Kelly Clarkson was fantastic!

[magical thyme]

91. actually I find singing runs makes it harder to hit high notes.

I always found it easiest to feel like I was dropping down into them versus trying to reach up into them. That way you have full support underneath from the diaphram, versus trying to sustain and increase your support as your breath is running lower.

I remember my voice teacher, who sang with Tanglewood's inner group, talking about Seiji Ozawa making fun of Kathleen Battle, who kept making an arm motion that reached up and then dropped down when she sang the high notes during rehearsal. I suspect it was for a similar mental image of dropping down into the note.

I don't particularly like what passes as artistry of any of the modern pop divas. But I do think it is patently unfair to compare one singer's live, outdoor performance with another's taped, studio performance.