Before you’re perfect…

I had to sing for someone on Saturday and it was a bit freaky. I have this problem where I want to somehow want to be perfect before I perform for anyone. Which is ridiculous as I’m never going to be perfect, and I will never get better unless I perform for people! Has anyone else had this issue? Not just with performing but with maybe sharing your work?  Techniques for overcoming it? Suggestions?

Oh boy, I keep getting fabulous links to things that I want to share! For everyone who has had a bad audition. 12 Bad Auditions: (there’s a wee bit of swearing at the end).

Jenny Neale, Ryan Murray, Jen Mintzer, Michael Diliberto, Shanna Lesniak and Ariela Morgenstern perform “12 Bad Auditions” at “Exposed: The Songs of Andrew Byrne.” The concert took place on Sunday, October 5th at 8PM at the Zipper Theater. (lyrics by Andrew Byrne and Mark Blankenship)

I can relate to a few of these.

 

Quick post…

If you haven’t seen this yet, have a watch! Alfie Boe (awesome tenor) singing Nessun Dorma in Matt Lucas’ (Little Britain) kitchen. Makes me smile and squee and wish (not for the first time) I was a tenor. Damn awesome tenor arias.

OOH and as Jenni has pointed out the singing part is MUCH LOUDER than the talky intro, so turn it down or your ears will fall off

Welcome 2011

Back for my first singing lesson of the year today – fortunately both my teacher and I remembered! I am going to miss my singing teacher – she was the one who got me to from the point of quiet mousey singer to someone who is now going to study singing, and in just three years Check out her website for info on her teaching, and also upcoming performances.

Today we worked on a new piece: ‘There’s none to soothe’, a British folksong arranged by Benjamin Britten. As always, Britten does beautiful and simple arrangements which make a traditional and repetitive folk song into something very sweet, moving and interesting to listen to.

Here is the song, performed beautifully by Josephine Goddard:

The key for me in this song is keeping it all very connected and legato.

Then we worked a bit on a musical theatre piece, ‘I’m leaving you’ by Ira Gasman. Not very well known, and I can’t find video of someone singing it. The thing for me to think about is being  a bit more ‘speaky’ in my lower register and not being afraid to make my sound  a bit more ‘ugly’. Not ugly as in eww but as in getting a bit more emotion and guts into the sound, so it’s not just a pretty noise. I find it difficult!

In our lesson we talked about someone who was fabulous at bringing emotion, a natural speaking rhythm, and also a beautiful sound together in her performances, so I’m going to leave you with one of her songs. Here’s ‘Cry me a river’ by Barbra Streisand. *LOVE HER* And doesn’t she look gorgeous here??

Moving to Christchurch in February, to start school! Exciting times ahead!