APRIL 2010

THE FIVE “C’s!”

Somewhere in the seventy’s, I think it was, a student of mine was really having major problems understanding exactly what was the meaning of “support.” “Support”... you know, that word that the voice teachers throw out into the ether, in the direction of their students, in a multitude of languages throughout the world? It’s “just a word,” in most cases because, while most teachers who have had professional careers of some consequence–those blessed with all the necessary requirements to be paid for a performance–and who have some understanding that their job is to “get the voice out there” to the audience ... most have no idea what it actually entails ... actually! So ... in later years when the voice begins to fail them ... they immediately blame advancing age ... and it removes them even further from the concept necessary to keep their voices hummin’ at their accustomed, respective level of professional sound. (You might find my Testimonial page of interest.)

All my students learn the “breathing/support technique,”™ I developed for myself, through my many performances at the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera and elsewhere ... and by working with my many students throughout those years ... the technique of “flexible breath-pressure, on demand!”™ They all learn this in the first 15-20 minutes of the first lesson. However, not unlike learning how to hit a topspin back hand cross-court put-away shot into the Let court ... it takes a bit of time and practice to master the coordination of the technique! Remember that on which I keep harping ... “the voice is a wind-instrument” and it takes a strong, flexible body to fully support the many and changing breath-support demands of challenging repertoire, from Hard Rock ... to Grand Opera. Think on this ... just because you have a mike in your hand, for the former category ... beside the talent of the individual ... it is the energy output that makes the star!

Meanwhile, back to my “‘70's” student, I spontaneously drew a circle of about a six-inch diameter and, within it, drew a diamond on point! At each of the four points, I put a “C.” The first C was for the action, “Commit!” the second C, in a clockwise direction was to describe how you should Commit ... “Crisply.” (a kick in with the belly-button to Instantaneously start first tone of the phrase, in the center of the pure vowel … growing!) The third C answered the question “to what are you Committing Crisply ... “to the Coordination!” When that is done properly ... it gives you “Confidence” ... to Commit Crisply to the Coordination ...etcetera ... Thus was born my Four C concept!

While affective, it had always nagged at me as being incomplete, was never completely satisfying, those Four “C’s.”

Providentially, one day the missing “C” amagically manifested itself ... Commit, Crisply, to the Coordination, and you will gain “CONSISTENCY” ... which will give your Confidence ... ad infinitum. “Consistency” ... the magical, missing ingredient had been found ... which the begged  the question: “Can you sing a phrase with-every-single-vowel-spinning-effortlessly into the next, seamlessly, without the Ah, Oh–or any derivative of either–falling out line, falling out of the honk?”

While I have written about this before ... it is of such consequence, I am rewarded daily with fruits of my labor. This last week alone, the technique has brought a baritone from a talented youngster studying—struggling--with a “name” singer in the mid-west ... into a focused entity who now has high notes and is able to sing operatic arias ... instead of just Art Songs ... just like I did with all the students I to whom I fell heir, at USC. My new tenor, Florian Stollmayer, who just moved here from Germany to study with me ... has a whole new middle voice with which to complement his extraordinary high voice ... full out high C’s, D’s ... even an F.

Next month ... I will once again give you the concept of how all this comes together ... and why it prompted Cynthia Munzer to jump up at the Voice Juries at the Thornton School, USC–after my nineteen year old student had sung a full out “Avant de quitter ” from Faust, with all of the high G’s–to ask ... “Richard …how ... uh ... how do you get your students so physically involved in their singing?” What she was actually asking is, ”What is support?” You must always remember that “the body is a strong, flexible platform of energy, which allows you to sing in a seemingly effortless manner, through all the ranges and challenges of the voice! (I put her tape of my concept in her box two days later.)

Between now and next month, why not scroll down to the archives and read some of the past “Tips” you might have missed ...




MARCH 10 - LEARNING REPERTOIRE

FEBRUARY 10 - THE TIGHT JAW

JANUARY 10 - BALANCING THE VOICE

DECEMBER 09 - LOVE CAN REIGN - LINK

NOVEMBER 09 - ABSENCE OF EXCESSIVE TENSION

OCTOBER 09 - YOUR OTHER BEST FRIEND - YOUR MIRROR

January 2016 - JOHNNY CARSON Part 2

SEPTEMBER 09 - EVERYONE CAN SING!

AUGUST 09 - LATENT HERNIAS AND OTHER SUPPORT PROBLEMS

JULY 09 - PRINCE IMRAN RAZA STATESMAN/ROCK STAR

JUNE 09 - ANOTHER NATURAL SINGER - DAVID BURKE

MAY 09 -DISCOVERY OF VOIC
E

APRIL 09 - I'M SICK, BUT I HAVE TO PERFORM TONIGHT  Part 2

MARCH 09 - I'M SICK, BUT I HAVE TO PERFORM TONIGHT

FEBRUARY 09 - SINGING IN ENGLISH

JANUARY 09 - GETTING AN AGENT AND/OR MANAGER (Part 4)

DECEMBER 08 - GETTING AN AGENT AND/OR MANAGER (Part 3)

NOVEMBER 08 -
GETTING AN AGENT AND/OR MANAGER (Part 2)

OCTOBER 08 - GETTING AN AGENT AND/OR MANAGER (Part 1)

SEPTEMBER 08 - HEAVY BREATHING ADVISED FOR JOCKS

AUGUST 08 -  THE VAGARIES OF AUDITIONS AND AUDITIONING (Part 3)

JULY 08 -
THE VAGARIES OF AUDITIONS AND AUDITIONING (Part 2)

JUNE 08 -
THE VAGARIES OF AUDITIONS AND AUDITIONING (Part 1)

MAY 08 - ABSENCE OF TENSION

APRIL 08 -
THE FLAT TONGUE TECHNIQUE AND HOW DO YOU MAKE A VOWEL

MARCH 08  - THE VOICE COACHING THAT  MADE MY CAREER

FEBRUARY 08 - WHAT ARE YOU SINGING?

JANUARY 08 -
VIBRATO/WOBBLE

DECEMBER 07 - BREATHING REVISITED

NOVEMBER  07 - HOW TO KILL A COLD IN FIVE DAYS

OCTOBER 07 - A BIT MORE SUPPORT

SEPTEMBER 07 - MORE SUPPORT

AUGUST 07 - INTRO & BREATHING/SUPPORT