Speech Habit and Singing for Celebrities and Ordinary People

Filed Under (Music General, Musical Performance, Practice, Singing) by Kevin on 26-02-2007

Celebrities and ordinary people everyday have one thing in common in order to succeed and do well in life. This is the individual’s voice. This allows the person to express thoughts and emotions in order to get the message across to people in society.

A study estimates that there are more than 5 million people which is the population of a small country that have problems with their voices. This isn’t because the person talked or sang too much but because of other things such as infections and diseases that may have been caused by a virus or a traumatic experience.

The good news is that they are reversible if diagnosed early and proper treatment is given to the patient.

One way is to quit smoking. The fumes from the cigarette causes folds in the throat that can make the voice sound hoarse.

Dust can also cause problems for singers and ordinary workers. This is because these particles can cause colds and other sicknesses when they are inhaled through the nose. This can be prevented by having a humidifier at work or in the home.

People who love to chat can sometimes get carried away with the conversation. This can be done face to face or on the telephone that can also cause the voice to be hoarse. This can be prevented by knowing when to listen and not just talk.

Ever been to a disco and tried talking to someone with the speakers at full volume? This is difficult so you should probably talk in quieter place to avoid stressing the throat.

Singers and ordinary people should know how to breathe properly. The power of the voice should come from the abdomen and not the throat because this is considered to be a large muscle in the body.

Talking or singing exerts a great amount of energy from the person. You can exercise regularly to increase stamina and voice control which is needed for proper speaking.

Ever seen one of those commercials that encourage the use of mouthwash to prevent bad breath? Well, there is nothing wrong with that except if one of its ingredients is alcohol. This can be switched to a brand that uses a salt solution which is also good for the throat.

Saying the words slowly and clearly for the other person to understand is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to having a conversation. Taking care of one’s health should also be part of the daily habit to make sure everything is in order.

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To Compose Music, First Learn To Improvise

Filed Under (Music General, Music Theory, Musical Performance, Practice) by Kevin on 23-02-2007

One of the greatest motivators of learning to play an instrument for most people is the thought of being able to compose their own music, to take their talent to a new level, and use their music to express their inner feelings. The first step to take to learn how to compose your own music is to learn the art of improvising. The good news is that it isn’t as hard as you think.

The sad thing about learning improvisation, is that many people put a lot of emphasis on the fact that they must first learn to master chords, notes, read music, and be able to play other peoples music well, before they can get onto the more important task of creating their own masterpieces. The result of these thoughts usually ends with the person becoming so caught up in getting everything right that they feel afraid to improvise, and compose simply because they fear getting it wrong, or creating something that sounds terrible.

Why Improvisation Is Important

Improvisation is vital to a musician, because it is a lesson taught in creativity, and it develops an ear for hearing music on a whole new level, and copying it. For those who want to learn to compose, creativity is the most important aspect of being a composer, it is even more important than knowing keys, notes, chords, or even reading music itself.

Improvisation at its greatest can be found in jazz music. If you want to learn about improvisation, be sure to listen to some of the classic jazz. Jazz is the type of music that was mostly improvised, and added to. It was rarely played to a set out strict music sheet, but evolved as it was being played, and only got better each time the musician played it.

How To Improvise

Improvisation is nothing more than experimentation, and creativity. We all have those two things. Don’t be fooled into thinking that, in order to improvise, you must first know all of the chords, or notes used to play your instrument. Improvisation can be started off as early as when you have learned your first couple of notes, or chords.

The best way to use improvisation is to experiment with the chords or notes as you are learning them. If you are taking lessons, use some your practice time to try out different chord, or note combinations. Try anything you like, experiment. Improvisation is all about learning the art of non-conformity to the average style of music, and how to learn to use your creative talents to make an expression of yourself.

How To Deal With The Internal Critic

Everyone’s a critic, but we are our own worst critic. Most people are afraid to try new and different things simply because they are afraid to fail. The first time that you improvise, you will probably sound terrible, and maybe even the second time, too. This isn’t failing, this is learning. As you get better at playing your instrument, you will also get better at improvising. If you start off learning how to improvise early, you will only get better at it as you learn more chords, or notes. By starting to improvise early on, you will never be concerned about when the right time to start improvising is, simply because right now is the best time to start.

Don’t be afraid of what other people will think, either. If you are afraid of someone criticizing your first attempts at improvising, just play your instrument when nobody is around, until you are more confident, and ready to share your music with others.

Taking Improvisation Into A Musical Composition

Once you have mastered improvisation, it is only a small step to take it to the next level, which is creating music of your own. Once again, composing music is a lot like improvisation, and to master it you need to be creative, and understand that it may not sound perfect at first. But with a little creativity and some tweaking, you have the potential to make the music in your head come to life through your instrument.

Conclusion

Composing is nothing more than letting yourself be creative, and letting that creativity to make your music unique. You don’t have to be able to play as well as Mozart to start to improvise, and from there begin to compose music. Mozart started out just like you, improvising, learning, and then composing. So let your creative talents flow, and remember that you don’t have to get it right every time. But you do have to want to succeed.

