Tag Archives: singing a song

Singing – How to Start Learning to Sing

An article about singing the I want to share as it has some good points. But I’ll put my thoughts in brackets where I think they fit. Okay? Let’s start.

“Singing is one of life’s real joys and can be the source of immense pleasure and satisfaction for singer and listener alike. With the popularity of shows such as X Factor around, more and more people are giving it a shot. However, it seems to me that the vast majority don’t consider for one minute that singing incorrectly can in fact cause long term damage to your voice.”(no, I’d say perfect practice makes perfect and bad practice makes bad.)    “So if you want to sing, where should you start?”

“Well, first of all, you must understand that the voice is a natural, acoustic instrument. There is a correct, natural and safe way to sing, but unfortunately many many ways you should not sing. If you are trying to teach yourself to sing, the likelihood is that you will experiment with a number of these incorrect and potentially harmful methods. You can in fact cause damage to your voice by singing incorrectly over long periods of time.”

(Singing is just sustained speaking so my video about singing and speaking better, use of the diaphragm, exercises to do for increased lung capacity and articulation that I used are explained in a video. Check it out now.           https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMA2TGrq2_E  )

“For many people, learning to sing can be incredibly frustrating. It is rare to find somebody who naturally knows how to sing correctly. It is therefore paramount that you obtain quality, proven teaching materials when you begin so that you set off in the right direction. Undoing bad habits later is difficult to do.”

(for a great course in paperback ‘Set Your Voice Free: How to get the Singing of Speaking voice You Want’   http://lnkd.in/rkfvjE )

“If you have a little more money at your disposal, finding a good singing teacher is invaluable. Unfortunately there are many people that say they teach singing but really aren’t qualified to do so. When choosing a teacher, find out as much about them as you can and try and get recommendations from other singers. Does your teacher have a proven history of singing performance? Do they teach not just by lecturing you and showing you diagrams, but by demonstration and a highly hands-on approach?”

“As a guide, when you start singing you should start by understanding the human anatomy in relation to the singing voice, learn correct breathing techniques and exercises using your diaphragm and the correct production of the vowel sounds. If you don’t understand and practice these elements fully and be totally relaxed and confident whilst doing so, it is not a good idea to try and progress any further. You will simply introduce tension into your muscles, start shallow breathing and push and squeeze your voice out. Falling into these traps is not healthy and will not make you a good singer.”

“Singing is all about a harmonious balance of a number of elements of your body; correct stance, relaxation, correct breathing,
tone production, tone placement and resonance. The best way to obtain this balance is to learn the elements step-by-step and in the correct manner. It might seem laborious. You probably want to jump straight in and start singing your favorite songs. But seriously, the methodical approach is the quickest and safest way to learn to sing. With good training materials and a good teacher, it can also be a very enjoyable and rewarding journey.”

This was by a voice couch named Dave.  Well, thanks Dave.

My advise just join a choir* and start. Sing around the house and yard,  in the car, bath, while doing chores, whatever, just be happy and start.

*(David Foster used to sing in boys Choirs and has since boyhood admired the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  And that lead to this performance by Andrea Bocelli.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAFj2-u2cGQ          )

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Who sings Karaoke?

Singing to pre-recorded music is Karaoke.

Who does that? Just the girl at the mall in the Philipines?  Watch her now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1T9XwoMz64

Most people on American Idol, X-Factor, America’s Got Talent, Britain’s Got and every other country that has such contests sing to canned music.         Here’s an example that’s been very popular.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk

Susan Boyle’s first time on Britain’s Got Talent which now has an amazing
124,292,663 video views.  this is a great example of Karaoke singing.

When you go to a Karaoke DJ at a party or an event and he throws the lyrics up on the screen and you’ve never heard the arrangement before or it’s in the wrong key for your voice, the performance isn’t nearly as good as Susan’s fine performance.  But anyone given the right chance could most likely do the same as she did..

Listen now to a lady, Esthelle Kok from Holland do an online Karaoke performance. She lived in California as a girl. No video just fine audio. http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/r/c67fad23e

She’s singing to her husband.

I bought a portable Karaoke machine with two microphones, CD player, 2 deck tape player and radio for $46 at a pawn shop.   Another time I bought a larger machine that also played 8 track karaoke tapes with a box of tapes for $50 at a thrift store. (It still plays fine with great sound. Why get rid of it if it works?)  You can purchase all kinds of great machines at this site:

http://www.gincomes.com/7762/     Jay’s place for Blog and Info Articles

Scroll down until you get to the “I recommend” box and click through the numbers, as only 4 items are listed per page until you come to the fancy with display screen machine: Karaoke USA Karaoke System with 7-inch TFT color Screen and Record Function(GF829), it’s $128.13.  Or look for a less expensive, plain sound machine, the Singing Machine SmL-385 Top Loading CDG Karaoke System for $52.97 and the shipping is free.

Click on the picture of the devise you want and you are taken to Amazon where you can purchase it and have it delivered to your door in just days. Then you can start having fun. Most machines work off of electrical hook ups and batteries so you can take them anywhere. They even make great PA systems. If you you want to explore other options, you can there by using the Amazon product search bar just above the item you are looking at.

Here’s a video I did on the Sing Snap recorder online.

If I Were A Rich Man

Karaoke, that’s different than doing your own song and music.

An Example is Angie Miller on American Idol                       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_NhisWuq9o

Or singing with a band or an orchestra or  not to pre-recorded music.     Wonder if I can find a video example about that?                                             Oh here is one from a movie.  Deanna Durbin sings with an orchestra.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inV3RlOTOXM 

 

I’ve sung with orchestras and bands and its a lot of fun.

Was that fun or what?

 

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Have Fun With Barbershop Singing

Some of the most singing fun I have ever had has been with barbershop quartet singing.  The organized group is the Barbershop Harmony Society, legally and historically named the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc.(SPEBSQSA).  Their practice sessions are really fun.  Ladies have their own group the  Sweet Adelines International (SAI).

(SPEBSQSA), is the first of several organizations to promote and preserve barbershop music as an art form. Founded by Owen C. Cash and Rupert I. Hall in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1938, the organization quickly grew, promoting barbershop harmony among men of all ages. As of 2012, just under 25,000 men in the United States and Canada are members of this organization whose focus is on a cappella music. The international headquarters was in Kenosha, Wisconsin for fifty years before moving to Nashville, Tennessee in 2007. http://barbershop.org/

The Ringmasters quartet out of Sweden. One member says he like’s all good music. Watch the following video  at the link above.

Ringmasters on NBC’s Today Show
Thursday, April 11, 2013
The Barbershop Harmony Society is celebrating its 75th Anniversary in high style. Its current champ Ringmasters appeared on NBC’s Today Show on Thursday morning, April 11, singing I Can’t Give You Anything But Love for Today hosts andEight Days A Week for Hoda and Kathy Lee.

Remember the quartet in Music Man?  See the Buffalo Bills  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbhnRuJBHLs

 (SAI) was founded in 1945. A second women’s barbershop harmony organization, Harmony, Inc., broke from SAI in 1959 over an issue of racial exclusion, with SAI (like SPEBSQSA) being a white-only organization at that time. Several international affiliate organizations, in countries around the world, add their own flavor to the signature sound of barbershop harmony.   http://www.sweetadelineintl.org/

Watch  some fine new ladies groups performances at: http://www.sweetadelineintl.org/index.cfm?id=4

Like Mitch Miller (remember his sing-a-long show?) said, “Let’s keep America singing.”

Let’s do!

Get a hold of your local group and start having fun.

 

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