Solfege video assignment
2 Minuite fluent solfege patterns (starting on d)
e = do
b = do
f = do
Reflection
After reviewing all of the final videos- including the given solfege on E= do, B= do, and F= do, as well as the 2-minute improvised fluent solfege video- there are a few things I noted that need my attention to better my intonation. Overall, I was quick to get off pitch and then remained off pitch for the duration of each video. As an instrumentalist with no formal a cappella training or experience, I rely on accompaniment to stay in tune. With this exercise, however, I found it difficult to keep the key in my head without accompaniment assisting me. To improve this difficulty, I am going to practice singing various songs and solfege patterns in solfege using the tuning fork to find only the starting note. I will also practice improving solfege patterns, again using the tuning fork for the first pitch. To make sure I am staying in tune, I will check my final pitch of each song or pattern.
Looking closer, the specific intervals I personally need to work on are do-mi-sol and sol-do. When I sing mi coming from either do or sol, I tend to sing mi flat. This throws off the tuning on my head, causing me to sing the rest of the pattern slightly out of tune. I also sometimes struggle singing sol-do as I usually sing (what I think is) do too high, or the opposite, do-sol, singing (what I think is) sol too low. To resolve this issue over time, I will commit a portion of my practice to tonicizing the key by singing do-mi-sol-mi-do-sol-do, and practicing various patterns involving do, mi and sol. Over the course of this semester, I hope to hear improvements regarding these issues.
Looking closer, the specific intervals I personally need to work on are do-mi-sol and sol-do. When I sing mi coming from either do or sol, I tend to sing mi flat. This throws off the tuning on my head, causing me to sing the rest of the pattern slightly out of tune. I also sometimes struggle singing sol-do as I usually sing (what I think is) do too high, or the opposite, do-sol, singing (what I think is) sol too low. To resolve this issue over time, I will commit a portion of my practice to tonicizing the key by singing do-mi-sol-mi-do-sol-do, and practicing various patterns involving do, mi and sol. Over the course of this semester, I hope to hear improvements regarding these issues.
Canon Assignment
Number 18
number 19
reflection
After watching both of the videos back- and even while I was recording, I was not happy with my intonation. As I am not a singer, I don't have a very large range. The range of these exercises was quite high for me, which made it even harder to stay in tune. Previous to this assignment, I noted that I usually sang mi out of tune. While I continue to struggle with my intonation on mi, I also realized that when sol was the highest pitch- as in these exercises, it was harder for me to reach. This, again, may have had to do with the range, but I also think seeing sol as the highest pitch, I internalized it as a "high note" and changed my approach from singing it within the line to trying to reach the note.
Throughout the recordings, I was trying to focus on how each note felt in regards to my breath, as Gaby suggested from the previous assignment. A lot of the practice and failed attempts of these exercises (not in the final recording) was spent finding the accurate pitches, especially mi and sol, and moving from various intervals including do, re, mi and sol. Though my singing is far from perfect, I am in the process of improvement and I am happy to continue this.
Throughout the recordings, I was trying to focus on how each note felt in regards to my breath, as Gaby suggested from the previous assignment. A lot of the practice and failed attempts of these exercises (not in the final recording) was spent finding the accurate pitches, especially mi and sol, and moving from various intervals including do, re, mi and sol. Though my singing is far from perfect, I am in the process of improvement and I am happy to continue this.
on the moor- 4-voice canon
reflection
This assignment was my favourite one yet! I found that I learned quite a bit about my voice throughout the process of recording this canon. First off, I could hear obvious tuning issues depending on my air support. As a trumpet player I focus a lot on the breath so I may be over-thinking this, but when I was singing sol, sol in the third phrase, I clearly heard the pitch drop on the second sol. I realized that I was trying to make the second sol softer to add in some dynamics, but in doing this I wasn't supporting my sound properly. After a few more attempts, I was able to make the sound slightly more consistent throughout the whole third phase, but this will be something I have to work on further.
Another characteristic I learned is that I don't like to jump between notes. Even with "simple" jumps of thirds, I often had trouble placing (especially between ti-re and re-fa). When approaching these thirds, I had to "think up" to avoid under pitching when jumping up. I also struggled with the octave sol-sol, jump. I would over pitch this jump and sing the sol, too low/flat. I will have to focus my practice on various jumps like these.
Lastly, I realized my voice is quite lazy! I would start the canon off strong and consciously in tune; however, through the second time through, my pitches would be off-centred. I am going to work on stamina with my singing.
Another characteristic I learned is that I don't like to jump between notes. Even with "simple" jumps of thirds, I often had trouble placing (especially between ti-re and re-fa). When approaching these thirds, I had to "think up" to avoid under pitching when jumping up. I also struggled with the octave sol-sol, jump. I would over pitch this jump and sing the sol, too low/flat. I will have to focus my practice on various jumps like these.
Lastly, I realized my voice is quite lazy! I would start the canon off strong and consciously in tune; however, through the second time through, my pitches would be off-centred. I am going to work on stamina with my singing.
Classical canon #132
reflection
This classical canon was a great struggle for me. Maybe because of the range or maybe my voice was tired, but I had difficulty with the "basics" of this canon. First of all, possibly due to the fact the range of this song was set in my head voice, I struggled sustaining the held notes (sol), and frequently felt out-of-breath. I attempted to simply take in more air, but while I found this to help slightly, I continued to see the issues this lack of air caused. I also have noticed myself struggle with air support in my trumpet playing, As this is an area of obvious concern, I am going to commit a portion of my practice each day to focus on breathing exercises, but also try to carry over these techniques into my playing and singing. I am hoping to see improvement over the course of this semester within my breathing.
