I became interested in the idea of Guitar & Voice Recitals in the 90s; this interest led to a tour with Chamber Music New Zealand using my Paul Fischer Classical Guitar. It was a very popular tour; I performed throughout New Zealand.
Other performances with the Paul Fischer Guitar included St. James Palace (London, UK), La Motte Wine Estate (Franschhoek, South Africa) and in a sheep shed in remote Western Australia. There are actually too many performances to recall; the combination is portable, cost effective (I don’t require a pianist) and beautiful.
The Paul Fischer is a large concert guitar; I was seated and found it difficult to breathe. Therefore, in 2015, I commissioned Dr. Suzanne Court to make a replica of a Romantic Parlour Guitar. A Parlour Guitar is smaller; I can now stand and move while I sing.
During the pandemic, I worked with the legendary Richard Loring (South Africa) to create a new programme, spanning a wider range of material including Opera, Jazz and Pop. This new programme, called ‘A Few of My Favourite Things’, debuted at Grande Provence Heritage Wine Estate (Franschhoek, South Africa) during the pandemic.
I performed ‘A Few of My Favourite Things’ in the Great Hall Concert Series 2021 in Ōtautahi Christchurch, New Zealand. In 2022, I introduced new material and renamed the new programme ‘Serenades’ for the Auckland Arts Festival 2022 (my three booked shows were cancelled due to the Auckland Lockdown during the Pandemic).
This video (above) is a summary of my performance in the Futuna Chapel, Wellington, on April 7th, 2024. For this performance, I included a piece by New Zealand composer Dorothy Buchanan and played tumutumu kōhatu (a Māori musical instrument). I also included a French song on my renaissance guitar.
I would like to thank Friends of Futuna Charitable Trust for inviting me. In addition, thank you to Anthony Donovan for recording me; it is a treat for a performer to have a good recording of a live performance. I am very grateful that I can share the highlights of my recital in this video!
I am excited to say that I will be able to announce my next guitar and voice recital on my website soon. I will be playing at an exciting festival and can’t wait to share my news.
I have never been happy with my recording of ‘River Will Carry Me’ (2022). So, yesterday, I edited the vocals and sound engineering and… Voilà!
River’ll Carry Me (Edit) on YouTube
The problem for me with the 2022 version was that the vocals weren’t expressing what I needed this song to say: ‘the River’ (life) will eventually bring the character in the song (the singer) to find a man that treats her right.
Thus, the first thing I changed was the audio engineering; this edit of the song uses an entirely different EQ of the voice. I wanted the vocals to sound a tad like the old recordings of Billie Holiday that I loved to listen to when I was ten years old (my Jazz phase). It was THAT sound (loads of high HZ that sound tinny to our modern ear) that I wanted to ‘hint’ at.
I then realised that the ‘blurry’ way Billie sang was also something that I wanted to hint at. I wanted that ‘life has treated me bad and I’m fed up with it’ sound. I deliberately sang with as little movement in the mouth as possible to recreate blurry words like Billie.
Ok, the words are not as audible but listeners love to make up their own words anyway. On Triple J radio (Australia), a DJ asked listeners to call in and sing their favourite songs; the majority had made up the lyrics without realising! Notably, many of the lyrics in songs the listeners had morphed were very clear.
From left to right: Sharolyn Kimmorley, Emma McClean, and Nikki Li Hartliep. Photos provided by the Aotearoa New Zealand Opera School.
Today’s blog is to say how much I enjoyed watching Nikki Li Hartliep teach at the Aotearoa New Zealand Opera School at the Prince Edward Auditorium, Whanganui Collegiate School, Whanganui, January 2024. Thank you to the school for allowing me to observe the school!
If you have never been to a masterclass before, I urge you to attend. Every year, the public masterclasses at the school are well attended. I think the annual event in Whanganui has created many opera lovers who have gained a greater insight into the development of the human voice from attending this classes. On top of that, the masterclass is really fun!
