Immoral, impossible, God only knows How tenors and basses, sopranos, altos At service on Sunday are rarely the same As those who on Thursday to choir practice came.
Unready, unable to sight-read the notes, Not counting, not blending, they tighten their throats. A descant so piercing is soaring above A melody only a mother could love.
They have a director, but one wonders why No one in the choir deigns to turn him an eye. It's clear by his flailing, he wants them to look But each singer slouches with nose in the book.
Despite the offenses, the music rings out. The folks in the pews are enraptured, no doubt. Their faces are blissful, their thoughts appear deep. But it is no wonder, for they are asleep.
Dear Voice-Mentor, I'm having trouble making my low notes more powerful and "open". Do u have any pointers? x00x
Dear xoox,
This I can answer! If your air is flowing gently and throat is relaxed, this exercise will extend the vocal range:
~ First, find SOME notes that sound exactly like you want, in your case, powerful and open. ~ Next, sing those notes, really getting the feel of them, until they sound just right to you. ~ Then, and only then, you start to slide that sound down
Adding notes to your range IS muscle training: you get gains by exercising those muscles, not thinking about it. It takes some time to build muscle and flexibility.
~ Take a breath, sing your good note, and slide it a little lower in pitch.. ~ KEEP THE SOUND GOOD - don't go so low that the sound and feeling worsen. ~ If the good sound worsens, back up and sing a higher note that you can do well. ~ Be careful on going down. Do it SLOWLY. KEEP THE SOUND GOOD.
If your good sound does not go as low as you want it to go, have patience, it will come with time. If your sound suddenly goes weak or choked, you've gone too low for now.
~ SING THE LOWEST PITCH YOU CAN WITH GOOD SOUND.
This stresses and trains the the muscles some, but it keeps your technique good. Five to ten minutes on this exercise at a time is plenty. When you get tired doing this, when even your good notes start to soudn worse, take a break, do something else.
~ After a while of singing your lowest good note, and slide it down a little and back up. ~ Very soon, the next lower note starts to sound good, too. ~ Congratulations, you are closer to your goal ~ that new note is your new "lowest note"!
Depending on how far along you are, this whole drill may take only seconds or it might be weeks before your next note appears. If you can't take the good sound lower, then don't. Go back and stick to the higher pitch for now.
~ Practice that new low note a lot. ~ Try sliding into and out of the next lower note from time to time. ~ When the next lower note comes in beautifully, now sing that. ~ Keep adding notes this way until you have all the notes you need.
It's easy to try to go too far too fast, but then you get nowhere. The real, real secret is to make the good sound color you want, THEN stretch farther, but not too far or too fast.
I'm glad you asked that question. I've been meaning to post the answer on this blog. Now, here it is!
"Romance, I know it sounds old-fashioned, But the fashion is a passion with me By chance of falling in love, I love the feeling passionately... I'll take romance if I can get it, give me just one night, you won't regret it.."
VO
"The Harmonics. Dot com. Corporate friendly. Family friendly. just. friendly.
"Sing wit' me now... Sha-la-la-la-la-la Don’t be scared You got the mood prepared, Go on and kiss the girl Sha-la-la-la-la-la Don’t stop now Don’t try to hide it how, You wanna kiss the girl,
go now kiss the girl ..."
VO
"The Harmonics. Dot Com. Four voices. Maybe microphones. Fits anywhere.
"and now, Now my heart is music, such a simple song sing it again, the notes never end. This is where I belong, belong Just the sound of your voice the light in your eyes,
we're so far away from yesterday...
VO
"from Portland Oregon. Hal, T.J. Gary and Tom. For rent.
"You know I never met a girl that makes me feel the way that you do.
Whoa, you're all right"
VO
(long pause) dot com.
----End script-----
Yours, Gary Shannon I teach online voice lessons! www.voice-mentor.com My passion: Your art. 4022 SE 100th Ave. Portland OR 97266 503-761-1837 ( 8-{D} Balding, bespectacled, mustachioed, happy, bearded guy, usually open mouthed.
