Singing styles

Subject: Singing style
From: GUEST,Mindy
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 02:12 PM

Can anyone give me hints on how to sing Scottish folk songs with their authentic lilts. They're quite ornamental and I'm finding it hard to sing them. I'm not a singer anyway, just like to sing for the fun of it. Sorry if this is a silly question but most of you guys seem to know what you're doing. Thanks!

Subject: RE: Singing styles
From: wysiwyg
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 02:14 PM

Och, yiv fuled another un'!

Subject: RE: Singing styles
From: Amos
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 02:15 PM

Presumption is nine points of the law, m'dear...smile and you'll have something come along to smile about. Lilt and you will appear to be enittiled to do so. Harrummmph. :">))

Subject: RE: Singing styles
From: catspaw49
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 02:17 PM

Well here's one where we will truly miss dear Cuilionn. She was just unbelievable.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Singing styles
From: Willie-O
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 03:00 PM

If you sing yer a singer. Could you clarify what you mean by "lilt"--a singing technique kind of thing, or do you mean the use of the Braid Scots Tongue (often thought of as a dialect, but considered by many to be an actual language).

Onyhoo, dinna fash yerself o'ermuch aboot it lass.

Who have you been listening to?

Willie-O

Subject: RE: Singing styles
From: GUEST,Mindy
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 03:15 PM

I've been listening to different Scottish female singers singing Burn's. I don't know if the lilt is a technique but they can put several notes into one word (if you know what I mean - I'm not sure how to explain it). Also, how do they get from singing so low to so high in such a short time? However, they sound beautiful and I'd like to be able to sound like that.

Subject: RE: Singing styles
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 03:21 PM

Just sing 'em like you mean 'em, and they'll come out fine.

Sandy

Subject: RE: Singing styles
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 04:29 PM

"Getting from so low to so high" isn't particularly Scottish, as I'm sure you realize. That's a matter of vocal technique, and needs to be worked on, best with a teacher.
Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Singing styles
From: sophocleese
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 04:42 PM

Some ideas to get you started:

Listen to one example of the lilting you want to learn, take time to hear the different notes the singer is using, then try and sing those same notes yourself much, much slower. Keep practicing it slowly until you've got them right and then slowly speed yourself up.

Practice singing scales, major, minor, whatever mode the songs you like seem to be in. A lot of the ornaments will be within the scale. If you practice singing up and down scales and up and down thirds and fifths etc you will begin to know what your voice feels like going up and down and you can start speeding it up now and again.

Read the Threads on the Singing voice that Alice has so carefully put together, if you refresh the threads back three days you'll find that particular one. Lots of good information about singing there.

Don't wear your voice out trying to get it right in one go, smaller doses of daily practice get you a lot further without destroyiong your voice.

Have fun and experiment.

Subject: RE: Singing styles
From: GUEST,Mbo
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 04:55 PM

I get mine from O.D.ing on Andy M. Stewart, Dougie MacLean, Robin Laing and Battlefield Band. It sorta sank in fer me...then again I've been doing the accent for fun since I was 10.

--Mbo

Subject: RE: Singing styles
From: GUEST,Mindy
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 06:58 PM

Thanks for the help! I guess practice is what I need. I'll keep listening and copying just like you all said.