I'm just taking a minute here, between work, watching the royal wedding (which I'm loving - I consider myself an honorary Brit after all, having been immersed in Brit Lit since the age of 6), and getting ready for an appointment, to drop a line about last night's practice. Again, I didn't "feel like" - it was late, and it was hard to find a stopping off point in my work-for-pay, but I gave "Chi ti Salva" a spin and this was the best yet. True, I didn't really start from the beginning. I sang "Gia sacerdoti adunansi" and then "Ah tu dei vivere" (the line beginning "e patria e trono" is something I sing very well and always have)and then took a break before getting to "Chi ti salva".
But something is different. I don't know where this came from. I really don't. I mean I've been working hard at getting a buzz in my upper register not to mention all the months of Pilates to give me a core to sing from. But if I just think "woo, woo, woo" (I'm serious!) on those last three notes (I've gone back to taking a breath after "or dal ciel" as is customary) instead of thinking of them as a straight line which sort of ended up getting "stuck", something really opens up and comes out the back of my head. The B flat now sounds the way the A has sounded for several years now. So if only this will stick!! I want to feel I'm past all the angst over these notes.
What inspired me to write, actually, was an amazing post by the great Toreador Song which touched upon issues I've always had, most notably needing tons more core strength than the light lyric singer (I've always felt like an idiot having to chug protein shakes to sing in the upper register but this post explained why) and being told I'm singing too loud or "pushing" when things feel right.
So I'm now off to an appointment, then more editing, then I'll go back to that section early this evening
Great to hear of your progress on this. I don't see -- in theory -- why it shouldn't "stick" if you keep doing it. If you've gotten the muscles to the point where they can stretch to the length they need and the strength to remain in that stretch without tension, then you're there, and all that would be needed is to maintain it and refine it more and more.
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