I also really struggled with tuning in the recording of this canon. I had to redo the first part over and over again because I found that if I was even slightly out of tune on the first part, the other parts wouldn't fit properly. Since the final recording of the first part was still slightly out of tune, I am not fully content with the final outcome of this canon; however, I am going to use this as a reference for my improvement throughout this course.
I also really struggled with tuning in the recording of this canon. I had to redo the first part over and over again because I found that if I was even slightly out of tune on the first part, the other parts wouldn't fit properly. Since the final recording of the first part was still slightly out of tune, I am not fully content with the final outcome of this canon; however, I am going to use this as a reference for my improvement throughout this course.
Sight singing classical canon #75
reflection
I genuinely enjoyed this assignment! Sight singing this canon and not having to restart at each little mistake helped relieve the pressure. As a perfectionist, I did find it slightly hard to upload this video with as many mistakes as there are, but I know that sight singing is not meant to be perfect! Since I was not stressing about getting each note and solfeg perfectly, I was able to focus my attention on being musical and simply finding the joy in the song. No, this was not "performance ready" in regards to the note accuracy and rhythm consistency, but I am happy with my interpretation of the canon for my first time seeing this song. I will admit, I did practice a few of the "tricky" intervals ahead of time and sing the melody in my head before I turned on the camera. Overall, this assignment helped me to rediscover my love for singing!
Classical Canon #84
reflection
At first glance, this canon looked far more difficult than any of the others we have done in the course so far, simply because of the key signature- Gb Major. As an instrumentalists, it is easy to determine difficulty based on the key, because we tend to play in the few keys depending on the instrument. What I realized throughout the process of learning this canon, is that vocalists don't have the same issue with key (unless it is regarding range) when using a moveable do. Every major key has the same intervals, so even though Gb Major to me, as a trumpet player, requires extra focus, once I established the key for this assignment, the intervals flowed naturally.
The real challenge with this canon was the timing. I first worked with the metronome on to see how each entrance felt in time. For the final recordings, I didn't want to hear the metronome in the back ground, so I simply had to count in my head. While I felt pretty secure in the tempo for each part alone, listening back to the final recording with all four parts together, it is obviously not in perfect time. One thing that may help this issue in the future is using the metronome on my phone either on silent (but still able to see the beats) or with headphones in so I can still have that constant beat in my head, but avoid the metronome sound in the recording.
The real challenge with this canon was the timing. I first worked with the metronome on to see how each entrance felt in time. For the final recordings, I didn't want to hear the metronome in the back ground, so I simply had to count in my head. While I felt pretty secure in the tempo for each part alone, listening back to the final recording with all four parts together, it is obviously not in perfect time. One thing that may help this issue in the future is using the metronome on my phone either on silent (but still able to see the beats) or with headphones in so I can still have that constant beat in my head, but avoid the metronome sound in the recording.
classical canon #85
reflection
This assignment took me far longer than any of the others. I simply could not get the 3 parts to line up. After struggling with singing the second part along to the first, I decided it would be a good idea to have the metronome in the background to help me along. The final recording still has the metronome beats, which I realize takes way from the musicality of the canon, but it was the only way for me to get the pieces to line up! With doing this, I also realized there were a few times I mis-counted a note, causing me to end at different times. When adding in the metronome, I was able to isolate those mistakes and fix them so that the different parts of the canon all end together.
The ending of this recording is messy. I wanted to add in a ritardando in the final bar to make the canon feel like it was coming to an end, rather than simply holding the last note. While this was a good idea, the metronome was still playing at the starting tempo, so my singing did not match the beats in the final measure. When singing the second and third part, it was difficult to distinguish the ritardando because of the constant metronome beats. The result was a messy ending, but after many attempts, this (believe it or not) was the "best" recording- the most in tune, in time and audible recording.
The ending of this recording is messy. I wanted to add in a ritardando in the final bar to make the canon feel like it was coming to an end, rather than simply holding the last note. While this was a good idea, the metronome was still playing at the starting tempo, so my singing did not match the beats in the final measure. When singing the second and third part, it was difficult to distinguish the ritardando because of the constant metronome beats. The result was a messy ending, but after many attempts, this (believe it or not) was the "best" recording- the most in tune, in time and audible recording.
Minor Improvisation
reflection
This video of 2 full minutes of minor improvisation was surprisingly easier than the 2 minutes of Major improvisation we did at the beginning of the course. I think it seemed easier for me because I am more comfortable with filming myself singing, and I am more confident with using Solfeg. Though using a la-based minor is new to me, I actually found it more comprehensible than a do-based minor because we did not have to change mi to me, la to le, and ti to te, which can be quite confusing at points. In this video, I used sol instead of si, but I still agree that switching this one Solfeg is simpler than switching multiple. I also think the concept of using the relative Major and minor is far more beneficial in singing because we think of relatives in other aspects of music including theory and playing other instruments, so transferring this idea to singing keeps the concept consistent.
Overall, this video demonstrates how I am still learning the "feel" of singing minor; however, I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable I was improvising minor.
Overall, this video demonstrates how I am still learning the "feel" of singing minor; however, I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable I was improvising minor.