My men's acapella quartet chose a name, after rejecting scores of good and bad suggestions. When we first sang for our families, we found it: not over-used, easily understood and even the web address is available:"
It is a great name for a group of artists, even according to dictionaries:
harmonics: ~~Agreeable relationship between the parts of design or composition giving unity of effect or an aesthetically pleasing integrated whole; ~~The science, theory or study of the physical properties and characteristics of musical sound. ~~ musical tones (or waves) whose frequencies are integral multiples of the frequency of a fundamental tone (or wave). ~~ A tone produced on a stringed instrument by lightly touching an open or stopped vibrating string at a given fraction of its length so that both segments vibrate. Also called overtone, partial, partial tone. ~~ Of or relating to Harmony: Pleasing to the ear, a state of peaceful agreement and cooperation, a pleasant combination of two or more notes sounded at the same time, the way parts combine well together or into a whole.
[from Latinharmonicus, from Greek harmonikos, harmoni, "harmony; articulation, agreement", from harmos, "joint", from Indo-European Root *ar- "To fit together." Whence Latin ars, "art, skill, craft": ART, ARTIST]
"Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen is one of those tunes you make your own by adding, changing or deleting lyrics. Compare Leonard Cohen, (author in a German TV performance)
Rufus Wainwright (from the movie "Shrek" in concert)
After the first two verses, each varies what comes next.
1 for Leo, Damien & Rufus Now I've heard there was a secret chord that David played, and it pleased the Lord, But you don't really care for music, do ya? It goes like this: the fourth, the fifth, The minor fall, the major lift The baffled king composing Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.
2 for Leo, Damien & Rufus Your faith was strong but you needed proof. You saw her bathing on the roof Her beauty and the moon light overthrew ya She tied you to a kitchen chair She broke your throne and she cut your hair And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.
3. Rufus Maybe I've been here before I know know this room, I've walked this floor I used to live alone before I knew ya. I've seen your flag on the marble arch Love is not a victory march It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.
3: Damien 4. Rufus There was time that you let me know What's really going on below But now you never show that to me, do ya? Remember when I moved in you The holy dark was moving too And every breath we drew was Hallelujah. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.
4. Damien 5. Rufus Maybe there's a god above But all I've ever learned form love Is how to shoot at someone who outdrew ya Well it's not a cry that you wear at night And it's not somebody who's seen the light It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.
3. Leo: You say I took the name in vain, I don't even know the name, But if I did, well really, what's it to ya? There's a blaze a light in every word, It doesn't matter which you heard, The holy or the broken Hallelujah. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.
4. Leo I did my best. It wasn't much. I couldn't feel so I tried to touch I've told the truth and I didn't come to fool ya And even though it all went wrong I'll stand before the lord of song With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.
(even the closing tag changes) Damien Hallelu-----------jah. Hallelujah.
But the chords and the melody, they stay very close to: C Am C Am F G C G C F G (tonic chord, the fourth, the fifth) Am F (the minor vi, relative major IV) ~fantastic lyric writing~ G E Am - F Am F C G C
Monday, October 6, 2008
Your results: You are Superman
Superman
85%
Spider-Man
65%
The Flash
65%
Robin
60%
Iron Man
60%
Green Lantern
55%
Supergirl
50%
Wonder Woman
45%
Batman
25%
Hulk
25%
Catwoman
15%
You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.
Wyzant.com has me connecting to new students and teaching locally. If you go thru their service for lessons, you will pay more and I will get paid less, but you will get the security of an established third-party site that takes credit cards.
Hi there, I've been wanting to take voice lessons for quite sometime now and never really followed through with it. I have been playing the guitar for many years casually... but now its come to the point where i wanna play and sing and create music and eventually do the solo act doing a talent type of thing like downtown or for friends.. I have the guitar-ism down if you will... now i just need that sing-ism. what kind of information can you give me as far as everything i need to know ... Thank you in advance.. -- J.
Hi, J!
"Got guitar-ism. Need sing-ism." With that kind of word play, you might be a great lyricist.
I specialize in training beginning vocalists. I can guide you to sing-ism, everything from how to sing in tune and how to be present in the back row of the hall, to crafting your career and stage act. Everything.
Now for the barriers:
~~ You need to commit to work and practice during regular lessons. You need to commit to AT LEAST an additional :30 minutes three times a week. Triple that gets better results.
~~ Your home is outside my travel area. If you travel to East Portland regularly, we might meet somewhere there. Another solution: about half my students (some are overseas) take their singing lessons online. Get a computer headset and a free Skype account, Yahoo Messenger, or the like and you can take your lessons on-line.
~~ Share the credit information Wyzant wants so we can connect in person.
~~ Schedule your first lesson. What weekday afternoon (Pacific Time [GMT-8]) can we connect for an hour soon?
