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FREE music lessons from Berklee College of Music The Contemporary Singer Elements of Vocal Technique Anne Peckham Chapter 8 Maintaining Vocal Health Marking for Voice Conservation
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P A R T
T H E C O N T E M P O R A R Y S I N G E R
2
M A S T E R I N G
T H E
S K I L L S
Imitating other singers to the exclusion of developing your own voice.
Singing without adequate amplification.
Insufficient breath support.
Pushing your voice when overtired or sick.
Overusing your voice.
MARKING
FOR
VOICE
CONSERVATION
Marking is a way of singing that helps you save your voice during rehearsals. To mark a melody, sing just the first few notes of a phrase, and mentally sing the other notes. Raise the lowest and lower the highest notes in your song by an octave (octave dis-
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placement) to avoid the extremes of your range. Men can use falsetto to approach high notes. All singing should be light when you are marking.
E L E M E N T S O F V O C A L T E C H N I Q U E
Marking saves your voice by minimizing its use. It should be used when you are not feeling well, or during rehearsals scheduled just before a performance. Too much practicing before a performance can take the freshness out of your voice. In theater music, singers mark during lighting and technical rehearsals, when it is not important for them to sing at full volume. Singers often have strong emotions when performing and become carried away by the moment, losing self-control and singing full voice when they should be resting, so listen to your body. The marking examples are intended to give singers an idea of how to conserve their voices. Notice how the examples eliminate high notes, condensing the melody to a smaller range and omitting every other phrase. The altered melodies suggested for marking might be too low for tenors and high sopranos. Adjust markings and song keys to suit your voice. There are no set rules. Marking is successful if you benefit from rehearsal while conserving your voice.
M A I N T A I N I N G
TIPS
FOR
V O C A L
H E A L T H
C H A P T E R
8
MARKING
What to do when marking 1. Warm up lightly first. 2. Maintain energetic breath support. 3. Sing only the first few words of a phrase, singing the rest mentally. 4. Displace notes at the high and low extremes of your range by an octave to avoid straining. Plan this in advance.
5. Men can sing high notes in falsetto when marking. 6. Always sing lightly when marking.
E U Q I N H C E T L A C O V F O S T N E M E L E
What to avoid when marking 1. Don’t sing everything down an octave.
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2. Don’t whisper or withhold breath support. 3. Don’t lose concentration. 4. Don’t succumb to pressure from peers or directors and sing full voice against the advice of your doctor.
5. Don’t mark all of the time. You should sing a concert, recital, or other long performance using your full voice several times over a period of several weeks or longer to make sure you are familiar with phrasing and breath pacing, and to help you develop stamina.
R E G N I S Y R A R O P M E T N O C E H T
P A R T
T H E C O N T E M P O R A R Y S I N G E R
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2
O F V O C A L T E C H N I Q U E
T H E
S K I L L S
Marking example: “Shenandoah” The melody of “Shenandoah” has a range of an octave and a fourth and marking reduces it to a sixth. Van Morrison’s recording of “Shenandoah” from The Long Road Home is a pop version of this traditional song.
Example 8.1 American Folksong
q = 69
&b
F/C 4 4
b
B /C
F/C
∑
Ó
C7
F
Œ
‰
j œ
Oh,
&
Bb œ œ ˙ b œ œ œ ‰ J Am
see E L E M E N T S
M A S T E R I N G
F
you
a
Gm7
&b œ
C7
& b ˙ roam
œ œ œ C7
Dm7
Œ
you roll -ing
riv - er. F/C
you
F/C
œ œ ’cross the
I
œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙
way
see
œ œ œ œ
˙ wide
a
-
b
B
b
œ œ œ . œ I’m bound to F
œ œ œ œ Mis - sou - ri.
‰ œ J Oh,
way
B /C
Copyright © 2000 Berklee Press All Rights Reserved
long to
F
Dm7
I long to
b
Shen - ah - doah
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ j œ œ ‰ œ œ ˙
Shen - an - d oah Am
-
Gm7
B
w
M A I N T A I N I N G
V O C A L
H E A L T H
C H A P T E R
8
“Shenandoah” Example 8.2 American Folksong
q = 69
&b
b
F/C 4 4
B /C
F/C
∑
Ó
C7
F
Œ
‰
Am
& b œ
F
œ
œ J
b
a
&
Gm7
b
C7
j œ œ œ œ
-
C7
œ œ œ œ ( œ ) œ ˙
way
you roll -ing
œ
œ
j œ
‰ œ œ ˙
Shen-an-doah Am
& b ˙
a
Dm7
Œ
riv - er. F/C
F/C
œ œ ’cross the
˙ wide
-
B
b
j œ
way
b
B /C
F
œ œ œ œ Mis - sou - ri.
