# Advice needed......



## susansthename (May 10, 2012)

Hi,
Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and can advise. I find that when I sing with a grand piano that I push my voice a bit, trying to sing over it. I think my perception of volume is altered from when I am singing without accompaniment or with an upright. Any tips for avoiding falling into this trap, also it usually happens with verismo repertoire, not usually songs, bel canto or baroque/classical era stuff. Perhaps I'm trying too hard to project over the piano, or dont realize that I can still be heard if i toned it down a bit.
its a bit of a problem as I get tired quickly...i would like to include a verismo aria in an upcoming exam but maybe I'm not strong enough yet even though I'm a young dramatic. Any thoughts?


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Remember that you have a tendency to do it... and then don't do it.


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## Jeremy Marchant (Mar 11, 2010)

susansthename said:


> Hi,
> Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and can advise. I find that when I sing with a grand piano that I push my voice a bit, trying to sing over it. I think my perception of volume is altered from when I am singing without accompaniment or with an upright. Any tips for avoiding falling into this trap, also it usually happens with verismo repertoire, not usually songs, bel canto or baroque/classical era stuff. Perhaps I'm trying too hard to project over the piano, or dont realize that I can still be heard if i toned it down a bit.
> its a bit of a problem as I get tired quickly...i would like to include a verismo aria in an upcoming exam but maybe I'm not strong enough yet even though I'm a young dramatic. Any thoughts?


Ask the pianist to play more quietly - their job is, after all, to _accompany _you.


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

susansthename said:


> Hi,
> . . . I find that when I sing with a grand piano that I push my voice a bit, trying to sing over it . . . Perhaps I'm trying too hard to project over the piano, or dont realize that I can still be heard if i toned it down a bit.


This is the fault of your accompanist ... you are the 'soloist' in this case, not the other way around, especially in a performance venue. The pianist is 'leading' you by playing too loud ... I quite agree with Jeremy ... ask the accompanist to tone down a bit, or get a different pianist.

Kh


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## susansthename (May 10, 2012)

Krummhorn said:


> This is the fault of your accompanist ... you are the 'soloist' in this case, not the other way around, especially in a performance venue. The pianist is 'leading' you by playing too loud ... I quite agree with Jeremy ... ask the accompanist to tone down a bit, or get a different pianist.
> 
> Kh


Thanks for the feedback....you might be right, sometimes it feels like the piano is taking the lead. I have to be careful with this. 
Also, since I am bending your ears, (amateur question I know), but on average, how long can a singer usually sing before becoming vocally tired. I mean one aria after the other, full voice? Recital setting. I'am just a little cautious and want to find out if vocal fitness and endurance is about the same for all advanced singers, or can it vary from person to person. Part of the reason I ask is that I am a small person with a big voice. I'am in my late 20's. I'm most comfortable singing bel canto but the texture of my voice lends itself well to puccini and a little verdi. Perhaps its simply a case that although I've been advised by most listeners that I am a dramatic with coloratura and the voice is suitable or will be for heavy repertoire later on, I may be asking too much of myself at this age and should wait another 4 or 5 years before trying to translate what i can do in rehearsals to the stage. Any and all feedback welcome. (am between teachers at the moment and trying out some new music.....the innocence of youth...I know!!!)
I may have just answered my own question but my knowledge is still limited and would appreciate your comments.


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## Jeremy Marchant (Mar 11, 2010)

I am not an expert in singing (though I have sung in a choir).

But surely it is right (a) not to push your voice, not taking on pieces you're not yet ready for, (b) to understand that the voice is a physiological system and it will respond to exercising and practice, and (c) that singing is about empathy - about being able to understand, relate to, and communicate the meaning of the words.

If you practise regularly, eventually you'll reach your limit and, I am afraid, you'll probably have to settle for that (of course, that limit might be singing Brunnhilde or Isolde in one go, but who knows).

Singers get tired when they attempt to go beyond where they have got to in their training. You say that other people have suggested you might be suitable for "heavier" repertoire in some years, but this will only happen thorough your hard work. Unless you _want _to sing this repertoire, is the effort really worth it?

The bottom line is : what repertoire do you want to sing? Does a professional trainer think you can get there? Are you willing to invest the X years training needed to get there?


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