Taking Your Singing Agility to New Levels

Singing fast scales develops agility — the ability to change notes quickly and easily. Agility is important no matter what kind of music you plan to sing. If your voice can move easily and quickly, you’re much more likely to enjoy singing faster songs, because you can sing them well.

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Some voices are designed to sing fast. If your voice happens to love only slow songs, be disciplined and work through these agility patterns. Later, you may be glad you did. Agility is especially important for singing classical music and upbeat pop songs.

Moving along the scale

The patterns in the following illustrations begin by moving quickly among just a few notes. Take your time getting used to all the notes. The patterns get progressively harder and longer and include more notes as they go. In addition, the tempo starts slowly and gradually speeds up. This gives you a chance to settle into the pattern before it starts moving too quickly.

The following illustration moves along a pattern and repeats a few of the notes along the way. Notice that the first two notes are repeated as are the highest two notes in the pattern. This gives you flexibility; you don’t have to try to control every note in the pattern. Be sure to notice your breath connection: You want your breath to move the voice along, not bounce your jaw or your larynx.

Picking up the pace

By practicing scales or patterns that move quickly, you can develop better agility. The pattern in the next illustration helps you sing at a faster pace up and down a scale. This pattern is a full scale plus one extra note on the top. It’s often called a nine-tone scale, in technical terms. These tips can help you sing this track:

• Try to feel the pivot points or accents on the fifth note and the top note. You can see a line over the pivot notes. If you aim for these pivot notes, you can feel the pattern in two sections instead of one long, run-on pattern.
• Make sure that your jaw stays still as you sing the pattern and that your larynx doesn’t bob up and down. Use a mirror and check the movement of both. Keep your fingers on your larynx if you can’t see it in the mirror.
• If you have trouble getting all the notes, add a consonant — for example, add L or D to sing lah or dah. By inserting the consonant, you feel the movement of your tongue as you sing each note, helping you land more confidently on each note. Later you can take away the consonant and sing just the vowels.

  

Try to hear the familiar five-note sequence and think of those notes as your pivot notes. You can see a line over the pivot notes.

You really have to let go of control to sing this pattern. Watch yourself in the mirror and make sure that your jaw isn’t bouncing with each note. If you find yourself trying to change the rhythm, sing half of the pattern each time it plays so that you can really focus on the first few notes to release the tension in your throat or jaw.

 

Breathing Basics for Singing

Normal breathing involves a shallow inhalation and an even exhalation followed by a pause before it all starts again. But when you sing, breath control means taking your breathing off autopilot. You not only need to inhale quickly and exhale slowly as you sing the phrases of a song, but you also need to maintain proper posture.

Breathing in this manner provides you with the breath control that you need to sing efficiently. However, because controlled breathing doesn’t come naturally to you, you need to train your body to breathe for singing. Keep reading to walk through the breathing basics.

Discovering your singing breath

The easiest way to find out how you should breathe for singing is simply by feeling it. Being able to visualize and feel the proper way to breathe helps make the process more natural for you, too.

Inhalation refers to air moving into your body — breathing in. Exhalation is when you exhale or blow out the air. You exhale when you speak or sing.

Inhaling to sing

Singing songs requires getting a full breath quickly — a quick inhalation — because the orchestra can’t wait five minutes for you to find the air. So knowing how your body feels when you inhale helps you to get air in your body quickly to sing the next phrase. Use the following exercise to explore your own inhalation. Get a feel for how your body should move when you inhale and exhale.

1. Pretend that air is really heavy as you inhale. Visualize it weighing 50 pounds and let it fall low into your body.

2. Let it fall lower than your belly button. Explore this sensation.

3. Then let the breath fall in faster. Still visualize it being heavy but let it fall quickly into your body.

4. You can also fill your lungs as if you were going to blow up a balloon. You will feel your abdomen and lower back expand.

This sensation of quickly filling your lungs with air is how you properly inhale for singing.

Yawning happens all the time when working on breath control. The body gets confused with the different amount of air coming in, and you yawn. Voice students yawn plenty during lessons and are embarrassed at first. Don’t worry — it’s okay to yawn when you’re working on your breathing.

Exhaling to sing

Singing means that you have to control your exhalation. You want to have a sustained and smooth exhalation. This control helps you to sing those demanding high notes and long slow phrases.

To explore exhalation, blow a feather around the room. If you have a spotless house, you’ll have to use an imaginary feather.

1. Try to blow the feather really high up in the air and use a long stream of breath to get it to go up.

2. Try not to collapse your chest as you blow the feather.

3. While chasing the feather with your breath, notice what moves in your body as you exhale. You should feel that your abdomen has slowly returned to normal and that your chest has stayed in the same position the whole time.

