I went through come what may today. At the moment I am struggling with the song and don't have any confidence that I can do it. This is because I have choosen to sing in a higher key to challenge myself, however I am struggling with the high notes, as I don't usually sing high songs. I haven't got any confidence, cause I am doubting myself a lot with this song. In my opinion I sound like a whining cat! That's honestly what it sounds like to me. I need to find some vocal exercises to help me reach the high notes with ease. This could include doing scales, each time getting a bit higher. I will also try different techniques such as, squeezung my bum cheeks or pretending I am pushing on a big exercise ball or imaginig I am just about to be punched in the stomach. I am also going to try sitting down when singing to see if that makes a difference from when I stand up.

This is how I feel right now:

 

Not Opera of course but you understand what I mean!

Choosing Songs

15/01/13 I have chosen two contrasting songs. One is What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger By Kelly Clarkson:

And Come What May from the musical Moulin Rouge. This is going to be a challenge for me as I am going to have to change the key and make it into a solo performance as it is a duet between a man and a women:

1) Is the piece outside of my usual taste/comfort zone?
- WDKY is a challenging song, it goes outside of my usual comfort zone because of the range of the song. I don't usually perform songs, which go out of my vocal range cause it doesn't make me confident when I perform them. Come what may is also outside of my comfort zone. This is because although I've been in school shows before, I have never performed a musical theatre number by myself. It will be challenging for me to change the song into a solo performance.

2) Is the song challenging enough to develop part(s) of my technique as a player/singer, but realistic enough for me to practise and prefect?
- Both songs challenge my vocal range, however if I practise enough, I will be able to feel confident with the songs and it won't effect my performance.  Both songs are going to need a lot of work, especially Come What May as I will need to change the key and change some of the parts as some parts overlap where it is a duet. If I put enough time and effort into these songs, I will be able to prefect both songs.

3) Is the track suitable for the performance situation/audience?
-WDKY is a new modern song, so most people will know the song or would of heard it so will be able to recognise it. It is an upbeat song so people can have fun as I perform. Come What May isn't very well known, however many people will be able to relate to the lyrics. For example in the chorus ' Come what may, I will love you, until my dying day'. Many couples would be able to relate to this as it is a love song.

4) Can the piece be performed solo or with just one accompanist?
- Come what may can be played by piano, as it has a lovely bassline which is played throughout the song. Here is an example:

WDKY can either be performed with a backing track, or I could get a guitarist to play for me. 

5) Are the two choices contrasting and how?
-WDKY is a pop song whereas Come What May is a musical theatre song. They will have different accompaniments. WDKY  focuses on heartbreak whereas Come What May focuses on Love and relationships.

10/1/13 In this assignment, I have been asked to create a blog, showing the process building my confidence whilst learning 2 contrasting songs. I will show how my musicianship skills improve throughout the term.

Choosing Repertoire:
Right now, I don't have any ideas as to what songs I am going to perform. Usually I tend to sing a lot of pop songs, however I am going to try and challenge myself by choosing a different genre to perform as one of my songs. I may still do a pop sing as one of my songs to make myself feel more confident in the performance. I like to sing a lot of songs which relate to love, as i real like i can relate to some of the lyrics.

Planning A Step By Step Practise Schedule:
I don't have a singing teacher, which means I will have to plan my own schedule, which I'm a bit worried about. I know that I need to listen to the songs over and over. Then sing along with the artist. Once I am more confident with the song I will start to sing along with the backing track. Then will move onto working with my accompanist. As part of my schedule I will need to do some vocal exercises before I sing, which I will record at certain points of the term. I am also going to be doing some vocal training on youtube as part of my schedule. If I struggle with certain points of a song, I will work on these points until I am confident with it.

Technique, Posture And Physical Aspects Of Singing/Playing:
I need to consider different singing techniques. These incluse:
- Breath control
- Voice placement
- Diction
- Chest or head voice
- Characterization
- Movement whilst singing
- Tuning
- Emotional engagement.
All these are important when considering what song to choose etc. I have trouble moving around when performing, as I have trouble with knowing what to do, if I haven't been choreographed. I get really worried that people won't like what they hear when I sing. I also get very paranoid that people with judge or laugh at me when I perform.

Confidence, Stage Presentation And Physchological Aspects Of Playing/Singing:
I have very little self confidence. I don't really believe in myself. People tell me I'm good, however I find it hard to accept people's compliments. THis is what I really need to  work on for the performance. However if I know excatly what I'm doing, I feel more confident. I would need to make sure I stayed focused throughout the whole process. Not just while perofrming.

Particular Problems And How You Have Addressed Them:
I need to work on my stage presence, the way I could do this is just performing regularly to different people, so it got to the stage where I wouldn't care what others thought of my performance. When I get nervous, I tend to go out of tune. I would need to work on my nerves for the performance, so it wouldnt ruin it. Also if there was a certain part of the song which I wasnt as confident with, may ruin my performance because I know it is coming up, so I would need to practise a lot, to make sure I was confident with the whole song.

Working With An Accompanist:
I haven't decided yet if I will have an accompanist. I think I will however, because I struggle to sing acapello. I tend to lose timing and focus. If i performed with an accompanist it would make me feel more confident, as I would know excatly what I'm doing, as I would follow the music with the accompanist when rehearsing. Also it would make the performance more interesting if I had a piano/guitar playing with me.

And now I leave you with this: