Karaoke Forums

Hi everyone- its strange Dr. Weird again with yet another wacky request for info. I have a $500.00 bet with a friend that someone can win (or at least make it as a finalist) in a karaoke competition and I have 1 year to try to prove the point. My friend even gave me 10 to 1 odds if I could find a venue where a classical or opera entry actully wins. Can anybody help me out and give me pointers on where I might be able to find any karaoke contest in which a classical entry has a legitimate chance of winning  (can be anywhere in the U.S., or Canada)? Any help here would be so much appreciated.

Or, if you think that this task is impossible, I would be glad to take that as an answer as well.

Good luck Kristi cuz I know of no such place  :shock:

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[shadow=tomato]If you want your significant other to pay attention to EVERY word you say::
  TALK IN YOUR SLEEP   [/shadow]  

I would search Toronto Ontario, cause there was this one club i was in that had alot of gothic type people singing classical karaoke....like carmin, if you know that one? Also ignore my lack of spelling skills.... But yeah, so i would check it out there, they have contests and i am sure there is a 50/50 chance on someone winning who sings classical.....classical karaoke is not all boring you know....some of it is really good when it has a jazzed up beat to it.  :drums:

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~I don't love you because i want you, I love you because of what i see in you.~

~Tis not about life, nor is it about death. Tis about what you do with the time you are given.~

Ardis

As the last resort, organized the karaoke competition yourself. There is enough bet money to cover the cost; $500 at 10:1 is a lot of mony.

And since you organized it you can even 'fix' the result.

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I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

Um... for $500 I'll start MY OWN online 'competition', for 'classical singers only' AND let you win. heheheh

Check out one of the music conservatories,  Eastman, Hartt, Julliard, Indiana, or any large school with a big music department.  Check their vocal dept

My guess is that students train, and are rated using audio backing,  certain contests are likely held without the impractical aspects of chamber orch,  orch,  pianists etc.

It's still Karaoke, right ?   Whether it's the conventional 'bar" venue shouldn't matter.

Do your search in large music school vocal dept.  Perhaps even just a large university music dept.

I think odds are, you'll find that the huge music schools have classical karaoke contests.  Voice students are probably graded this way now.

Are you saying that classical singing cannot win a karaoke competition? I find that hard to believe.  If someone is really good (take for instance JazzyBaggz when she did that song from "Carmen" recently) they would probably win.  It would have to be the type of place that doesn't mind if people sing country, showtunes, disco--in other words a variety of music.  Also, I know that MANY places give you the prize based on the applause you get.  So just bring in your friends and pack the place!

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~Suzanne Lanoue~

Yeah Suzanne,  she said "venue" and it's a big world.  There's someplace somewhere that has classical singers doing karaoke.  Finding the place or places might not be so easy however. Which is why I figured you need to look in a place that has a greater number of classical vocalists.  I'd think that would be a location with a university nearby, or music conservatory with a large vocal dept.

You could be right, but unfortunately the college singers don't tend to do karaoke, I don't think...at least not that I've seen, but I could be wrong

Rather than worrying about winning contests or making money, the best place if you want to sing classical songs is at a college where they have singing classes and lessons, and regular recitals.

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~Suzanne Lanoue~

That's what I was saying Suzanne.   The same voice student, that used to need a pianist, or orchestra as accompaniment for opera, classical, and show.  Is likely using Karaoke backing instead.  Used to be that a voice student needed at least a good classical pianist to sing certain styles.  Otherwise practicing was acapella.

I'm not sure now-adays,  yet with the availability of Karaoke backing in such venues.  Is it possible that the music school classical voice student is in essence singing at recitals with other students that actually would be considered "Karaoke concerts" to someone who has a bet on this ?  Of course in that type of setting, they'd never wish to label this as "Karaoke",  they wouldn't want to use such a term. HOWEVER,  for the sake of this bet,  She'd make money...

I don't think many music students use karaoke backing tracks, Steve.  They don't need them because the teacher plays the song during lessons and you also have piano students who lend their time to the students.  For practicing outside of the lesson, you don't need to be able to have the whole backing track, you just play the melody on the piano.  Every college music student can play at least that much piano (it's kind of required), and if you don't have a piano at home, you use the ones at school (they have free practice rooms).  When you practice classical music, you generally work on snippets of the song at a time, so the full backing wouldn't be practical, anyway.  Heck, even in high school, when I didn't have access to a piano, I would just use my flute to play the notes in order to learn the song.  Most of your practicing is done pretty much a capella, anyway, after you have learned the basic notes.  Besides, most of the songs you learn for classical music are simply not available on karaoke.  And if you really wanted the whole song, you could just have your voice teacher record it for you for free (which I have also done).  Mind you, I did most of my college 81-88 (off and on), however, I did take lessons and stuff at the college a few years ago and it didn't seem like much had changed.

Also, a lot of the professors and students in music programs are snobby about singing (or playing) pop music, so I'm not even sure how many of them bother with pop/rock/country music, let alone karaoke.   So I don't even know how many of them are going to karaoke bars just for fun (probably a few, but there is definitely a snobby attitude).  Partly that's because pop music is relatively easy compared to most classical music.   It's got simpler rhythms, notes, accompaniment--pretty much everything.  So I guess in part that's why they look down on it.   I have also heard from some professional rock musicians/singers who look down on karaoke as well (I guess because it's "amateur").  Lots of snobs out there!

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~Suzanne Lanoue~

I had years of classical piano,   Needed the Hannon, and Bach for Jazz. Also studied Violin, Viola, String Bass, Flute (Have a Gmeindhardt open hole, and closed), as well as sax, and some trumpet. (Which wasn't welcome in a traditional orchestra of course in my day....I have no idea what's up with classical these days. I ditched classical as soom as I could. Too much work.   I didn't like reading .   Always had a very good ear, made reading less interesting to me.  You are correct, Start with classical, you are at an advantage for switching to just about any other style of interest.  It's disciplined.   I HATED playing two octave   Major, harmonic and melodic minor scales, drilling on fingerings in all keys.


Anyway,  I just assumed that backing for opera and classical these days might be karaoke because it's more convenient.  You don't rely on someone elses schedule, or have to rely on availability of more sophisticated orchestration... and the dynamics of the musicians is great of course

Yet you'd be more familiar with this than I.... I was just guessing.