Nikki Li Hartliep is a Japanese-born American soprano who has performed with major opera companies and orchestras around the world and is a highly-acclaimed vocal teacher. She is a Voice Teacher at The Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio (TANZOS). Significantly, she is a Bel Canto singer. There was no doubting the technique and teaching style; Nikki Li was kind, generous, and ‘hands on’ as these photos show.
The student in these pictures is young soprano Emma McClean. I was so happy for Emma when Nikki Li adjusted her alignment by using the simple method of sitting on a chair. As these photos show, Emma appears relaxed and attractive when she sings. I could hear Emma’s voice bloom when the alignment was adjusted. (Nikki Li worked wonders with every stunning young singing student she taught but I have focussed on Nikki Li and Emma for this blog so as to keep the length of this blog manageable).
Seated at the piano is Sharolyn Kimmorley. Sharolyn is regarded as one of Australia’s finest vocal coaches and accompanists. The second photo below also includes the wonderful Donald Trott, founder of the Aotearoa New Zealand Opera School.
Thank you to the Aotearoa New Zealand Opera School for providing these photos. A picture paints a thousand words. Accordingly, I leave it to the pictures to speak for me.
Oh yes, one more thing, I have attached a copy of the Melba Method. If you have time, please take a look in the opening pages where the late Dame Nellie Melba discusses (with her wonderful sense of humour) alignment and appearance.
Sharolyn Kimmorley, Nikki Li Hartliep and Donald Trott
All singing is based upon the same foundations – the motor (breath), the source of sound (vocal cords), and the resonance. There is no ‘right or wrong way’. Rather, I need to teach the method that creates the sound the singer desires.
From 2024, I will be an Artist in Residence at The Piano in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand.
Several years ago, it was only but a dream to have my own music school.
From 2024, I will be leasing studio 11 where I will be teaching singing (contemporary to classical, all levels) as well as guitar for singers, songwriting, and theory until grade five.
My specialty is the old Italian style of singing and its importance to ALL singing.
Here is a snippet of a recording session with House musician, DJ Strange. The sound track is a snippet of Strange’s composition ‘Matariki’; one of the tracks that I recorded with him and that he is currently editing.
Using classical vocals as a basis for contemporary singing
Strange’s music is an unique blend of House, Taonga Pūoro and Waiata (Song). Here is his Facebook link: Strange
For this recording session, I was keen to provide vocals that were sympathetic to the unique tone colours of Taonga Pūoro. Accordingly, I used loads of high pianissimo singing. Pianissimo singing in the upper register with this level of control is unique to Bel Canto singing.
Overall, I use Bel Canto (singing techniques perfected by the Italians and in vogue from the 17th to 19th centuries) as a foundation for my vocals across the genres – from classical to contemporary. I then take this foundation and distort it with aspiration or belt. However, I ALWAYS return to Bel Canto to preserve the voice.
Strange took my vocals from the recording session and ‘distorted’ a few of them using electronic means. I loved this because it meant that I didn’t need to ‘rip’ my voice up in order to achieve the effect! I think ‘distorting’ vocals using electronic means should be done more, especially in a live setting.
The whole point of my blogs is that my passion is vocal technique. I love singing opera & crossover, as well as writing my own material (which uses high belt, aspiration, vocal fry and many other ‘high risk’ techniques). Moreover, I am passionate about sharing these techniques with my students. With the exception of a few students, I teach with the belief that classical singing techniques are vital if a professional contemporary singer wants to last the distance.
I loved this experience of working with Strange and can’t wait to work with Strange again and indeed more DJs in the future. There are so many possibilities yet to be explored in these seemingly contrasting musical genres!
Here is a soundtrack of a 14-year-old singer, pictured here (his guitar teacher is Michael Sumner). Here is the vocal advice that I gave him when I coached him and assisted with the band’s writing of this song.
The E.C.H.O
The human voice can only take so much; work out how to achieve an effect as efficiently as possible. An example of this is to use consonants; can consonants achieve the aggressive effect one wants without screaming? If so, use your lips, teeth & abs to deliver snappy consonants; practice consonants as much as vowels because it is all part of singing.
Rest the voice. An example of this is to take a day off a week from singing.
Hydrate.
