A Toolbox for Better Singing.
lewesclassical Well, it’s more pages than usual but it will all be worth it when you experience singing it. Yes, I miss the tenor part but then, I’m a bit biased. That’s life in LVW! 😉 Much of it will feel very familiar to many of you, I’m sure but I envy those who are being … Read more
As mentioned at our session last night, here is Name that Tune #5. Have fun with it and we’ll have a look at it in 2 weeks. Remember––no cheating! Stay away from that piano! No Bonanza theme tune. I promise. Name that Tune 5 – Download PDF
I mentioned in the last post that I would also post the recording of Stephen Sturk’s Phos Hilaron that 9 of us made at the Cathedral of St John the Divine in 1986. You can listen to it here.
I worked with composer Stephen Sturk for a few years back in the 1980s when I was a soloist at the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York. I was fortunate enough to be in the evensong choir that recorded his beautiful Evening Service, of which the Phos Hilaron (O Gracious Light) is … Read more
Here is the Ralph Kramden chest resonance demonstration that I mentioned at the last session. For those of you who missed out, this is what happens when you use low abdominal support and keep a fine chest resonance. This is a clip I created and uploaded from an episode of The Honeymooners called The Bensonhurst … Read more
For those of you waiting with bated breath, and for those of you who couldn’t make it to our last session, here is Name That Tune #4. We will go through this at our next session and have a bit of fun. For those of you who haven’t done one of these before, the idea … Read more
The beautiful Placido é il mar from Mozart’s opera, Idomeneo. Keep the breath steady and supported, clear consonants and long vowels. Placido é il mar – 3 Parts Audio Placido é il mar – Soprano Audio Placido é il mar – Alto Audio Placido é il mar – Bass Audio
So, we start of the new term with a snappy arrangement of George and Ira’s song, I Got Rhythm, long famous as a jazzman’s standard. Listen to the click in the empty bars to help you keep tracks of the beats. The rhythm in a song like this is not straight, but swung. So quavers … Read more
Well, what can I say? I was so taken with it I had to record my own version. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks to Moondog for writing such an interesting and unusual song. Paul
To those of you whom we had the pleasure of hosting last night, here is Moondog singing Nero’s Expedition. As you may notice, we got it wrong––the round starts after 4 bars, not 3. So, now we’ll have to drag it out next meeting and get it right. Not such a bad thing. I’m really fond … Read more