Luke Shepherd SS Chapter 10

Chapter Summary: The inventions are the exercises that we do and the practice outside of performing, but actually performing the repertoire is "playing the game". This means that the skills we develop while practicing are what should become our second nature so that we don't think about technique when singing a piece of music. The most difficult and basic part of that technique requires refined vowel definition throughout the entire range of the voice coupled with the legato technique. If we can learn to free up our voices to sing refined, pure vowels anywhere in our range and learn to use consonants in a way that doesn't totally interrupt the airflow we can be free in performance to sing without troubling ourselves with technique, rather we can focus on expression. There are other elements discussed in this chapter that all have to do with technique that we hash out in the practice room before we actually perform, such as elements of musicality, stoccato, and different intervalic leaps. After all is said and done the primary focus should be to communicate the text or to tell the story so technique should be out of the way by the time performance comes.
Key Concept: Practice should be focused on the legato line and technique required to be second nature to allow for a free performance.
Key Terms: Vowel, Consonant, Articulators, Legato Technique, Fioratura
Making Connections: Some of the talk in this chapter about the similarities and differences between opera and musical theater bother me. Opera music is not so inherently dramatic that it isn't as crucial for singers to convey the message as it is in other musical styles. That is straight up bull. It is ALWAYS crucial, most crucial, regardless of what genre you're singing in, to communicate while singing, and opera music doesn't have a monopoly on dramatic and meaningful text and music. He contradicts himself a lot when talking about this subject in particular. That's not to say he doesn't have good points to make (healthy singing with free flowing air is always part of the goal).