The Peak of the Week Singing Tips

Well, it's the peak of the week and so here are a couple of tips for the old singing lesson shizzle :)

A Hove singing teacher I know recommended an an exercise to warm up your lower range. This is a particularly useful warm up technique for both female and male and should enable you to be picking out and hitting those low notes in no time at all. Add this exercise into your usual warm-up routine if you are performing a song with particularly low notes as it will really help you nail it.

Here's a useful video from the www.vocademy.co.uk guys to show you exactly what I am on about.

The next piece of super, smashing, great (you won a Speedboat) singing advice is to Cool / Warm Down at the end of a performance. This is easily just as important as warming up beforehand. If you think Gym, you'll know that before any good session you will warm up and stretch out and then at the end you will warm down. This little nugget was provided from a Canterbury and Maidstone Singing Teacher called Morgan. The advice is a perfect to help you after you've strutted your stuff on stage and to get your voice back in a normal state.

And, that be it for now! Thanks for reading....

Two For The Price Of None... FREE Singing Lessons!

I don't want to confuse with the title here.... what I am trying to say is basically that I am going to provide 2 singing tips today... but, because they are normally free anyway, there will be 2 for the price of none... instead of the normal, 2 for 1 deals you see in Tesco... make sense? Got it? Good, then let's get cracking :)
 
Now, this first singing lesson is a little more technical than usual.  Kate, a Brighton & Hove singing teacher says a great exercise to help extend your vocal range is to sing an arpeggio and hold the top note for longer before going back down. With each repeat of this you should gradually get higher and higher. This will help the muscles in your throat to extend your range, both higher and lower!

In fact, on this occasion why don't I let Kate tell you herself and show you what she means:

Our second tip for today just so happens to be a good old common sense one... which on the back of a technical one has to be a bonus :)  

Keep your singing practice varied. Don't just sing songs or just sing exercises. Find a good balance between the two and keep practicing new material as well as old. This will help add new styles and techniques to your singing library as well as keeping you in good vocal shape.

As a litle bonus for being so good I came across this the other day and thought it would be interesting to get your thoughts: http://www.forbes.com/sites/michelecatalano/2013/02/06/nine-songs-to-sing-like-no-one-is-listening/  

What would your choices be?

I Believe In A Thing Called... ME!

Well, it's nearly weekend again so here's a verrrrry quick tip from a Worthing & Haywards Heath singing teacher that I know called Rosie.

Rosie's tip of the day is fantastic in it's simplicity... believe in yourself!

Rosie says (and I'm going to quote this verbatim because it is so wonderful), "With the right amount passion and commitment you can achieve nearly anything, and with singing that belief in yourself can make a massive difference in both technique and performance."

She then goes on to say, "The right mindset could be the difference from you hitting a note or not."

Brilliant! I have nothing else to add to this wonderful singing tip of the day! Have great weekends one and all and we shall see you again next week for more singing advice, shiz and fun stuff!

TTFN x

Singing With A Live Band... DO IT!

Singing with a live band is really important and completely different to singing to 'backing tracks'.  In fact, there is probably no better way to learn and experience musicality (via working with other musicians) and gain an insight into surrounding facets of singing, such as marketing, promotion, audition processes etc. than actually starting your own band! Starting a band is a fantastic way to meet like-minded people, make friends and both rehearse and hone your singing skills!

In fact, here's a little list of why starting (or, at least working in) a band could be brilliantly beneficial...

1) You will always be well rehearsed and at the top of your game - via singing in a live band you will be rehearsing new songs and constantly practicing old ones, which will maintain your voice to the highest level and keep it in mighty fine shape. Also, by singing with a band and working to different volume levels you will undoubtedly project your vocal with more power (in a naturally competitive manner), which will strengthen vocal chords.

2) Skills in the performing arena will be massively improved - The thing about singing in a band is that you will always be singing in front of people (even if those people are just the band themselves!). You will gain a lot more confidence, breakdown inhibitions, and hone your craft a lot better than you would just practicing to backing tracks in front of a mirror. There's nothing wrong with the mirror practices... it's always good to see how you look... but, nothing substitutes genuine, human interaction within performances. 

