Berklee Marking Vocalists

FREE music lessons from Berklee College of MusicThe Contemporary Singer Elements of Vocal Technique Anne Peckham Chapter 8 Maintaining Vocal Health Marking for Voice Conservation Click CD icons to listen to CD tracks from book. Press ESC to cancel sound. Check out Berkleeshares.com for more lessons just like this one. Berklee is offering free music lessons online designed to expand educational opportunities for musicians around the globe. The music lessons are available for free download from the Berkleeshares.com Web site and via a growing network of partner Web sites. These free music lessons are also available on digital file sharing networks. We encourage people to share our lessons with other musicians. While Berklee strongly disapproves of stealing copyrighted music online, we believe that file sharing offers new opportunities for musicians to learn, and to promote and distribute their work. © 2005 Berklee College of Music licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd-nc/1.0/ verify at http://berkleeshares.com/legal-notice and mentally sing the other notes. Men can use falsetto to approach high notes. . The altered melodies suggested for marking might be too low for tenors and high sopranos. Singing without adequate amplification. sing just the first few notes of a phrase.P A R T 2 M A S T E R I N G T H E S K I L L S 102 THE CONTEMPORARY SINGER ELEMENTS OF VOCAL TECHNIQUE Imitating other singers to the exclusion of developing your own voice. Too much practicing before a performance can take the freshness out of your voice. Raise the lowest and lower the highest notes in your song by an octave (octave displacement) to avoid the extremes of your range. when it is not important for them to sing at full volume. Overusing your voice. or during rehearsals scheduled just before a performance. MARKING FOR VOICE CONSERVATION Marking is a way of singing that helps you save your voice during rehearsals. In theater music. It should be used when you are not feeling well. To mark a melody. Marking saves your voice by minimizing its use. Pushing your voice when overtired or sick. condensing the melody to a smaller range and omitting every other phrase. 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. Marking is successful if you benefit from rehearsal while conserving your voice. Adjust markings and song keys to suit your voice. Insufficient breath support. The marking examples are intended to give singers an idea of how to conserve their voices. Notice how the examples eliminate high notes. singers mark during lighting and technical rehearsals. All singing should be light when you are marking. so listen to your body. There are no set rules. Always sing lightly when marking. Don’t sing everything down an octave. Warm up lightly first. 4. and to help you develop stamina. 6. You should sing a concert. Sing only the first few words of a phrase. Don’t whisper or withhold breath support. Don’t succumb to pressure from peers or directors and sing full voice against the advice of your doctor.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 TECHNIQUE 103 THE CONTEMPORARY SINGER ELEMENTS OF VOCAL TIPS FOR MARKING What to do when marking 1. 5. 4. 3. 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. 2. . singing the rest mentally. What to avoid when marking 1. 5. Don’t mark all of the time. Displace notes at the high and low extremes of your range by an octave to avoid straining. Don’t lose concentration. 2. 