'annie, annie' minor to major
reflection
I really enjoyed this assignment! A few of the difficulties I encountered where switching the Solfeg (la became do) and making sure the la-do to do-mi switch resulted in a major third. When changing the la to do, it was easy for the first bar (la-mi-la-mi to do-sol-do-sol), but the following bar had more moving notes, so the Solfeg was muddy at first when changing to major. I had to constantly stop recording a sing a major arpeggio to get the major solfeg in my head. The minor to major third was the trickiest interval switch for me. I think because I am used to using a do-based major and minor, where the Solfeg actually changes the intervals, I kept relying on the Solfeg to help me mentally hear the difference between major and minor third.
Reflecting on the sound of the final recording. I definitely think in both the minor and major I struggled coming back to the exact la or do as my "anchor note"- I was often under the pitch even slightly, which threw off the whole intonation of the canon. I also realized the major simply doesn't work well with this canon- or at least where I was starting each new part. The ti of the end of the first phrase clashes and creates a diminished second between the ti and do, where as in the minor, the la and sol create a major second creating a more peaceful sound. I personally would like to keep this canon in the minor mode!
Reflecting on the sound of the final recording. I definitely think in both the minor and major I struggled coming back to the exact la or do as my "anchor note"- I was often under the pitch even slightly, which threw off the whole intonation of the canon. I also realized the major simply doesn't work well with this canon- or at least where I was starting each new part. The ti of the end of the first phrase clashes and creates a diminished second between the ti and do, where as in the minor, the la and sol create a major second creating a more peaceful sound. I personally would like to keep this canon in the minor mode!
'Bonjour' major to minor
reflection
Surprisingly, I found it more difficult to sing this canon in the original major mode. When switching back and forth between major and minor with this particular canon, I seemed to struggle with the change from do-re-mi to la-ti-do. I think part of the reason this happened is because when singing major, I sang the mi flat, making it seem more minor. Then when singing minor, I could already hear the do/minor 3rd because I was accidentally singing close to it in the major mode.
Moving foreword, I will pay closer attention to the minor vs major third. To help with this, I will try to consciously think "up" when singing in major to avoid the third (mi) going flat.
Moving foreword, I will pay closer attention to the minor vs major third. To help with this, I will try to consciously think "up" when singing in major to avoid the third (mi) going flat.
classical canon #38
reflection
My main struggle with this canon was counting over the ties. I think because I was singing it so slowly while recording (to focus on the solfege), it made it much hard to 'feel' the beat, causing me to stumble on my counting. The jumps and leaps in this particular canon were quite manageable. I noticed while listening back to the recording that I would hesitate between the mi, to mi octave leap. I do tend to hesitate when I come across octave leaps, I think because I am unsure if I 'reached' it, or sang high enough. I will have to keep working on my octave leaps to move forward. Lastly, another challenge I came across was the change from la si to la sol (two bars after the 2nd voice part comes in). To solve this issue, I simply thought back to when we sang the pattern la sol fa mi in class. This helped me think of the pitches ahead of time so I wouldn't stumble when I reached the phrase.
In general, this canon was relatively easy to learn, with no terribly tricky spots! Each 'challenging' section, I isolated and worked through a few times before recording the whole thing. Overall, I am happy with the final recording!
In general, this canon was relatively easy to learn, with no terribly tricky spots! Each 'challenging' section, I isolated and worked through a few times before recording the whole thing. Overall, I am happy with the final recording!
Classical canon #41
reflection
This canon had its challenges, but it I also learned a lot through it! First off, the la fa mi phrase looked tricky as a leap from la to fa is new for us, but once I got it in my ear, it was a lot easier than expected. I was able to connect the la fa leap by understanding the fa resolves to mi, as mi is an anchor note. The next challenge I faced was the la to low re, leap. Unfortunately, I am still not 100% confident in this jump and it's obvious (at least to me!) in the recording. I tried to isolate this leap and hear it resolving to a silent mi, which all helped, but the interval is still not solid in my head just yet. Lastly, I had great difficulty with the ti si mi skips. I tried to think of them as an arpeggiation of the V chord, but I think the direction it was going in (down) made it more difficult for me for hear. This is another exercise I will have to practice- arpeggiations of various chords in the key. Overall, I am not necessarily happy with the final recording, but I am satisfied in saying this was my best recording of this canon, and I am looking forward to continuing improving!
Learning classical canon #49
reflection
Recording this video was interesting for me because as a perfectionist, it is hard for me to upload a video full of mistakes. For each canon, it usually takes me anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour to learn and record it without any (or limited) mistakes. So having to learn a canon while recording, was challenging because I felt I had to cram my usual 20+ minutes into less an 5 for purposes of this assignment. I think it was valuable for me to push myself out of my comfort zone in uploading a 'messy' video. You can hear throughout the video, there were phrases/intervals I was not confident in, such as the mi fi si la fa re in measure 5 and 6. If I had more time, I would have worked on the passages I was struggling with in isolation more, but for a sight reading of this canon, I feel content with how it turned out.
who killed cock robin
reflection
This was honestly my favourite assignment we have done so far! After recording this, the song was stuck in my head for the rest of the weekend and I kept catching myself singing it!! I think I loved this song so much for a few reasons: 1) it is a simple melody! It is not only easy to sing, but easy to sound good too! 2) Learning the words allowed me to create an emotional connection while singing it, so I was better able to make it musical 3) Learning the words first also helped me to avoid thinking of certain intervals as 'challenging' or 'tricky'. This way, when I added in the solfege later on, all I had to think about was the solfege words themselves and not a combination of the solfege, pitches and intervals. 4) Lastly, the la drone allowed me to keep my intonation in check. Whenever I went back to la, you can hear me briefly singing out-of-tune then making a quick adjustment to find the center of la.
