Here is the link for my video:
http://youtu.be/HgTAlff5nxA
My problems all come down to BREATH. I saw moments of shallow breathing and also heard some of my breaths. There were a few breaths that I clearly expanded on, mostly towards the ends that I was excited to see! I had trouble with onsets a lot and I clearly was not riding my breath well. I think the phrasing really shows this. I could do so much more with my phrasing. Right now it is very note for note, but it I sustained my breath better I think it would have more movement.
Laurie and I had worked the last part more than the first trying to get more space and freedom in the sound, I think this really shows in the recording. At the beginning, my sound is pressed and forced but toward the end it frees up a bit and the vibrato sounds more natural. Overall, I liked my tone quality more on the end of the piece. I think it was mostly because my jaw was more relaxed and my breath more deep.
I thought I was so into the piece, and I could feel something as I sang. However, when I watched my self I didn't see much emotionally. It is really a testament to the fact that we can't be too inward while we are singing or else the audience won't be able to capture the message of we want to portray. I can be a lot more specific with the piece, I need to visualize specific moments and show them to my audience through my eyes.
Sarah, you are great at showing a nice calm presence. With that, however, I wonder if the effort of being calm gives a sleepy look/feel to your singing. The sound seemed a little under-energized to me. But it's really nice to watch you because there aren't any nervous habits or signs of distress that you display. :) I can see what you mean about the emotion. It was appropriate and good, but maybe a little muted.
ReplyDeleteDear Sarah,
ReplyDeleteGood job! I enjoyed watching your serene performance. I noticed that you did a nice job on keeping the space between your molars, it definitely released tension in the sound, however I did also notice a lack of energy in the breath, and some intonation problems, which I think could be fixed with some pant breaths. I think this is a good start though, nice effort!
Great, sophisticated, vibrant timbre. Your voice just brings a nice energy to the whole piece. I think that it would be great if we could see some more of that energy into your face when you sing. I think it would also be beneficial just to speak the text more and try to bring some more of that into your singing. Sometimes it was a little difficult to discern certain words.
ReplyDeleteI love how your posture is relaxed, yet poised. I think your shoulders could be even more open (as opposed to caved forward), but you look very well aligned and lovely. This piece suits your voice very well! As wonderful as it is to see you so relaxed while you sing, I would like to see more energy in your body and face. I think that would help you get on top of the pitch in some of those ascending phrases. Also, I think you're going to need to figure out what each phrase of text means. I've sung this one, and the text is very strange. But if you can assign your own meaning to it, the audience will get more out of it too.
ReplyDeleteYou have a great sound. I felt like I was straining to hear it though. I feel like the sound and your words get stuck in the back of your throat. Providing breath and energy is the trickiest and best two things that you can do for your voice. Energy is something that we don't normally think about when we are sad or thoughtful but we use a lot of energy in real life to feel those emotions even though they seem to be passive. You had great posture and a nice flow to the music. Everything is there, just add more energy and motivation and that will be the cherry on top!
ReplyDeleteSuch a nice consistent sound. That's a really nice jaw position too. I know what you mean about breath. It's so odd that something we do without thinking day in and day out becomes and awkward battle when singing. It seems like you have been gaining in this battle lately though. Keep going!
ReplyDeleteThis was a really well done performance; I really envy the consistency of your tone and vibrato. There are moment were there is really nice expression (i.e. 0:35, 0:57), so try making the rest of the song just as expressive. Your diction is good, but I think I would like some more consonant sounds to make it a little more understandable. It does get a little note-to-note in your phrasing, but that can be easily fixed with use of breath to keep that line smooth. I saw some collapsing in your ribcage in longer phrases as you mentioned in your description. More eye engagement could help with variable facial expression, and I think that would leak into your musical phrasing as well to help make it a more dynamic piece. Overall, I was very impressed with this because you were so calm, and I cannot get over the richness of your voice.
ReplyDeleteSarah! You are fantastic and this was a great performance. A few things I notice are that your breaths are silent, but they are also under-energized. I feel like this causes you to try to compensate for the lack of support in your breath by using your jaw sometimes. Try thinking of the air coming in sufficient amounts and try feeling it a little more in your "snore space." See if that helps take the focus away from your jaw a tongue a little more.
ReplyDelete