One problem young singers often have is that they don’t make a strong decision and don’t have a clear intention when it comes to hitting a difficult note. They will practise it for some time with ever changing results, sometimes they will stop practising on a high, sometimes on a low, but they’re never a 100% sure that the outcome is going to be exactly what they have in mind. And this does not only happen while they’re not technically there yet. This can occur later as well, when they are more than able to do it. But the slightest doubt, the slightest hesitation can be fatal.
Have you ever noticed what happens if you try to kill a fly with a swat? I have, even more so since I moved to the country side! If you see the fly there on the wall, but just when you’re about to hit it you think: poor fly, I feel sorry for it; or if you think: it’s going to stain my white wall; or if you think: eek, that’s disgusting or if any thought other than “destruction!” comes into your mind, you will simply miss the fly. But if you have a very strong and clear intention of killing it no matter what, then no way on earth are you going to miss it. Exactly the same applies to difficult notes. Hesitate for one second because you don’t want to show off, or you don’t want to be too loud, or you don’t want to fail, or you don’t want to look like you’re struggling, or you don’t really believe you can do it, or you don’t know if they’re going to like it, or you’re not sure of the interval, or you don’t know if you have enough breath, or you feel a little bit self-conscious or you’re just slightly distracted, and the note will just not come out the way you want it to. But there again, if your only focus and will is to “let it rip!”, it will rip, I promise!
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