Pipe down!

October 25, 2020 9:37 AM

Big voiced soprano wants to sing old-timey music and sea chanteys. I don't like the (typical) sound of big classical-style sopranos singing that material: often they don't "cross over well." What do?

I thought my range had changed with age. But as I start some online voice instruction, it's quickly become clear as the second-soprano online instructor bows out of the higher ends of the scales (and I continue with ease despite being rusty) that I'm still a first soprano. It's a BIG "spinto" voice, always has been in my adulthood anyway.

My teachers have always wanted to point me to classical repertoire, but my first love is old-timey / Appalachian / Celtic-British material. I'd love to be able to sing a good sea chantey without it sounding like Rodgers & Hammerstein (nothing against R&H but it's not my thing).

Obviously I need to work on my belting skills and support in the lower ranges for the chanteys. Vibrato is often out of place too. I am wicked out of practice but I'm working on that.

If you've made this leap with any success (meaning first and foremost your own satisfaction), how did you tackle it?

Also can you think of examples of BIG-voiced sopranos who sing this kind of material? Usually it's lyric sopranos who gravitate to it.

posted by Sheydem-tants to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

Appalachian

High Lonesome Sound.

...a bluegrass term indicating a high tenor voice with nasal quality; often sung in a “driving” style with a cutting-edge tone at the top of a singer’s vocal range.

No vibrato. Noooooo. Nope. No.

Also, you'll find the term 'gapped scales'.

ianav. iaa old hippie dude who looked into this as foundations of protest folk and the origins of the dead's core songwriting influence: early americana. have fun!
posted by j_curiouser at 10:19 AM on October 25, 2020 [1 favorite]

Shape note is a genre that classical choirs often attempt, with varying levels of attempt at the vocal timbre. You might find useful technique notes there for classically trained singers looking to sound less so*!

(* SN style is its own set of training but that's probably how it's described)
posted by heyforfour at 10:58 AM on October 25, 2020 [1 favorite]

Jessye Norman, a big voiced soprano, did some crossover into spirituals (fun broadcast concert with lyric Kathleen Battle) but as I remember it, sang with the same general sound she used for classical rep. Maybe not entirely though—check our “You Can Tell the World” (on phone at the moment but it’s on YouTube) and there’s a moment where she uses a kind of chest voice I am sure she wouldn’t use for, say, the low note in “Es Gibt Ein Reich.” I don’t know how helpful this is. I’m having trouble thinking of other examples.
posted by less of course at 12:02 PM on October 25, 2020

Personally I took classical voice as a baritone and now sing mostly Sacred Harp but classical technique never came naturally to me so I don’t have quite the right perspective to help. I guess once All This is over and people can sing together again sacred harp could be a good place to iron the vibrato out, as mentioned above, because honestly you will get side eye if you sing SH with vibrato. I think some of what happens is just letting go of the idea that singing in a way that feels less thoroughly supported is going to damage your voice. The music will never go as high as classical rep which may make it feel a little safer, especially if you sing tenor (it’s the melody part and both men and women sing it.)
posted by less of course at 12:11 PM on October 25, 2020

If you have the means for more vocal instruction I would consider contacting the singer Moira Smiley. She does a lot of work with different vocal styles, including Celtic/chantey-ish stuff.
posted by corey flood at 12:37 PM on October 25, 2020 [1 favorite]

(Not a vocal instructor or a soprano here, just someone who sings a bit!) You might be interested in reading a bit about CVT and Catherine Sadolin (or checking YouTube). She has some nice ways of conceptualizing how people alter their singing technique for different moods and genres without sacrificing the health of the voice. I’d also suggest experimenting a little with vowel placement, which can make a big difference.
posted by en forme de poire at 1:07 PM on October 25, 2020