Chapter Summary: The value of having real vocal agility can't be understated and the ability to sing coloratura passages marks a great, agile vocal athlete. However, there is a great deal of conditioning and training before a singer can tackle coloratura and do it well. First and foremost the throat must be free of all tension in order to sing coloratura, which may involve a great deal of training in itself. It takes dedication and patience before and a mastery of the fundamental skill and scales before you can move on to the more complicated and challenging (this is a 'no duh' it seems like, reminiscent of what we learned in Talent Code about practicing in our sweet spot.) The irony of course is that the harder you try, the less it will work. Once you become aware of what happens automatically you can condition it, train it by repetition. The goal is that the coloratura passages should become automatic in execution so that the singer need not think at all about the technique while performing. Technique is a means to an end, true communication and emotional expression, not the end itself. Learning to trill is a good example of the process, how at first you must practice half-note trills at excruciatingly slow speeds over a long period of time before both notes have their own identity and the trill can be executed with finesse.
Key Concept: Think what you want to sing and remove all interference so that you can let it happen.
Key Terms: Coloratura
Making Connections: I wonder what the connection with what Oren talks about with vocal agility is to 'riffing'. Coloratura and riffing sound very different but I imagine that there must be some unifying principles. I wonder if Cindy has done any riffing and knows about the differences/similarities of riffing and coloratura.
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