Comments on: Vowel Shapes and Lengths for Contemporary Singing https://judyrodman.com/vowel-shapes-and-lengths-for/ Vocal Coach • Singer • Speaker • Songwriter • Studio Producer • Podcaster Mon, 05 Feb 2024 18:20:22 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 By: Judy Rodman https://judyrodman.com/vowel-shapes-and-lengths-for/#comment-698 Wed, 25 Nov 2015 00:36:04 +0000 https://judyrodman.com/vowel-shapes-and-lengths-for-contemporary-singing/#comment-698 Very happy to hear your experience with your students, Sara! I so appreciate classically trained teachers like you who are willing to adapt to help their students sing authentically within more contemporary genres of material. Your feedback encourages me and is most appreciated.

]]> By: Anonymous https://judyrodman.com/vowel-shapes-and-lengths-for/#comment-699 Tue, 24 Nov 2015 23:48:32 +0000 https://judyrodman.com/vowel-shapes-and-lengths-for-contemporary-singing/#comment-699 What a wonderful post! As a classically trained singer, it took me a LONG time to get comfortable with teaching vowels in CCM music. I'm finally embracing the phrase "ditch the choir vowels here!" with my students. It makes them laugh and lighten up a bit, and it helps us remember that different genres should have different vowels shapes/lengths. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

]]> By: Judy Rodman https://judyrodman.com/vowel-shapes-and-lengths-for/#comment-700 Wed, 18 Nov 2015 23:22:02 +0000 https://judyrodman.com/vowel-shapes-and-lengths-for-contemporary-singing/#comment-700 Ron I am so appreciative of your comment here! Love heawring about your teacher working with you on vowels, and about Ms Sutherland's word changes in the name of vowel comfort! I also recommend this to songwriters… try not to write an 'ee' word on the highest sustained peak of the chorus! Also, I am in total agreement about Sinatra! He is rightly a vowel morphing, phrasing hero of popular genre singing.

]]> By: Ron Calabrese https://judyrodman.com/vowel-shapes-and-lengths-for/#comment-701 Wed, 18 Nov 2015 23:19:25 +0000 https://judyrodman.com/vowel-shapes-and-lengths-for-contemporary-singing/#comment-701 This article has a lot of sound advice. As an operatic tenor,classically trained at the American Conservatory in Chicago, my main teacher, Walter Kirschner, frequently worked on my vowel forms, particularly in the upper register. He also pointed out men normally like the "ah" sound rather then the "oh" preferred by women. Joan Sutherland actually changed words at the top of her prodigious range to accommodate her vowel comfort.

Your recommendation to listen to certain singers proficient in a particular idiom, is extremely important. I've always considered Sinatra the Enrico Caruso of pop singing. In his early years he had a bell like quality and perfect enunciation. 40 years later, he still had the perfect enunciation and always exhibited a unique method of handling vowels with adjoining consonants. He would frequently get off the vowel quickly and hold the consonant, i.e the "m"would be held in the word "dream. This unique creativity allowed Sinatra to communicate at a level far beyond his contemporaries.Vic Damone had a mellifluous voice but could bore you in minutes. Thanks for the interesting articles

Regards,

Mr. Ron Calabrese
Lumenite® Control Technology, Inc.

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