Role Models

     Everyone probably has someone they look up to in their life. They copy their sayings, gestures and descisions. Why? Because we want to be just like them. How is that any different with singers? You can develope your style of singing by listening to others and copying what they do. See what their strategies are and see if they also work for you. Depending on the type of singing (jazzy, pop, rock, rap, opera ect.) you are going to find ways of stylizing. Looking towards great and passionate singers is a great way to start off. Later this week I'll have a video representing how you can have tons of singing styles with only one voice. I apologize for not uploading it today but my iMovie and Youtube account do not seem to be working together. 

Are You Pushing Your Range Too Much?

     A lot of singers think that vocal range is the most important part of singing but it turns out it really isn't. Most songs don't require over two octaves. If you are straining your voice so you can have a wider range you can really hurt yourself. If you really need to have a wider range do a little bit at a time. It's like stretching; a little more then usual but not to the extreme. You have to slowly work up to your goal. Every voice is different so don't push your limits! But if you really want to see what you're capable of, then slow progress is key. To gain a wider range I recommend a couple sirens and some of find warmups I suggested earlier in my blog. 

Simple Tip To Prevent A Huge Accident!

It's important for singers to stand in a comfortable position and stay clear of locking your knees. If you are singing for a while and your knees are locked you can become dizzy/light-headed and you can faint. If you notice you are feeling dizzy sit down right away. 

Breathing Techniques!

Here is some techniques to be able to breath efficiently: 

1. Know your phases! 

It helps to understand how long you need to hold your breath so your singing doesn't sound choppy 

2. Take deep short breaths 

If you know you are going to be singing for a while and you only have a little bit of time, make sure you use it all up

3. Breath in your back!

This will give you more support then just breathing from your chest and will also help you reach harder notes

4. Practice!

You can practice breath control by using some warmups or blowing out continuously to see how long you can really last

5. Give full potential!

When you breath normally you use only about a third of the air in your lungs, you really have more air then you believe

With these steps also comes percautions:

If you are not used to going a while without oxygen then it's tipical you that you will become light headed. If you feel dizzy or light headed then just stop and rest a little while. If you don't, there's a possibility of fainting! 

Dynamics! Growing Louder and Softer

     Whenever I'm in choir my Instructor always tells us to grow through the long notes to sound more musical when we sing. In some notes you hit the note then back off and grow through again, this is always really fun to listen to and do when you sing. In these videos I will show you what dynamics are, and how to use them efficiently.

Pictures For Sharps/Flats

As you can probably see a few of the notes don't have half steps, instead they have whole steps and so there you can see a B-sharp doesn't go to a C-flat like it should, instead it goes directly to a C. This is the same with E and F. E-sharp is suppose to be a  F-flat but instead it's an F. 

Sharps/Flats

     Hey guys, today I'm talking about sharps and flats in a times signature. I'm fairly certain that I have already explained the notes in a scale (EFGABCDEF) and the time signatures so I hope you can gather what I'm talking about fairly easily. If you can't, however, just look at some of those things I have covered. :) Now flats make the note slightly lower, and sharps make a note slightly higher. This doesn't mean that a E becomes an F, it means it becomes a E flat or a E sharp (depending on the direction it goes) when you think about it, 

___________________________________

________*__(E)___._(D)_______________

___________________________________    

___________________________________

___________________________________

     If this is my measure if the E went down it would be half way down and D went halfway up, they would be the same note. So you could say that E(flat)-because the pitch went slightly down= D(sharp) because the pitch went slightly up. This would be the same for anything,

G(flat)=F(sharp) 

A(sharp)=B(flat)                                  THEY'RE THE SAME NOTE!

Just take any two notes next to each other, if the one on top goes down, and the one on the bottom goes up (top is flat, bottom is sharp) them they are exactly the same note. 

I'll put up some pictures to explain a little more :-) 

Vowels

Hey guys I know I already did a video on being "Wide and Rounded" but I really wanted to stress the vowels again because I think it's really important.                                         

Simple Warm-ups

     These warm-ups are essential to better control your voice range from head voice to chest voice. They can allow you to articulate when you sing and have better sounds sing different vowels. Once you are comfortable with the warm ups them I suggest trying to grow through the notes and try different dynamic strategies. Her are some youtube videos that can also help, 

http://m.youtube.com/watch?p=WL&v=AIqUX2QbLGw&feature=plpp

http://m.youtube.com/watch?p=WL&v=RqVzi36AlNA&feature=plpp

http://m.youtube.com/watch?p=WL&feature=plpp&v=IAIrdiYxLHI

Scooping Into Notes

Funny Choir Joke

Q.  Why couldn't the singer come through the door?

A.  He couldn't find the right key, and didn't know when to come in. :)

Types Of Notes- How They Are Used

     There are a variety of notes in music, such as quarter notes, half notes, whole notes and sixteenth notes. These notes help you determine how long you're going to sing. The quarter not get the quarter of the beat. So one fourth, 1/4. The half note gets half of the beat; 1/2. The 16th note gets a 16th of the beat; 1/16. And last but not least the whole notes gets the whole beat; 1/1. In a times signature (see other blog) the bottom half of it tells you the note that gets the beat and the top tells you how many. Think of it like this, you know that a quarter fraction looks like a one on the top half and a four on the bottom. Well if there's a three on top well that's three- one fourths. So in a measure, it shows you 4/4 time. That means the quarter note gets the beat and there's four beats per measure. 