3) You will become a team player - It's all about the compromise! With all the band hopefully striving for the same thing (a great performance, world wide fame, etc...) there are going to be many personalities to handle. The way you do this will determine if you are a diva or a team player. The latter is always best :) Working on something you all enjoy collectively will be a hugely rewarding thing and the more you interact the more you will learn and produce.

4) As briefly touched upon, it will improve your confidence - Performing live... in front of people... SCARY! But, the more you do it, the better you will become at it. Your confidence will grow in leaps and bounds! You'll not only improve performance techniques (i.e. how to convey emotion in a song or get a crowd into a frenzy) but you will also become an all round better vocalist. There are some things that singing lessons just can't teach. They can provide all the technical tools for improvement, but nothing hones the craft like getting up and 'doing it' in a live environment.

5) We once covered the 3 Ps.... this is the 3 F's... FUN, FUN and FUN!! - There is nothing like the camaraderie of rehearsing and gigging in a band. It is a totally amazing way to spend time with friends and do something you totally enjoy and love. And, who knows, get good enough at it and you could even make a bit of cash doing it. Or, even a full-time living! 

Always remember why you started singing though and why you spent hour upon hour rehearsing... you enjoy the craft of it. Don't get bogged down with the wrong people or lose sight of the fun factor. Always ENJOY!

Right, that's it for today... I'm off for a rehearsal with my band!

TTFN :)

Put A Plug In It! Singing Tips...

Good Monday! Over the weekend I was talking to a Canterbury singing teacher called Morgan. When I asked her for a recommendation for singers out there, she said 'get yourself some earplugs!' And, here's why this is a fantastic piece of advice for budding and professional singers alike. Your ears are the only pair you'll ever get and hearing loss will not only affect your singing but your entire life!! Your ears are the only pair you'll ever get and hearing loss will not only affect your singing but your entire life!! YES, I meant to repeat that twice because it is SO important! So, be it for performing or watching a live band, get yourself a good set of earplugs to keep you safe.

With regards choice, there are ear plugs specifically for singers that allow you to change the reduction of unwanted noise. This helps to get the balance right in your head between the music your singing to and the level of you own voice.  A lot of professional singers get their ear plugs molded to the shape of their ears for the perfect fit. Why not have a look on Google and get investigating which ones are right for you!

A Short Tip Of The Day Today... So, WAKE UP!

Following on from yesterdays great advice about making sure you get enough rest and sleep before a big rehearsal or performance, Agne's, who offers singing tuition in Basingstoke, reminded us to reiterate that you need to ensure you are awake at least 2 hours before any performance.

Your voice needs this time to wake up and for you to be able to sing properly. Otherwise you may find it difficult to sing high notes and suffer from quite a croaky voice!

And, DO NOT forget.... you need time to warm up properly as well! So, no last minute wake ups before you sing. Organisation is key... be prepared.

A short singing tip for today as I'm running out of things to say... Only kidding :) there has been a lot to digest lately so I don't want to overface you with info. But, fear not... LOTS more to come v. soon :)

TTFN x

Sleep Little Baby... So You Can Rock At Full Force!

Well, happy Monday everyone! Back to the grind :) I had a great weekend and hope all of you did too.

While I was out hobnobbing with the rich and famous (Grandma is very wealthy, and I bumped into Pat Sharp at Sainsbury's) over the weekend I had a message from a Canterbury singing teacher called Morgan. Morgan wanted me to mention that one of the best things for being on tip top singing form is to have a good nights sleep before any performance or singing exams you may have. Whilst this sounds obvious, it is actually a very important point as you want to make sure that both your body and mind are well rested so you can perform to your very best.

Singing after little sleep hasn't given your body the time it needs to rejuvenate and you don't want to feel or even look tired in your performance as you won't have the energy to give it your all!

So, make sure you get a good nights sleep and give yourself at least 2 hours of time before an exam or performance once you've woken up and you'll be on top form and ready to rock!

I know it is sometimes difficult to actually get to sleep if you have a day of performance as the nerves can keep your mind quite active. So, here's a helpful page to get you feeling drowsy by just reading it... Sleep Tips