# Please critique my classical singing



## Vishykc (Apr 22, 2016)

Hello, I'm 23 y.o. mathematician and now a first year in classical singing school  It's from Schubert's Winterreise, called Der Leiermann. I play piano and sing (at least try). I work with my awesome teacher on this, but I'd like to hear from other people more opinions. What is good and bad here? Have I some potential? I do not like "popular" music so I can't sing it good. Everything's welcome, thanks! 

http://vocaroo.com/i/s1JJUzIwd4uB


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Vishykc said:


> Hello, I'm 23 y.o. mathematician and now a first year in classical singing school  It's from Schubert's Winterreise, called Der Leiermann. I play piano and sing (at least try). I work with my awesome teacher on this, but I'd like to hear from other people more opinions. What is good and bad here? Have I some potential? I do not like "popular" music so I can't sing it good. Everything's welcome, thanks!
> 
> http://vocaroo.com/i/s1JJUzIwd4uB


I like to know what your teacher is saying


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## Vishykc (Apr 22, 2016)

Well, I don't know what to say :lol: Just starting out, but can I become at least ok at classical singing in many years? Well, she says a lot of things about phrasing, pronunciating, how to do dynamics etc. I've made a big progress, but is it worth doing for me? I love classical, especially opera genre.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Vishykc said:


> Well, I don't know what to say :lol: Just starting out, but can I become at least ok at classical singing in many years? Well, she says a lot of things about phrasing, pronunciation, how to do dynamics etc. I've made a big progress, but is it worth doing for me? I love classical, especially opera genre.


The red bit, that's the question you should ask your teacher.
I started once playing piano and my teacher said at one moment, you're doing great but I don't t5hink yoy are going to make world stages.
Sounds a bit harsh perhaps but , it made me study harder


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## Guest (Apr 24, 2016)

Pugg said:


> The red bit, that's the question you should ask your teacher.
> I started once playing piano *and my teacher said at one moment, you're doing great but I don't think you are going to make world stages*. Sounds a bit harsh perhaps but , it made me study harder


At this point you should have said to your teacher: "And what world stage have *you* been on?" Unless your teacher was Alfred Brendel or similar!


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

TalkingHead said:


> At this point you should have said to your teacher: "And what world stage have *you* been on?" Unless your teacher was Alfred Brendel or similar!


First pianist off the Rotterdam Philharmonic , had a waiting list as long as a arm.
But it's not about me, I try to give O.P insight in his own willingness


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## Johann Sebastian Bach (Dec 18, 2015)

Hi Vishykc,

I don't think you have a professional soloist's potential, I'm afraid. But you have the raw materials for a voice which would be useful in a choir. You might even go on to be good enough to sing solos in an amateur context. It's good news that you have a good relationship with your teacher.

You have a pleasant tone and, from what I can hear, I think your technique is good. It certainly sounds like you support your voice properly and your breath control is good.

It's clear that you're a relative beginner because you're finding some of the intervals difficult. I did wonder whether this piece was slightly too difficult for you at the moment. If it's in the right range for you, Mozart's Abendempfindung an Laura KV 523 could be worth learning.

Your teacher has probably already told you this - but you need to practise every day. As I said earlier, you also might like to find a choir to join. Check out websites to see which choirs near you have sung the repertoire you like.

Good luck!


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## Vishykc (Apr 22, 2016)

Well, than you all for your comments. 

@Pugg It really is motivational, I can't practise every day, but I do few times a week. I know you guys are probably all here in world's charts, I can't even dream about that kind of success. 

@Johann Sebastian Bach Yes, I should be an amateur. First I could finish 2 years preperation for musical "high school" the 4 years of musical "high school" with all those subjects like harmony, piano etc. Then I could probably continue go to classical singing lessons to my or other teacher like 1-2 times a week. It really should be cool doing classical singing as a really serious hobby, right? My parents find it childish to go to high "musical school" at age 23 along with college, but I don't understand why, they are smart and supportive... Now I feel like doing it most of my life as an amateur, does it have sense?


