Dragaera

Pronunciation Guide

Chris Olson - SunPS Chrisf.Olson at Sun.COM
Thu Oct 30 11:51:11 PST 2003

> SKZB wrote:
> >And speaking of records, what you reminded me of was when I was doing my CD,
> >"A Rose for Iconoclastes."  The tune "She's Gone" was making me crazy.  We
> >had down the entire vocal track, except that every single time I reached for
> >the high note (The first and third "She's gone" in each chorus) I missed it.
> 
> >Eventually, Sara Diedrich, who was doing the vocal coaching for me and who
> >is also opera trained, leaned into the talkback mic and said, "Don't sing
> >'She's gone.'  Sing 'She's gun.'"
> 
> >I did, and not only did I nail the note, but it *sounded* like "gone" not
> >"gun."

Hehe. Yeah, those vocal coaches and their tricks....  I don't know
how they do it sometimes, but it seems to work. (Actualy, the best vocal
coaches are able to explain their teachings in different ways until
the student understands it, even if they have to "trick" the student
into doing it right.  Very few people will be able to get the same
direction from "drop your larynx when you breath", so being able
to offer different examples or ways of explaining what is intended
is a great boon.)  

My teacher could get rather graphic while trying to trick me into
doing something correctly.  Rather funny, really....:)

> John D. Barbato, OD wrote:
> So that explains why lyrics are so hard to figure out from listening to the 
> record, (or CD as the case is in the year 2003.) 
> 
> "  'Scuse me while I kiss this guy.  ", Jimi Hendrix
> " And theres a wino down the road ",  Robert Plant, Led Zepplin, stairway to 
> heaven

Um, actualy, not always.  Sometimes it's just bad enunciation on
the part of the singer (due to any number of things).  However, in
Steve's case, I never noticed that he was singing anything other
than "gone".  

Though I'll admit that enunciation is sometimes asked
to take a back seat.  During the last musical I was in, the Music Director
told me that, while my enunciation was great, I should tone it down a
bit.  I've always been on the side of "sing clearly, dammit.  I can't
understand what you're saying!", so this came as a slight blow ... 
"But I want be understood."
"You will be, Chris.  Trust me."
<sigh>

And Steve, I feel for ya on those high notes.  They can be fun sometimes, 
but damn!

:0
Chris

"You're waiting for your Dark Knight on his white horse.
I'm waiting for his sister in a Cherry-Red Porsche."

- Steven Brust 
"Brother and Sister" - "A Rose for Iconoclastes"