Be involved in the writing process. As the lead singer, you are the one who will sing the song! What feels natural to you & most importantly, what is your sustainable range.
Learn what a ‘balanced onset’ is. Go to a classical singing teacher, not a contemporary teacher. The two styles have slightly different takes on what balance is. If you can, go to a Bel Canto teacher. Once you have learned to onset your sound with a ‘balanced’ onset then you will need to speak like this as well as sing like this. Don’t use a balanced onset all the time – plan out when to give a hard onset or aspirated onset for effect. But, when you give a hard onset or aspirated onset, be mindful that it costs you more! Singing is like a bank account – if you budget then you will have enough, if you don’t you will blow it.
Focus on your head voice when you are warming up. ‘Oooo’ attracts the head voice like moths are attracted to light. Sing ‘oooo’ enough and you will unlock tone colors and a range that you didn’t know existed in your voice; my singers vocalize with me throughout a range of about three to four octaves.
Don’t overdo it. When you begin singing lessons, begin with five minutes a day. Would you go to the gym and expect your body to instantly respond? No. Then why do you expect that of the muscles that are involved in singing?
If you play guitar. Look at your alignment. Your alignment needs to be as healthy as possible – not easy with a guitar.
Use the mic. Why do you go to band practice and scream your head off? Take it easy. Use the mic. Don’t compete with the rest of the band – you won’t win.
On May 13, 2023, in a concert with the Christchurch City Choir at the Transitional Cathedral, pianist Jeremy Woodside and I performed a solo piece for voice and piano, called ‘Kia Hora Te Marino’. A lot of people have been asking for information about the song. Hence today’s blog!
I wrote the piece for Dr. Jenny Wollerman to perform as part of her 21×21 project in the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts, 2022. The background to the song are that the words are a karakia, I wrote the tune and chords for classical guitar, and, composer Dr. Glenda Keam arranged my guitar arrangement into a piano arrangement. Here is a link to information about Dr. Wollerman’s 21×21 project and her performance of all of the 21 songs of the project, including mine.
The Māori language (Te Reo), is a beautiful language for classical singers because it has five vowel sounds. In particular, it is useful for developing the head voice because of the closed o sound and the u sound. Hence, I wrote this song, based on a scale, for this purpose. The song begins with half a scale, then an entire scale and then a scale and a half. I imagine a floating sound on the final note of the piece.
I would love that singers pick up the song and sing it at competitions and concerts. Here is the first page of the piece to give you an idea of how it goes. I would also love that teachers think of adapting the song for all types of singers, not just classical, which is why I wanted to write a song that can be played on a guitar easily and uses an accessible musical language. Hopefully, the song is a fun way to sing scales and develop the head voice. Remember what Lilli Lehmann said…scales, scales, scales!
Planning singing techniques saves a lot of studio time…
In past blogs, I have encouraged singers to use recording as a learning tool. The iPhone, for example, is extremely handy and easy to use. Both audio and video can be used daily. The phone, together with reflection, can save on a lot of singing lessons! Today’s blog looks at recording from another angle by reflecting on the benefit of thinking through singing techniques that save editing time and the role of improvisation in songwriting and recording.
My new EP, ‘Recycle’, consists of four songs written, performed, and recorded over the Southern Hemisphere Summer of 2023. Producing this EP develops my interest further in the interaction between vocal technique, the mic, and the Logic Pro software. An example of this was that I utilized vocal techniques which minimize editing at a later stage; techniques such as the Bel Canto inaudible breath. To elaborate, the inaudible breath means the audio engineer does not need to remove breaths – they are inaudible!
Another Bel Canto technique that is useful is using the suspension of the rib cage to enable the singer to take fewer breaths; Dame Nellie Melba’s singing book ‘Melba Method’ contains some useful exercises. To explain, where there are fewer breaths, there is less work for the editor. In saying this, some will listen and hear that I have left many audible breaths in; breaths can be left in for emotion. Sometimes, I like to hear breaths which is why I prefer these Bel Canto techniques, combined with deliberate emotive breaths, over and above too much editing.
