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HELP WITH SINGING
Age 12 upwards
james.powells@sky.com |
Singing is like
playing golf, snooker or any other skilled pastime. To do it well
you have to respect that it needs work and regular practise.
We will cover all aspects of singing including:
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The correct way of
singing
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Choosing keys and
understanding your vocal range
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Exercises oblique
practise
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Projection of
voice
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Singing in public
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Nerves
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Performance of
song
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Microphone
techniques
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The best songs for
your voice
I have sung in public
for many years. I don’t consider myself a particularly good or bad
singer (like most people I don’t like the sound of my own voice) but
I have nevertheless picked up a lot over the years which I can pass
on to people who want to sing.
I’ve seen the trademarks of good singers and others who were not
fantastic singers but great entertainers due to the all round
performance of the song.
One thing is for certain, as soon as we stand in front of an
audience we are all in the ENTERTAINMENT business. When we sit at
home we can sing all the songs we love but entertaining actually
means that we are playing FOR THEM primarily (especially if we are
getting paid). Telling an audience that “this is a song I wrote” is
no more than an ego trip and the truth is that you don’t actually
have to use these words. If someone likes the song that much they
will probably come and ask you who wrote it.
What I am saying is that the music world is flooded with people
writing their own songs and I think this is fantastic but when in
public it becomes a PERFORMANCE and your SINGING ABILITY is up for
criticism or praise. If you are not a good
singer then learn how to greatly improve your singing or
alternatively be happy as a writer of songs. You may well be more
appreciated.
I am a jack of all trades (master of none) with singing, guitar, mandolin, harmonica,
double bass etc but if someone really loves singing and is looking
to the future it may be best to look at just singing and being
really really good at it. However, you will need people around you
who are interested in the same style as you for accompaniment.
I have many CD backing tapes for practice and can have these CDs
altered to be in the key to suit your range for £2 per song. A
friend does this for me at £2 per song.
If you need any guidance on singing or harmony singing then I may be
able to help. My wife Carol and I have spent a good bit of time on
Harmony singing and I may be able to pass a few tips on.
I see so many people on programmes such as The X Factor who actually
have good voices but mess it up for one of a variety of reasons, the
most common is singing the song in the wrong key. In most cases
they don’t know anything at all about music or keys or their vocal
range etc etc. With a little guidance they could avoided the
humiliation and take it further rather than having their confidence
shattered due to no preparation whatsoever.
Click here to read Jimmy's singing blog
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