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## Johann Sebastian Bach (Dec 18, 2015)

Vishykc said:


> @Johann Sebastian Bach Yes, I should be an amateur. First I could finish 2 years preperation for musical "high school" the 4 years of musical "high school" with all those subjects like harmony, piano etc. Then I could probably continue go to classical singing lessons to my or other teacher like 1-2 times a week. It really should be cool doing classical singing as a really serious hobby, right? My parents find it childish to go to high "musical school" at age 23 along with college, but I don't understand why, they are smart and supportive... Now I feel like doing it most of my life as an amateur, does it have sense?


Yes, it all makes perfect sense! No-one should ever tell you the right age to study music, because there isn't a right age (unless you want to be a world-class professional. I work each week with around 200 amateur musicians who absolutely adore their hobby, which they take very seriously. Some of them are in their 20s and some are in their 80s. Most of them have singing lessons and many have taken theory lessons. As a result of their serious dedication to their hobby, they get to perform some of the world's greatest musical treasures, such as Bach's B minor mass; Elgar's Dream of Gerontius; Beethoven's 9th symphony and so on.

I think you're to be congratulated for doing something very different and for insisting that you're going to make a long-term commitment. You will get enormous satisfaction from being a musician. It's also worth pointing out that most amateur musicians are happier people than most professional musicians!

Please try to meet up with others to make music. I mentioned earlier that you might find a choir to join - but if there isn't one near where you live, you could always start your own.

Good luck!


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## Vishykc (Apr 22, 2016)

Johann Sebastian Bach said:


> Yes, it all makes perfect sense! No-one should ever tell you the right age to study music, because there isn't a right age (unless you want to be a world-class professional. I work each week with around 200 amateur musicians who absolutely adore their hobby, which they take very seriously. Some of them are in their 20s and some are in their 80s. Most of them have singing lessons and many have taken theory lessons. As a result of their serious dedication to their hobby, they get to perform some of the world's greatest musical treasures, such as Bach's B minor mass; Elgar's Dream of Gerontius; Beethoven's 9th symphony and so on.
> 
> I think you're to be congratulated for doing something very different and for insisting that you're going to make a long-term commitment. You will get enormous satisfaction from being a musician. It's also worth pointing out that most amateur musicians are happier people than most professional musicians!
> 
> ...


Thank You so much for kind words of support, that's exactly what I have asked about. It's very rare to do classical singing as a hobby, especially for men.  It's investing like 300$ a month here in Croatia, but I think nothing is too much for such great things. I really could imagine doing it for a living professionaly, only if I had enough talent and interest since really early age. That scenario is probably never going to happen so I'll keep doing it as a hobby in my free time nad improving as much as I can.


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## neonegin (Apr 2, 2016)

Vishykc said:


> I work with my awesome teacher on this, but I'd like to hear from other people more opinions. What is good and bad here? Have I some potential?


Your teacher may be an "awesome" person, but he is almost certainy incompetent. Unfortunately, this is far from rare because of how singing ecosystem works in the market economy. With correct classical training any healthy voice must sound much better than this. The question about you potential is moot at this point because your voice hasn't even started to develop.


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## neonegin (Apr 2, 2016)

Vishykc said:


> Well, I don't know what to say :lol: Just starting out, but can I become at least ok at classical singing in many years?


Given an excellent teacher (very rare) most people can become "OK" in about 150 lessons. After that the progress becomes so slow and gains so modest that amateurs have neither time nor motivation to continue.



Vishykc said:


> Well, she says a lot of things about phrasing, pronunciating, how to do dynamics etc. I've made a big progress, but is it worth doing for me? I love classical, especially opera genre.


You have gained confidence and ear that you mistake for progress in technique. Which is very common, I was in exactly the same situation before I started training properly.


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