Copyright © 2000 Berklee Press All Rights Reserved
L A C O V F O
F
don’t sing Dm7
j œ œ œ
j œ œ œ
Shen-ah - doah
Gm7
‰ œ œ ˙
don’t sing
b
j œ œ œ œ
j œ
Oh, altered melody B
B
E U Q I N H C E T
w
‰
j œ
Oh,
don’t sing
j œ . œ œ
S T N E M E L E
105
R E G N I S Y R A R O P M E T N O C E H T
P A R T
T H E C O N T E M P O R A R Y S I N G E R
106
E L E M E N T S O F V O C A L T E C H N I Q U E
2
M A S T E R I N G
T H E
S K I L L S
Marking example: “The Water is Wide” “The Water is Wide” has a range of an octave while marking reduces it to a sixth. James Taylor’s recording of “The Water is Wide” from New Moon Shine may be of interest to you. Pay special attention to the way he rhythmically embellishes this song. This recording is a good study in vocal embellishments in a pop style.
Example 8.3 English Folk Song
q = 63
&b &b
Intro (no chord)
Œ
4 4
œ
Am7
œ
F
œ Œ
œ
wide ship back hand - some
Œ
Am7
Œ
row if love
œ œ œ œ Gm7
œ
Œ
Œ
o’er sea oak kind
F7
B
and or to
Copyright © 2000 Berklee Press All Rights Reserved
me a not so first he it grows
b
Œ
Œ
œ œ œ
fi
and both shall I know not so did my and fades a F
Œ
b
Œ œ œ œ
two in. broke cold
I. swim. me.
C7/B
B /A Gm7
F
my love I sink prove false
œ œ œ
Give But But When
b
œ œ œ œ ˙ .
F/E
C7
œ œ œ œ œ ˙ . ry I’m he es
is
And nei - ther she’s load - ed think - ing that and love’s a
C7sus
fly be. tree new
C7sus
Œ
Œ
˙ .
I wings to as deep could was a trust - ty when it is
that can car as the love and then it wax -
wa - ter F
œ œ œ œ œ ˙ Ó
Cm7
boat deep bend - ed old
&b w
F
B add2
œ œ œ
œ
The
I can- not get sail- ing on the up a- gainst some and love is
have deep he jewel
Am7
w
b
Dm
& b ˙.
Œ
C7sus
.. ˙ .
& b ˙ .
C7sus
Œ
B
b
C7
.. œ œ œ œ
There is a I leaned my O love is
K N O W I N G
fi
Am7
&b w
&b w
way
I N S T R U M E N T
C7sus
Dm
Œ
way
Am7
Y O U R
œ œ œ œ ˙ .
like morn - ing C7sus
Œ
œ
like
œ œ œ w
morn - ing
B
dew.
b
Œ ‰ œ r œ j œ œ
Œ
dew. F
C H A P T E R
And fades a -
B
b
F
œ Œ
Ó
8 E U Q I N H C E T L A C O V F O S T N E M E L E
107
R E G N I S Y R A R O P M E T N O C E H T
P A R T
T H E C O N T E M P O R A R Y S I N G E R
2
M A S T E R I N G
S K I L L S
“The Water is Wide” Example 8.4 English Folk Song
q = 63
&b &
Intro (no chord)
Œ
4 4
œ
Am7
œ
F
œ
C7sus
b .. ˙ .
C7sus
Œ
w
œ œ œ
O F V O C A L T E C H N I Q U E
wa - ter
œ
F/E
Œ
˙ .
Œ
wide
& b ˙ . boat
Am7
&b w
row
œ œ œ
And nei - ther don’t sing Gm7
B badd2
Œ
Œ
œ œ œ
altered melody C7 C7/B
C7sus
œ œ
Ó
˙
don’t sing F7
Cm7
œ
Œ
œ œ œ
œ œ
b ˙ .
b
B
b
Œ œ œ œ Give me
Am7
& b ˙.
is
F
have E L E M E N T S
œ œ œ
œ
The
don’t sing
Œ
œ
Dm
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T H E
B /A
a
Gm7
Œ
Œ œ œ œ and both shall
C7sus
Œ
F
œ
my
œ œ œ
love
and
˙ .
Œ
∑
..
I.
Copyright © 2000 Berklee Press All Rights Reserved
Learning to keep your voice healthy is an important part of your studies. If you take care of your instrument and follow common sense, you will stay healthy and sing well.
