#singing notes

[garden-ghoul]

trying to learn anything about singing on youtube is like sifting through decaying newspapers from a hundred years ago but I have learned a FEW things

- breath support, specifically appoggio, uses muscles around the waist (external obliques and transverse abdominus)

- these are the muscles for when you're about to sneeze

- you need to put out exactly the right amount of breath to move your vocal cords, otherwise you're wasting it, which means not much comes out of your mouth

- I learned nothing about how to produce squillo tonality 👍

[darklyluminous]

I need to witness this firsthand

[mellomilopeng]

notes from singing class today

- engage your core; keep energy upwards like you are launching upwards; relax your shoulders (hold tight!).

- for Quiet, sing authoratively. Where do you feel most powerful? Channel that.

- for Dark I Know Well:

1. sing as if your dad is watching you the whole time - look at him when you talk about him in a way you are not meant to. Sing to your friends who are around you and listening. React to your mom.

2. Breathe in and react to Ilse's words, let them inform how you move. Have an increasing sense of hopelessness and desperation as people walk away from you.

3. I can't tell you what he's done to me. I can't tell you all the hurt I've been through. I can't tell you how angry I am at my mother. I can't tell you how much I hate myself and my beauty. I can't tell you how much I hate him. (Think about these as questions as you sing)

[mellomilopeng]

Notes from session with Chris

- have a counter dialogue in mind as you sing to talk to yourself with in order to respond more strongly

- play around with different reasons to sing a song beyond its context - eg: you can't let the person you're singing to leave even though they want to, the person you're singing to is delivering bad news and you can't bear to hear it so don't want them to talk, your boss is firing you and you're super pissed, etc

- physicalise doing the songs to get the energy up!

[mellomilopeng]

Quiet - feedback on performance practice

- stay in character even when you are not singing

- add more layers to it - why is it a stressful moment for the character? What is the specific trigger or memory that comes that causes the switch from chaos to quiet? What are the stakes with the quiet - add a layer where you treasure the quiet and want to protect it and don't want anyone to take it away.

[mellomilopeng]

notes from singing class with stephanie

- get used to the feeling of singing in an open connected space, don’t focus so much on listening to yourself sing and on thinking about what sensations you are supposed to feel as you sing

- the energy for long notes and easy transitions between notes comes from: 1) breath support that is sustained, and 2) finishing the thought

- to activate balloon breath: 1) plant feet while sitting, keep your core active as if you need to bolt out of the chair at any time, 2) rock back and forth to warm up your spine, 3) spread your legs to a demi plie to activate the pelvic floor

- always ALWAYS keep your core connected, active and engaged throughout till the end of a thought - letting go means you let go of your breath support

- inhale the note, let it influence the shape of your mouth BEFORE exhaling and vocalising it

- 

to practice:

1) pelvic tilts

2) ya-ah-ya-ah-ya slides

3) 1-2-3-2-1 -> ya-ah-ah

[mellomilopeng]

Notes from Dom's masterclass - Quiet from Matilda

- good choice of song, Dom said!

- contrast between first and second half must be stronger

- first half: feel needs to be super stressed and trying to shout through the chaos, use whole body and let the stress really affect your body. Feel like you are trying to get everyone's attention but no one is giving it to you in a crowded space where everyone is talking over you.

- second half: have a breathier quieter quality, stay still and ground self so you don't sway. Keep eyes relaxed, less intense. Soften gaze and smile. Time deep breaths into it.

[mellomilopeng]

Ground yourself in your hips! Tuck pelvis under and bend slightly forward at the waist. Think of it as a mini squat - create tension at the bottom to counter tension on the top.