Sweet and Low

So flow fear has been conquered, and piece has been penned. A few details still need working through, but I'm confident all will be well.

Meanwhile, yesterday on the way to work, I decided to do a very unusual warmup in the car. See, I have this strange ability to sing like a man. Really. If you closed your eyes, you would swear you were hearing a tenor, or even baritone, singing away. I even glanced at myself, all made up for work, in the rear view mirror to see what it would look like to see a relatively feminine-looking woman singing with those deep bellowy sounds coming out of her. It was almost unsettling. I can't explain it physiologically. I can sing the same exact note and sound like a woman, or change my stance a bit, and sound like the opposite gender. It has something to do with pushing my larynx competely down and out of the way, and then using my soft palette to resonate the sound in some crazy deep way.

I did this for a while, and it moved me into a strange emotional/spiritual place. After that, when I reached Sunset Boulevard, I started to sing in my upper register, and to draw my larynx back in a little. I was surprised that what had been a very clear sound, albiet unnaturally low, had suddenly become very raspy and blurry. To put it indelicately, phlegmy. I was a little worried that I wouldn't sound so good during the service because of it. I worked my way through this other voice over and over until some of the gunk buzzed away.

By the time I arrived at work, I felt other-worldy and rather service-ready. I remember when I first started this job, I was just pushing out notes that were generally between mezzo-forte and forte. Now I approach them in a more dynamic and emotional way. I mix in quite a bit of piano singing and I find this to be much more effective in terms of my connection to the pieces.

It was a really good day on the bimah.