3. recital. Men can sing high notes in falsetto when marking. Plan this in advance. Maintain energetic breath support. doah C7 œ &b &b Am œ you F œ ‰ œ œ J a C7 - Bb ˙ Gm7 œ œ œ œ you roll-ing œ œ ˙ F/C œ ‰ J Oh. Van Morrison’s recording of “Shenandoah” from The Long Road Home is a pop version of this traditional song. see Gm7 way Dm7 riv .P A R T 2 M A S T E R I N G T H E S K I L L S 104 THE CONTEMPORARY SINGER ELEMENTS OF VOCAL TECHNIQUE Marking example: “Shenandoah” The melody of “Shenandoah” has a range of an octave and a fourth and marking reduces it to a sixth. F œ œ œ F Bb œ œ œ œ I long to Shen . œ I’m bound to Shen-an .sou . Example 8. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ I long to Dm7 j œ œ œ ‰ œ œ you B b/C a F/C ˙ Bb œ œ œ.er.ri.doah see way F &b ˙ Am Œ œ œ ’cross the ˙ œ œ œ œ Mis . w roam wide Copyright © 2000 Berklee Press All Rights Reserved .1 American Folksong 4 &b4 q = 69 F/C B b/C ∑ F/C Ó C7 Œ ‰ j œ Oh.ah . 2 American Folksong 4 &b4 q = 69 F/C B b/C ∑ F/C Ó C7 Œ ‰ j œ Oh. w wide Copyright © 2000 Berklee Press All Rights Reserved .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 TECHNIQUE 105 THE CONTEMPORARY SINGER ELEMENTS OF VOCAL “Shenandoah” Example 8.ah .doah Am way F Œ œ œ ’cross the ˙ B b/C œ œ œ œ Mis .er.ri. don’t sing œ Shen-an .doah C7 &b Am œ œ F œ J ‰ œ œ a altered melody Bb Gm7 ˙ way œ œ œ œ you roll-ing - œ ˙ (œ) riv . F/C ‰ j œ Oh.sou . &b &b Gm7 j œ œ œ œ ˙ Dm7 C7 j œ œ œ don’t sing Dm7 œ F/C œ j œ ‰ œ œ a - ˙ Bb j œ j œ œ. F œ œ œ F Bb j œ j œ œ don’t sing œ Shen . Pay special attention to the way he rhythmically embellishes this song.. broke cold and both shall I know not so did my and fades a F &b Am7 w row if love Œ œ œ œ œ and or to ˙.ing that and love’s a C7 C7/B b Œ œ œ œ & b ˙. swim. a There is I leaned my is O love Copyright © 2000 Berklee Press All Rights Reserved . o’er sea oak kind C7sus Œ Œ œ œ œ & b ˙..ing on up a. me. Example 8. Œ Œ Bb œ œ œ œ C7 . James Taylor’s recording of “The Water is Wide” from New Moon Shine may be of interest to you.ter F is F/E & b .ed old that can car as the love then and wax it C7sus ry I’m he es F two in. tree new Bb ˙.ty it when is F7 œ œ œ œ œ fly be. wide ship back hand .not I sail . my love sink I prove false I.some Dm B badd2 Œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ Ó And nei .P A R T 2 M A S T E R I N G T H E S K I L L S 106 THE CONTEMPORARY SINGER ELEMENTS OF VOCAL TECHNIQUE Marking example: “The Water is Wide” “The Water is Wide” has a range of an octave while marking reduces it to a sixth.ther she’s load . have deep he jewel Am7 œ Cm7 Œ I wings to as deep could was a trust .ed think . œ œ œ œ can. B b/A Gm7 Give But But When a me not so first he it grows Œ Œ œ œ œ fi boat deep bend . ˙ .gainst love and Gm7 œ get the some is ˙. This recording is a good study in vocal embellishments in a pop style.3 English Folk Song 4 &b4 Œ F q = 63 Intro (no chord) œ œ C7sus Am7 C7sus œ Œ w F Œ œ The œ œ œ wa . ing dew. &b w Am7 C7sus Œ œ œ œ œ w œ Œ Ó way like morn .ing Dm ˙.K N O W I N G Y O U R I N S T R U M E N T C H A P T E R 8 TECHNIQUE 107 THE CONTEMPORARY SINGER ELEMENTS OF VOCAL fi &b w Am7 C7sus Œ œ œ œ œ like morn . F Œ Bb Bb Œ ‰ œr œj œ œ And fades a F way dew. . have Dm Œ don’t sing Gm7 œ œ œ œ œ ˙ Bb Ó B b/A altered melody C7 C7/B b Œ Give me Cm7 & b ˙. wide œ Œ œ ˙. I. &b w row Am7 œ Œ œ œ œ don’t sing F7 œ œ ˙.ther B badd2 & b ˙. C7sus Œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ a And nei .4 English Folk Song 4 &b4 Œ F q = 63 Intro (no chord) œ œ C7sus Am7 C7sus œ Œ œ œ œ w don’t sing F Œ œ The œ œ œ wa . Œ ∑ . ˙ .. Copyright © 2000 Berklee Press All Rights Reserved Learning to keep your voice healthy is an important part of your studies. .P A R T 2 M A S T E R I N G T H E S K I L L S 108 THE CONTEMPORARY SINGER ELEMENTS OF VOCAL TECHNIQUE “The Water is Wide” Example 8.ter is F/E & b .. you will stay healthy and sing well. If you take care of your instrument and follow common sense. Œ Gm7 Œ œ œ œ and both shall boat Am7 C7sus Œ œ my œ love œ œ and F ˙.