COMPILATION: pronunciation of for-tune.
Thanks for the opinions--My kids and I appreciate them!
The consensus seems to be that in pop tunes, sing it like
you speak it.
----
I'd use a moderately closed [a] for the first syllable.
The second vowel is not a vowel but a reverse diphthong.
[i] and then [u]. Like in the word "pew." With a
reverse diphthong, you clearly pronounce the first vowel
but very quickly and then sustain the second one.

In sum, "F[aaaaa] - ch[i] [uuuuuuuuu]n

Micki Gonzalez
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Hi!! If your question is "to diphthong or not to
diphthong?", then I would suggest no diphthong for a pop
piece, but I would have the ensemble use one in a more
"classical setting." Certain classical diction just does
not work with pop/vocal jazz genre.

Just my opinion.

Paul Magnusson
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Make it sound British--Faw-chun
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As a vocal jazz singer in the Gold Company vocal jazz
program at western michigan university - i would suggest
for-tchuhn... (basically a schwa - unaccented vowel
sound) Kind of like the sound in the French word ne
(nuh).

hope this helps... I'd stay away from the raised palate
ah sound.

-jeremy
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I would use an "aw" in 'for' and the oo sound as in the
word "book" for 'tune'

Vicki Wilson
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A good rule of thumb for pop music is to pronounce it the
way you would speak it in every day speech patterns.

John Elving
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I was taught to sing that type of word without the "ch"
sound because, at least in the American accent, we create
a diphthong out of the "u" (sort of an "iu") anyway,
which creates the slight "ch" that we associate with this
word. However, if we don't actually pronounce the "ch"
it sounds much cleaner. The same goes for phrases such
as, "I've got you under my skin" where you want to avoid
"gotchoo."
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For - tchun.... use "uh" as in the words But or The
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Strictly off the cuff and personal opinion, but I'd stick
with the schwa that's used in speech for the 2nd syllable
("chuhn"), and then see whether I like the effect when
they try it. "Choon" just doesn't feel right, and
in pop music you're almost always trying to duplicate
conversational speech, not oratorical speech.

John
***
--
Tony Bernard, Chorus Director
Pine Mountain Middle School
2720 Pine Mountain Cir, NW
Kennesaw, GA 30152
770-528-6529 x260
tdb(a)att.net