My first voice lesson was last night and several people had asked that I report back what happened. This is that tale. :D
An hour before the lesson started I had all but talked myself out of going. I was thinking that its just a waste of time and money because I really dont want to be a professional at my age anyway, so why go. All day long I had been talking to myself about the lesson. What would I say, what would she have me do, how much difference would it make.. Time finally came to leave and I forced myself into the car.
I got to the studio and I was about five minutes early. I talked with my ex guitar teacher for a while (He owns the place) and looked over the songs that had been given to me at church choir the week before.
The lesson before me was running just a little late but eventually she came out and WOW, was she gorgeous. I started feeling myself tense up, which I already knew was one of the worse things that can happen when you want to sing. But she was extremely nice to me.
She asked why I it was that I felt intimidated. I think she took a little pleasure in know that. Women do have an evil side you know. LOL We made alot of jokes about it until finally I felt so at ease with her.
She asked what brought me there and I explained that I had sang for years but it was country, rock, southern rock, etc.. but now I had joined the choir and I just didnt fit in. She asked me a few more questions and then said, "Jim, lets not waste money on something that you arent really interested in. If you enjoy choir music then lets learn choir/opera music, but if you heart is country/rock etc then lets focus on that." I explained that the main reason I joined the choir was in hopes of being able to do special music and then she blew me away with this, "Jim, if God wants you to sing special music, then you will sing special music... choir or no choir." She explained that she wasnt trying to talk me out of singing in choir but that I didnt need to waste money with her to do that. That I should use my heart and money to make my voice better in the style that I enjoyed.
First, she tested my range. She pushed me as low as I could go and then using the piano she played up the scale to see how high I could go. Then she went over some fundamentals. She put me in front of a mirror and had me go over vowel sounds. I was suprised to see how hard it was to not talk through my nose. We werent singing at this point. But she showed me in the mirror how round your mouth has to become to make good sound. Its a very akward feeling. Very unnatural.
I wish I could explain it better but its not like guitar where i can say "Put this hand here and this finger on this fret and strum this way" It is truely something that I think you have to experience with a teacher. Its actually pretty embarrassing stretching your mouth out that way.
We discussed what we would be learning next week. She had me look through some song tracks that she has and told me to pick something that I already had on CD so that I could practice it ahead of time. I think I am going to work on "4th of July" by Shooter Jennings first. Its a song that I learned all the way through on my guitar so it will be kind of neat to work on that. Plus it is well within my range but it does lean towards both the high and low end of my range.
Anyways, I highly suggest voice lessons after this experience. I am sure different teachers and different students will have different experiences but I never fully understood how technical singing was until last night. Pretty awsome stuff.
Geoo
“The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn” - David Russell (Scottish classical Guitarist. b.1942)
...told you so.
Looks like you found a good teacher. Congratulations.
I wish you the very best of luck geoo
But she showed me in the mirror how round your mouth has to become to make good sound. Its a very akward feeling. Very unnatural.
I wish I could explain it better but its not like guitar where i can say "Put this hand here and this finger on this fret and strum this way"
I've heard it described as an oval, if that helps anyone. A round oval though, not a stretched one.
keep us updated about the new things you learn, its not possible for me to go to a teacher, thats why i need your help man! :) .......
" Take what you can from your dreams and make them real as anything " - Dave Matthews.
Wait a minute.... did you say she was hot? :shock:
*runs off for the phone book*
"I wish there was an over the counter test for my loneliness"
Enjoy those lessons, Geoo!
Let me know when you do the bowtie exercises. :D
I always hated those. Internal body parts move. :oops:
Bish
"I play live as playing dead is harder than it sounds!"
Wait a minute.... did you say she was hot? :shock:
*runs off for the phone book*
Hey , you don't know Geoo's second personality as i know him - Geoo the desperate :lol:
OH OH , hi geoo how are you ? :D Good luck mate with your voice lessons.(too bad for him , his voice will not be coming out because of the silent admiration of the lady :twisted: )
:lol: :lol:
8)
RAhul
Hey , you don't know Geoo's second personality as i know him - Geoo the desperate :lol:
I beg to differ. Desparation has ALWAYS been my FIRST personality. :lol: The lessons are going pretty good. A little slow right now because she and I spend most of the time getting a list of songs I want to use as practice material. She set me up with a CD called "Set your voice free" by Roger Love. Its a pretty good CD for warming up the voice and stretching it a bit.
