April 1, 2009 
Picture Courtesy Of AmericanIdol.Com
I am not here, but my blog topic is. Ahh – the wonders of technology and the fabulous WordPress.Com blogging format!
As I am traveling and will be in and out of dentist chairs (ugh!) and wedding apparel stores ( my daughter is getting married in December) over the next few days, I am not unable to supply a full Vocal Masterclass article for the Top 9 performance show last evening.
However, I did add a mini-Masterclass article here yesterday, after the performance show was over. You can either add your comments there or continue commenting on this blog topic in anticipation of the Results show.
And as I will be missing David Cook’s performance on the show tonight, as well as Lady Gaga’s, you can bet I have my DVR set to record it. However, please add your comments and let me know what happened. I love my Cookie and wish him all the success in the world.
The Masterclass Doors are now open for business! Enjoy the show and, as Seinfeld said: “Look To The Cookie!”
Oh – and don’t forget to download the Top 13 performances on I-Tunes. And, while you are there, catch a couple of songs from one of my three CDs. (shameless self-promotion – couldn’t resist. haha)
Masterclass Lady On MySpace.Com
Vocalist.Org
MasterClassLady.Com 
Wow – just checked into my hotel. Megan had some sort of breakdown on live television tonight. She ran the full gamut of emotions – I think she just wanted out, but what a way to go.
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I wondered if she was a little “high”??? It was definitely strange behavior.
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I was thinking the same thing – very bizarre behavior.
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Very strange indeed. Maybe just trying unsucessfully to put on a brave face?
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Yeah. That bird thing she did…. I know she expected to go home after the brutal comments last night – but she almost seemed to be thumbing her nose at the entire process. I wondered if she’d had a few stiff drinks to prop herself up. No need to be like that. She’s top ten. That means money and opportunities. Back in the long ago when I was auditioning my ass off hoping to get noticed – I’d have loved a program like Idol to show off my ability. The 1970’s and 80’s were not female friendly when it came to auditioning in for male casting agents (if you catch my drift). I said no as often as I heard it said to me. Those kids are all damn lucky. They work hard – but they’re protected. No one’s gonna try and take advantage.
So Megan? Yeah – I’m not impressed.
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Yes, poor Megan. I am afraid “odd” is a bit of an understatement. I mean she actually walked across the stage to take a seat in the Bottom 3 while flapping like a bird and “cawing”. I think that maybe she was just ready to go home. She seems to really love her kid and must miss him thoroughly. Honestly, I believe that America got the Bottom 3 spot on this week. Good job, American, and may God bless and protect Megan in her post-Idol journey. I can say one thing about her. She certainly wasn’t boring . . .
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I have never seen a contestant leave quite like that. Part of her actions was motivated by VoteForTheWorse, but she was very strange, indeed.
So good to hear and see David Cook. Prayers that all will be well with his family. Class act.
Jason was there! YAY!
I believe Anoop came across as a sincere and sweet guy. I don’t know what he can do to please the judges. I was surprised about Allison because she is a talented young lady.
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This whole season has been very confusing for me (I only watched last year for the first time). Such conflicting feedback from the judges to many of the singers. While I accept that song choice played a part in Megan’s troubles – some of her song choices didn’t make her voice shine (though I DID like Rockin’ Robin and think it suited her quirkiness)- I think the judges were very hard on her. I have seen again, as last year, the judges try to force some of the singers into a specific genre. Anoop – stick with slower more ballady type songs as they don’t like his attempts at faster songs; Matt – do the more soul inspired songs and stay away from the pop rock… I realize that for many singers they shine with one particular style, but doesn’t true artistry show that a singer can conquer more than one? Perhaps this differentiates the good from the very good. Adam, according to the judges can sing the phone book – they havn’t yet verbalized this, but I feel it coming, because they seem to love everything he does. And, therefore, they havn’t made this an issue with him. Yet, I still don’t understand, because David A. last year was, IMHO, extrodinary in his artistry and yet I felt that they also tried to pigeon-hole him into the balladeer (sp?).
I know this is TV – and entertainment is the driving force, but…
Sorry for the ramble. I am just trying to make some sense of it all.
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I guess my point is Why can’t there at least be some consistancy in the judges comments?
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HMMM Maybe true artistry is taking different style/genres and “making it your own” – adapting it to suit the style that suits you best.
Sorry MCL, I’m spamming here.
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Those who say Adam is not radio friendly, listen to his studio version of Play That Funky Music. Wow
I felt bad for Megan last night. although she was not my favorite, it’s tough getting kicked off in front of millions. I too had heard she did the ‘bird walk’ motivated by the Vote for Worse site. But that was not a class act. She just lost points with me and I’m wondering if indeed, sh’ll get a recording deal. It looks like Simon was very perturbed.
I loved the interactions with the group. Looking forward to next week.
