Singing in the Car

Dear Gary,

I'm trying to do the "45 minutes 3 times a week thing" to improve my voice.
Any time I drive alone I sing along with my cd's and will certainly keep up that practice adding a practice or two at home. I don't have a piano so I was wondering are there any cd's available for practicing scales etc? If so where might I find one and is there any particular one you would recommend?

Holly

Hi Holly!

You ask great questions!

Singing in a car works to a point, but it's not my favorite. Personally, when I am concentrating on really singing, I am not a good driver. Since I'd rather keep myself and the other drivers safe, I don't usually count on or do car-singing as real singing except as a light warm-up.

There are thousands of CD's of scales and singing exercises out there, and I've not researched all of them. A singer's warm-up and training needs change almost week-to-week. The few times I've used an singing exercise CD, even a good one, I don't sing as well as I do when I'm singing at my own pace.

Listening and singing to song tracks recorded by good singers is a good tool, especially if the singer had mastered something you are trying to master, too. So, dig through your favorite CD's, put one in the player and sing along. It counts as a workout. Just... drive safely.

Yours, Gary

Posture for Singers

This is a mirror post of

BHS
Directly involved Issue 4/11/2011
"Building Our instrument" article by
Steve Tramack - Chair, BHS Chorus Director Development Committee

--------------------------------


Here’s a quick checklist for building a better instrument, from the ground up.

Want to prove to your singers and yourself that a) alignment and tension release are important, and b) this is a skill set that everyone can improve in your chorus? Ask your section leaders, or your best chapter quartet, if they can assist with this demonstration at your next rehearsal. Let them know that you’d like to have them sing something for the chorus, and then would like to work with them to help improve their performance, but keep the specifics vague (as to not predispose them to the approach). With your chorus sitting on the risers or in chairs, have the quartet / section leaders come up front and sing a song of their choosing. Ask your chorus to keep that performance in mind as the baseline, and ask the quartet if you can assist them in building an even better instrument. Would they be interested in producing more sound, more consistently, with less effort?

Start at the feet. Ask the quartet to ensure their feet are shoulder-width apart (not the outside of the arms – the shoulders). Ask them to “find their skeleton” – that centered spot where their skeleton is supporting the majority of their weight. If they shift their weight forward and back, left and right, they’ll find a spot where they’re “centered”, with their skeletal structure supporting their weight more so than muscles. Have them sing 16 measures (intro, verse or first 2 A sections of the chorus of the song), and ask your chorus members to vote on whether there was any improvement by simply “finding their skeleton”. To vote, thumbs up = better, thumbs sideways = the same, and thumbs down = worse.

Pelvic girdle. Have them slightly tilt their hips / pelvic girdle forward, just so the knees unlock and the hip joint is now aligned, as you look at the singer from the side, with the middle of the foot. By playing with the degree of tilt, they’ll find that the air falls more easily and lower into the body when the pelvic girdle is properly aligned. Have them (and your singers) play with this – if they go too far, the air seems to get “stuck” high in the chest. If they don’t go far enough, the knees lock and the air also gets stuck. Have the quartet find the ideal tilt (where the air falls low into the body), and have them sing the same 16 bars. Have the chorus vote.

Lengthen and broaden the back. Next, how much length can the singers create between the hips and the base of the skull (the A/O joint)? The back should feel like it lengthens and broadens, but the arms and shoulders must release down and hang naturally. You’ll notice a higher rib cage naturally occurs as the back lengthens and broadens. Maintain the skeletal support – the shoulders should be aligned with the hips and the feet. Have them sing the 16 measures again, and ask the chorus to vote.

Back of the neck. Next, ask the quartet singers to lengthen the back of the neck, while finding that centered spot (not too far forward / back / left / right) for the head; feeling like it’s floating on the top of the spine. It should feel like the head could easily release directly up, were it not attached, and can move freely. The chin is going to be level with the floor, or maybe even 2 degrees below the horizon. Have them sing the 16 measures again, and ask the chorus to vote.

Release any undue tension. The Four Musketeers of Vocal Tension are the neck, shoulders, jaw and tongue. Any tension here will have a direct impact on vocal freedom. Have the singers release tension through moving each of those areas (various exercises are available in warm-up materials from the Society), and sing those same 16 measures again.

Deconstruct and reconstruct. You’ve now built a better, aligned, optimal instrument together with the quartet. As the quartet if they were aware of things that they changed as part of the process. As a final step, ask for them relax, and then, in one motion, rebuild that instrument. That’s what a singer should look like and, for them, feel like. Have them start the 16 measures again, in the “relaxed” position, and then, at the ninth measure, have them rebuild the instrument. You’ll be amazed at the difference!

Now that the chorus has heard and seen the different, go through the full process with the full chorus.

This is most effective if you, as a director, can model this optimal, aligned instrument, and find opportunities to reset this alignment at key points throughout your rehearsal and your music. You should practice this in front of a mirror, so that you can quickly build / demonstrate the aligned instrument quickly and consistently for your singers. The more habitual this becomes for your singers, the better the singing will be, with less effort…which will increase their level of enjoyment. A win-win!