I have to say that I really enjoyed learning this song, and I will definitely keep this one to use in the future!
I have to say that I really enjoyed learning this song, and I will definitely keep this one to use in the future!
We Wish you a merry christmas
reflection
This was such a fun and simple way to think in terms of harmonies and chords! Taking a song that you know well and setting it to various harmonies is a great way to begin hearing those harmonies, so that in the future it will become more and more natural to just sing harmonies along to any song! Something I like to try to do when listening to music (especially pop music that is very repetitive) is attempting to sing harmonies on top of the melodies. Sometimes the music is simple and I am able to sing successful harmonies, but other times it is more difficult for me to hear a consonant interval that sounds good to me. I am hoping that exercises such as this will help me develop a stronger sense of what harmonies go where. This is something I constantly do, even when I am not aware, and you know what they say... practice makes perfect!
The Christ child's lullaby
reflection
This was an interesting piece, probably because it's in Mixolydian. My troubles were not necessarily the solfege as I expected (because of the mode), but rather the descending jumps. Both parts had multiple times where they jumped down a triad. I tried to isolate these triads and repeat them multiple times perfectly, then put them into context within the phrase before starting from the beginning. I had to do this method multiple times, which did get frustrating, but I reminded myself that this routine is how I approach tough sections in my trumpet repertoire, so I realized it was okay to have to work through difficult spots slowly. These difficult spots came up as do, la, fa in the top voice in measures 7-8 and 23-24, and la, fa, re in the lower voice in measures 7-8, 22-23 and 24-25. After solving the issues on these downward triads, the rest was pretty well smooth. I did encounter some tuning issues however, I think because singing those 'lower' notes caused me to fall flat on the following pitches. This is something I will have to keep in mind as I move forward.
The alphabet
reflection
This song was very challenging for me. First off, the key it is written in is quite high for me. I find that some days I am able to effortlessly sing high notes at the top of the staff, but other days, much like the day I recorded this, it is a struggle for me to make any sound in the upper octave, let alone trying to make it musical and in-tune! It can be a bit frustrating during the days I am not singing my best, but I am still putting in maximum effort. I realize that there are so many different factors that contribute to this; energy, fatigue, hydration, how much I have been singing that day and in what range, etc. My goal is to do my best to identify the specific factors that occur on the days I am not singing my best. If I can identify what is going on on that specific day, I might be able to solve the issue, or at least have a better understanding of my voice.
Another thing that I found challenging for this piece was the 16th-note phrases. I could sing the pitches fine at tempo, but when I tried to put in the solfege, I kept on getting tongue-tied! This piece took me a very long time to record simply because of the four bars of 16th-notes!
Overall, I do like the sound of this song, it was just a lot of work and frustration getting there!
Another thing that I found challenging for this piece was the 16th-note phrases. I could sing the pitches fine at tempo, but when I tried to put in the solfege, I kept on getting tongue-tied! This piece took me a very long time to record simply because of the four bars of 16th-notes!
Overall, I do like the sound of this song, it was just a lot of work and frustration getting there!
3-part song (from nov. 9th class)
reflection
This is such a beautiful song! I don't feel like I did it justice after hearing Kelly, Gaby and Cathy sing it in class, but I still enjoyed singing it myself! I thought this assignment would be super easy because it is a simple melody and two harmony parts that descend step-wise in the same repeating rhythm; however, I surprisingly found it more challenging than anticipated. The melody was easy to learn, and the key was comfortable to sing those high mi's, but for some reason I struggled with the harmonies. The part that starts on high do was still quite easy, but the part that starts on high mi really got me! I think it was because I felt like I was singing a normal scale, but of course I was starting on mi rather than do, so the do-ti and fa-mi intervals were off. I had to repeatedly isolate that "simple" step-wise passage, to get the right intervals! In the end, I managed to sing it right, but this assignment definitely taught me that sometimes even simple phrases can prove challenging!
Once in a royal david's city
reflection
I had a difficult time recording the bass part for this chorale. I wanted to record the bass part first, so the chords would make sense and feel anchored; however, I struggled much to record this part without mistakes that I ended up having to record the other parts first. I attempted to record the bass between each of the other parts I recorded, but I ended up finally recording it without many mistakes well after all the other parts were recorded. One of the reasons I think the bass was so difficult for me was because I had to change the octave on certain notes. This created an interruption in the flow of the part, and resulted in awkward intervallic jumps such as Do, La, Mi (rather than moving from high Do' to La). There is not much I can do to solve this issue for future recordings because I will have to continue bringing the bass part up the octave, but I can be aware that if I am choosing only particular notes to bring up the octave rather than the entire bass line, than it may create uncomfortable jumps that I will have to isolate to work on.
Lo, how a rose e'er blooming
reflection
I think my biggest flaw in this recording was the tuning. Even the very first chord is not quite in tune. While recording, I found that as I repeatedly recorded the same part again and again, I began to fall flat from the original pitch. When I became aware of this issue, I began to check my tuning note at the start of each recording attempt. While this was a great way to confirm I was in tune with the first part I recorded, I should have relied more on listening and blending to the previous recorded part(s) when singing the other voices. I will be conscious of this when recording future chorales.
when you believe
reflection
This melody is from the movie The Prince of Egypt and is written by Stephen Schwartz. I remember singing this song in my church choir a few years back and falling in love with it. I was reminded of it recently when Pentatonix recorded it for their newest Christmas album. Though it is not necessarily a Christmas song, I do love the simple, but beautiful melody.
