When I started taking some voice lessons, I was warned by folkie friends that this would completely ruin me for singing folk songs. They would make me sound like an opera singer. Oh, horrors!! But I knew what I wanted to learn. I went ahead and did it anyway. In fact, I took lessons from an retired Metropolitan Opera soprano. And, I might add, I told Mrs. Bianchi what my musical interests were and she said "fine!" She taught me correct diaphragmatic breathing, voice placement, had me singing lots of vocal exercises, she even had me singing a few art songs—for certain aspects of vocal technique. And then we started working on folk songs. I took lessons from her for a couple of years.

Then, I took some lessons from a male singier who had the same kind of voice I did—bass—just to get a different approach. Among other things, he had me bring my guitar to the lessons and we worked on songs that I was actually singing. Lots of times Mr. Street would stop me in mid-song and say "What does that line mean?" He would ask me to explain it to him in my own words. Now, he knew perfectly well what it meant. He just wanted to make sure that I knew what it meant, so I wouldn't just be singing the song by rote memory (which I hear a lot of folk singers doing). And he was a bear when it came to enunciation. "That song tells a story, and it's important that your audience hears the words clearly."

From Mrs. Bianchi, I learned solid vocal technique that has allowed me to sing a lot, while at the same time, keeping my voice healthy and strong. Still at it, and I'm 76 years old.

From Mr. Street, I learned how to put a song across to an audience.

And I do not sound like an opera singer.

I am "paper trained" on classical guitar. I can read for the guitar, and I can play some Tarrega, Sor, Carulli, Villa-Lobos, several transcribed lute pieces, a little Bach, and even a bit of flamenco. But this doesn't stop me from simple strumming, alternate-bass picking, jamming along with bluegrassers, or just generally messing around.

Interestingly enough, regarding one of the people, one of this area's more prominent folk singers, who predicted complete disaster if I took lessons, especially classical lessons. He told me he couldn't read music and had learned his guitar chords out of a book of chord diagrams. I later learned from his sister that when he was younger, he had taken classical violin lessons for nine years and he could read music very well.

I have heard classically trained musicians who are quite stiff. But they're also stiff when they play classical music. But I have also heard classically trained musician who can really let 'er rip!

It depends less on whether or not a person has had classical lesson and more on just what kind of person they are.

Don Firth