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I posted this in the earlier thread about the Idol Range website, but I don’t think anyone will see it, so I’m reposting here if that’s all right. MCL, you can take it out if you want.
Here’s my post:
Ok, I know this is an older discussion now, but I’m seriously perplexed here.
I was looking at the Idol Ranges site to see if it had been updated since the most recent performances, and I found something I found rather confusing.
1) Kristen McNamara : D#6/Eb6
Did this really happen? I don’t recall that. I do not remember anything that high coming out of ANYONE’S mouth this season. I do remember Kristen hitting some beautiful high notes – they just didn’t seem to be THAT high.
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Yeah, I think the bird walk made her look incredibly foolish. I even question the judges’ decision to bring her back with the Wild Card. Can I be completely honest? I’ll probably be completely shot down for saying this, but I would have preferred Tatiana being chosen over Megan. Why? Well, besides the fact that Tatiana had a better voice than Megan, it seemed to me that Tatiana REALLY wanted to win it all. Of course, she wouldn’t have, but Megan seemed like she just didn’t care whether she was voted off or not. It’s like she was just playing the whole time. Von Smith was also very talented, and I would’ve preferred him over Megan as well to be chosen for the Wild Card.
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In “Give Me One Reason,” she definitely had a whistle(-ish) note near the end of the performance. My current computer doesn’t have audio, but if you rewatch the performance, you’ll definitely notice it. 😉
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Yes, Von! Gah, I was SO disappointed that he wasn’t chosen. He was one of my pre-season favorites, and not having him in the top 13 is still ridiculous to me.
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I imagine she had to have realized she’d be in the bottom three, and very likely going home–so possibly she thought she’d show that she didn’t care? But that was over-the-top behavior; it’s possible she didn’t realize how it was going to come across, but…yeah, bizarre.
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“Well, besides the fact that Tatiana had a better voice than Megan, it seemed to me that Tatiana REALLY wanted to win it all.”
Galen, I do agree with you. Sometimes, she reminded me of Madonna.
After last night, I think AI should invite Alexis on the tour. Since there was a TOP 13 (Anoop was not the 13th), why not have eleven go on tour?
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Just got in the door of my hotel room. Brilliant idea!
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Thanks! I went back and listened, and you are right! I tried to match that note, and I couldn’t. The highest note that is “listenable” for me is A5. I can get a tad bit higher if my voice is in good shape, and right now it’s not.
I didn’t realize Kristen’s note was so high, because it sounded so good. Someone tell me again why she wasn’t brought back for the Wild Card?
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Here’s the link to an article with a brief interview with Megan post-Idol — http://tvwatch.people.com/2009/04/02/idols-megan-joy-doesnt-care-if-haters-didnt-get-me/
I second the motion for Idol to put Alexis on the tour. I think Alexis would appreciate the opportunity much more than it appears Megan will.
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Megan’s comments came across strangely. However, I took it as that she didn’t let the feedback affect her negatibely. It’s like how you can be treated negatively but still see it positively.
Her word choice could have been better, if that indeed was her meaning.
I can also see how she was excited to see her son again. Once you hit top 10, it doesn’t matter as much how you place.
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Megan’s comments came across strangely. However, I took it as that she didn’t let the feedback affect her negatively. It’s like how you can be treated negatively but still be positive. Her word choice could have been WAY better, if that indeed was her meaning.
I can also see why she was excited to see her son again. Once you hit Top 10, it doesn’t matter as much how you place.
It was a wierd night. Simon was honest about not considering saving Megan, but was it really necessary for Ryan to ask the question at that time and in that way? I don’t think so, but nobody asked me. He should have waited until after she sang.
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Yes, Kristen hit that note very well! The reason why I say whistle-ish was that her note was actually more connected than a pure “whistle” note. I would say it sounds halfway between head voice and the whistle register. Anyway, she controlled the note very precisely, and it actually sounded musical in the context of the song, which is no small feat!
I agree with you that she should have been brought back for the wildcard show. Michael Slezak (on ew.com) has been saying the same thing for the past couple of weeks because of the dubious skill level of some of the contestants who did make the top 13. As time goes on, I’m starting to realize that Kristen was probably one of the best girls of the top 36. Shame on the judges for not even considering her for the wildcard.
P.S. An A5 is a great note! I love singing A5s! Just keep on training, and I’m sure you’ll be able to sing higher. Do you know if you’re a soprano or a mezzo? (I’d add contralto too, but true contraltos are so rare, lol. But then again, it’s possible! =P)
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LOVE that idea!
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Kariann wrote: “After last night, I think AI should invite Alexis on the tour. Since there was a TOP 13 (Anoop was not the 13th), why not have eleven go on tour?”
Excellent idea! Alexis certainly is deserving of going on tour, and she has a MUCH better voice than Megan. I hope Idol will get smart and surprise the fans with Alexis getting to go on tour. That would be really great to see her open the show!
