Excellent singer's resource-Martin and Shan Graebe

Subject: RE: Excellent singer's resource-Martin and Shan Graebe
From: paula t
Date: 09 Jul 09 - 03:00 PM

Fantastic site! Thank-you. Some excellent and clear explanations.Also written in a very reassuring way.

Subject: RE: Excellent singer's resource-Martin and Shan Graebe
From: stallion
Date: 09 Jul 09 - 09:59 AM

Yup Martin & Shan are wonderful people, dunno what they think of me, got a little inebriate at one sing although I did sit next to Shan at dinner a couple of days later and she was charming, they are superb vocalists as you might expect and their voices blend so well when they sing together thoroughly enjoyable and folk club organisers should book them for that alone without the scholarship of the Baring Gould collection which is another reason to book them.

Subject: RE: Excellent singer's resource-Martin and Shan Graebe
From: GUEST,Rosalie
Date: 08 Jul 09 - 10:12 PM

Martin & Shan just did a concert and a workshop on Baring-Gould for the Folk Music Society of New York. They were superlative.

Subject: RE: Excellent singer's resource-Martin and Shan Graebe
From: GUEST,Shan Graebe
Date: 08 Jul 09 - 04:55 PM

I am so glad that people are finding the handouts/advice sheets useful. My professional background inevitably informs my approach to singing and keeping the voice safe and well, but I have also learnt a lot from spending time with other great singers and voice specialists, particularly Frankie Armstrong, Chris Coe, Jayne Comins and Paul Wilson. This has often been at the Baring-Gould Song School, where 'students' get to spend time 1 to 1 with tutors like Frankie and Chris, working on voice and singing. It is always a great week. See http://www.wrenmusic.co.uk/ for more info.

Subject: RE: Excellent singer's resource-Martin and Shan Graebe
From: Diva
Date: 08 Jul 09 - 04:08 AM

This is brilliant...thank you very much for posting it and to Martin and Shan for making it available. I am still struggling with my throat strain, especially after being at Newcastleton at the weekend!!

Subject: RE: Excellent singer's resource
From: Alice
Date: 06 Jul 09 - 07:01 PM

This is the kind of advice I've tried to give on Mudcat over the years (threads on the singing voice) and I'm glad to see it.

Keeping your voice healthy and using it so you can sing well and enjoyably all life long is good advice for all singers, no matter what genre of music you sing.

Subject: RE: Excellent singer's resource
From: Tangledwood
Date: 06 Jul 09 - 06:20 PM

Thanks for posting the link, the information looks interesting and very useful.

Subject: RE: Excellent singer's resource
From: Don Firth
Date: 06 Jul 09 - 03:58 PM

Really excellent! Thanks, Gervaise, for posting that.

Back in the mists of antiquity, I took a couple of years' voice lessons from Edna Bianchi, an operatic soprano who sang at the Met in the thirties and forties (not one of the "biggies"—she sang mostly "comprimario" roles—roles like Violetta's maid Annina in "La Traviata"), did a lot of concerts and recitals, and sang on radio a lot. She then retired and started teaching voice in Seattle. Then a few years later, I had another couple of years' lessons from George Hotchkiss Street, a singer an choir director who had a voice like mine (bass), and he also helped me a lot. I don't sound like an opera singer (although I could if I wanted), but I credit what I learned from these two for teaching me how to keep my voice healthy and strong, even though I'm well into my geezerhood.

Reading over the vocal advice on the Graebe's website, I found it excellent! I've bookmarked it, then printed off a copy of it to keep handy. I'd advise others to do the same, read it carefully, heed it, and keep it handy for reference. Darn good info there!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Excellent singer's resource
From: Suegorgeous
Date: 06 Jul 09 - 02:18 PM

They are indeed warm lovely generous people. They also both teach on the Baring-Gould Song School every autumn, a fantastic week for singers of all levels - heartily recommended.

Subject: RE: Excellent singer's resource
From: The Sandman
Date: 06 Jul 09 - 01:51 PM

they provide useful advice at their sites.

Subject: RE: Excellent singer's resource
From: SylviaN
Date: 06 Jul 09 - 01:31 PM

Gervase, you are quite right when you use the word generous when referring to Martin and Shan, they certainly are that, and Shimrod, I agree with you wholeheartedly when you say they excellent singers. Keith and I are very envious of their repertoire, but they have worked very hard in putting it together, hours and hours of research. Their arrangements are superb.

They need to be booked all over the place. Anyone who is in a position to arrange a tour for them in the States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc, should do so. It's something you certainly won't be sorry about.

Sylvia

Subject: RE: Excellent singer's resource
From: GUEST,mayomick
Date: 06 Jul 09 - 01:05 PM

"Imagine a spotlight just in front of your feet & feel that the song is placed there. The focus of the audience is not on you, but on the song just in front of you."

good advice for nervous musicians too.

Subject: RE: Excellent singer's resource
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 06 Jul 09 - 06:18 AM

I've met both Martin and Shan on a number of occasions. Not only are they very nice people but are both excellent singers with an unusual and interesting repertoire of beautiful songs. Martin is also a very fine songwriter and an expert on the collecting activities of Baring Gould. I believe that his work on that remarkable, but controversial, Victorian is truly ground-breaking. I also think that Shan is an important singer with a unique style and deserves to be regarded as one of the great interpreters of English Traditional Song.

Subject: RE: Excellent singer's resource
From: andrewq
Date: 06 Jul 09 - 05:45 AM

Shan also does workshops on healthy voice production at various folk festivals (such as Traditions in Lancashire & Whitby). Well worth attending.

Subject: Excellent singer's resource
From: Gervase
Date: 06 Jul 09 - 05:18 AM

While looking at Martin and Shan Graebe's website I stumbled across a hidden treasure and an act of huge generosity.
Shan is a speech and language therapist, and has put together some really excellent notes on the mechanics of singing here. They cover everything from breathing to range and power and from keeping your voice healthy to how to memorise songs.
I don't know either Martin or Shan personally, but I'd like to thank them for making the resources freely available and recommend them to anyone who sings.