4. At the end of the exhalation, you should feel the need to immediately inhale again.

Posturing yourself for breathing

Breathing efficiently when you sing is a combination of great posture and skillful inhaling and exhaling. Remember the importance of good posture; it allows you to get a deep, full breath. If you slouch or you’re too rigid, your diaphragm locks and prevents you from getting a correct breath for singing. If your breathing and your posture work together as a team, you can improve your singing.

To sing your best, you want to develop good posture while you breathe. When your body is aligned correctly, taking and using an efficient breath is easier.

Your own two hands can help you to maintain great posture while breathing. As you work through the breathing exercises, place one hand on your chest and the other hand on your abs. As you inhale, use your hand to feel whether your chest stays steady; you want it to stay in the same position for both the inhalation and the exhalation. (If your chest rises during inhalation, you create tension in your chest and neck.) With your other hand, feel it moving out with your abs as you inhale and back in toward your body as you exhale.

Positioning your body to feel breath

Different body positions also help you to feel your breath movement. Moving through different positions can help you feel the movement of breath.

Start flat on the floor and gradually work your way up to standing. It’s great to work your breath on the floor, but you can’t perform on the floor. You have to get up sometime and breathe correctly, so it may as well be right away. By starting out on the floor, you’re able to totally focus on breathing and the movements in your body. By gradually working your way up, you can continue exploring the same movement of breath while working your way up to standing. Some singers have trouble finding the right movement for breathing when they stand. When they begin on the floor, they often find a sense of release in their body and can really feel the movement.

Lying on the floor

1. Lie down on the floor or bed with a heavy book on your abdomen.

2. As you inhale, you should see the book rising up then lowering back down as you exhale. If you don’t see the book moving, notice what’s moving as you breathe. Feel the sensations in your body. When you inhale, your lungs expand and take in air. Your body, specifically your abdomen, moves out as you inhale.

3. As you exhale, the air is leaving your body, and you should see or feel the abs moving back in. This movement happens because of the air moving and not because you move your abs. You can bounce your abs without breathing, but that won’t improve your singing.

Getting down on your hands and knees

1. Get down on your hands and knees. Yes, you need comfy clothes to survive these exercises. In this dignified position, take some slow breaths and notice what you feel moving in your body.

2. During inhalation, your abs fall toward the floor.

3. During exhalation, your abs move back in with the outgoing air. If you feel just the opposite motion, try it again.

4. Your chest should stay steady and not collapse.

5. Notice how your back expands out with the inhalation.

When you’re successful and feel the correct movement of your body and breath, try the next exercise.

Squatting down

Squatting is just as exciting as getting down on your hands and knees, and it requires comfy clothes, too.

1. Squat down on the floor.

You can keep your heels on the floor or lift them up off the floor. You can also place your hands on the floor to steady your balance. Don’t fall over!

2. As you inhale, notice the movement across your back.

What you want to feel is your abs moving out and your lower back expanding as you inhale. If you’re not sure about this breath movement, change your position just a bit. You don’t have to be in a squat exactly.

Slumping over

Slumping is illegal among singers, but don’t tell anyone.

1. Stand up and slump over.

2. As you’re slumped over, feel the movement in your body as you breathe.

3. Release your neck so that your back can stay pliable for breathing.

4. Notice that when you take in the air, you can feel the lower abs moving out, because they’re all flabby from being slumped over. Those of you who are really thin, you may not feel your abs move much in the beginning. That’s okay. You can still acquire great breathing habits for singing.

5. Notice also that your lower back opens as you inhale. Try to let your ribs close slowly as you exhale instead of collapsing right away.

These charming, physical positions help you to feel the breath moving in your body. Try standing tall and notice what your body does when you take a breath.

It’s okay if you’re really confused right now or feel short of breath. Feeling short of breath when you begin working through these exercises is normal. Be really patient, and you’ll begin breathing efficiently. It takes a while to create a new habit in your body, and breathing for singing is definitely new. Your inhalation was perfect when you were a baby. If you watch an infant breathe, they know exactly what to do. As you age and your life becomes more complicated, stress affects your body. You start to carry unnecessary tension in various parts of your body, which can prevent you from breathing correctly. Your body gets stressed out. buy dave grohl dg 335 guitar

 

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Getting Free Sheet Music From The Web

Online searching for sheet music to play is common among musicians as they depend most of the time in sheet music. The continuous groove of new songs and hits are of part of everyday living. Hence the development in sheet music is likewise endless. There are some websites that offer free sheet music yet it ends up with nothing. They advertise that they are free but as soon as visit has been made to their sites certain fees are charged before the sheet music may be availed. It is also pretty normal that some of the sheet music may not be accurate nor passed the musicians taste. Hence it opens again on finding a new sheet music.

To enjoy a good sheet music without paying and have access on full version, printable, high quality including that no-cost sheet music of different genres in the Internet the user may try checking on Search Engine and Website partners. Both can provide great help in searching sheet music. Nowadays many consider forum as one great way to have access on free sheet music. Hence joining to one of the forum may actually be an open door to reach the sheet music.

