Flat Delivery - 2007/02/01 23:35Currently, I'm preparing a solo in Italian to be performed in competition at a music festival. I have the notes and text down, but I'm having difficulty with the actual delivery of the piece. I have flat delivery, which doesn't work with Italian since it's such a "bright" language. To further clarify, I talk like a Midwesterner/Canadian. Not Midwestern, i.e. really lengthened vowels and an almost Southern American way of speaking, just a General American accent (very similar to the accent in Ontario--I know, I've been there) with rather flat delivery, and this manner of delivery extends to my singing as well. My teacher is trying to help me with this, and I'm following what she's saying--I understand it and all--but I can't seem to sing "brightly" very well.
I suppose my question is: what do I do to correct flat delivery, and how to I maintain the bright delivery once I have?
(As an aside: I loved Canada when I was vacationing in Niagara Falls--lovely country, really. Just to digress...)Caitlin
Credits:
Opera: Rusalka (Dancing Chorus)
Non-Musical: Pygmalion (Mrs. Pearce) Three Tales from Japan (Kimi-chan, Fish, Ogre) Keeper of the Tales (Parrot, Seema)
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jmslp
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Re:Flat Delivery - 2007/02/02 22:13first, love the head shot. second, i was in canada at the end of december to visit family. we went to toronto and niagara falls (american and canadian sides), too. absolutely stunning.... i had never been there and couldn't believe how "massive" and awesome the falls were....
i know you say you have the text down, but do you mean that you understand the translation? sometimes that helps w/ delivery. kris might be better to respond to this, but maybe your vowels are placed in the wrong spot which is causing you to have a darker tone as opposed to bright (is that what you mean by flat? or do you really mean "flat" like no emotion?) i'm thinking you mean the former-- what are some of the tips your teacher has given you to "brighten up"?They call me Jessica (like: They call me lady luck... lol)
Favorite roles:
Eva Peron, Evita; Jack's Mother, Into the Woods; Sonia, Godspell; Anything Goes, Reno Sweeney; Audrey, Little Shop of Horrors; Catherine, Pippin
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chouettissimamaureen
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Re:Flat Delivery - 2007/02/03 21:51I do indeed understand the translation, and that's part of why I don't sound as bright as I should. The song is "O Cessate di Piagarmi", and it's a very melancholy song (if you search with the title on Google Images, you'll find the sheet music); when I sing it, I interpret it first as an actress would. My teacher is trying to tell me to disregard what it says for now, and sing it as if it were about something cheerful. I take this as: "I want you to sound pretty rather than have proper emotion for the song." To begin with, I didn't realize that I was sounding flat, because I've never been told so before, and I was just singing as I knew how, which apparently is being affected by how I speak.
As per vowels, my teacher said that my vowels are being done well. She hasn't exactly given me any tips to "brighten up"; she's told me to disregard the lyrics (as mentioned above) and she's also told me that I shouldn't be singing it as "throaty" as I am.Caitlin
Credits:
Opera: Rusalka (Dancing Chorus)
Non-Musical: Pygmalion (Mrs. Pearce) Three Tales from Japan (Kimi-chan, Fish, Ogre) Keeper of the Tales (Parrot, Seema)
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triplethreat
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Re:Flat Delivery - 2007/02/03 22:04I know that piece - it was one of my first Italian songs a long time ago. I can understand how easily you would get flat on it.
It sounds like your interpretation is interfering with your placement. When I think of brightening the sound, I think of bringing it forward in the mouth - as if the sound is coming through the roof of your mouth, if that makes any sense.
There is nothing wrong with interpreting the lyrics, but your teacher is right - regardless of the content, a bright sound is still necessary. Think of crying in your head voice - that would be a "bright" sound, even though it's certainly not cheerful._____________ Kris MTA Admin
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chouettissimamaureen
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Re:Flat Delivery - 2007/02/03 22:47So...sing all of it in head voice?Caitlin
Credits:
Opera: Rusalka (Dancing Chorus)
Non-Musical: Pygmalion (Mrs. Pearce) Three Tales from Japan (Kimi-chan, Fish, Ogre) Keeper of the Tales (Parrot, Seema)
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triplethreat
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Re:Flat Delivery - 2007/02/03 23:23No, that was just an example of how "bright", musically, is different from a "bright" interpretation, but you should attempt to focus it the same way you would if it was all in the head voice.
The key is to keep the sound forward in your mouth._____________ Kris MTA Admin
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MaryMag
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Re:Flat Delivery - 2007/02/04 01:37I'm going through a similar challenge with my new voice teacher currently.
Past teachers hvae allowed me to sing very 'throaty' (with a very low larynx, with it actually touching the back of my pharyngeal wall sometimes!) so my new teacher is, for now, eliminating the lowered larynx and giving me exercises to sing that require a fairly high larynx and tongue, and just teach me better placement in general (like an earlier poster mentioned - feeling like it's coming out the roof off my mouth or out my cheekbones.)
A side effect of these exercises is a huge amount of brightness I never had before. So perhaps focusing on proper placement and doing exercises singing on vowels that require a relatively high larynx or tongue may have a similar side effect for you. The vowels she has me sing on are "a" (as in "at") and a fairly tight "ah" (with the lips not wide but fairly narrow.)
Just curious... are you by any chance having any challenges with a slow vibrato? My slow vibrato is actually the thing that we're specifically targeting and I'm just curious to see if it may be a symptom of dark or throaty singing.MM
Currently in: Cy Coleman's "The Life" Next: Anita in "West Side Story" Next auditions: fiddler on the roof, lieutenant of inishmore, pursuit of happiness
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chouettissimamaureen
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Re:Flat Delivery - 2007/02/04 13:53I do have a slow vibrato, actually. Well, it's more of a non-existant vibrato, to be truthful. You see, I used to have problems with singing from my throat (see the topic in this forum that I started titled "Improper Technique Remedies", or something like that), so the vibrato was present, but it was very forced. The throat-singing also impeded the development of my abdominal muscles, so I have incredibly weak breath support currently (seriously, I can't feel a thing when I'm singing, though I tell my teacher that I can "a little bit"). I think, reflecting at the moment, that all of this in addition to my natural sometimes-flat manner of speaking is contributing to the overall "flat" sound of the piece as I sing it.
My main concern is whether I will be able to get all of these issues under control for the performance, because I sing it in competition in less than two weeks (in addition to performing in a madrigal and doing a clarinet solo).Caitlin
Credits:
Opera: Rusalka (Dancing Chorus)
Non-Musical: Pygmalion (Mrs. Pearce) Three Tales from Japan (Kimi-chan, Fish, Ogre) Keeper of the Tales (Parrot, Seema)
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MaryMag
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Re:Flat Delivery - 2007/02/04 21:54Hmmmm... I do sense a correlation! Forced, big vibrato, dark tone, throaty singing... they seem to accompany each other. I'm filing this away in my mind for a day in the future when I am the world's foremost vocal therapist...
I hope things get better for your performance. Be thankful you are even performing though - my teacher has put me on a complete auditioning and performing hold until my vocal issues are under control. It definitely made me cry at first, but I'm glad she's being so resolute. Many teachers I've had before her were sort of wishy washy and just said, 'oh it'll get better' but it clearly hasn't!MM
Currently in: Cy Coleman's "The Life" Next: Anita in "West Side Story" Next auditions: fiddler on the roof, lieutenant of inishmore, pursuit of happiness
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