JULY 2011
PERSEVERANCE (The other
side of the coin!)
This Tip is mainly
geared for opera
singers, but the rules
are the same for all
singers!
I received a call from a
fella who had been
recommended to me by
Kristof van Grysperre, a
fine
conductor/pianist/coach
whom I had met at USC.
Steve Moritsugu arrived
about three and a half
years ago, music in
hand, having trouble
with a solid E and
above. He was in his
very early ‘50’s and
professed that he just
“wanted to be good
enough to sing in a
church choir.”
Initially, he manifested
little natural ability,
but had a frank and
friendly demeanor … so
we began a vocal voyage
together. (I have
learned, lo these many
years, to reserve
judgment until I have
‘installed’ my
Breathing/Support
concept in a singer—for
flexible breath-pressure
on demand—and explained
mechanically, exactly
how the voice works when
the basic five elements
are in balance.)
I then connected his
support to the voice
(just like a “wind
instrument,” which it
is), explained the use
of the tongue and how it
makes the vowels—all of
which proved to be
harder than I had
hoped--but, by the end
of the session … we had
doubled the size of the
voice and ‘scraped’ a
few high G’s. Steve came
in virtually every week!
The first couple of
months were mainly spent
in getting his support
and body into the mix,
while getting his voice
out of his throat and
adding some repertoire.
Then. just when I would
be thinking it was all
he could give me … he
would add another level!
Before we knew it … he
had been accepted in a
church choir as a
baritone.
No one worked harder
than Steve because … he
really wanted/needed to
sing! In time, as he
began to spin the
pitches farther
‘upandforward’ (one
word), in the “honk’ I
was able to finally get
the “throat” outta his
sound. (Parenthetically,
when there is not enough
breath pressure to keep
the tone spinning on the
arch of the tongue,
upandforward … the
throat approximates to
make the throat smaller
to better utilize the
under-supported air,
thus imposing an
unwanted, unattractive
“side-sound!”)
Time as it is wont to
do, moved on as he
became a paid section
leader in church—with
the occasional solo--and
Steve inexorably got
better and better as he
became … an operatic
tenor, with real ping
and ring in the tone!
(It is a big, big job to
sing an operatic aria
and it needs the
flexible foundation of a
strong, well-coordinated
body … to make the
singing easier …)
In the last year, Steve
has been working with
several small Southern
California opera
companies, singing
comprimario roles in
The Mikado, Carmen,
Tybalt in Romeo et
Juliette, etc. …
with particular
distinction as
Monostatos, in Magic
Flute, with the
Repertory Opera Company,
in Pomona, Ca.
As a “trial balloon,” he
was offered the cover
for Rodolfo, in La
Bohème … He asked me
if he should take it and
I told him what I tell
everyone faced with that
choice; “You will never
become a “compleat”
singer until you have
learned, sung and met
all vocal and histrionic
demands of a leading
role in opera.”
I taught it to him
phrase by phrase, having
directed it three times
and sung over a hundred
performances. He put it
note by note into his
computer so he could
play back and sing it as
many times a he needed
to memorize it. His real
test was standing at the
piano … and getting
through the whole role
in an hour. It took him
awhile … but he did it.
I neglected to mention …
Steve was given the
first dress rehearsal
and it was the best he
had ever sung. He took
the aria down a half
tone … and you wouldn’t
have known the
difference.
It was his first leading
role … As a result … he
has been asked to sing
Manrico in Il
Trovatore, with the
company this Fall.
In my June Tip, I wrote
about Larry Farrar, who
had/has everything one
could wish and--in my
opinion--would have
“trod the boards” of
every major opera house
in the world. Steve’s
gift was less imposing
but … you should hear
his sound now!
And one
last thing you should
know: he has a major
hearing difficulty in
that he can’t discern
the subtleties and
nuances of whether he is
“in the honk” or out—the
honk rings and is on
pitch, while falling out
is usually caused by the
palate dropping along
with a flat tongue and
is quite often
under-pitch! The
phrases, right or wrong,
sound the same to him
when he listens while
he’s singing or on the
tape recorder! He can
hear it when I do it …
but can’t hear it in
himself! But … with the
years we have put in, he
must have found it
through repetition—or
possibly osmosis—and now
that he has found it, he
locks the voice place in
studio and in
performance! Now that
is what I call
perseverance—or
stick-to-itiveness, if
you’d rather!
JUNE 11
- PERSEVERANCE
MAY 11
-
ENERGY!
APRIL 11
- EXTERNALIZING SUPPORT
MARCH 11
- THE IMPORTANCE OF DICTION
FEBRUARY 11
- RESPONSE TO LAST
MONTHS TIP
JANUARY 11
- LET'S
TRY THIS
DECEMBER 10 -
THE FUNCTION OF THE
MOUTH... IN SINGING
NOVEMBER 10
-
BOY SOPRANO TO YOUNG
MAN’S VOICE
OCTOBER 10
-
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
(i.e. LEARNING REPERTOIRE)
SEPTEMBER
10
-
TOOLS OF
THE TRADE
AUGUST 10
-
JOIN A CHORUS
(Addendum)
JULY 10
-
JOIN
A CHORUS
JUNE 10 -
HI THERE SINGERS!