I thought it was more challenging than expected to sing a song I knew well in solfege. Usually, I struggle with singing the right pitches, but the solfege is confident, but this time it was the opposite. I was super confident in the pitches since I knew the song previously, but changing the lyrics to solfege proved to be a challenge. It took some time for me to figure out the solfege and remember it while singing.
For this song in particular, I think the solfege was challenging because the verses are clearly in minor, but the chorus switches to major. Using the La based minor definitely helps this transition because the major chorus is based in do. This being said, I still found trouble because I kept wanting to base the chorus on La as it was the tonic for the verse, but I actually needed to use Do as the tonic instead. After I got around this transition and learned the solfege, the rest fell into place.
I thought it was more challenging than expected to sing a song I knew well in solfege. Usually, I struggle with singing the right pitches, but the solfege is confident, but this time it was the opposite. I was super confident in the pitches since I knew the song previously, but changing the lyrics to solfege proved to be a challenge. It took some time for me to figure out the solfege and remember it while singing.
For this song in particular, I think the solfege was challenging because the verses are clearly in minor, but the chorus switches to major. Using the La based minor definitely helps this transition because the major chorus is based in do. This being said, I still found trouble because I kept wanting to base the chorus on La as it was the tonic for the verse, but I actually needed to use Do as the tonic instead. After I got around this transition and learned the solfege, the rest fell into place.
What child is this?
reflection
As this Christmas song is very familiar to me, I found this arrangement to be pretty simple to learn. I found that I was able to hear how the harmonies fit in with the melody pretty confidently. I did however have issues with my tuning on the end of phrases. This is something I have noticed before with other songs I've sang, but I especially heard it in this recording. One reason this may be happening is because I am running out of air at the end of my phrases, so I simply must take a larger breath. I also think I may just need to put in more of an effort of singing to the ends of the phrases, rather than just "giving up" on longer held notes. In band, we talk about how releases are just as important as the starts of notes, and it can definitely apply to singing as well. If I sing the starts of my notes perfectly in time, but my endings are cut off too soon, or fade/sag, then it still won't sound as it should. I am going to be working on this issue that this particular chorale highlighted in future recordings.
away in a manger
reflection
I surprisingly found this assignment to be quite difficult! This is a very well-known Christmas song, and I myself know it well, so I figured it would be a simple, fast recording. I quickly realized that the tuning on this song, or maybe the particular arrangement, caused me great trouble. Specifically, the alto line was very easily out of tune. The alto part had many mi's which are commonly sung flat accidentally. Once I noticed this, and decided to think "up" on the mi's in the alto, the recording went slightly better, but I still think the tuning was off overall. Another reason for my intonation issues stems from the fact that I had to switch octaves for the tenor and bass parts, as I cannot sing where they are written. This caused all four voices to be sung very close together, which emphasizes the quality of the tuning and makes it easier to identify when parts are out of tune.
carol of the bells
reflection
This chorale was definitely the hardest of the semester! I was familiar with the tune before looking at it in class; however, I wasn't as comfortable with it as the other Christmas songs, so maybe that was a factor of my struggles. I also think it proves challenging because in certain sections it feels minor and others it feels major within one voice. For example the soprano starts singing do' ti do' la repeatedly. This phrase feels minor because it is based around the notes la ti do'. Then, the soprano sings the same rhythm but up a third: mi re mi do. This now feels major because it is now based around the notes do re mi. While that is challenging to change the feel of the mode in one voice, within this chorale you now have to change in each voice at different times. To help me with this issue, I really focused on my anchor notes of la do and mi (in both octaves). It really allowed me to stay (somewhat) in tune and keep the melody going.
Another issue that came up with this chorale and that is quite evident in the recording is my tempo changes. I recorded the soprano first because it starts before the other 3 voices, so I did not notice until recording the other 3 voices that I sped up and slowed down the soprano quite often. This made it difficult to song along to in the other voices, but as mentioned by the time I noticed it, it was too late to fix it without redoing all voices.
Another issue that came up with this chorale and that is quite evident in the recording is my tempo changes. I recorded the soprano first because it starts before the other 3 voices, so I did not notice until recording the other 3 voices that I sped up and slowed down the soprano quite often. This made it difficult to song along to in the other voices, but as mentioned by the time I noticed it, it was too late to fix it without redoing all voices.
god rest ye merry gentlemen
reflection
This is one of my favourite Christmas carols! I really enjoyed singing this chorale and I found it quite easy. In the final recording, I did notice that the unison sections really highlighted my intonation issues, so it took many do-overs to get the first two bars to my liking. Another section for concern regarding tuning was the refrain, especially in the tenor voice. I think because the tenor moved quite high (I moved up the octave), I started to pinch or squeeze out the high notes, causing the tuning to be off. Overall, this chorale was simple to record and I only came across a few minor challenges.
