Mamamia
I don't think you're ever "ready" because the better you get the better you want to be, any good artist will always be striving and trying to improve, otherwise you'd go stale.
BGT is not about being ready - just go along and try it and have fun. I've sang in front of 20,000 ppl at Headingley Stadium, 17,000 at Dartford Music Festival (along with several BGT finalists from this year!), 1800 at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and 11 years back 3-4,000 at The Royal Albert Hall, among many other performances. Am I "ready", I'd say so - I don't get cripplingly nervous, just excited and hyped up, because of the experience I have. And yet, twice I've got nowhere with BGT and once I got to the 3rd round of X Factor, I've never been put in front of Cowell.
BGT and these similar shows, are not about who is "the best" it's about who makes the best TV. It's entertainment. The likelihood is you won't go through - 99.9% of people won't (some of the best performers won't because the TV company won't feel they are 'right' for the the show) - so let that take the pressure off you. Think to yourself you're going along to have fun, gain experience and if anything comes from it then that's a bonus.
Usually, the nerves come when you think about what you're going to do and put too much importance on it. Rarely in your whole musical career will you have a make or break performance, so don't approach it like it is. If you go there thinking "this is so important... I've GOT to do this..." or saying things like "what if they don't like me.. what if..." etc, then you're making yourself nervous. Try not to think about the performance too much, stay calm and have a laugh (laughing is the BEST way to diffuse anxiety) then you'll enjoy the experience. Besides, the best performances I've ever seen are when the artists look relaxed and like they're enjoying themselves, if the performer isn't relaxed, I'm not relxed and I don't enjoy it.
Remember, no one becomes a performer because they "have" to. They do it because they want to. Therefore, enjoy it, try not to put too much importance into it and remember you could go in there and perform like a top professional but if you're not what they're looking for, you're not going through. If you don't enjoy it - the whole process not just the performing to a receptive paying audience one day - why do it? It should be FUN and inspiring!
Good luck and just get out singing - performing and auditioning - as much as possible. That way you really can answer the question "what's the worst that can happen?".
Smile - a nice big sunny smile - when you walk into the audition room and that small action alone will reduce your anxiety. There are muscles in your face you use when you smile that can actually trick your brain into thinking you're happy. The smile doesn't have to come second!
I will be expecting to hear good reports back of what a great time you had!!
Love
MD
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Thank you SO much for the support and advice.
I will definetely remember them...especially your experience Musical Diva (Rebecca) great things you said there....
I shall give you some reports back for sure if i do get a through....
It's good to know that everyone here has gone or is going trhough the auditions process and all that....
Thks again...
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No probs Mamamia.
Go for it and hope you have a great time.
Rebecca x
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Hi rebecca
I hope that you enjoyed the show (it would be nice to know what you think from a singer's perspective). I was particularly bervous because any singer who gets to do a show at the Royal Albert Hall knows just how big it is and sometimes the size of the spectacle can be too much and can lead you to cave in.
I felt I coped fairly well and really enjoyed it. My front of house engineer recorded the whole show so I will listen to it back and will probably pick holes in it, but overall I was quite happy with it (I am very self-critical). I just wanted to go back out there after.
All the best hun and good luck!
