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To create a blues or jazz vocal sound when singing requires a few techniques. Most jazz singers like Ella Fitzgerald have a huskier tone, slower vibrato with an edginess and a unique way to enunciate the words. Jazz and blues singing use scatting, moodiness, a little growl, to creative vocal sounds like an instrument. These amazing singers just ooze emotion and feeling when they sing a song. Sometimes pulling back on the volume to create these unique vocal techniques. The…

Vocal cord injuries happen over time with chronic abuse. There are different types of injuries, but they all stem from the same problem, frequent and repeated strain on the vocal cords. The different types of injuries include, ruptures, nodules, polyps or cysts in the throat. All of these injuries are causes by vocal abuse. For instance, continuously straining of the voice from singing or yelling, smoking, acid reflux and forcing your voice when you are sick. Vocal cord ruptures or…

The way you think about yourself turns into your reality. Your mind is a very powerful asset! How often do you pay attention to what you are thinking throughout the day. As a singer practicing, what kind of self-talk is going on inside your mind? When you play the piano what are you telling yourself? What you think about daily, directly influences how you feel, as well as how you behave. Think about it, your beliefs about yourself could be…

There are many different career options for a singer & pianists. It all depends on your strengths and weakness. For instance, do you like performing? Can you sight read music? How is your ear training? Can you find and sing harmonies?  Can you write your own songs? There are many things to consider when choosing which direction to go. If you love to perform and sing in front of an audience then singing on a cruise ship, lead singer in…

How do you get a brighter sound when you are singing? It has to do with the shape of your mouth, your lips to be exact. The shape of your lips can create a bright sound or a deeper, darker sound. If you make a sound like “whoof,” your mouth is shaped like an “O” creating a deeper, darker shade of tone. But if you change your facial expression with an open mouth, big teeth smile as you lift the…

The jazz pianist uses a more extensive range of chords. Let’s break it down to make it simple! Jazz is a language all its own. Playing by ear is a great way to learn, but some musicians what to understand what is going on. Jazz chord progression is different than classical which is mostly I, IV, V, I. The pop chord progression which is mostly I, V, vi, IV. The jazz chord progression is different starting with ii, V, I…

Singing with ease should be natural and with no strain. If you try and create a sound that does not feel good and it hurts your throat that’s a problem. You will end up hurting your voice in the long run. Your voice will not last and you will most likely cause damage to your vocal folds. There are two questions you should ask yourself is: Does it feel good? And does it sound good? If it does not feel…

Belting was originally a term used to describe a female voice. Even though the terminology did not include male singers, any singer can belt.  Every singer strives to sing with control and power in their voice, very few start out that way. Belting does not mean yelling! This powerful vocal sound is released, not forced. Belting is a loud and commanding way to sing. The singer should use belting in the appropriate places of a song, never belt throughout the…

What are advanced chords? When playing piano, these chords go slightly beyond your basic major chords, minor chords and the seventh chords. A major chord is a triad, which is made up of three notes. It consists of the root, third and perfect fifth. The difference between the major and the minor chords are the change of the major third lowered a half step. And the seventh chord consists of the triad plus a note added. The note added is…

Running out of breath while you are singing is very common. Sometimes songs have layers of vocals and it’s impossible for one individual singer to do it all. Other times there is no break in the vocals and a singer does not have enough breath to finish the line. Another instance is when a singer has a note to hold at the end of a phrase and runs out of breath. What is a singer supposed to do when they…