have to keeping on working in this direction.
There were other two grade 8 performances beside mine,one was a drummer's one and the other a trumpet's and I think that everyone did a very good job today.
For the next research song I want to pick up will be something different again,something a little bit more rocky,in fact I am thinking about "No one Knows" or "Into the hollows",or PJ harvey's "hardly wait"...let's have a look to this amazing interpretation of Juliette Lewis in "Strange Days"..
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3 December 2012
I have to decide which song I will perform next time and I was thinking about something new,very challenging for me.
At first I thought about something of the band "Queen of the stone age" because I was feeling that I needed to go through something more rocky,more
witty. As a matter of fact there is a part of me that needs to be explored more, a rocky, energetic, sensual and essential part of me that I feel I am ignoring too much , that's why I was thinking about the music of the Queens of the stone age. I really love their experimental grunge and i find their sound very powerful.Another song I was thinking about is "Hardly wait" of PJ Harvey...so minimal, explosive and sensual.At the moment, along with this research I am practicing my own songs, to improve my singing on them , because I have written very difficult melodies and I think it is something I have to keep on doing in order to learn more about my potential and my limits and find the better way to write for my voice.
At first I thought about something of the band "Queen of the stone age" because I was feeling that I needed to go through something more rocky,more
witty. As a matter of fact there is a part of me that needs to be explored more, a rocky, energetic, sensual and essential part of me that I feel I am ignoring too much , that's why I was thinking about the music of the Queens of the stone age. I really love their experimental grunge and i find their sound very powerful.Another song I was thinking about is "Hardly wait" of PJ Harvey...so minimal, explosive and sensual.At the moment, along with this research I am practicing my own songs, to improve my singing on them , because I have written very difficult melodies and I think it is something I have to keep on doing in order to learn more about my potential and my limits and find the better way to write for my voice.
10 December 2012
Today I have found me listening to "Roads" of Portishead again. It is a song that I adore, I am almost obsessed with it. I have decided to work on it. I want to reach those magic ,subtle colors of voice,that fragility ,that impermanence evoked by this beautiful work of art. I think also that it would be great for my singing as all the melody is set on a very uncomfortable and challenging position of my vocal range.
7 January 2013
Unfortunately I couldn't come back to college till the 8 of January, so I was absent the 7th. anyway, during the winter break I practiced a lot for my grade 8 piece exam , trying to make all the trickier vocalisms and passages smoother. However I noticed during those days that my throat started aching a bit ...I was so worried about it as I thought that maybe I was getting ill again! And that was what happened indeed.
14 January 2013
I am still ill. I can't speak at all. Fortunately my tutor told me that my exam could be postponed and that I had just to take care in order to get my voice back again. i am sleeping a lot and drinking a lot of warm herbal teas with honey.Let's see what will happen.
21 January 2013
I am almost getting there, my voice is coming back very slowly and i am being very patient. In the meanwhile I am thinking about the songs to choose for my final assessment. I am thinking about I can hardly wait of PJ Harvey and Madonna of CocoRosie. I think indeed that are two songs very different from each other and that I can really show in this way very different shades of my singing and interpretation. let's have a listen to Madonna of CocoRosie to get an idea:
28 January 2013
My tutor Annette made me reflect vey carefully about my songs choice for my final assessment. I think that she 's right when she said that maybe PJ Harvey I can hardly wait is not a very challenging song for me, in terms of vocal techniques and range explored. I am thinking about changing both songs, trying also to sing something I have never sung before. Something that I was scary to go through before, due to my lack of confidence. I am thinking about it...
4 February 2013
The songs I eventually chose are:
1) "Dream Brother" of Jeff Buckley
because one of the principle part of this song is based on a very challenging,expressive and long improvisation around a mixed "harmonic" and "arabian scale" that intrigues me so much and gives my the chance to explore a wide range of sounds.
2) "Roads" of Portishead
because the whole song melody is set on a very uncomfortable and challenging position in my vocal range and I am very interested in exploring it because I feel that it will make me discover new, very expressive sounds,for this song moves me so much,therefore could be a very good choice to apply technique,learning how to use the strength of emotions in the best way.
At the moment I have two beautiful backing tracks and I will be very happy to use them,but if I can't do this way I think that while will be possible to rearrange Jeff Buckley song ,for the Portishead one it will be very difficult and uncomfortable for me,because,being a trip-op music based mainly on the beauty of the sound of a original piano Rhodes and a string Orchestra,rearrange it with other,more common instruments,will destroy and banalize the truest and deepest character of this music masterpiece.
Annette found very interesting and challenging both songs, so now that my voice is back in shape again I am going to start practicing very hard!