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Sing Your Way to Success: Maximize Your Singing Lessons

Filed Under (Music Theory, Musical Performance, Practice, Singing) by Kevin on 20-02-2007

Your occasional singing bouts in the shower don’t necessarily count as a practice for your vocal chords. If you were an amateur vocalist, you would surely want to gain more experience and strengthen your capacity to sing great notes by using some good singing lessons.

However, some people don’t know how to make the most out of their singing lessons. In turn, they waste time and money even if the singing lessons were good enough for them.

Singing lessons are extremely important in a singer’s life. Come to think of it, most of the superior singers and vocalists today weren’t actually born with the talent. They weren’t born with the golden voice that can majestically sing higher notes without difficulty.

The secret weapon of a good singer usually counts on the way he or she had maximized his or her singing lessons. If you learn how to make the most out of your singing lessons, you could be the next diva in the making. To get you started, here are some of the bets ways to maximize your singing lessons:

1. Posture! Posture! Posture!

Good posture is imperative to make the singing lessons worth your time and effort. A distorted posture will reduce your inhalation and will even strain your “laryngeal muscles.” Good singing lesson won’t be good enough if you aren’t able to use it properly because you have a bad posture.

2. Learn how to breathe while singing

Most singers have the tendency not to breathe while they sing. What they don’t know is that breathing is extremely important in order to motivate your vocal chords to project the correct tone.

Breathing is one of the most important fundamentals in singing. It would be useless to start singing lessons if you haven’t learned how to breathe properly while singing.

3. Learn everything

The key to maximizing singing lessons is to learn everything. Most people think that they should only focus on what they want to achieve. It is important to learn every detail included in a singing lesson to learn everything you need to know, from the exercises down to the reasons why you have to learn these things.

In time, you will be able to develop a good singing voice. You may not be singing next to your favorite singer but at least you have developed your voice and have maximized what your singing lessons can do for you.

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Tips on How to Choose a Guitar

Filed Under (Guitar, Instruments, Music General) by Kevin on 17-02-2007

There are different types of guitars on the market for people who would like to learn how to play one. Guitars vary in their features and brands. Some have high tech designs while some are ordinary in appearance. The important thing a person must consider is the type of music he likes and wishes to play. Here are some tips on how a person can find the right guitar for him.

1. He must be sure of the type of music he wants to learn and play before buying a guitar so that it will be appropriate for the music that he likes.

2. If a person is interested in rock music, the guitar that will suit him best is the electric guitar. Electric guitars are generally very expensive depending on their brand. Wait to buy the expensive guitars like the Fender Stratocaster and the Gibson Les Paul until you are an experienced player.

3. You may want to choose an electric guitar that is made of solid wood because it brings a much better sound than those made of plywood. If budget is a problem, then consider those made of plywood as they are a lot cheaper.

4. You may try to find stores in newspapers or in the Internet, which offer great deals and discounts for guitars and other instruments. Be sure to compare the prices and determine the store that offers the best possible value.

5. If you still cannot afford even the lowest priced guitar, then look for good second hand guitars. This could be a possible option for you until you save enough to buy a brand new one.

6. If your interest is for classical acoustic music, look for the Spanish Classical Acoustic Guitar or the Steel String acoustic, which are specifically made for this kind of music.

7. When you finally choose the guitar that you think is best for you, don’t forget to test the instrument first especially if you prefer the electric guitar. You must plug the amplifier into the guitar to see if you like the sound.

There are many options for guitar players when choosing a guitar. One must remember that whatever type or brand he chooses, it is the fundamentals of learning to play the instrument that matters most.

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Miniature Musical Instruments

Filed Under (Instruments, Music General) by Kevin on 14-02-2007

There is something about little things that always gets me. I am a professional musician, so I especially go in for miniature musical instruments. Whether they are toy pianos or childrens guitars, or models that are quite a bit smaller, I have always thought that miniature musical instruments were simply delightful to look at and play with.

On my wall, I have childrens musical instruments of all kinds alongside the real, professional instruments that I use in my gigs. But that is not the real prize of my collection. The part that I really like the very best of all is all of the tiny replica miniature musical instruments. Few of them play, but they are simply adorable, if you ask me. There are so many miniature musical instruments that I just do not know where to start.

I have a 3” guitar that is an exact copy of a 67 Fender Strat, complete with the brilliant sunburst orange, real whammy bar, and everything. It even plugs into a miniature vintage amp, although neither of them play at all. In fact, there are only a few of my miniature musical instruments that do play. One of them is a three hole Hohner harmonica key chain, which actually sounds pretty darned good for such a little thing.

Another is a tiny miniature piano, which has real working keys. Most of my miniature musical instruments cost me pennies, but that miniature piano is the one exception. You would simply not believe what it actually cost me if I were to tell you. No one believes it when I tell them.

Of course, a lot of people do not get my obsession with miniature musical instruments. Fans of music do not get it, because they only like having things that they can play in their collections. And, of course, most people who collect little things like things a lot cuter than miniature musical instruments, so they do not understand my obsession either.

I guess that it all comes down to the fact that they really represent music to me, but in a form that I can hold in the palm of my hand. My miniature musical instruments are sort of like a little tiny symbol of what it is that I am really about, and so I treasure them as such. That is the real source of their importance to me. I guess miniature musical instruments are not for everyone.

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