Let me tell you about my singing teacher–Laura–my mentor and substitute mama-figure. She was a mélange of contradictions, this fierce Grand Dame. She was brutally honest and honestly kind. Occasionally at the same time. I both adored and feared her, but above all, I listened and watched.
Laura is gone now, but all these years later I still hear her voice and sense her presence no matter what I am doing. The seeds she sowed in the precarious ground of my stubborn self are still here trying, trying to push into the sunlight.
One such proclamation is this: OPEN YOUR MOUTH! At our afternoon lesson she brings in the heavy artillery to demonstrate her point. We huddle together watching Nat King Cole sing a song on the portable T.V. she has rolled close to the piano. “Look at his m-o-u-t-h,” she implores. It’s not so much that Nat King Cole has a broad beautiful mouth… She wants me to see, really see, that he opens it. So wide that when the camera pans in close I swear I’m taking a Disney ride down his throat. In the world of dentistry this man must have been a dream patient.
There is a point to this discussion. A singer’s instrument is the body. From the feet that press into the ground and the legs, gut and chest, to the top of the head. Sound resonates in the bones and spaces in our face. Let those tones free! OPEN YOUR MOUTH.
When Nat King Cole sings I understand every syllable of every word. His voice rolls over me like sweet molasses. Laura and I practice opening our mouths in front of a mirror. She teaches me how to do “goldfish lips” so I learn to control my “embouchure.” It’s French, okay, so look it up. Or ask your favorite trumpet player.
You may have noticed that I have a lot of “lip” to work with so when I actually do it. That embouchure thing. Well it does look goldfishy… When my husband Craig snapped this picture at our recent show—The CC Strummers “Uke Things Up” at Fiesta La Ballona—I was singularly delighted. And doubly tickled because there’s Marilyn, our percussionist/uke player extraordinaire, doing the same thing with her lips. Marilyn is a fabulous singer and made a living as a vocalist performing with the Young Americans and touring with Johnny Mathis. So there.
The CC Strummers really nail “Folsom Prison Blues” at our show. Tom K, who has been playing the U-Bass only two months, makes his big debut. And joy of joy, a sound man turns up the volume on my ukulele FOR ME when I do my solo. That’s why I’m making google eyes at him. No I’m not flirting. It’s just plain gratitude. CLICK HERE to watch the video!
Laura reminded me that I can practice my singing technique every time I talk. And since I do a whole lot more talking than singing, why not relax those jaw muscles and open my mouth while I’m on the phone with AT&T sorting out last month’s bill.
PROGRAM NOTE FOR MY SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FRIENDS:
My OnGoing Ukulele Workshop for Beginners continues at Boulevard Music. A new session begins Saturday, October 18, 2014. Four consecutive Saturdays from 11:00 A.M. to 12:00 noon. $60. We learn new chords and strums, basic fingerpicking, fun embellishments and fine-tune our technique. If you can already play a little this class will be very helpful. (See the flyer below)
My Ukulele For Beginners Workshop arrives early next year, also at Boulevard Music. This five-week workshop is for folks who have never played the uke (or any instrument) before or have limited experience. We start at the beginning and learn to make music in a warm and supportive atmosphere. Saturday dates to come…
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