I don’t know how many of you read Dud’s last post on his web site. In case you haven’t, you can read it here. I have to say it made an enormous impression on me because, I too have a confession to make – in addition to doing my usual Werbeck exercises, I have gone back to the classics and doing stuff I haven’t done for literally decades.
I mean, I have always listened to classical music, never stopped doing that, and still sing the occasional classical aria or song. I think that in some cases you can even notice the classical influences creeping into my Druydical melodic lines – for example that last group of runs on “Valso de suffocato” was influenced by Mozart. However, I never did any actual classical exercises. I always dismissed them as being “bad for the voice” even though when I did train classically, I was lucky enough to have a wonderfully sensitive teacher who did nothing but good for me and my voice. But lately, like my Druydical brothers, I too am on a path of exploration. Back to the future, you could say (although when I look at Ur’s guitar I think he’s on a Star Trek mission in the 24th century!). Because although the Werbeck exercises make up 75% of my overall practice session and I will always believe in her vision and insight into singing, one can’t dismiss other methods and exercises if you feel that they can do you good – you need to get out of your boundaries and explore and find what’s right for you.
One gentleman who has helped me enormously recently is this handsome fellow. But beyond the good looks, this man really knows what he’s talking about and if you want to improve your vocal technique I highly recommend watching some of his videos.
Happy singing!