This week I had my fourth singing lesson. The practice goes well, even though I had a couple of days when I didn’t do any vocalization or singing. I continue keeping track of the days I practice as a way of trying to keep a longer streak. The goal is to make a long chain and not to break it by missing days. I’m getting there! 😊
Speaking of practice, it’s interesting to see the differences among this project, Chess in Italian, and Pen Drawing in German. When practicing chess, I kept a log on a Google Docs document where I wrote down what I practiced every single day. When practicing pen drawing, I also kept a lot, this time in the pad I used to draw. In both occasions, I would write down the date and starting/finishing hour, day by day. This way I managed to practice most days at the beginning of the year (Chess in Italian), skipping the practice days for around a week at the end of January, due to a family emergency. With Pen Drawing in German, I didn’t miss or skip days.
I wonder if I should try the same strategy with Singing in German. So far I’ve been checking a box on a habit tracker list I keep on my bedside. But I don’t mark the same moment I’m practicing, and I’m not registering hours there (it’s just an X). Possibly, logging in the starting and finishing hours has a positive effect on me, and acts as a reinforcement to keep practicing.
One of the ideas to make it easier to practice consistently is to do it every day at the same time. I thought that an ideal hour would be my usual lesson time (at 2pm). It turns out I don’t have that time slot available every day. One hour before or one hour later could work as well. It’s just a matter of giving it a try!
The Fourth Week of Practice
I love doing falsetto exercises. This week I practiced that with a ‘UH’ sound. It feels good on the larynx, and it’s easier to do even with little appoggio. Maybe that’s not the best to get used to singing with good breath support, but sometimes it’s like taking some rest time 😁.
Something I really enjoy about the falsetto practice is the opportunity to experience the sounds of the higher register with no unwanted tension and strain (especially in the next, an area I tend to stiffen a lot when going up). Even though most of the time we don’t sing using a pure falsetto voice, it’s part of the mixed voice we are working on for the high register.
Audio Recordings
Here’s a recording of Morgen, by Strauss, from October 24th (the piano accompaniment is from Mandee Madrid-Sikich. Thanks Mandee!):
Below you will find a clip from October 24th. Here I’m starting high on falsetto and I bring it down to the chest voice, always with a ‘UH’ sound.
That’s all for now! 😊
