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),Continue reading “Guitar & Voice Recitals”
Tag Archives: Voice
Songwriting
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! 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 inContinue reading “Songwriting”
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 urgeContinue reading “Aotearoa New Zealand Opera School”
Dreams Do Come True
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 teach in a space devoted to the musical arts where I will be working alongside fabulous colleagues. TheContinue reading “Dreams Do Come True”
Vocals for DJ Strange
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. Strange’s music is an unique blend of House, Taonga Pūoro and Waiata (Song). Here is his FacebookContinue reading “Vocals for DJ Strange”
Advice for the Rock Voice
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 human voice can only take so much; work out how to achieve an effect as efficientlyContinue reading “Advice for the Rock Voice”
Writing with Taonga Pūoro: Decolonization of Creative Practice
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 toContinue reading “Writing with Taonga Pūoro: Decolonization of Creative Practice”
Developing a Partnership with a Microphone
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 myContinue reading “Developing a Partnership with a Microphone”
Cross-training, really?
I have recently discovered the term ‘cross-training’. This method justifies itself by saying it creates commercial opportunities for the singer. I agree with this. However, it also claims to be a healthy way, perhaps even healthier way, to train the voice. Well…I have worked as a fully professional singer for a few decades. I haveContinue reading “Cross-training, really?”
Buying a voice
Over the last six months, I have observed a number of young singers learning from two singing teachers at once. Often, without the singing teachers agreeing to this or, even worse, being told! This trend is understandable if the teachers complement each other and work together. For example, one teacher is a classical teacher andContinue reading “Buying a voice”
Deborah Wai Kapohe 