Hi Pavvi Being a soprano I don't understand tenor voices the same way John does so I asked him what he thought... He said your Top C had a nice "ping" to it, which of course if what tenors are aiming for. You nailed all your top notes. He said you seemed to get the emotion through in Caruso, like you really connected with what the song was about. He said good job. I hope this helps.  I sang for the Christmas lights switch on in Peterborough last week and have a new-found empathy for Katherine Jenkins - she gets a lot of stick for her technique from other singers and musicians, but I'm wondering whether singing into micrphones regularly is part of why she gets that stick.. I found that singing on stage last week, with the wind, the screaming crowd, the backing track bit loud in the monitor, etc, meant I was covering the note in the way Katherine Jenkins often does to get that deeper, richer sound. If I did that in a room without a mic, or with a mic a foot away from me, that sound would go nowhere. Do you find micrphones means you have to focus on your technique and keep an eye on it? It's something I'm going to watch now! Good luck with everything. We're planning our 2010 tour now, it's very exciting. Nothing on your level of course (Royal Albert Hall will have to wait a while....!!!) but still exciting for us.  Cheers Musical Diva p.s. Next time I come to one of your concerts I'm coming to stage do to say hello!!! xxx |
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I have been using microphones quite a lot over the last couple of years, although I have done full roles in big operas with a 35 piece orchestra in less than ideal venues without microphone. When you start using a microphone regularly you will develop a technique for your levels. You will also find that you need to vary your technique according to the venue and the kind of microphone you use. Something like the Shure SM87 (the one they use on BGT and XFactor live shows) you will get away with being further away from the Mic. On tour I used a Neuman which is a very high standard microphone, as it the Shure SM85, but with these (particularly the 85) you will need to sing closer to the mic or else your vocal can sound thinner and nasal. The thin neuman that is often used at classical concerts is designed to pick up sound from a distance, whereas the normal sized neuman and the Shure sm85 are designed to sung close to the mic. Try and stick to wired rather than wireless as you lose quality on the wireless. Monitoring can be crucial, it is for me, I like to be able to hear my voice clearly in the monitor or else it gets more difficult to pitch, or else if you are like me to try and sing louder to hear yourself which isn't wise. Some singers use in-ears, but I can't use them as many classically trained singers can't because the technique used in operatic singing means that the ear changes shape and the in ear monitor falls out. There is the accusation among 'crossover' artists about the use of microphones, but there is no option when you are using a backing track. I certainly don't hold back when I am using a microphone and I continue to try and use the best vocal technique I can. Thanks for the comments from John hun, always good to hear positive and constructive things from a fellow singer. somebody did cheekily record Che Gelida manina from the audience at the Royal Albert Hall
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/hxVMz8vb8UM&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/hxVMz8vb8UM&rel=1</a>]]> |
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Sorry quite a lot of technical stuff there!
One thing more generally for you singers going for auditions in front of the judges for BGT When you approach the mic, don't be scared of changing the height and angle of the microphone to suit you better. I was too nervous to do it so the mic was a bit high for me, so it led to me craning my neck a bit which is not good technique as it promotes neck and collar tension (of which there was plenty in my first audition).
Don't start until you are ready and your feet are firmly rooted.
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Pavvi Wrote:" Something like the Shure SM87 (the one they use on BGT and XFactor live shows) you will get away with being further away from the Mic...."
Wow, Thanks a Lot, Pavvi, Paul...this piece of info is really really good....
It's good to be encouraged like that...
Thks...
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Hey Pavvi
We usually use the Sennheiser G2 wireless handheld mic. We move around a lot, especially with the charity street performing, so the visual side is important. John used wireless ones for the Glasgow concert and it sounded fab to me - I suppose if your ear is finely tuned you can hear the difference. I'll mention your comments to John though, he's always looking at new gadgets and gizmos so will be keen to hear about your take on microphones.
I'm doing a concert on 9th December in York and have chosen a small, intimate venue with great acoustics so I can sing without a microphone (although it does restrict the repertoire a bit because some things just don't work, like more modern stuff) so it'll be a treat to use the real live acoustics in the room.
John had to use in-ear monitors when he sang at Celtic Park and he HATED them. I've never had to and hope I won't have to now!
Good luck everyone
xx
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Hello Paul and Musical Diva,
I've always hated microphones. To be honest I don't know of many classical vocies who like them.
The reason why is because you do alter your technique when singing.
However, for a normal voice the microphone is a godsend as it replaces the lack of natural 'ring'that a pop singers voice does not normally have.
I do think that if classical singers start to like them to much they would
become vocally dependent on mechanical voice reproduction and enhancement.
However, once a classical voice moves over to commercial music than that singer is expected to toe the company line which can mean sacrificing true tone and eventually vocal quality.
To learn more about singers who have refused to sacrifice there quality of sound you need to listen to Placido Domingo or Kiri Te Kanewa plus a few more as these voices are still singing today.
Maureen
Ageing tart
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Sorry quite a lot of technical stuff there!
One thing more generally for you singers going for auditions in front of the judges for BGT When you approach the mic, don't be scared of changing the height and angle of the microphone to suit you better. I was too nervous to do it so the mic was a bit high for me, so it led to me craning my neck a bit which is not good technique as it promotes neck and collar tension (of which there was plenty in my first audition).
Don't start until you are ready and your feet are firmly rooted.
