Hi!

I've just done my grade 7 singing, as some of you know, and it didn't go particularly well... I've never liked rushing from exam to exam, I'm changing teacher soon because of uni next year and there are lots of reasons that going straight into more exam music isn't a good idea right now...

Can anyone suggest some fun songs to sing, that will still help me with technique, and especially developing my higher register and so on? Also, if you know around about the level of difficulty of each one - in terms of grades, or just easy, moderate, difficult for someone at approximately grade 7 level, it would be helpful.

I like musical theatre a lot, but obviously I'm open to lots of different kinds of music.

Umm, I'm an alto, my range is from about an F below middle C, to G sharp/A, two above middle C. I wish I knew a better way to say that, but anyway, if I say it's just over two octaves, does that make sense?

Thanks, hope someone can think of something!

Have YOU had a look for some songs yet? I don't know what you have sitting on your music shelves. I've had time to acquire quite a lot of anthologies so I would try to have a look at some songs that I hadn't sung before [ /whisper] to try to improve my sight singing [/whisper off] and to see if I had missed anything good.

Does your local/regional library have music? I'm lucky that Cambridge central library has a real mixture of music, however I'm unlucky at the moment because it has been shut for ages due to massive redevelopement in central Cambridge. If you can access an online catalogue for your library you might be able to see what was available eg anthologies.

What should you choose? That's the difficult bit and the reason for your request. I wouldn't suggest any particular songs for you since I'm not a teacher. I'd say just pick out some songs and try them because the words appeal to you and the range looks appropriate and try out a wide range of styles. You never know what you will end up liking.

You could also try singing songs you learnt a while ago to see if they still sound the same or if they have improved as you techniques has improved.

Val

Thanks! Well, I have taken a wide selection of music I own to my singing teacher, and there are a few songs I could start... but maybe I should dig down into the depths of the music I haven't looked at in a while, because really I'm getting a bit bored with all the stuff that stays in the music bag all the time... I haven't learnt it with my teacher exactly, but I sing it all the time.

Well, our local library doesn't have music, but there are a few good music shops I can visit... I was just wondering if there were any recommendations - partly because I can't sightread the way I ought to be able to, so what I see at a music shop, and the way I think it should sound is rarely the way it actually DOES sound... and so I don't like it as much as I expected.

Cole Porter's "So in Love" is a nice one. It's a Grade 8 piece but I wouldn't let that put you off!
It's more a mezzo than an alto piece, but it's in your range though - goes up to (I think) F; however most of the time it stays in the lower/middle part of the stave. (Can't be more specific than that as I haven't got it in front of me). So it would be great for developing your upper register without being too tiring because you never stay on the high notes for too long.

I love it when I'm between pieces and just singing songs for the fun of it!

Fun songs? What about Flanders and Swann? The Hippo (I think its currently on a grade 5 list) could be really good as an alto piece G below middle C to D an octave above. An Ill Wind (the French Horn song) (I think its on a grade 7 list) this could be used as a good singing exercise with fast repeated notes and the option to play around with the cadenza (when I've performed this I've dragged it out as long as possible with the accompanist looking at his watch, yawning, miming a phone call on his mobile etc). Then there is the Guide to Britten, which I think is on Trinity's performance certificate list (personally I think its more difficult than some of the diploma repertoire).

Anyway, I'm sure you wouldn't regret having the Flanders and Swann song book on your music shelf.

That's one I like too. I sing it because I like it. Sure it exploits my lower register, but it's a beautiful song.

Do some Purcell. "Music for awhile" again I believe that is on the Grade 8 syllabus is a song worth learning just for the sake of it, as is the "Evening Hymn"

Handel: Ombra mai fu or Verdi Prati. Good arias to learn to expose any weaknesses on your passagi, yet totally beautiful.

Gluck: Che Faro Senza Euridice

I'm just running through lists of songs I love which would be suitable for you age and voice as pieces of music. When the were composed nobody thought of them as exam pieces, so neither should you.

Faure Les Berceau or L'Automne
Elgar Where Corals Lie
Sondheim: loosing my mind.
The Eva Cassidy version of Autumn Leaves, or Fields of Gold.

There are some beautiful songs by Gershwin too, including Someone to watch over me and The Man I Love.