Let's have a listen to Dream brother...
1) "Dream Brother" of Jeff Buckley
because one of the principle part of this song is based on a very challenging,expressive and long improvisation around a mixed "harmonic" and "arabian scale" that intrigues me so much and gives my the chance to explore a wide range of sounds.
2) "Roads" of Portishead
because the whole song melody is set on a very uncomfortable and challenging position in my vocal range and I am very interested in exploring it because I feel that it will make me discover new, very expressive sounds,for this song moves me so much,therefore could be a very good choice to apply technique,learning how to use the strength of emotions in the best way.
At the moment I have two beautiful backing tracks and I will be very happy to use them,but if I can't do this way I think that while will be possible to rearrange Jeff Buckley song ,for the Portishead one it will be very difficult and uncomfortable for me,because,being a trip-op music based mainly on the beauty of the sound of a original piano Rhodes and a string Orchestra,rearrange it with other,more common instruments,will destroy and banalize the truest and deepest character of this music masterpiece.
Annette found very interesting and challenging both songs, so now that my voice is back in shape again I am going to start practicing very hard!
Let's have a listen to Dream brother...
18 February 2013
During the break I went to Milan to visit my parents and I practiced very hard every day in order to find my own interpretation of both songs.
I found very hard to sing Dream Brother as it was very difficult for me to forget Jeff Buckley's way of singing it and to find my own one, more suitable for me and my voice. The only path to follow , as always , was indeed to focus on the images evoked by this song and on my personal emotions ,after having worked carefully on my technique. That was the only possible way for me to try to sing it. I struggled a lot also with the vocalisms in the arabian/ harmonic scale , present at the end of the choruses . It was hard to find an emotional key to sing them. The risk was to be too technical and disconnected with the images built on the preceding verses. Eventually I decided to bring it to my solo class this Monday to see if my tutors Annette and Dot could help me giving me some feedbacks. On the other hand I found that Roads of Portishead suited my voice and my singing very well.It was a kind of surprise for me as I thought it would be very hard to sing notes set on that uncomfortable position in my vocal range, that was exactly in my register changing zone from a chest voice to a head one. The thing was that I felt so connected with the melody, the arrangement and the lyrics of this song that every difficult passage turned out to be very natural and spontaneous for me at the end. I had just to follow the natural emotional flow of the music along with the essentiality of the lyrics. I love this song, in my opinion it is a masterpiece. Everything is essential and in perfect balance ,everything is so powerful, from the melody and the lyrics, to the harmony, the arrangement and the production. Exquisitely minimalist. For the next song I am going to write I will absolutely keep in mind the feeling experienced by singing a song written so well. It will be very inspiring for me. Also Dream brother is an amazing work of art, but the problem with this song for me it's just that it suit my voice less than Roads, so sometimes it's very frustrating for me and I feet like I am losing my time trying to achieve something impossible to.
let's have a listen to Roads album version..
I found very hard to sing Dream Brother as it was very difficult for me to forget Jeff Buckley's way of singing it and to find my own one, more suitable for me and my voice. The only path to follow , as always , was indeed to focus on the images evoked by this song and on my personal emotions ,after having worked carefully on my technique. That was the only possible way for me to try to sing it. I struggled a lot also with the vocalisms in the arabian/ harmonic scale , present at the end of the choruses . It was hard to find an emotional key to sing them. The risk was to be too technical and disconnected with the images built on the preceding verses. Eventually I decided to bring it to my solo class this Monday to see if my tutors Annette and Dot could help me giving me some feedbacks. On the other hand I found that Roads of Portishead suited my voice and my singing very well.It was a kind of surprise for me as I thought it would be very hard to sing notes set on that uncomfortable position in my vocal range, that was exactly in my register changing zone from a chest voice to a head one. The thing was that I felt so connected with the melody, the arrangement and the lyrics of this song that every difficult passage turned out to be very natural and spontaneous for me at the end. I had just to follow the natural emotional flow of the music along with the essentiality of the lyrics. I love this song, in my opinion it is a masterpiece. Everything is essential and in perfect balance ,everything is so powerful, from the melody and the lyrics, to the harmony, the arrangement and the production. Exquisitely minimalist. For the next song I am going to write I will absolutely keep in mind the feeling experienced by singing a song written so well. It will be very inspiring for me. Also Dream brother is an amazing work of art, but the problem with this song for me it's just that it suit my voice less than Roads, so sometimes it's very frustrating for me and I feet like I am losing my time trying to achieve something impossible to.
let's have a listen to Roads album version..
