sir_quirky_k (![[info]](http://www.iziblog.net/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} sir_quirky_k) wrote,@ 2009-04-24 21:18:00 |
Something has changed within me: The Second Coming of Helen Pt 1, Apr 24, 1355-1445
Having shown the sort of cost-cutting tendencies that would make a (moderate) Tory baulk in the last year, my finances have improved more than I expected, and so for six short weeks until exam season I have resumed my singing lessons.
Goodness that was an inspired decision; I'd forgotten how much fun they were. Nerve-wracking at times, but much of that was self-inflicted; I'd only gone and decided to work on singing
* the vocal selection score heavily edits many of the songs to cancel out some of the plot-advancement-through-song that is a Schwarzian trademark.
Helen, from having heard me at karaoke, has asserted that my strengths are in rhythm and tuning (well, I did beat her in a precision singing contest in December, which amusingly she recalled without prompting), and my weakness is in phrasing and in 'shaping' the sound. Of course, there was only so much room for that when dealing with such a difficult song as today's.
Disappointment at the end; letter-finding result was F2-E4 (in a practice room about the size of a small single bedroom, which is still twice as big as the location in which I produced a most unexpected D2 in June).
Speaking of low notes, though, and we come to the highlight of the afternoon. Recall here that Helen is a classically-trained mezzo-soprano.
QUIRKS completes the first verse, and HELEN sings the first line of the chorus in an overtly classical manner, which somewhat amuses QUIRKS.
HELEN: Gosh, that is hard isn't it?
QUIRKS: It's a nightmare of a song... if you ask anyone in musical theatre about this song they will say the same thing.
HELEN: (interjecting quickly) Especially as in musical theatre it's not... they often don't have the range of classical singers.
QUIRKS: (interjecting quickly): Well it's a different set of incentives... they tend to be lower. Bearing in mind that the same character has... (turns vocal selection book to last page of
HELEN: Oh my gosh, I can't even sing that note! HELEN tries anyway, and produces... a sound, granted, but not a pleasant one.
Having shown the sort of cost-cutting tendencies that would make a (moderate) Tory baulk in the last year, my finances have improved more than I expected, and so for six short weeks until exam season I have resumed my singing lessons.
Goodness that was an inspired decision; I'd forgotten how much fun they were. Nerve-wracking at times, but much of that was self-inflicted; I'd only gone and decided to work on singing
Defying Gravity, after all! The idea was to pick a song that would really stretch me and expose all of my weaknesses technically; we've only got as far as completing the first chorus* and the one finding so far is most unexpected, the line with that leap of an eleventh being problematic primarily in terms of phrase length.
* the vocal selection score heavily edits many of the songs to cancel out some of the plot-advancement-through-song that is a Schwarzian trademark.
Defying Gravitybecomes a solo, starting with a short piano introduction, and the first vocal line being 'something has changed within me'. Other significant changes have been made, and the result is a song that unequivocally stands as an independence anthem.
Helen, from having heard me at karaoke, has asserted that my strengths are in rhythm and tuning (well, I did beat her in a precision singing contest in December, which amusingly she recalled without prompting), and my weakness is in phrasing and in 'shaping' the sound. Of course, there was only so much room for that when dealing with such a difficult song as today's.
Disappointment at the end; letter-finding result was F2-E4 (in a practice room about the size of a small single bedroom, which is still twice as big as the location in which I produced a most unexpected D2 in June).
Speaking of low notes, though, and we come to the highlight of the afternoon. Recall here that Helen is a classically-trained mezzo-soprano.
QUIRKS completes the first verse, and HELEN sings the first line of the chorus in an overtly classical manner, which somewhat amuses QUIRKS.
HELEN: Gosh, that is hard isn't it?
QUIRKS: It's a nightmare of a song... if you ask anyone in musical theatre about this song they will say the same thing.
HELEN: (interjecting quickly) Especially as in musical theatre it's not... they often don't have the range of classical singers.
QUIRKS: (interjecting quickly): Well it's a different set of incentives... they tend to be lower. Bearing in mind that the same character has... (turns vocal selection book to last page of
I'm Not That Girl) that note to sing.
HELEN: Oh my gosh, I can't even sing that note! HELEN tries anyway, and produces... a sound, granted, but not a pleasant one.