That sounds like terrific advice. After all, as the judges themselves often say, it's your two minutes. Personally, I prefer to hold the mic. rather than leave it in the stand. |
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However, once a classical voice moves over to commercial music than that singer is expected to toe the company line which can mean sacrificing true tone and eventually vocal quality.
Maureen
Ageing tart
That explains why Charlotte Church's voice seemed to go downhill when she moved into pop (just my opinion of course.) |
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Charlotte Church's voice went down hill because she was singing massive arias as a young teenager and singing too much. She may have sounded spookily 'mature' at 11 but she was physically still a child. Listen to stuff she recorded before she went into pop, you could hear the shakiness in her voice, it had been worn out. But then she made millions, so I suppose it's about what your priority is! Thought you might like to see this:
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/2_vm7ET1na8&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/2_vm7ET1na8&rel=1</a>]]>I appear singing Time to Say Goodbye with John at about 1:30. It's worth pointing out John had already sung the whole concert in a 3 hour rehearsal that afternoon because we only had the orchestra for half a day and the concert hall for a day- I don't know where he gets the stamina from! As for nerves... I had so much else to think about I didn't get nervous until afterwards!!! lol |
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Hello Rebecca,
I hate that about pushy parents who think its marvellous for their child to sing big demanding arias or big demanding contemporary classical peices and then when the voice changes it has an emptiness that can never be filled.
All possible vocal quality has then been destroyed.
Its a shame in a way because it means that people don't respect the fact that the vocal chords need to develop in the same way as the rest of the body.
Singing is afterall of the body, the whole body not just the lungs and thorax and the other resonance structural parts of the face.
An athlete to run the London Marathon trains and trains and trains. Sometimes for years not just a few months.
I think Charlottes parents could see a cash register and thought lets cash in whislt the going is good.
Maureen
Ageing tart
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Hi AT, you are so right about this. My Son's teacher has only just allowed him to move to the bigger arias. He can rattle the windows with the best of them, but only in a controled way!  I dropped my daughter out of a local production of "Oliver" as she came home saying her throat was sore, but it was never ever sore after her singing lesson. The Musical Director told the children to shout and not sing as they had to be heard at the back!  It just shows what damage you can do in a short time. Luckily we pulled her out in time. Hello Alf, Nice to hear from you again. Musical theatre style is based upon speech level singing and belt. However, being told to shout to hard is one of the worst things you can do for your voice. Hence, my advice to all wanabe singers heading in for BGT or the X factor that they should impersonate goldfish and let all the none singers do the shouting. I hope your daughters throat recovered quickly. You could ask her singing teacher for some tips on voice production particularly with the use of consonants at the front of the lips. Than at least you could do some things loud and safely. Maureen Ageing tart |
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This is such a problem for young singers, including people in their twenties. I did the Les Miserables masterclass and, while it was fantastic, singing At The End of The Day was impossible for me - I had to shout it. NOT what you do to a lyric soprano voice!! I can sing MT songs by adapting the voice to sound a bit more belty, but it's the stomach muscles and hard pallet that take all the strain. I do it as little as possible now. What everyone who sings needs to remember is a classically trained voice gets volume through RESONANCE, not through "power". There are gaps in the head (no blonde jokes please) where sound can resonate and it's placing the note into these places which throws the sound a great distance with minimal effort. The body provides the support to keep the placing correct and a bit of a squeeze with the diaphragm creates a massive change in the volume. Belting is such a bad thing for the voice and gives it a very short lifespan - just go and listen to the West End singers.. not only do they all sound the same but there is wobbliness in their voice and the voice fragments into chesty-belt voice, somewhere in between that doesn't know where to go, and head voice (if they're lucky). It doesn't sound like one voice. I know people who have had their voices ruined by West End careers, but then it depends on what you want. Burn brightly for a short period then find another career at 35? Personally I want my voice to last a long time. I've raised £2,000 for Childline in a year through my CD sales and some fundraising events and that gives e more of a glowing feeling of pride than any performance I've done. By the way, you can listen to me on BBC North Yorkshire (I come in at 42 minutes into the show) promoting my concert and latest CD. It is available until this coming Sunday 13th Dec - and them I'm on again in the morning on another show, lol. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p005cl4k/Neil_Foster_06_12_2009/Enjoy. xxx |
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