Opera: You're Doing it Wrong (with proper examples)

[BalalaikaBoy]

I don't know how many opera fans are among your ranks, but I need to get some things off of my chest about opera and how it has been degrading with time:

1) There isn't a certain technique for baritones, another for soubrettes, another for dramatic soprani, etc. There is ONE correct vocal technique.
2) It is the CHEST voice which is the foundation of the voice, not the middle. Every voice needs a strong chest voice.
3) about 2/3 of the "lyric baritones" out there are mis-trained dramatic and spinto tenors, not true baritones. same for lyric mezzos
4) there is no such thing as a "lyric bass" or "lyric contralto". all basses and contraltos are heavy, formidable voices. you have dramatic, and you have MORE dramatic.
5) trying to push up and "lighten" dramatic voices is just as dangerous as trying to over-sing lighter ones.
6) True dramatic voices aren't actually all that rare, they just get mis-trained in the manner mentioned above.
7) Rossini wrote for BIG voices. He loved basses, contraltos and dramatic soprani and wrote many roles for all these voice types. The thin, heady voices singing him today do him a disservice
8) Dynamics are overrated. Only sing as much dynamic contrast as you can manage with good technique and resonance. Strained whispery bullshit is not pianissmo, and it sure as hell isn't "musicality".

[BalalaikaBoy]

As you can clearly see here, the current generation of voice teachers and conductors have absolutely not clue what the hell they are talking about. Fortunately, this clip provides several examples as to just how much of a "weak register" a properly trained soprano possesses while using chest voice.

[BalalaikaBoy]

more examples

[vermilionplum]

P R E A C H my dude

Opera singers are literally supposed to be ear-rapey to cut across the orchestra back in ya know... the good ole days where microphones weren't a thing.

Never knew about the chest voice thing until today, I guess that's why my singing gets compared to opera a lot- tend to fall onto chest voice since I never quite figured out how to use the throat or head voice

Even when you think of the human body as an instrument it makes no sense to "play breathy and weak like" into a clarinet

[BalalaikaBoy]

This topic was requested to me by someone on another forum, but the server was down, so I thought "fuck it, I'll post it here".

We'll start with a simple video from General Radames's youtube channel illustrating the basics of what female chest voice/voce di petto sounds like when performed correctly.

from the video description:
"Chest voice or Voce di Petto is a term used in relation to the muscular function of the larynx and should not be connected to the various concepts of resonance. It is a functional product of the larynx. i.e. it is the predominance of the thyro-arytenoid muscles of the larynx. Giving to the sound particular characteristics that differ from head voice. (True resonance is the amplification of sound. 95% of sound is resonated in the pharynx. Manipulating ones voice to receive sympathetic vibrations is not true resonance. there is no amplification of sound, just sensations."

Put another way, head voice and chest voice are not different "regions". They are different muscular groups, which influence the sound based on their respect participation. Singing predominately utilizing the chest voice must still include head voice participation to maintain flexibility and brilliance. Singing predominantly in head voice must still include chest voice participation in order to give the sound "core", fullness and an ability to cut through all the way to the back of a large music hall. While male opera singers (should) sing predominantly with the chest voice muscles, female singers gradually shift the balance toward the head voice (again, never fully losing participation from either) as they climb above the staff.