Singing a song with one dynamic makes for a very boring song. Consider how you would speak the text of the song as if telling a story to a small child? Would you vary the volume? Of course you would otherwise the child would soon become bored. This is the same for an audience if […]
A lot of new and inexperienced choir members might lack confidence when it comes to singing at an actual performance. Some so much that they happily turn up to rehearsals yet never join in the performance. Even professional singers have stage fright yet they have learnt to manage it so that it doesn’t affect their […]
The most common places of tension for singers is in the shoulders, jaw, root of the tongue and the throat. There are numerous exercises to try to alleviate these tensions which can all be found on YouTube. I however have found a much easier and quicker way to release the tensions in one go. Why […]
At rehearsals I notice a lot of throat clearing and coughing (not related to having a cold). Every throat clear causes minor damage to your vocal chords which are only about 1/2 inch long and very very delicate and repetitive throat clearing can cause permanent damage to them. The need to throat clear is because […]
Each phrase must be started with care and confidence. Watch the MD and count so you are ready to start when you have to, the first note is very important as it sets up the rest of the phrase. Do not launch into the first note hoping for the best but prepare it as follows: […]
What do you focus on when you sing? What should you be focussing on? Are you easily distracted? Our brains are not capable of focussing on more than about 5 things at a time so you have to be selective as what gets your attention depending on what you are doing and what you want […]
In order to sing fast passages so that they are clearly heard requires: tip of tongue control support (see week 5) a mouth shape that keeps the corners of the mouth from moving to far to the side look in the mirror when you sing to see what happens or place your fingers either side […]
Have you ever considered where you feel the sound you make when you sing? Which part of the mouth is it in? Is it anywhere else? Do you feel any vibrations? Where do you feel them? If your sound had a shape what shape would it have and where would it be? Depending on which […]
Before you start to sing you must have an idea of what the song is about and what it means to you. Your emotions and imagination will have an effect on the sound you produce. Look ahead; just like you would read a book, to see what will happen in that phrase and how much […]
Our meet-the-member this week is Lynn Bass, who joined the Soprano section in 2023. A friend invited her, and one thing she particularly enjoys about singing in a choir is the opportunity to sing a variety of music in harmony with different voices. Lynn is an artist. She tells us “I trained at art in […]