The first nowell
reflection
I really love the arrangement for this chorale. I think the tenor part is just beautiful! I love singing the tenor passage in the refrain: la ti do' re' mi' (third bar of the refrain). If the key were slightly lower, I think I would be better able to bring that passage out a but more, simply because the range is quite high for my voice. In the recording, it is obvious that I am struggling to sing out that high mi, but I was trying my best to have that part highlighted. This wasn't an overly difficult chorale, but I enjoyed it so much and can't get the tune out of my head!
sunrise
reflection
This is by far my favourite song we have learned so far! It reminds me of the type of songs I used to sing in choir at music camp when I was younger, so I was able to have fun while recording this- which, of course, is one of the main reasons for singing! My favourite part of this particular song was how simple, yet how beautiful it was! I think it is important to remember there is beauty in simplicity. Simple melodies, such as this, can offer opportunities for learning about underlying harmonic functions since the changes can be easily identified rather than buried under a multitude of parts. After I finished recording this piece, the tune was stuck in my head for the remainder of the day and I caught myself adding in new parts simply because I could hear and understand the harmonic functions alternating between I and V. In the future, I would like to teach this song to my students and have them compose another part under the melody to teach them about harmonic functions. This is a great example because it only involves I and V, which is very common.
As for my personal singing, I felt because I enjoyed this song so much, I was able to put more energy into it. My challenge for myself, and I think a goal for most musicians, is to put the same amount of energy and effort into any work of music we play/sing. I have heard many times in band or choir the conductor say that it is obvious that the group favours a particular piece(s) because there is more energy, emotion or effort being put into it. Throughout this course and within my playing individually and in band, I want to work on consistency throughout how I approach my music.
I did notice some tuning issues in the recording. I think I did well keeping the melody line in tune, but the harmony and bass part were more of a struggle. The repeated sol in the harmony line wavered in and out of tune throughout the recording. While I was singing this, I was paying attention to this issue and tried to think "up" or "bright" in order to keep the sol from falling flat; however, this will be something I will have to continue to work on. In the bass part, I struggled with the do sol, la, pattern. I either sang the sol, too low or too high which I found strange because singing so-sol, is a very common pattern. It may have had something to do with the range or maybe moving to the la before the do. Either way, this is something I will have to be aware of especially because it is such a common pattern.
As for my personal singing, I felt because I enjoyed this song so much, I was able to put more energy into it. My challenge for myself, and I think a goal for most musicians, is to put the same amount of energy and effort into any work of music we play/sing. I have heard many times in band or choir the conductor say that it is obvious that the group favours a particular piece(s) because there is more energy, emotion or effort being put into it. Throughout this course and within my playing individually and in band, I want to work on consistency throughout how I approach my music.
I did notice some tuning issues in the recording. I think I did well keeping the melody line in tune, but the harmony and bass part were more of a struggle. The repeated sol in the harmony line wavered in and out of tune throughout the recording. While I was singing this, I was paying attention to this issue and tried to think "up" or "bright" in order to keep the sol from falling flat; however, this will be something I will have to continue to work on. In the bass part, I struggled with the do sol, la, pattern. I either sang the sol, too low or too high which I found strange because singing so-sol, is a very common pattern. It may have had something to do with the range or maybe moving to the la before the do. Either way, this is something I will have to be aware of especially because it is such a common pattern.
Bach cantata no. 197
reflection
This cantata proved to be harder than it looked! For me, the pitches were easy to place once they were in my ear, but the solfeg was a bit of a struggle to get at a decent speed. While the rhythms were straightforward, I had difficulty lining up the two parts. When the soprano line came in, the parts were together, but once the soprano had the moving eighth notes in mm. 9-10, the two lines started to fall out of synch with each other. I became aware of this while listening back to one of my earlier recordings of this cantata. I recored the alto line first and did my best to listen to it while singing the soprano line on top. I was able to begin and end together, but the middle parts were slightly off still. I also noticed that I rushed a bit at the end in the alto line, so while recording the soprano, I had to follow this.
As for tuning, I felt I did pretty good at being mindful of the common issues in this cantata. For example, in mm. 1-2 when the alto sings do do do do re do, the re tends to be flat. I had to think "up" to prevent this. A similar example occurs in mm. 5-6 when the soprano enters, this time on sol sol sol la sol. Again, I was able to avoid this issue by thinking "up" to the la. The most obvious intonation issue for me was singing the fa in mm. 12. I struggled to find the fa because it was raised to fi many times throughout the piece, so I wasn't sure where to place it. I tried isolating this measure and when I did that the fa was easy to find, but putting it into context was a challenge. In this final recording, you can hear me moving to try to find the fa in that measure, but I am happy that I could find the mi re sol do after to finish off this piece.
As for tuning, I felt I did pretty good at being mindful of the common issues in this cantata. For example, in mm. 1-2 when the alto sings do do do do re do, the re tends to be flat. I had to think "up" to prevent this. A similar example occurs in mm. 5-6 when the soprano enters, this time on sol sol sol la sol. Again, I was able to avoid this issue by thinking "up" to the la. The most obvious intonation issue for me was singing the fa in mm. 12. I struggled to find the fa because it was raised to fi many times throughout the piece, so I wasn't sure where to place it. I tried isolating this measure and when I did that the fa was easy to find, but putting it into context was a challenge. In this final recording, you can hear me moving to try to find the fa in that measure, but I am happy that I could find the mi re sol do after to finish off this piece.
Two-part rhythm 7.1.1.
reflection
Rhythm exercises have always been my favourite in school, lessons, band, etc. As an instrumentalist, I have always thought that rhythms were more important to us than to singers. I thought that because singers had another level of technique to accomplish- that being lyrics- they don't focus too on rhythms so they can spend optimal time on the "more important" aspects. After working on rhythms for an entire class, I realized that vocalists DO need to work on rhythms, just in a different way. In my opinion, singing or saying a rhythm pattern is easier than playing it because there is no secondary object- the instrument- that needs to be manipulated in order for the rhythms to be accurate. As we use our voices all day, everyday, talking and singing is natural and effortless, and while we would like to practice our instruments just as much, the truth is we simply do not. Therefore, when playing rhythms on an instrument, we must work to think of the pattern itself as well as manipulate the instrument to carry out the rhythm. When vocalists add in lyrics however, I think it is similar because they are manipulating their voices to think of the rhythm and communicate a message. So in conclusion, both instrumentalists and vocalists do in fact have to work on rhythms, just in different ways.