Cathedral Classics

Bogorodyiste Dyevo", number 6 from S. Rachmananov's "All-Night Vigil" as sung by Portland Symphonic Choir, March 6, 2011),

Power Quartetting

This in my inbox:

Have you ever thought that it would be a lot of fun to learn and sing
such challenging songs as "South Rampart Street Parade" (Westminster),

"You Don't, You Won't" (Crossroads)



or even "Eine Kleine NOT Musik"(Gas House Gang)?


If this kind of challenge inspires you, you could be
the caliber of singer that would enjoy the Power Quartetting weekend.
Check it out at http://www.powerqt.com/portland/

 From: "Harry Buerer" hbuerer@spiritone.com hfbuerer
Date: Wed Jan 26, 2011 4:29 pm ((PST))

Portland Power Quartetting weekend June 3-4, 2011

2120 NE Tillamook St. Portland OR

Making tracks

Gary,

I would very much like to make a demo CD within the next five weeks here in Portland. Is there any chance you would be willing to help me prepare for and record the CD? If so, roughly what would you charge, and if not, is there anyone you can recommend?

Yours, D.

D, What a fine idea for you. I'd be delighted to assist.

You will need the following jobs done to make a good demo:

Track recording job list

Phase one: preparation
~ producer (who hires and pays everyone - probably yourself.)
~ artist (again yourself .)
~ music director (with above, choose, find and pace the material)
~ back-up band and support musicians as needed.
~ recording venue contact (home? studio? remote?)

Phase two: Production
~ Recording venue scheduled
~ Recording engineer
~ Recording conductor
~ performers from above
~ Mix engineer

(from here down, things can be minimal with demo tracks)

Phase Three: post-production
~ Mastering engineer
~ package design artist
~ license & copyright agent

Phase Four: distribution
~ distribution manager, who oversees:
~ media construction
~ packaging construction
~ marketing and promo
~ sales and delivery
~ end accounting

Of the above jobs, which do you need me to help you with?

As you saw on my website, I generally charge $37 for 45 minutes of vocal coaching. I slide that down when more is purchased to as low as $97 for three hours. I generally charge the same for other work I do where I'm expert: vocals, keys, conducting, directing, coaching, producing.

I am not expert at distribution, nor recording or post engineer anymore. I taught sound engineering decades ago, and was expert at it then. Mike technique is the same, but media and post- tools are different. I have no recording venue I use a lot lately, but know of several locally, if you need one, as well as other musicians.

If you have material and a venue in mind, this project might take as little as three hours.

Estimated recording time formula:

For music appropriate to the skill set of the group at hand, plan on recording time of:

~unrehearsed amateur reading musicians: one hour per minute of track.
~concert ready amateur musicians: 15 mins per track plus 30 mins per session plus three minutes per minute of track
~ unrehearsed professional reading musicians: one hour contracts generally limit product to 15 minutes of finished track.

Yours, Gary,

(Mentor@voice-mentor.com) www.voice-mentor.com
Online voice lessons - music, speech, computer support.
My passion. Your art.

Absinthe Party

Portland Symphonic Choir held a series of six dinner parties to raise funds for the upcoming season.

I assisted musically with the final event, hosted by Cindy Sheel, called "the Importance of Being Absinthe", featuring Edmund Stone acting as noted raconteur Oscar Wilde.



For your amusement here are pictures from guest Brenda Ray Scott’s phone. including Cindy and Edmund (who soon married) with myself and singer Nan Haemer. The food was excellent, the drink interesting, the entertainment wonderful, and the guests buoyant.

We will definitely do this again!

Applause

O clap your hands, all ye people; sing unto God with the voice of triumph. (Psalm 47:1)

Despite this verse, applause is an oddity in churches. Many churches explicitly prohibit applause, since it is not a New Testament teaching, distracts from God-centered worship, and foments pride in worship leaders. Other churches encourage hand-clapping because it elevates the joy of worship, adheres to Psalms, and allows open congregational expression. There isn't an easy answer to this little issue, unless it's "follow the leader."

In secular entertainment, applause is a simple indicator of the opinion of the audience; the louder and longer the noise, the stronger the sign of approval. Some performers inspire applause simply entering a stage; others have paid folks to applaud long and loud, inflating their public persona. Sacred music, though, is not to entertain or sensationalize the congregation: singing is to be an act of worship that encourages worship in the congregation.

Choralnet.com, a choir resource group, did a survey about clapping showing that churches and denominations are divided and have become divided, by this issue. The ELCA.org article "Is applause appropriate in worship?" offers a fair answer:

"Liturgically, there are occasional moments when applause is an appropriate acclamation of the action just completed....

There are moments, particularly those filled with highly charged emotion, when spontaneous applause erupts from an assembly because there is just no other possible response....

After a particularly fine offering of music, worshipers may give thanks to God in silent prayer and personally thank the musician(s). Congregational leaders can plan congregational events that allow for such thanks to be given. "

Thus, at St. Timothy's Lutheran Church, we do applaud sometimes. If you are moved or asked to applaud, who would stop you? I'll confess to some pride that enjoys knowing that you were moved. Still, I give my thanks and appreciation to the individuals after worship. I thank God for musicians and the fellowship at St. Timothy's. When there is no applause after our musical offering, though, we musicians are content that we worshiped God, and that you did, too, in silence.

"But the LORD is in His holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him." (Habakkuk 2:20)

All the best to you.
Gary Shannon