Hey all,
my higher singing pieces are
Someone like you - jekyll and hyde
hero - mariah carey
and for good from wicked
But, which should i take out, and what should i put in to help me get a wee contrast?
xx
Full Version: Contrasting Pieces
Seeing as no one else has replied, I thought I'd give it a go! I'm also doing Higher Music this year 
I think your pieces sound fine...none of them are very similar. We were told not to worry about a contrast anyway 
Hope your exam goes well...I have my prelim in January so I better start practising!
I think your pieces sound fine...none of them are very similar. We were told not to worry about a contrast anyway Hope your exam goes well...I have my prelim in January so I better start practising!
my prelim in January aswell---
what ar your pieces?
x
what ar your pieces?
x
"Contrasting" can mean a contrast in musical era (no contrast in your pieces there), style (very little contrast) and/or tempo (uptempo or ballad).
Although you picked two musical theatre songs and one popsong, I have to admit that in fact they ARE sort of samey, especially "Someone like you" and "Hero": They are both ballads and have a very similar build-up (soft start, belty bits towards the end etc.).
It is impossible to recommend any songs since I don't know your voice at all, but when I prepare my students for their Highers (I teach in Scotland
), I usually pick both uptempo numbers and ballads and make sure different musical eras are covered. I recently had a girl singing Arie Antiche, more classical Musical Theatre (Bernstein) and Pop. I have others who don't sing classical at all - for those ones, I make sure that the pieces are not samey, so maybe one fast number and one ballad, or a good comedy number to lighten up things.
If you really like Musical Theatre, there's nothing wrong with only singing songs from the shows, but make sure they are different in tempo and era. So maybe something 1. from the early days of Musical (I won't recommend Operetta or Savoy if you don't want to sing with a more classical technique) like Berlin or Gershwin, then 2. something like Bernstein or Sondheim (although they can sometimes be tricky) or if they feel too daunting, e.g. Kander/Ebb. And then 3. something like Webber, Schoenberg, Menken and the newer, more contemporary Musicals (your songs all fall into the latter, so there's no contrast there) ...
Having said that, the most important thing is to sing the songs well and feel at ease, and if you feel secure with them, it might be better not to make any short term changes ...
Although you picked two musical theatre songs and one popsong, I have to admit that in fact they ARE sort of samey, especially "Someone like you" and "Hero": They are both ballads and have a very similar build-up (soft start, belty bits towards the end etc.).
It is impossible to recommend any songs since I don't know your voice at all, but when I prepare my students for their Highers (I teach in Scotland
), I usually pick both uptempo numbers and ballads and make sure different musical eras are covered. I recently had a girl singing Arie Antiche, more classical Musical Theatre (Bernstein) and Pop. I have others who don't sing classical at all - for those ones, I make sure that the pieces are not samey, so maybe one fast number and one ballad, or a good comedy number to lighten up things. If you really like Musical Theatre, there's nothing wrong with only singing songs from the shows, but make sure they are different in tempo and era. So maybe something 1. from the early days of Musical (I won't recommend Operetta or Savoy if you don't want to sing with a more classical technique) like Berlin or Gershwin, then 2. something like Bernstein or Sondheim (although they can sometimes be tricky) or if they feel too daunting, e.g. Kander/Ebb. And then 3. something like Webber, Schoenberg, Menken and the newer, more contemporary Musicals (your songs all fall into the latter, so there's no contrast there) ...
Having said that, the most important thing is to sing the songs well and feel at ease, and if you feel secure with them, it might be better not to make any short term changes ...
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.