With this exercise, I found the initial recording to be quite simple, so I decided to change it up with different timbres. I found an old pot and box, then used drumsticks to emphasize the difference in sound. The pot had a higher pitched metal sound that rang out more, while the box had a darker sound that would dampen faster. I also sat on hardwood floor so the sound out hopefully ring out rather being muted by a carpet.
Overall, I found this rhythm exercise to be simple, but it also helped me to think about the role of rhythms between vocalists and instrumentalists.
With this exercise, I found the initial recording to be quite simple, so I decided to change it up with different timbres. I found an old pot and box, then used drumsticks to emphasize the difference in sound. The pot had a higher pitched metal sound that rang out more, while the box had a darker sound that would dampen faster. I also sat on hardwood floor so the sound out hopefully ring out rather being muted by a carpet.
Overall, I found this rhythm exercise to be simple, but it also helped me to think about the role of rhythms between vocalists and instrumentalists.
Three-part rhythm 7.1.1.
reflection
Beginning this exercise, I thought it would be super simple and a quick recording. I soon realized that while the rhythm pattern itself was not challenging for me, but keeping the chord in tune was VERY difficult! Particularly the sol was a problem for me, as you can still obviously hear in the recording (but I promise it is better than it was!). To help me out with this issue I did a few things. First, when redoing the various parts for the recording, I would alternate between the three voices, meaning I never recorded the same part twice in a row to help me really hear the chord quality and intonation of the particular voices. Next, when singing the sol especially, I thought "up" or "on top" of the note to avoid falling flat (as much as possible). And finally, I also recorded a chord progression on the rhythms. I did this because when singing the same note repeatedly it is easy for it to fall flat, so when singing a progression you are changing notes allowing you to re-hear where your note should be each time the chord changes. I found this to be very effective! You can hear in the recording that the initial sol I sang within the progression (on the first I chord) is still slightly under. As I moved through the chords I came to another sol (this time on V) that sounded in tune! It is still a work in progress for me to sing in tune, but I think singing the progression really helped!
Three-part rhythm 6.1
reflection
While I was recording this, I continuously struggled with the intonation, particularly with the sol and mi, when holding/sustaining notes. I was so focused on lining up the rhythms that I disregarded the effort it takes to keep held notes in tune. After many attempts of fixing this issue, I decided to record the underlying chords themselves as sustained notes, only articulating the solfege when the chords changed. This allowed me to really focus on the tuning tendencies of each note. For example, the mi usually falls flat, so I was able to focus on keeping the mi "high". After I recorded the underlying progression, I simply sang on top of this recording. I was able to listen to the chords and match the intonation of each note while focusing on the rhythm. I do realize that the underlying chord recording somewhat hides the rhythmic pattern, so I also recorded just the written progression with the rhythms.
I think when coming to an issue such as intonation, it is important to not just "give up" and accept that you're out of tune, but to take initiative in improving yourself. Adding in the chords underneath the rhythm pattern was super simple! Sometimes in order to move forward we have to take a few steps back and simplify things in order to see that the issue itself really isn't too challenging. I know I can sing a I IV V I progression in quarter and half notes- that is simple for me. So starting with something simple and building up is the most effective way of improving.
I can definitely bring this approach into the classroom when I begin teaching. If students are having troubles with something, I want to encourage them to take a step back, simplify things and really focus on building upon what they already know. So many times students (myself included!) get frustrated and want to give up when they face a problem that seems too overwhelming difficult for them, and while I do think it's important to play/sing at your level, I think even the hardest challenges can be broken down into different steps that are already achievable for you. Slow down a technical passage, sing the sustained chord, clap the rhythm, isolate a specific measure. There are so many different ways to approach challenges in music, but in my opinion there is no shame in taking a step backwards in order to move forwards!
I think when coming to an issue such as intonation, it is important to not just "give up" and accept that you're out of tune, but to take initiative in improving yourself. Adding in the chords underneath the rhythm pattern was super simple! Sometimes in order to move forward we have to take a few steps back and simplify things in order to see that the issue itself really isn't too challenging. I know I can sing a I IV V I progression in quarter and half notes- that is simple for me. So starting with something simple and building up is the most effective way of improving.
I can definitely bring this approach into the classroom when I begin teaching. If students are having troubles with something, I want to encourage them to take a step back, simplify things and really focus on building upon what they already know. So many times students (myself included!) get frustrated and want to give up when they face a problem that seems too overwhelming difficult for them, and while I do think it's important to play/sing at your level, I think even the hardest challenges can be broken down into different steps that are already achievable for you. Slow down a technical passage, sing the sustained chord, clap the rhythm, isolate a specific measure. There are so many different ways to approach challenges in music, but in my opinion there is no shame in taking a step backwards in order to move forwards!
bach menuet
reflection
This is such a well-known piece, so I it was not overly difficult to learn. Since I knew the melody, I started working out the solfege without looking at the sheet music. This allowed me to be really comfortable and secure with the solfege in the first section of the chorale. This method I used was not intentional- I simply started singing it in my head or aloud randomly throughout the day- but it proved to be an excellent way to solidify the solfege in my head. I will for sure use this method in the future if we look at other pieces I know previously.
