Pre-Debate Post

Squeezing a post in before the VP Candidate Debate Drinking Game starts.

Had my voice lesson tonight. I thought it went pretty well. I mean, yeah, I can always sing better at home or in the car - isn't that always the case? But I kept thinking about the sound I want to produce, and inspired by a soprano who I've mentioned here in the blog only a thousand times or so since the summer, I was able to relax and produce the sound from deep down, using my lower abs until they were shaking. Gotta fix that ASAP. Of course I can only dream that I'd ever sound like her, but that's not really what I'm trying to do. I want to sound like me, and I want to like the sound I produce. We worked on Ouvre ton coeur again. This time my teacher happened to have a recorded accompaniment, only the mezzo version, a step lower. I know the tune so that was no big deal, except for a couple of notes that were kind of surprisingly low. And it's so fast!! It has to be because some of the notes are held for a long time. I'd pass out if I tried to sing it slowly, seriously! I borrowed that CD because, yes, I bought the Standard Vocal Literature - Soprano book, and it happens to come with a computer program that can speed up and slow down music tracks. I should be able to bring it up a step, save that version and burn it to CD. Hopefully that won't make it run faster - Don't know if I can sprint through the song. There has to be a happy medium. Will tackle that project later.

I'm still frustrated with my inability to make certain transitions without blurting them out, but my legato has improved thanks to my vowels-only week of practice. I'm still working on coordinating my abs, mouth and throat to work together the way I want/need them to in order to produce the sound I want. It's hard! It's like stumbling over roots on a path... you're walking along almost gracefully and then OOPS you almost trip and you look like a clown for a couple of seconds. That's how I feel when I have trouble with certain parts and the notes sort of blurt out, out of my control. Then the next time I get timid and close down on them.

It's all within my control. Practice, practice, practice.

See, this is why voice lessons are like psychotherapy sessions.

And speaking of psychotherapy, in a moment of insane fantasy, I did look up a few airfares to Chicago... If I had found anything under, say, $150 round trip, I probably would have done it. I think we're all lucky I didn't. Except for me!! I'm not lucky I didn't!!! AAAAAHHHH.

Oops, sorry. Momentary outburst, it'll pass.