An Interesting Lesson - Something New

Yesterday I did some totally new things at my lesson, which was very interesting. I'm not sure why my teacher suddenly came up with some new exercises - whether it was because of my ongoing problems with my extreme upper register and finding a "light" position, or whether it's because he's been experimenting on his own going back to singing tenor.

Anyhow, he had me singing descending scales on a "v" sound with no vowel. My mouth is closed, so once I get up to an E (top space of staff) it gets hard. In the studio I was able to do it securely up to an A flat (the highest note I've ever really been able to sing pianissimo)but I got up to an A natural finally. Then he had me open up and sing "vaw" on the note that I had just phonated a "v" on. And surprise! The note had a lot of topspin and felt lighter and freer.

So he told me I should do this at home instead of some of my regular exercises singing descending scales on blu blu blu.

I sang among the best High Bs and even a few Cs that I have ever sung and then I did a bang-up job with the Amneris/Radames duet.

So I hope it sticks.

Even though my singing has kept improving over the past 6 years that I've been studying I still don't have a handle on the extreme high notes (for me anything above an A).

Tonight is my last choir rehearsal until Christmas Eve, because I'm taking a break to rehearse Carmelites. My partner is doing everything she can to discourage me, telling me if I fall or have some kind of accident I won't be able to work (or take care of her) but I am not budging. She also (to a friend) said my whole involvement with singing was a "fantasy". The friend, to her credit said "well, it's a nice fantasy".

The memorization is actually coming along, now that I'm drilling it (I guess I can't learn things by osmosis any more, certainly not anything later than Verdi).

Tonight the choir is singing a piece where both soprano parts have to sing a sustained pianissimo high G. I actually won't be singing the piece in the service but I'm going to challenge myself re: doing it tonight.