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I was very disappointed that another male was voted in instead of Alexis. I actually had her listed in the TOP 5 at one point. Having a fourth girl would equal the total for Season 4; although, those girls could REALLY sing!
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Well, of course those Season 4 girls could sing! Carrie Underwood was one of them! I feel sorry for the guys that year. LOL
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Unfortunately, I haven’t had any training in a very long time. Perhaps even saying I can make an A5 “listenable” is stretching it because my vocal muscles have lost much of their memory. I haven’t had many opportunities to continue on in the vocal world since high school, and it all just kind of fell by the wayside. I’m a special ed teacher, wife, and mother of a baby right now, so I don’t really have time to try to get any of it back. I miss it….but sometimes life just gets in the way, you know?
I am not as well-versed in the terminology as you and MCL are, but from what I know, I’d say I’m a mezzo. I was in a choir once where the director put me as a “first soprano,” and I just couldn’t hack it. I can’t sing music that uses a lot of notes that are E5 or higher over and over again throughout each line. My voice just gets too tired. I asked to be dropped back down to “second soprano.” At the point that I stopped vocal lessons, my teacher was trying to work with me on singing music with lines full of those notes. I ended up needing to stop the lessons at around that point due to time constraints, and I was having so much frustration with trying to sing in that manner that I admit that played a part in it too. 😦
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J and Kelsey, I really wouldn’t understand the note scale unless you said, “In such and such song, Celine Dion is singing E5 notes,” but it is interesting reading what you all are writing. :o)
There have been discussions elsewhere on the longest and highest notes, and Diana and Clay have been tops, although Kristen has been mentioned once. There isn’t anyone in Season 8 that can pull off those money notes. Well, maybe Adam can sing glory notes?
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Kariann,
You don’t see much above an E5 or an F5 in most pop music, I don’t think. I’m not sure on that, but I can comfortably sing along with female pop stars, so that’s what I’d say. I remember reading an article once where they were impressed that Christina Aguilera hit an E5 or so, and I was somewhat confused as to why they were impressed by that, because it’s not all that high.
Kristen definitely did hit that ridiculously high note – that’s something that you really only hear from the likes of Mariah, but I’ve never liked Mariah’s tone, so I’m more impressed by Kristen, honestly. Personal opinion, of course.
And yeah – Adam – he can hit really high notes. He has no problem with the A5 that I mentioned myself being able to hit. And he’s a guy!
As for longest notes, I have no idea who is tops there. But I would be willing to bet that Adam would be right up there if he were going head to head with them. His performance here is enough to convince me of that! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0r7FOW68wE
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kelsey, I think the issue of whether an E5 is “high” or not depends on the coordination with which the singer sings the note. I agree with you that an E5 sung classically is NOT high at all. At all. In choir, I used to complain when the soprano parts didn’t have any notes above an E5, lol. In FULL voice (that is, a chest-dominant coordination), though, E5 is much more difficult in comparison. Notes up there require vowel modification, a LOT of support, and fine tuning to be sustainable and released (as opposed to strained and yelling). Honestly, the difference in difficulty is ridiculous. I don’t think it’s something one can fully understand until one has experienced it.
For me, when singers can sing technically solid G5s in full voice, I am impressed. So, your comment that you don’t see much above an E5 or F5 in pop music is probably true; not that many singers can get that G5 right. The G5 is the highest I find useful for the most part (although you do see some well-done G#5s too).
I should add that good operatic sopranos with coloratura abilities should be able to hit the note that Kristen did. The high note in “The Phantom of the Opera” (the title track) is an E6, which is a half step higher. (The Magic Flute goes up to an F#6.)
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Oh boy, J. Your explanation definitely passed the level of my knowledge! I think I kind of understand, though – an F5 sung in dominant head voice on a pop record would sound funny. I guess I hadn’t really thought about the idea of singing those notes in chest-dominant tone. That’s beyond my ability, so I hadn’t given it much thought.
This is why I love this website though – it gives me things to think about that are beyond my knowledge and abilities. I may not always understand them, but I still find it interesting.
And yeah, I do realize that Phantom and other such works go into super high notes like that – in my post, I just meant that you really only hear those notes from Mariah in pop music!
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I had asked a question about Elvis Presley’s vocal classification and found this in Wikipedia. I always new Elvis was a wonderful singer!
Music critic Henry Pleasants writes: “Elvis Presley has been described variously as a baritone and a tenor. An extraordinary compass… and a very wide range of vocal color have something to do with this divergence of opinion. The voice covers two octaves and a third … Moreover, he has not been confined to one type of vocal production. In ballads and country songs he belts out full-voiced high G’s and A’s that an opera baritone might envy. He is a naturally assimilative stylist with a multiplicity of voices—in fact, Elvis’ is an extraordinary voice, or many voices.”
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