Semiquavers

[Monbees]

This is very off-topic, but I know bee keepers have a range of eclectic talents, so thought I would give it a try.

Does anyone have advice/tips on how to sing the semiquaver runs in 'Unto us a Son is Born' (Messiah), AT SPEED. I have no difficulty with the notes but rather lacking in technique with regard to speed!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

This is very off-topic, but I know bee keepers have a range of eclectic talents, so thought I would give it a try.

Does anyone have advice/tips on how to sing the semiquaver runs in 'Unto us a Son is Born' (Messiah), AT SPEED. I have no difficulty with the notes but rather lacking in technique with regard to speed!

Maybe take some before singing?
We're lucky in Wales as by and large most local dialects are spoken at speed, my uncle Dai could outsing a seasoned auctioneer!

 

[Repwoc]

This is very off-topic, but I know bee keepers have a range of eclectic talents, so thought I would give it a try.

Does anyone have advice/tips on how to sing the semiquaver runs in 'Unto us a Son is Born' (Messiah), AT SPEED. I have no difficulty with the notes but rather lacking in technique with regard to speed!

My wife and daughter both sing. My wife says:

"You start slow, get it accurate then speed up gradually"

 

[Antipodes]

This is very off-topic, but I know bee keepers have a range of eclectic talents, so thought I would give it a try.

Does anyone have advice/tips on how to sing the semiquaver runs in 'Unto us a Son is Born' (Messiah), AT SPEED. I have no difficulty with the notes but rather lacking in technique with regard to speed!

As above, but also try changing it to sing them firstly as dotted semiquavers to demisemiquavers and then reverse the rhythm to demisemiquavers to dotted semiquavers. Do that many times each way before singing it as written. A further method is to sing it backwards a few times.

 

[rook66]

My wife and daughter both sing. My wife says:

"You start slow, get it accurate then speed up gradually"

I think he is talking about the choir, not the bedroom?

 

[Jessgoesnorth]

Speed does come with practice, but there are some tricks too. Singing each note to da or na while practicing helps quite a bit (and if you're subtle about it you can even get away with "na" during performance if you're in a group).

You can also break out the individual patterns of movement and practice those on their own - e.g. in the runs in for unto us there are three basic four note patterns that keep coming again and again (see picture), so you could just practice the first one, then move onto the second, then the third.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I don't know the song or if I do it's been a long time.
I've always found when reading notation and learning a new/old song on the guitar and singing it's best to play it slowly untill I'm confident, then I through the notation to one side and listen to the notes on the instrument and sing accordingly.
Maybe no relivents to singing in a choir?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Maybe no relivents to singing in a choir?

Not really, remember the times when each morining was an hour of just singing scales and doing various weird voice exercises to tone up the larynx and (almost more important) the diaphragm, as one of my tutors told me, singing comes from the stomach not the chest. Best way to deal with semi quaver pieces was to do the scales in staccato, increasing the speed at each scale. developing the glottal stop as well as diaphragm control.
Them days are well behind me though.................

 

[Curly green finger's]

Not really, remember the times when each morining was an hour of just singing scales and doing various weird voice exercises to tone up the larynx and (almost more important) the diaphragm, as one of my tutors told me, singing comes from the stomach not the chest. Best way to deal with semi quaver pieces was to do the scales in staccato, increasing the speed at each scale. developing the glottal stop as well as diaphragm control.
Them days are well behind me though.................

Well I'm a guitarist not a singer and my days of learning to sing are way in the past.

 

[Antipodes]

This is very off-topic, but I know bee keepers have a range of eclectic talents, so thought I would give it a try.

Does anyone have advice/tips on how to sing the semiquaver runs in 'Unto us a Son is Born' (Messiah), AT SPEED. I have no difficulty with the notes but rather lacking in technique with regard to speed!

Monbees, the below link shows a discussion of the method I mentioned above which I hope helps explain it.
https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=65076.0

 

[The Poot]

I thought semi quavers were what you got after dropping a packet of crisps.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I thought semi quavers were what you got after dropping a packet of crisps.

It is for us tone deaf ignoramuses

 

[Curly green finger's]

It is for us tone deaf ignoramuses

I had to Google that who's the stupid one

 

[Murox]

It is for us tone deaf ignoramuses

didn't slow Beethoven down much though.