Search engine (SE) are the research tools that allows the user to access on numerous sites of websites offering free sheet music. The examples of this engine are MSN, Google and Yahoo. In utilizing this search engine it is important to make a specific search. Giving generic term will bring to websites that requires payment. Hence if looking for sheet music of particular artist type the names of the artist followed by the sheet music or free sheet music. Following this procedure will get the user to exact information. Remember the rule of the game here is specific.

Patience while making the search is also required because numerous listing may pop on in the screen but later on positive results can be achieve. Then user may also check the website partners which are also related to the subject searching for. The method used on the search engine may also be adopted here. Make sure to check and open the links to get a quick access on the website partners.

 

Timeless Holiday Gift Ideas

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Throughout our lives, there are certain constants that always remain. Whether it is a simple black dress that goes with anything, or the suit blazer that can be worn with a T-shirt, a collared shirt or even formal wear. Or even how a pair of jeans always remains in style – there are always a few timeless items that never truly grow old. This article is to help you with some timeless holiday gift ideas that are sure to last more than a lifetime.

One timeless holiday gift idea is the gift of music. Young or old, if they have an interest in music, supplying them with a musical instrument can be a wonderful investment in their lives. Some of the more popular musical instruments are the piano and/or electric keyboard, guitar, violin, flute, recorder and drum set. Even though it will take time for the person to learn how to play the instrument, once learned it will be a gift that continues to give, possibly for several generations if passed down the ranks.

Another popular and timeless holiday gift idea would be that of handmade or heirloom jewelry. From the stunning pendants to the glittering necklaces, jewelry has always remained with us. Although there does exist what some would call fashion jewelry, there remains a simplistic and yet elegant charm to the designs of old. Jewelry also seems to become a tool for passing down family stories and heritage, and thus fits nicely into the timeless category.

For those who are believers, a wonderful and timeless holiday gift idea is that of the Good News, also known as the Holy Bible. For quite a long time, passing down the Holy Scriptures from Parent to Child has been an important tradition, and one never taken lightly. The old family Bible, although tattered and torn and perhaps even worn in a few places, it is a special part of the family and is more precious to them than gold, silver or even platinum. Bibles and other such books always make a smart and timeless gift to give.

This leads us to another timeless holiday gift idea in the form of a book: photo albums and scrapbooks. Whenever a natural disaster strikes and someone’s home has become destroyed, when asked what they miss the most out of their belongings, it is always the family photo album. Photos hold our memories with them, and help remind us of where we came from and what we have become. Thus small, handmade collections of special photos are always a welcome and timeless gift to receive.

Of course, one tradition that will always be a smart and timeless holiday gift tradition will be that of making and giving away baked goods made from the heart and family recipes passed down from as far as the family can remember. The number one requested item out of these baked goods are always chocolate-chip cookies. No matter what, the smell of cookies cooking is a welcome scent, and one that always brings a smile to our face. And who can forget making sugar cookies with our mothers and grandmothers for the special holiday occasion?

Finally, the most timeless holiday gift idea of all is that of giving money. When all else fails, money is seldom, if ever, turned away as a gift. No matter how fashion and technology changes, money or it’s equivalent will always remain as a good and thoughtful, and especially timeless, gift to give. In fact, money is the number one requested item no matter what the holiday season being celebrated is!

 

Try A Free Theory Lesson

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Free music theory lessons are yours when you choose to learn online. These days most of us have a busy schedule that keeps us tied to work and other activities. But what do you do when you want to learn how to play the piano or guitar and have no place to start? Online courses are the way many people are learning to play musical instruments and master theory concepts easily and quickly.

A free music theory course will help you focus on the music you want to learn to play. When you have a better understanding of the notes and chords you are playing, you will be able to advance quickly through your lesson plans. And you’ll find that you enjoy music much more when your are able to play those chords and notes the way they should be played.

No matter the musical style you are looking for, when you know how to play any number of piano chords, you will be ready to play a wide variety of sheet music and songs. Whether you are interested in playing classical music, pop music, gospel or church music, or rock tunes, a lesson in music theory will help you succeed.

Finding the right piano teacher is important, and learning online may be the answer if you are after a well-rounded piano education that includes theory work. If you choose to pursue online piano lessons, make sure your course work includes basic theory concepts that will help you grow as a musician and tackle any song or type of music you choose to play. A program that includes chord charts and scale work is ideal if you are after a better understanding of the structure of music.

As you continue studying once you’ve taken your free music theory course, you will realize how easy it is to learn piano and theory online. People of all ages and backgrounds have successfully learned how to play the piano after dedicating themselves to weekly theory and piano lessons online.

