The last couple days I went to a vocal master's class at Bay View. I thought it would be way over my head, but I actually learned a lot that is applicable to church specials. So, here's my notes, in case anyone else finds these useful.
Day one (Monday):
- Slide from one note to another or not depending on the composition and composer (e.g., never slide when doing Mozart).
- If swallowing, or clearing your throat, or taking a breath, don't step out of character. Maintain your facial features.
- Take your time. Especially during cadenzas.
- Never take a breath without actively thinking about what you're feeling and what emotions you want to convey.
- Have some parts with rhythm and some without.
- Some songs are reserved; some are emotional, with hand gestures, etc. Let the words determine the feeling of a song.
- Acting out the words of a song will give you the correct timing for parts with less rigid rhythm.
- Identify the highest notes in the melody and change the timing and tone to make it sound difficult. Even if you can hit the note easily, make it sound like it's hard.
- Analyze the melody to determine the most intense parts and important phrases.
- Never sing something exactly the same way twice. Give it more emotion every time you repeat the same words and tune.
- To make it sound hard, avoid taking "half-breaths"; re-do your breathing or hold notes out so that you must (or at least sound like you must) take full breaths.
- Remember the meaning! Sudden changes in aspect are good (even required) if the words imply it.
- Good method for high notes: tremulo piano underneath, without tempo.
- Don't make your breathing the audience's problem; they shouldn't have to care when you breathe.
Day two (Tuesday):
- Delay timing when hitting the highest note to make it sound harder.
- You can be simple in your singing; just be theatrically simple (so people say "Wow, I've never heard anything so simple") instead of just drab.
- Keep your runs clear; take more time if necessary
- People remember endings; if piano or voice only carry the ending (not both), make it represent the piece and make it memorable.
- Don't almost run out of breath.
- You can slow down when crossing register adjustments.
- Pay careful attention to the exact meaning of every word in your song.
- In many songs, downbeats are the most important; everything after a downbeat is just leading to the next downbeat.
- With a group hymn, you cannot take liberties; you have to keep the whole congregation together. With solos, you only have two egos (soloist and accompanist).
- With vowel songs, lengthen your vowels and shorten your consonants. Vowel sounds are what singing is.
- If the music shouldn't be harsh, don't make it sound harsh; legato should be able to hold a match in front of your mouth without blowing it out.
- Sing with just vowel sounds (in rhythm, slower if necessary) to develop a good legato sound.
- Focus on the vowels; don't land on the consonants. Don't shock your mind.
- (The previous notes are for a vowel-based language; note that English is a consonant language).
- Give your words shape; they're not just syllables.
- During longer rests, do something. Resting just because the music says to rest comes across as artificial; take a long, slow breath instead.
- For every style of music, you have to add yourself to what's on the page. Some composers tell you nothing regarding how to play and sing; others tell you everything.
- Imagine emotions while you're singing. Each time you sing the same phrase, try it with different emotions. Don't start with the strongest emotion first.
- Emphasize important recurring words (e.g., "Him").
- On each note, know where the next note will be; see it in your head.
- Give (or let) your voice out; don't force it out.
- On cadenzas, let the syllable emphasis drive the tempo. i.e., longer notes for accented syllables.
- Take enough time to make your words and notes perfectly clear (slender vowels).
- If you have trouble with pushing (e.g., at end of the song and you're feeling fatigued), remind yourself at every breath to release that tension mentally.
- There's a difference from singing to Someone and singing about Someone.
- The accompanist must give the soloist confidence.
- Whoever has the smallest notes (accompanist or soloist) leads.
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