Performance
Today I performed Dream brother in front of the class. I was terrified as always. I did my best and it was very helpful to see at what stage I was with my exam preparation. Annette helped me very much giving me some useful advices regarding the vocalisms mentioned above. I will keep on working
very hard on it till the day of the exam. I love this song and I want to find my own way to celebrate it. At the moment I am still not comfortable as I am while singing Roads.
very hard on it till the day of the exam. I love this song and I want to find my own way to celebrate it. At the moment I am still not comfortable as I am while singing Roads.
25 February 2013
I am working very hard on my technique with my tutor Taylor. My aim is to reach a well focused and forward sound and to be able to sing all the vowels keeping it focused while doing Dream Brother vocalisms, in order to choose at the end the ones I prefer the most. I am also working a lot on finding all the different possible colors of my voice, to be free to use them consciously while working on my performances.
4 March 2013
I am finding classical singing very interesting and I have to confess that one of my dream was to be able to sing one day the Stabat Mater of Pergolesi.
I talked to Taylor about it and she said that it was absolutely possible and that after my exam we could start to work on it. Interesting path....from Jaff Buckley to Pergolesi.. Anyway if you listen to this song present in Jeff Buckley's album Grace you can easily understand how ,in the end , they are not so strange my new baroque interests!
I talked to Taylor about it and she said that it was absolutely possible and that after my exam we could start to work on it. Interesting path....from Jaff Buckley to Pergolesi.. Anyway if you listen to this song present in Jeff Buckley's album Grace you can easily understand how ,in the end , they are not so strange my new baroque interests!
11 March 2013
Lately I am working a lot on my stage presence as I noticed, watching back some group performance videos ,that I needed to focus on it a bit more. I don't want to sing with closed eyes for the whole length of the performance! I want to try to be bolder , looking into the audience eyes, to include them into the emotional states I go through while interpreting a song.
10 April 2013
Today I had my final solo exam. I woke up early in the morning, I did yoga and breathing exercises and I went straight to the college to wake and warm up my voice an hour before it. I did my best so I was in peace with myself. I was terrified as always and I decided to start with the song I felt less comfortable with, that was still Dream brother. Although I worked very hard on this piece I was still feeling not very comfortable and I had to focus a lot on my singing while performing. Moreover I felt that my voice wasn't at its best as I was having my period and my diaphragm was quite contracted due to the cramps I had on my belly. Anyway I tried to do my best and I sang the whole song with open eyes, trying to take the audience with me , through the emotional landscapes narrated by the song. At the end I felt very satisfied. I was happy with my performance, although I made a little mistake concerning the lyrics, during the first chorus. Anyway I felt I had done my best within my possibilities of that moment.
I was now more relaxed. I was very happy to go on and sing what I felt to be my forte..that was Roads .
I really enjoyed it and I thought it went quite well. I love to perform. I miss it a lot from my acting career. I have to do it more, it is so powerful, so magic, so scary, so lively. Uplifting...inspiring. I love the whole process, also the feeling of being alone in front of an audience. The thrill. The fear.
The silence and the possibility to transform the present time. To transport people with me into the story and the emotional states of the songs. Very distant from the grey masks of every day life.
This is my aim and I want to keep on working on it throughout my life, through my music and my acting.
I was now more relaxed. I was very happy to go on and sing what I felt to be my forte..that was Roads .
I really enjoyed it and I thought it went quite well. I love to perform. I miss it a lot from my acting career. I have to do it more, it is so powerful, so magic, so scary, so lively. Uplifting...inspiring. I love the whole process, also the feeling of being alone in front of an audience. The thrill. The fear.
The silence and the possibility to transform the present time. To transport people with me into the story and the emotional states of the songs. Very distant from the grey masks of every day life.
This is my aim and I want to keep on working on it throughout my life, through my music and my acting.
Stabat mater dolorosa
I feel very contented with my solo exam results and now that I am more relaxed I have decided to start working on Pergolesi's Stabat mater dolorosa. I really love this composition and I have always dreamt of being able to sing it. Now that my dreams maybe through a lot of work are coming true, also with the help of Taylor, I have asked a singer friend of mine who has a soprano voice to work on it with me this summer in order to perform it together one day. As a matter of fact I have an alto/mezzo voice so the alto part suit me perfectly. I have just to work a lot on this new way of singing as I 've always sung rock-blues-trip pop music and never either classical or baroque music, although I am very passionate about the last one.
I will end this blog with a listening of this amazing duet, one of my favorite piece of music ever composed and Emma Kirkby and James Bowman are the interpreters of his masterpiece I prefer the most..
I will end this blog with a listening of this amazing duet, one of my favorite piece of music ever composed and Emma Kirkby and James Bowman are the interpreters of his masterpiece I prefer the most..