Group 1
Welcome to the NEW TWO WEEK INTENSIVE on tonebase!
"Phrasing like a Singer" at the Piano with Leann Osterkamp.
Much of classical piano music evolved historically from vocal music. Voice, naturally being the most primal/organic instrument of all, is the source from which pianists draw our understanding of dynamic contour, pacing, and phrasing. By understanding how one might coach a vocalist, one can create an organic musicality and polished phrasing on the piano. Join Dr. Leann Osterkamp He as she demonstrates how her experience coaching professional singers in both opera and lied transformed her understanding of phrasing on the piano. She will break down the basics of vocal coaching into pragmatic learning steps and fun techniques for you to use in your own learning!
Post your progress with videos and written commentary on how things are going for you!
- Course Period: October 28th - November 9th
- Class Size: ALL are welcome!
- Optional check-In via Zoom: TBD
Assignment #1
https://youtu.be/GvYcVNFby4A?si=Svu_TDAPzv98ZOl_
1. Pick 8-12 bars of a solo piano piece of your choice that has a clear melody.
2. Put in your own lyrics in your most comfortable language! No need for fine poetry, just aim for something that you think fits the character of the piece/moment. Be careful when thinking over whether every note needs its own word or if you might like to draw out a word over multiple notes (by extending a vowel). The goal is to make it sound like natural speech.
3. Now go in and mark breath marks, making choices based off of organic pause in the language, punctuation of word, physical necessity, etc.
4. Now that you have intentional breathing, identify the dynamic contour of each smaller unit between each breath, thinking of the natural inflection of speech, the range of the pitches, word punctuation, etc.
5. Share a screenshot of your score, a recording of you playing your final result, or a video of you discussing interesting elements you discovered in your work.
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Hi everyone! I am looking forward to working with you! :)
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Good evening from Strasbourg Dr Osterkamp, thank you for the video. This is an interesting exercise which I had never attempted before. If I understand right, you are asking for a recording of us playing and actually singing the lyrics along at the end - in which case I will opt for submitting the annotated score and a discussion video. Sedef
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Sedef CANKOCAK you do NOT need to sing. You can just show an annotated score and then perform the solo piano, highlighting the phrasing in your playing that you derived from your new vocal part. Hope that clarifies a bit more! An annotated score and discussion is equally wonderful -
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Wonderful exercise. I tried to apply it to a new Poulenc piece I've just begun working on. Not sure how well it will work beyond the first 8 measures I worked on here but I'll be looking forward to applying this in other repertoire as well.
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Blair Boone-Migura wonderful work! You have a truly wonderful sense of poetry and you are also talented with a great voice! :)
I think you demonstrated a great point for everyone. Playing the piano part well while singing is very challenging. I would say that this is a great exercise for everyone, even if you are not a singer. Having to shift your attention to something on both a physical and mental level will "shake" up your practicing. Often, we can get stuck focusing on the same thing the same way every time. When we make a mistake, sometimes fixing it is just a matter of focusing on something different. Maybe you only focus on the right hand but focusing on the left hand for a measure will put everything in place or fix a voicing issue, for example.
Not only is singing a melodic line while playing a good exercise but singing lots of different lines is a great exercise. Sing the bass line, sing a random hidden counter melody! Not only will you improve by focusing on something new but you will also be forced to really detail work that line dynamically and with phrasing. If your bass line is vocal, where would you breathe? Where would the phrase arc?
As a final project for an Ear Training course at Juilliard, I remember they had us sing a chosen middle voice of a piece of repertoire while performing it. I think I had to sing a random inner voice while playing Chopin Ballade No. 4..... woof!
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Dr. Leann Osterkamp He Thank you so much for the thoughtful feedback and kind words. And what a great idea and challenge to try and sing a different vocal line from the main melody. I can't even imagine trying to do that while playing Chopin's Ballade No. 4 (my dream piece which for the time being remains only in my dreams). So, very impressive!
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