voice check-in
Sep. 18th, 2023 08:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
0denseso I knew going into T that the biggest quantifiable internal change would be my singing voice, and while part of me does wish I'd started years and years ago, 1) it wasn't a practical option so nothing to bother with now, but also 2) hooooooly crap I'm glad I didn't, because I put a LOT of my personal identity onto my voice and position with the opera, and I would not have had the bandwidth to go through a voice change right then as well. like yes, I was in active vocal training then, I would've had resources about it, but no, I wasn't ready to take that onto my plate at the time.
So, here I am now, and my speaking voice is a little different, but hooooo boy is my break starting to act up! Even without being in as good vocal shape as I've been, I know my instrument, and it's not behaving like it used to. It's abruptly thready and shorts out in odd points, but I'm keeping an eye on them and bridging the break is a matter of work above all else. So it's uncomfortable, but yeah, I'm working through it.
One hard margin I'm also keeping an eye on of course is range! Because who knows what'll happen there! Currently, from just singing along during cleaning up at work lol, if I get the angle right I've still got Dreamer by Elizaveta in hand, and I think that tops at G5. So that's a nice low-pressure benchmark, both as a color to match and because it's got a descant sequence after and that makes it a test of control as well. But finding the opening consonant to hit it from just the right spot is trickier than it has been, and while my timbre has never matched Elizaveta's it's getting a lot fuller already.
On the other hand: opera training might (in my entirely obviously completely unbiased opinion) be the best way to go about this, because if I want to keep agility in my upper register, I do already know how to push through into that acoustic space -- internally, knowing the resonant spaces I'm working with, and externally, because an opera voice does take up space lmao. But the only way to keep control of my head voice already is to take it into that bigger zone, to keep the momentum in hand, you know? if I was coming at it from a pop style I'd be at the mercy of every single crack. But countertenorship is very much mostly about training, and then I've got the smaller frame down pat anway lol
food for thought:
So, here I am now, and my speaking voice is a little different, but hooooo boy is my break starting to act up! Even without being in as good vocal shape as I've been, I know my instrument, and it's not behaving like it used to. It's abruptly thready and shorts out in odd points, but I'm keeping an eye on them and bridging the break is a matter of work above all else. So it's uncomfortable, but yeah, I'm working through it.
One hard margin I'm also keeping an eye on of course is range! Because who knows what'll happen there! Currently, from just singing along during cleaning up at work lol, if I get the angle right I've still got Dreamer by Elizaveta in hand, and I think that tops at G5. So that's a nice low-pressure benchmark, both as a color to match and because it's got a descant sequence after and that makes it a test of control as well. But finding the opening consonant to hit it from just the right spot is trickier than it has been, and while my timbre has never matched Elizaveta's it's getting a lot fuller already.
On the other hand: opera training might (in my entirely obviously completely unbiased opinion) be the best way to go about this, because if I want to keep agility in my upper register, I do already know how to push through into that acoustic space -- internally, knowing the resonant spaces I'm working with, and externally, because an opera voice does take up space lmao. But the only way to keep control of my head voice already is to take it into that bigger zone, to keep the momentum in hand, you know? if I was coming at it from a pop style I'd be at the mercy of every single crack. But countertenorship is very much mostly about training, and then I've got the smaller frame down pat anway lol
food for thought:
- Susan Graham's Orlovsky from the 2017 Santa Fe has my favorite take on lyrics and Doris Stoffel's Orlofsky from the 1984 Covent Garden is thee timbre, vs now I'm looking at like, Pagenkoff (OrloFsky this time) from the 2008? Amarillo or Ruben Berroeta in recital if I can keep in best shape (though check the ornaments to keep away from those last jumps, v strategic)
- Jakub Józef Orliński was extremely interesting to see as Gluck's Orpheus, partially because the person I went with didn't like his timbre! but it's all about style isn't it! fascinating! Incredible control. Vedrò con mio diletto of course gives us more material to listen to though and check the clarity and also thickening going when he walks it more modal.
- dudes. I so need to do the Sorceress again when I'm settled out.