Just sing them for the love of singing them. I don't think I've picked a bad song there. They are all challenging enough for grade 7/8, and many challenge beyond too. However sing them to improve your technique and for the love of them, and not as "exam pieces".

Thanks! Those songs sound really interesting, I'll look them up as soon as I next get into town to the music shop!

I already love "So in Love", and so on, and actually, when I was having extra lessons for aural testing, I remember the piano teacher who was teaching me getting me to sing "Where Corals lie". I like Fields of Gold too. I have "Losing My Mind" on lots of my playlists too, I love it!

The rest are new to me! (That's really bad isn't it?) Anyway, they won't be for long!

Jod, I think that's good advice, that I shouldn't think of songs in terms of what grade they are - especially if I'm not taking an exam... I'm just wondering really if I'll be ok with the songs, or if they'll be a bit too difficult for me - but I'm sure I'll be able to learn them!

Thanks all!

Try them. You'll find them hard at first, but in time I'm sure you'll get there.
It's a pity I don't live in East Yorkshire or I'd soon get you learning them and loving them.

Many moons ago at your sort of age, Lucky, I went to a music summer school. There I met a lad who wanted to become an accompanist and was therefore very keen for me to let him accompany me in lots of songs - he had brought various books along hoping to meet a singer!

One of the books he had was all Faure - not just the few that everyone does (like Apres un reve - which is lovely but overdone) - and I loved them. The one that sticks in my mind is "Au cimetiere" - perhaps I had a morbid disposition! They would be good for your French too. All you need now is a lad wanting to be an accompanist!!

I've often wondered what became of him - I can't even remember his name now, but I did enjoy our singing sessions that week.

I'll get right on searching for that accompanist then! I did have one, sort of, a girl who is a very good pianist, but I haven't spoken to her this holiday so far! We did used to have school music sessions, which were fun!

I'll look for some Faure too, thanks for the advice!

I'm another Fauré enthusiast. There's lots of variety in his songs. You will need a good pianist to do them justice!

Val_alto wrote "I'd say just pick out some songs and try them because the words appeal to you and the range looks appropriate", and that's an excellent starting point for any singer. There's so much choice that you don't have to sing words that don't "say" anything to you.

Happy hunting, and I hope you find an enthusiastic accompanist to explore the new repertoire with you.

Thanks! I actually had a bit of a setback involving something accidentally broken at home, and having to give all my money for its repair, but I'm just about back into the sheet music search now!

I can't wait to get to the big music shop in town, to have a proper look.

Don't forget to check out Schubertline. You can have a look at a lot of music AND hear it, courtesy of Scorch AND transpose it if necessary. It only costs £1.20 to download a copy, if you find something that you's like to sing.

Val

I agree heartily with Jod (big surprise there!) - I'm a HUGE fan of Fauré and les berceaux is just magnificient - I've got a low mezzo singing it at the moment, but the alto voice would just sound beautiful with it (sings in mock alto voice 'car il faut que les femmes pleuuuuuuuuuurent.....)

Ahem... moving swiftly on - what about send in the clowns for fun?

Alternatively try some Irish or Scottish trad songs (although in the proper style - no mock classical horrors, please!) - learning the ornamentation would help you loads with classical cadenzas and vocal agility in general and it would get you used to singing in other languages and modal scales - could be a fun challenge. You could start with something simple like 'a stor mo chroi' from the Irish repertoire or 'Maire Mhor' - or again 'Smeorach le chlann Domhnaill' from the Scottish repertoire.

If you fancy delving into folk without learning a new style - try some Robbie Burns stuff - my love is like a red red rose is very pretty and if you sing it in G you'll get plenty chances to show off you low notes.

Hope that's helpful!

Allan

How about Eva Cassidy's arrangement of Over the Rainbow?

Shall do! Thanks for the advice.



Mock-classical horrors? Haha, I have been following the folk thread with interest, but basically know nothing about the style - and as such how to avoid ruining the beautiful music. Could be worth a look anyway, I'd just have to listen to proper performances first, so I know how it's supposed to sound. I do like Robbie Burns' poetry, so that's a good idea too.

I've listened to Les Berceaux, since Jod suggested it, and I absolutely love it, so I'm pretty certain I'm going to get the music for that and have a go.



I already know this - it's lovely, I remember I got it in a break between exams - I can't remember which exams - when I just wanted to learn lots of new pieces. I like Eva Cassidy in general.