The EP ‘Recycle’ focusses on using singing techniques over and above applying a filter or EQ. To put it simply, the human voice has its own EQ and endless array of weird sounds. There is no need to use hours and hours of Logic Pro effects if a singer knows how to sing.
The EP also developed my songwriting by allowing me to revisit old songs and revise them. Initially, I chose ten songs and then narrowed the EP down to four songs that worked together as a whole. The album is very dark, albeit with some light at the end; the EP holds together by the darkness it contains. (I will include some of my happier songs in my next EP which I plan to release in the latter half of 2023). It was important to download the songs on my phone and go for a walk in order to decide which order to put the songs in before uploading them to the mastering website (LANDR in my case). I went for a walk and continually played with the order while walking around and around the park. Once the songs are uploaded on LANDR, that is the order!
Technically, Audio Engineering is like playing an instrument – practice, practice, practice! I discovered some cool tricks like adding a bar of silence at the beginning of the recording. To that end, always try to include bars of silence before the recording. However, should you need to include a bar, it is easy; just use the loop tool and then insert the silence by using the insert bar silence tool. Moreover, the practice allowed me to become more and more efficient with things like the use of the buses, knowing which acoustic space I required, and stacking.
My priority for this EP was to express myself. Some may ask: isn’t that the point of songwriting? Well yes, and no. For many, the priority is to sell or to prove their skills, whereas, for me, my sole objective was that the EP expresses my innermost feelings rather than conform to any genre. Hence, the EP is in the ‘Alternative Genre’ and, at times, is very alternative! The Alternative Genre allowed my music-making to be controlled by the subconscious – I just pushed the record and ‘went with it’.
The EP opens with a song called ‘Sage in the Tree’ which I wrote two decades ago about the end of a relationship; I updated this song by adding an outro. The song was conjured up in the Aotearoa New Zealand bush; the ‘sage’ is a native pigeon called the kererū. Importantly, I improvised the outro and allowed myself to ‘say what I wanted to say at that moment’. In other words, I only recorded the outro once and did not know what I was about to improvise. My favorite line is about discarding things that have not worked in the past; easier said than done when it comes to deeply engrained behaviors.
The second song, ‘Snowslide’, is about a confusing, dysfunctional relationship that is like being tumbled down a mountain by an avalanche. I have used the word ‘snowslide’ rather than ‘avalanche’. I express anger by ending the song with layers of ‘hiss’; the type of hiss that someone would do if they truly despised a person. Naturally, today we don’t hiss very much, if at all. This is a pity as it is probably less harmful than some of the other behaviors that people engage in. This hissing sound was then further distorted by a plug-in within the Logic Pro software.
The third song is called ‘Numb’ and is about the hurt of losing a person mentally rather than physically. In particular, the song is about people that have been conditioned by others such as in Parental Alienation or people that suffer from a mental illness. I took a lot of time to include a lot of ‘almost silence’. This ‘almost silence’, which is the faint sound of taonga pūoro, is there to say ‘just sit in the pain’. I feel that our modern world is always trying to avoid or numb pain. However, surely it is ok, for some, to just dive into the hurt until it has been explored and exhausted. In that aspect, creativity is such a gift to us as it allows us to explore and exhaust emotional pain. For me, ‘Numb’ is one of the most sorrowful and yet hopeful songs I have ever written.
The fourth song, ‘Run’ is about a toxic relationship. I used a restrained approach to the instrumentation at the beginning to show this. However, the song gravitates to, and, ends in the major key with a celebratory explosion of synthesizers. It was virtually all improvised. The positivity at the end of the EP proves to me that, in the end, in my subconscious, the beginning of 2023, for me, is all about hope and faith.
Technically, one of the things I could have done things better was with the balance in the first song, especially in the beginning. I was hindered by the fact I use Artificial Intelligence to master my music. The AI didn’t allow me as much control as I would have liked over the individual songs. (I mastered the music as an album on LANDR. Hopefully, they improve that functionality). However, I could have helped things by balancing the voice better in the beginning, it would have been an easy fix by using the volume automation tool.