To tell you the truth I never realized that vocal lessons would be so technical and difficult. In fact, its hard for me to share with you the lessons because you cant understand without seeing my face really.
So far I have learned that we mostly use our chest and shoulders when we are talking normally. But if we use this in singing then we come out with the nasally sound that we strive not to have. So you have to learn to fill your diaphram (No no, not the birth control) with good air and sing from that. She also has me do this exercise where I breath in and then make kind of a snake sound for as long as I can with one breath of air. Then she writes down in seconds, how long I could make that sound. Its to practice air control.
I think I have two lessons next week. Goodness, I dont know how I will look at her for two lessons in one week. :roll:
Bish, I think she may have used the word "bowtie" but I dont remember. I'll let you know.
Ohh and yes MOTS. Shes very cute. Anyone watch 'That 70's Show"? She looks like the redhead girl in that show. Very similar but better I think.
She is a slave driver though. She likes to torture me.
Geoo
“The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn” - David Russell (Scottish classical Guitarist. b.1942)
Hey , you don't know Geoo's second personality as i know him - Geoo the desperate :lol:
She is a slave driver though. She likes to torture me.
Geoo
OH OH OH ....... getting adult man ..now i can talk adult sure , hey , i am 18 and 4 days old :lol: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
Hey , you don't know Geoo's second personality as i know him - Geoo the desperate :lol:
She is a slave driver though. She likes to torture me.
Geoo
OH OH OH ....... getting adult man ..now i can talk adult sure , hey , i am 18 and 4 days old :lol: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
I only wish I had meant it that way.
Geoo
“The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn” - David Russell (Scottish classical Guitarist. b.1942)
She is a slave driver though. She likes to torture me.
Geoo
OH OH OH ....... getting adult man ..now i can talk adult sure , hey , i am 18 and 4 days old :lol: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
I only wish I had meant it that way.
Geoo
Got ruffled man ? :shock:
Got ruffled man ? :shock:
LOL Ohh no.. Not at all. Its all good. :lol:
Geoo
“The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn” - David Russell (Scottish classical Guitarist. b.1942)
Last nights lesson was a blast. She was a naughty instructor and forgot to make my soundtrack CDs but I quickly picked out "Best I Ever Had" the Gary Allan version. For those that dont know, Gary remade this from I believe Vertical Horizon. Its a country version but its new country.
She had me go through the song naturally, as I would on any other day. She gave lots of encouragement and told me it sounded really nice. Then she said that there were parts in the song that needed touching up. She liked some of the natural twang in my Oklahoman voice but to be a GREAT singing voice and to make it "fuller" she felt we needed to work through some parts.
One of the biggest problems is that when I sing my tonge gets in the way. It tries to come up to the roof of my mouth and that shuts off the air coming out of my mouth. SO, what happens to air that is shut off from your mouth? Any guesses? It goes out your nose. Sing something like "AHHHHHH" and hold it for a long period of time. Part way through pinch your nose. Did it change the sound? Thats the air coming out your nose and that is what makes it sound nasally.
We spent alot of time last night on certain words that I have trouble bringing out my mouth. I nasal them too much. At the end of the lesson she and I realized that she actually kept me there for an hour, instead of 30 mins. Actually, she realized it all along but I didnt notice. She said since I was her last lesson of the day, she preferred we keep going.
Now, I am really paying attention to how I sound out words when I sing. I am trying to use ahhh type sounds instead of ehhh type sounds. Ahh comes out the mouth more naturally and that probably made since to no-one but me but its hard to explain over the internet.
We're supposed to get another lesson in this week since there wont be one next week.
Geoo
“The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn” - David Russell (Scottish classical Guitarist. b.1942)
Hehe i edited the quote a bit.it almost seems like you are really having fun.sure it can't be describe on internetRahul
You are BAD. LOL Naughty was her description. I think your trying to get me in trouble with Nick. LOL Teasing of course. Why watch the video, you can just catch me on tour in another year or so. Heck, I'll give ya the tickets and plane tickets to the show. My treat. LOL
Geoo
“The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn” - David Russell (Scottish classical Guitarist. b.1942)
