Wednesday, June 23, 2010

no substitute for hard work

So... yesterday D. insisted we work on Act III (the mad scene). Observations:

- This week, I've been really deliberate about NOT just singing it all and blowing my voice out. Instead, I've been setting aside a small chunk at a time, working through, being really sure of the pitches, how they feel in the throat, making decisions about ornaments and really working them in.
The only place I hadn't reached by yesterday was Act III. That this kind of work is needed, before all other aspects are built in, was made really obvious when I wasn't able to respond to D. without the distraction of ambiguity re. pitches/text etc.
- However, there was one little phrase that I'd worked really hard on, and when I sang it, he got really excited and said, "well, if you sing this way, you have us."

All of this is to say that: practice does pay off, and that is very encouraging. When I see him again tomorrow, I will have done my work on Act III and it should be a very different lesson.

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