After only your first few piano lessons you will be more than ready to get started with weekly, or even daily, lessons. You can soon be playing for friends and family, amazing them with your new musical talents. You can learn a variety of music styles such as classical, jazz, gospel, or rock and roll easily once you’ve mastered the right theory concepts.

 

Deep Meditation Music for Troubled Individuals

Many forms of meditation are applicable to many situations. If you’re a music lover, then perhaps you might want to try meditation music. In fact, as a human being, you can be compared to musical instruments because you can hum, sing, whistle, and make other pleasing and expressive sounds. Every person’s musical experience is often described with words like harmony, flow, stimulate, healing, in trance, in tune, uplift, and many others. When you express yourself through musical sounds, something unusual is happening inside your system.

Numerous distractions bombard individuals as they go through their daily lives like noise pollution, social melodrama, stress of daily commute, tedium of work, and a lot more. Life today is considered fast-paced because of a lot of new technological advancements, and therefore, people suffer from continuing stress. You can’t focus on your work effectively because your mind is already overloaded, uninspired, and burnt out. This results to a creativity block that can bring hopelessness to a person. But here’s the good news, there is a way to combat and cope with this kind of situation and that is through deep meditation music.

Where can you find such music? If you have no idea, then it would be better to ask the help of someone with knowledge about music meditation. On the net, you can find several sites that provide pre-recorded programs on music meditation.

It was only after 1973 when music was used for meditation. All the programs make use of the binaural technology. Through this technology, the brainwave frequencies (right and left hemispheres) are synchronized.

Through the deep meditation music, the brain can create fresh neural pathways. By doing so, the maximum potential of your mind is tapped at a shorter time. Usual meditation practices take longer periods but with music, you can find increased intelligence, inner peace, and reduction of stress.

Different goals and needs can be met by the wide choices of programs available. The specific program should be used to address a certain need/goal since programs vary in their brainwaves; and this is necessary to get the preferred effects.

Meditation music can benefit a lot of individuals. In fact, some specialists recommend deep meditation music as a form of therapy to address certain problems like that of stress-related illnesses. Many people are actually using this very effective tool and they are amazed and pleased with the results. They are able to achieve personal growth as they continue listening to meditation music.

If you’re suffering from extreme stress, or if you’re always unfocused, burnt out, and uninspired, it wouldn’t hurt to try meditation music. This is already accepted in our society today and many doctors are now recommending such therapy. If your medications seem to have no effect at all, then it would be best to start with music therapy. This is a very good form of meditation. It relaxes your mind, as well as your soul.

Online or offline, there are a lot of resources that you can use to help you in finding the perfect meditation music suited for your situation. Get family and friends to help, or even your officemates. Better yet, consult your doctor or a specialist who knows a great deal about meditation music. You will soon realize that you’re slowly recovering from your problems.

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How Guitar Strings and Frets Work

Guitar strings create musical sound through vibration. Understanding how strings work with frets to create specific vibrations (and therefore specific tones) will help you to understand why your guitar sounds the way it does, instead of like a kazoo or an accordion. The important thing to remember is that a guitar makes the sound, but you make the music.

Every musical instrument has some part of it that moves in a regular, repeated motion to produce sound (a sustained tone, or pitch). On a guitar, this part is the vibrating string. A string that you bring to a certain tension and then set in motion (by a plucking action) produces a predictable sound — for example, the note A. If you tune a string of your guitar to different tensions, you get different tones. The greater the tension of a string, the higher the pitch.

You couldn’t do very much with a guitar, however, if the only way to change pitches was to frantically adjust the tension on the strings every time you pluck a string. So guitarists resort to another way to change a string’s pitch — by shortening its effective vibrating length. They do so by fretting — pushing the string against the fretboard so that it vibrates only between the fingered fret (metal wire) and the bridge.

The fact that smaller instruments such as mandolins and violins are higher in pitch than are cellos and basses (and guitars, for that matter) is no accident. Their pitch is higher because their strings are shorter. The string tension of all these instruments may be closely related, making them feel somewhat consistent in response to the hands and fingers, but the drastic difference in string lengths is what results in the wide differences of pitch among them. This principle holds true in animals, too. A Chihuahua has a higher-pitched bark than a St. Bernard because its strings — er, vocal cords — are much smaller.

Guitars make sound by amplifying string vibrations acoustically (by passing the sound waves through a hollow chamber) or electronically (by amplifying and outputting a current through a speaker). That’s the physical process anyway. Your right-hand’s motion not only helps produce the sound by setting the string in motion, but also determines the rhythm (the beat or pulse), tempo (the speed of the music), and feel (interpretation, style, spin, magic, mojo, je ne sais quoi, whatever) of those pitches.

Although guitarists produce sound by strumming or plucking the strings, how a guitar produces different sounds — and the ones that you want it to make — is up to you and how you control the pitches that those strings produce. Left-hand fretting is what changes these pitches.