I really, REALLY didn't want to do this, but thankfully Taylee helped me (forced me).
Things I liked:
-my timbre wasn't as swallowed as I thought it might be
-I was relaxed
things I didn't love:
-lots of jaw movement
-weird eyebrow thing! I think it's my "earnest" face, but I don't like it
-breathing was ok, but I didn't breathe well for the high notes
Emily, nice work! Your posture is upright, and looks relaxed, the only thing I would've changed would be to take your hands out of your pockets. It made you look nervous. I think that the problems you listed would be fixed if you felt the importance of the text in your body. Pretend as if you are singing/rocking your child to sleep, and sing those words to them in that context. I think it would help you find and maintain that lower gesture of the inhale, and find release/connection in your sound.
ReplyDeleteAh Emily! You have such a soothing, pleasant voice, it's perfect for this lullaby. I feel like your voice in this recording was lighter and less edgy than I've heard it before, which is a very nice thing. Gotta get your hands out of your pockets though! I am noticing that your mouth is thin during a lot of these vowels and the molars could be farther apart. BUT I don't want you to force your jaw down, as you do in some of the [a] vowels. Your challenge will be finding the sensation of a relaxed jaw and releasing it on every single vowel. It's different for everybody, but as I'm getting better at it I am noticing a huge change is the sound and in the sensation.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very nice performance; you matched the tone of the piece with your voice very well. I personally liked the "earnest" face you mentioned, but if you don't, perhaps you can try engaging the cheeks a little more rather than just the eyebrows--it'll also help with keeping the soft palette up. You had nice posture, but there was quite a bit of sternal movement with breath intakes; try keeping your ribcage and lower back relaxed and open to provide breath flow. Also, you have a tendency to use a glottal to stop your breath; let the breath flow through the end of a phrase. Overall, I really liked this performance--you did a very good job with the interpretation of the piece.
ReplyDeleteGood job Emily!
ReplyDeleteI love the richness in your voice. Your voice is so big but at the same time, has a very soothing and calming quality.The placement of your jaw did seem to get forced down at one point, changing the vowel placement. Instead of forcing it down, let it be free. I like how you had facial expression and although you did not want to do the video, your were energized and engaged.