Vision Music Forum Index Vision Music
Community Forum
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

How to Sing

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Vision Music Forum Index -> Guitar: Blues, Jazz & Beyond
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
woland99



Joined: 31 Mar 2007
Posts: 155
Location: Austin, TX

PostPosted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 1:58 pm    Post subject: How to Sing Reply with quote

As a sort of corollary of the inspiring discussion on Meaning of the Blues
I thought I would post a short set of instructions on How to Sing.
Written by great Julio Cortazar and published in his in his "Fames and
Cronopios" book (required reading for all musicians).

Peace,

JT

========================================
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SINGING by Julio Cortázar

Begin by breaking every mirror in the house, let your arms fall,
regard the wall loosely, forget. Sing one note, listen from the inside.
If you hear (but this will happen much later) something like a landscape
immersed in fear, with bonfires in between the rocks, with semi-nude
silhouettes on tiptoes, I believe you will be well on your way, the same
if you hear a river where vessels painted in yellow and black descend,
if you hear the taste of bread, the feel of fingers, the shadow of a horse.

Afterwards buy solfeggios and a tailcoat, and please don't sing through
your nose and leave Schumann in peace.
========================================
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
nylenny



Joined: 31 Mar 2007
Posts: 291

PostPosted: Sun Dec 21, 2008 1:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I thought I might revive this old thread by metioning that I have found singing to be one of the best ways to develop my ear. I am not a singer, but I try to sing phrases that I transcribe, which I find makes them more "organic" and easy to remember. I also find it easier to transcribe something I can sing.

Thoughts?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
corky4strings



Joined: 21 May 2008
Posts: 109
Location: plain, pa.

PostPosted: Sun Dec 21, 2008 6:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

they say if you can sing it you should be able to play it.
_________________
corky




let your fingers do the walking i do
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Larry_DC



Joined: 31 Mar 2007
Posts: 207

PostPosted: Sun Dec 21, 2008 7:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Definitely. Even with a voice like mine which will send birds north for the winter. It helps internalize the sounds.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Brad Kinder



Joined: 31 Mar 2007
Posts: 62
Location: Richmond, VA

PostPosted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 12:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

singing lines is something I've gotten in the habit of doing also. It has definitely helped close the gap between my ear and fingers.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Mark
VM Coach


Joined: 26 Feb 2007
Posts: 479
Location: Portland, OR

PostPosted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 6:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Brad Kinder wrote:
singing lines is something I've gotten in the habit of doing also. It has definitely helped close the gap between my ear and fingers.


Brad,

With rare exception, singing a melody or bass line and later transcribing it is the main way I've composed hundreds of original songs. It completely removes my mind and guitar technique from the equation, with great results.

- Mark
_________________
"Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple" - Mingus
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
nylenny



Joined: 31 Mar 2007
Posts: 291

PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 8:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wanna turbo charge your transcribing?

When I am being especially disciplined in my practice, I use a program called, "Sight Singer 2.5" ( http://sight-singer.en.softonic.com/ ). You can adjust the level of difficulty, and scale source (diatonic, chromatic, modal).

I've found the best way to use the program is to sing (without the guitar) the melody and then play it to check. You can also do both simultaneously, but it is not as challenging.

The company that produces the software makes some other programs ("Ear Steady" and others), but this is the only one I've found to be valuable.

There is a great book, btw, called, "Music for Sight Singing." It starts out pretty easy (folksy melodies), but contains a lot of material. It's about a year's worth of college-level sight singing. Great for your reading chops.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
kbgtr001



Joined: 04 May 2007
Posts: 122

PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 4:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

nylenny wrote:

There is a great book, btw, called, "Music for Sight Singing." It starts out pretty easy (folksy melodies), but contains a lot of material. It's about a year's worth of college-level sight singing. Great for your reading chops.

The 'Music For Sight Singing' by Robert W. Ottman is an excellent book.
It was (is?) the choice of text for sight singing in the Brooklyn College
music program. A good friend who taught college level ear training for
30 years very much recommended it.

-Kb

-
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
nylenny



Joined: 31 Mar 2007
Posts: 291

PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 5:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

kbgtr001 said:

Quote:
The 'Music For Sight Singing' by Robert W. Ottman is an excellent book.
It was (is?) the choice of text for sight singing in the Brooklyn College
music program.


Yes, I believe it is the standard text. It has tons of exercises (a huge book), which progress in a logical manner. The only issue that I have with the book is that there is not that much focus on jazz-type language, but that is easy to get later on (once you've developed the chops from the Ottman book) by singing excerpts from the Charlie Parker Omnibook or elsewhere.

My problem with doing these things is just getting disciplined to do them every day.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Dean



Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 287
Location: California

PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 6:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's one of the reasons I love blues and jazz so much,you can kind of wing it sing it.Like in blues,some of the words are kind of words,or English is a bit skewed.I know we are talking tone here,but the words are sometimes pronounced and sang different then normal.If Buddy Guy did not sing the way he does,and us the words the way he does,it just would not be the same.Like the title of one of his songs...Done got old....Hope you can understand this post...JMO Oh , I agree singing helps,even bad singing.hahaha
_________________
What don't kill you makes you stronger
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Mark
VM Coach


Joined: 26 Feb 2007
Posts: 479
Location: Portland, OR

PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 6:35 pm    Post subject: Re: Efficiency in Singing Reply with quote

nylenny wrote:
My problem with doing these things is just getting disciplined to do them every day.


Len,

As you know, I'm a real opponent of exercises and abstraction, and for me it's pointless to sing something just for the sake of doing it and without an application in mind. The problem with any musical exercise per se is that it typically detaches other senses in favor of isolating one. That's why areas like arranging, recording, and transcribing challenge your senses on a multiple level, which is how music is performed.

For instance, in all three of those areas singing is part of the equation, but it's connected with technique, theory, vision, and even reading and writing to a degree. Whenever I've isolated a sense as an independent exercise I've done well, but the result has been less beneficial to my overall goals as an improviser, composer, and arranger. Til next time...

- Mark
_________________
"Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple" - Mingus
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Vision Music Forum Index -> Guitar: Blues, Jazz & Beyond All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group