Answers to the Three Most Common Questions From Singers

As singing forums go, I found your answers to my latest singing forum poll a little bit surprising because so many of you share similar concerns:

These three questions/comments are recurring:

1. How should I care for my voice?

2. How can I get over stage fright?

3. Help! I need better technique!

I have written a lot about each one of these issues, but I would like to take this opportunity to add a few new thoughts to each of these areas.

First: How should I care for my voice?

In my 30 years of experience as a singer and singing teacher, I have noticed that there are a few bad habits that, if avoided, could help a singer a great deal in maintaining a healthy voice. They are:

• Don't over sing. That means, stop singing before you feel any strain. We eager singers tend to sing too long and too hard. And as you get tired, you can easily lose track of the right kind of vocal co-ordination required for good, healthy singing. It is easy to fall into poor vocal habits when you are tired. So when possible, sing with a rested body and brain. Sing with focused energy. Sing with purpose. And stop before you are vocally or mentally tired. In doing this, you will avoid many vocal troubles.

• Get enough sleep. So many people are sleep-deprived these days. One well-known female journalist, who is famous for being quite tough in her business was asked to give a talk to a large women's organization. Her task was to talk about one of her greatest concerns for fellow workers; she choose sleep deprivation.

For singers, what does this mean? Without enough sleep, your body does not function as well as it should in order to sing with precise co-ordination. Your muscles are already tired before you begin. Your brain is sluggish and unfocused. The best solution is to get enough sleep.

• Don't over talk. If you are talking on the phone a lot, shouting in crowds, laughing loudly, or just getting wild and crazy with your voice, - calm down. A singer's throat needs a lot of peace. Your job is to give it that peace as much as you can, while still living your balanced life.

You would also do well to get some feedback from a teacher.

Second: How Can I Get Over Stage Fright?

Here is a simple, powerful tip to get you started on getting over the fear.

• Make performance a more frequent part of your life. At the end of your practice sessions, stand in your singing room and pretend that you are now in a performance. Sing the song through from beginning to end as though you are performing.

After you have done this successfully a few times (which means that you know the song well), invite a couple of people to hear you sing the song. Do this several times with different friends so that you get used to the feeling of "stage fright." The energy that goes into performing is unique. You need to make that energy your friend! Keep setting up these opportunities to practice performing. Over time, you will begin to feel more comfortable with good performance nerves.

Third: Help! I need better technique!

Get some good training from the best teacher you can find and afford in your area. Most singers need expert feed back. And keep this in mind. If you are like most of us, you will always be working on your technique, - even as a professional singer.

If you get some good training (or you are naturally co-ordinated), then you will discover a way to sing that works well for your voice and your chosen style of music. But you will always be working on ways to maintain your technique. It is a forever thing.

Please note the following: It is important to develop good habits of singing as early as possible. And while you may learn on your own to be a fine singer, most of us need expert feedback. There are no shortcuts in learning how to sing well. Get some in-person, private lessons.

I wish you great singing!

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The Violin - Some Musical Terms Explained - Frequently Asked Questions

This article is intended to help those new violinists starting out as beginners; there is a mountain of terms and phrases out there, that are used by violinists, and even though I can't explain them all in this article I can answer some frequently asked questions.

What is an Arpeggio?

An arpeggio is the notes of any chord which are played in sequence individually. A G major chord is made up of three notes; these are G, B and D. Played as an arpeggio, the sequence would be G, B, D,D,B, and G.

What is a Double Stop?

This is when two of the strings on a violin are played together, or both "stopped" by the violinists finger. This is used a lot in Fiddle music, and because of this a fiddle player prefers the bridge of the violin to be flatter than the more traditional rounded bridge.

What is pizzicato?

Generally the violin is played using a bow that is drawn across the strings. Pizzicato is a technique that a violinist uses when he plucks the strings in the same way as a guitarist.

What is a mute?

By attaching a small rubber, wooden or metal "mute" to the bridge of the violin, the result is that the resonance is restricted thus giving the instrument a more melodious tone, and reducing the sound volume. It is often used by violinists to practice if they don't want to disturb other household members, but is also used in passages during live performance to produce a very soft and quiet sound.

What is Vibrato, and how is it produced?

This is an effect used by violinist to make the violin sound more expressive and is achieved by changing the pitch of a note up and down either slowly or quickly. Quite literally the violinist is vibrating the string using his finger. There are three types of vibrato and each give a different effect. Finger Vibrato gives a tight smaller sound, arm vibrato much larger and more vibrant, and wrist vibrato which is between the two and gives a controlled vibration which can be large or small.

What is first, second and third position on a violin?

These positions correspond to where you put your fingers on the fingerboard of the violin. In first position, your fingering takes place near the tuning pegs. Second position is when you move up the fingerboard towards the bridge. Third position is even further up the neck of the board towards the bridge. Most beginners start off just in the first position. Second and third are for the more advances student.

If you are looking for a great site about violins which includes sheet music,online tuner, articles, advice, backing tracks and so much more, then you can't afford not to take a look here.

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