The original key was quite demanding in range, so I simply transposed it to C Major which was more comfortable for my voice in both the home key and the tonicized key. As music was written in G Major and tonicized to D Major (the dominant key), my transposition resulted in me singing in C Major and tonicizing to G Major. I decided to tonicize on the downbeat of measure 20 because that is the first evidence of a shift in key and it seemed most natural for me. The extended tonicization remains until measure 24. I then switched back to the home key in measure 25, but I included the quarter-note pick-up into this bar as a sort of anticipation. While holding the I chord in the tonicized key, I sang the pick-up in the original key to lead into and anticipate the return of the original key. The remainder of the piece is in the home key.
The original key was quite demanding in range, so I simply transposed it to C Major which was more comfortable for my voice in both the home key and the tonicized key. As music was written in G Major and tonicized to D Major (the dominant key), my transposition resulted in me singing in C Major and tonicizing to G Major. I decided to tonicize on the downbeat of measure 20 because that is the first evidence of a shift in key and it seemed most natural for me. The extended tonicization remains until measure 24. I then switched back to the home key in measure 25, but I included the quarter-note pick-up into this bar as a sort of anticipation. While holding the I chord in the tonicized key, I sang the pick-up in the original key to lead into and anticipate the return of the original key. The remainder of the piece is in the home key.
Augmented-sixth progressions
reflection
This simple progression exercise was so much more challenging than I anticipated! Singing the chords in a harmonic progression was way easier to follow because each part moved in mostly stepwise motion, rather than jumping to strange intervals. In many simple chorales, the various parts are usually written with this in mind, and as a result, each part can be sung more as a moving melodic line. For example: the top/soprano part sings la la si la in the Italian 6/3 harmonic progression. This is much easier to phrase and sing fluidly than jumping from fa to la to ri to la and back down the arpeggio. This exercise taught me that it is important to have my future students singing both flowing, step-wise lines and jumping intervals to help develop their ear for intervals and intonation.
Another thing I found tricky with this exercise was coming back down the arpeggio. When listening back to the recording, it is obvious that when returning to each note when descending down the chords, it was much more difficult for me to hear where each note was to be placed and as a result, the intonation suffered. It is a common practice to practice scales and arpeggios ascending, however I think it is so important to also practice them descending. If you only practiced your scales and arpeggios one way, then whenever a piece of music has jumps or passages that move in the opposite motion, you may not be capable of doing this as well. I came to the conclusion that I need to work be more aware of what I am practicing and how it will effect my musical singing/playing. Moving forward, I will be more conscious of my practicing techniques and how they benefit and influence my musical abilities.
Another thing I found tricky with this exercise was coming back down the arpeggio. When listening back to the recording, it is obvious that when returning to each note when descending down the chords, it was much more difficult for me to hear where each note was to be placed and as a result, the intonation suffered. It is a common practice to practice scales and arpeggios ascending, however I think it is so important to also practice them descending. If you only practiced your scales and arpeggios one way, then whenever a piece of music has jumps or passages that move in the opposite motion, you may not be capable of doing this as well. I came to the conclusion that I need to work be more aware of what I am practicing and how it will effect my musical singing/playing. Moving forward, I will be more conscious of my practicing techniques and how they benefit and influence my musical abilities.
Siyahamba
reflection
This is such a catchy chorale that once I was finished recording, I still couldn't stop singing it! Recording this wasn't much of an issue, however, the third/lower part was most challenging for me. I recorded the top part, then second part, followed by the third. Usually, I like to record the melody and the bass first, then fill in the middle part(s), but I felt like in this particular piece, it was necessary to be able to hear the top two lines while singing the bottom. I think this is because the bottom two parts are singing so close together that the intonation is especially crucial, so listening as if the third part was completing the harmonies of the other two parts really helped me. Interestingly, when singing this in solfege, the tuning was much easier for me to hear. When using solfege, I naturally visualize the various intervals between each note, but when using lyrics alone, I find it tricker to process the intervals. This visualization allows me to focus on the intonation and my tuning tendencies (eg. I usually sing flat). Each piece we learn in class helps me to understand how helpful a tool solfege can be. We learned the lyrics first, then switched to solfege, but starting with solfege, then switching to lyrics can also be beneficial. As a future music educator, I would like to try both approaches: starting with lyrics, then converting to solfege, and visa versa. I think it would be interesting to see/hear how it influences my students' learning. Depending on age and experience (and how comfortable they are with using solfege), I would assume that using solfege first would benefit their intonation as they would be less focused on singing unknown lyrics from a different language, and more focused on the intervals. On the other hand, this may also effect the musical phrasing, as they may focus on each individual note/interval rather than a flowing melodic line. Overall, this is something I would like to discover in my future teaching!
On a side note, while we were learning this chorale, I found it familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had heard it. It wasn't until we learned the second verse ("We are marching in the light of God...") that I realized I had not only heard it before, but I had actually sung it in the past! It's funny how something so simple like changing the lyrics causes us to change our entire understanding of a piece of music!
On a side note, while we were learning this chorale, I found it familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had heard it. It wasn't until we learned the second verse ("We are marching in the light of God...") that I realized I had not only heard it before, but I had actually sung it in the past! It's funny how something so simple like changing the lyrics causes us to change our entire understanding of a piece of music!