Singing Tips- Sounding More Mature (Wide and Rounded)

     This is just one simple trick to make your vowels sound better when you sing. It can help you sound more mature and it comes out a lot cleaner. I strongly suggest using this.

Cover of Royals

     Hi guys! The song that I am singing is called Royals by Lorde. She is an amazing singer and I love what she does with her voice. This song has been stuck in my head all week so I couldn't help but make a cover. I really like the message of the song too. I hope you enjoy this!

Time Signatures (Beats and Beats Per Measure)

     In the beginning of a measure there is something called a time signature. The time signature allows you to keep a steady beat throughout the music. The number on the bottom of the time signature is what note gets the beat, and the number on the top of the time signature is how many beats per measure. For example, in four, four time it's the quarter note who gets the beat and there's four beats in each measure.

Taking Care Of Your Voice

     Your voice is an instrument, and with instruments, you have to take care of them. If you want to sing well, then taking care of your voice is necessary. To take care of your voice is really not too hard. Eat healthy, get a good amount of sleep, get good exercise. (the simple steps of taking care of yourself, really) Drinking lots of water is really good too. It's important to stay hydrated while you sing. Some people may suggest you to bring a water bottle to practices or for while you're singing for a long time. To sing, we use our vocal cords, and the way that our vocal cords work is that they are covered with mucus so they can function properly and not get damaged. Drinking water makes it certain that your vocal cords are staying healthy.

Notes And Scales

    This is a scale! You use it to find notes in your songs to sing, or play. The first set of five lines has something like a swirley looking shape by it, it's called a treble clef or a G clef- because the middle part circles the note G. The bottom set of five lines has something that looks like a backwards C, and two dots. That is called a base clef, or a F clef- circles the note F. If you sing either Soprano, or Alto you should focus more on the set with the treble clef. If you sing Tenor or Base, then focus more on the bottom set of lines. In a scale it starts with the lowest note called middle C. In the treble clef, as it goes up, it's organized in more of the alphabet. The spaces in the staff spells out F.A.C.E and the lines have E.G.B.D.F. Some people us an anagram to remember this such as Every Good Boy Does Fine. In the bass clef, it also organizes using the alphabet except the spaces read, A.C.E.G (Animals Cause Eerie Glares) and the lines read, G.B.D.F.A (Good Boys Don't Fail Algebra)

Highs And Lows Of Voices (Vocal Scoring)

        Different people have different ranges. Ranges are notes that your voice is capable of singing. If you can sing extremely high, then you would be called a Soprano. If you were to sing high, but not as high as a Soprano, then you would be called an Alto. For low, but not extremely low, you're called a Tenor and for extremely low you are called a Bass. Those are the biggest sections of vocal ranges. Some people divide the sections into even more percise parts. For example, Soprano 1 and Soprano 2. The Soprano 1 would sing higher then the Soprano 2. In songs, they often break off in different harmony parts. Based on your singing level (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) you would sing a different tune. All these tunes together, simultaneously create the song.

How To Sing- Book Inspiration

    Looking at the book I talked about in my last blog, Singing For Dummies, it inspired me to look for other great singing references. I usually find it helpful when the book contains a CD, because I believe it is easier to follow along if you can hear it. Although, if you feel like you don't need a CD then I also found another resource that is also great too. The one without a CD is called, Tipbook Vocals, The Singing Voice. I have only been able to look at the book briefly, but from what I've read it does a pretty good job. It can help you with different techiniques for better sound quality, but it also helps a lot with what is healthier for your voice.
   

Singing For Dummies- The Book

        Hello! In this post I would like to share a book with you, that might help you improve your singing skills. This book is called Singing For Dummies. By: Pamelia S. Phillips, DMA.  I picked up the book and started to flip through the pages and at first glance, I saw a lot of techniques that I could use. This book, as I have learned, is used mostly for reference or if your having trouble in a particular area and want to get better. It has been teaching me, and hopefully you, about the basics of singing. (Why people sing, parts of your voice, singing material ect.) then it started talking about posture: how to sit/stand while your singing. Now, all this is pretty basic stuff but in all truths, it is very clear and on topic, so if your having trouble it explains it in a very clear way. As you make your way towards the middle of the book it works more on better sound qualities. What's really great about this is that the book is included with a CD, and it tells you in the book where it uses it. So, for any questions or concerns this book is a great reference to look to when needed. I will definitely be using this book throughout my blog for further usage.

Music As A Tool,

   There are many singers and artists out there. Before You or I started to sing, we have had to hear music. There are so many different types of music and so many voices and each one has the ability to create beautiful music. Each voice is unique and different, some are very low and some are very high pitched. (To learn more about this look at my other blog: Highs And Lows Of Voices) People also use music in different ways, for some it's an escape. For me, I'd like to keep in mind why I am singing and sing through that, or how the song makes me feel. Music has a lot more sole when you give it obvious meaning with your voice. I use my voice as a way to express myself and encourage others to do the same.

Pentatonix

Pentatonix- Really Well Done Cover Band

       Pentatonix is one of my favorite cover bands. I love how they use just their voices to sing covers and a lot of times I like their songs better the originals. If you enjoy a lot of harmony you will love these guys. This is just one of the many songs that they sing, and there are actually concerts as well.http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aE2GCa-_nyU

Songs That I Sing Regularly

       Hi guys! I just wanted to share with you some songs that I can't seem to stop singing. The purpose for this is so that you can kind of hear what my voice sounds like and also for you to see my style of singing. Enjoy!

First blog- Singing 🎶