Another issue I ran into was that I should have relaxed up on the sibilants. In the future, I will lighten the sibilants so that they do not become an issue when adding compression. Another easy fix for the future.
Singing-wise, I was determined to stay true to my kiwi accent which has some Australian influences; words like ‘water’ and ‘beauty’ were more Aussie. To reiterate, this EP was about expressing myself through the vehicle of songwriting, singing/playing, and audio engineering. I wanted something that I could listen back to and remember certain events and emotions. I hope you enjoy the EP or, at the very least, you can listen to it with an idea of the thought processes I had at the time I created it!
Recycle is available on most streaming platforms including YouTube, Spotify and Apple.
This year I am undertaking postgraduate research at ARA in Ōtautahi. My subject is the ‘Tikanga of songwriting with Mātauranga Māori’. I am in my final two months of research.
Below is the first draft of the creative work for the research. I am about to embark on the second draft. However, I wanted to share this because I like its simplicity; the next draft will be more complex and dig deeper into the pain of colonization as I experience it. It may also include the sounds of some of the other beautiful Taonga Pūoro that Brian Flintoff has created for my research.
In this draft there are only three instruments – voice, kōauau and tumutumu kōhatu. The purpose of using the kōauau is to limit the voice to an interval of about a fourth. This allows for the exploration of microtones.
The title is simply ‘Rain’.
First draft of creative work exploring the decolonization of my creative practice. Post Grad research at ARA, Ōtautahi, Aotearoa.
Recently, my exploration into vocal technique has involved working with a Shure SM7B to record a variety of songs using a range of techniques from the Old Italian Style right through to belt voice.
I found the Shure SM7B to be poor for classical which is to be expected; truckloads of the colour in my voice went missing. However, I enjoy working with the microphone when singing contemporary. (Although, I am also not sure about the results when belting; colour seems to be lost when belting as well. In that aspect, the microphone works best for singing ‘smaller’.)
This week I wrote, recorded and uploaded three songs. There is some improvement from when I first started doing this at the start of the year. I don’t use a pop shield (in fact, I don’t even own a microphone stand and use a clarinet stand instead which is perched precariously on a tray). Therefore, I need to rely on the Old Italian School of Singing techniques to implode consonants. Ten months ago, there was a lot of popping but now, nada. So, I am happy to be now developing a partnership with the microphone in that I know what it can (or can’t) translate for me into the Logic Pro software and what I have to do as a singer to make that happen.
Another thing I am noticing is that I can use vocal techniques rather than the software when creating backing vocals. In the following examples, there is little manipulation from the software. Rather, the EQ is done naturally. I prefer this for myself because I feel this allows the colour of the voice to come through.
Accordingly, below are three different songs I wrote in the first week of my ‘holidays’. The first is ‘In Your Collection’. It is a bittersweet song and came out of ‘nowhere’; written, recorded and uploaded in one day. When I started writing the song in the morning, I wanted to take the listener on a journey that covered a lot of territories. I hope this was achieved.
The second is ‘River Will Carry Me’. This song was written, recorded and uploaded over one and a half days. This uses Taonga Pūoro in the background which are traditional Māori instruments. When I began to write the song, the goal was to confine the voice to as fewer notes as possible. Surprisingly, the genre ended up as some type of jazz (I think); I virtually never sing or listen to jazz so this was fun.
The song ‘Advice to a Songwriter in Love’ ended up a tad more ‘musical theatre’ than I had hoped for and my childhood love for country music really reared its head in the southern accent which mixed with the Southland accent from Aotearoa/New Zealand is very funny. However, I do like the construction of the song in terms of conveying emotion. In the end, music is about emotion. Regardless of how fancy we can become, for me as a singer who performs other people’s music, or my own, it is about the emotion and, hopefully, from time to time, a person listening and sharing that emotion with me.
In Your Collection – written, recorded and uploaded in one day as a practice exercise this week
River Wil Carry Me – also an exercise in how to do an efficient turn around of a song
Advice to Songwriters in Love – a bit more musical theatre sounding than I would have liked and a few cliches but never mind, a good exercise in constructing a song.
Deborah Wai Kapohe 