Building Blocks

Some of you have been asking me to include some music theory lessons on the blog; I have hesitated thus far as it is a massive subject that I was unsure how to present in this digital format.

I have however recently discovered an American website by Ricci Adams called Musictheory.net.

Whilst this site is American it has a British English translator . The fundamentals are superb however and presented in a very clear way.

I would suggest you work through the sections as far as "Key Signatures" Then have a go at the "Trainers"all except for guitar and brass trainer.

The link to site is here http://www.musictheory.net/. The British English page is http://www.musictheory.net/translations.html#en_uk

Any questions or if you get stuck and need additional help - just email me.

You hum it son - I'll play it!

The point of this blog entry is to focus the sound on the front of your mouth in order to create greater resonance.

Strangely, If you can't hum the note you will not be able to sing it effectively, Now hum gently on the outward breath.

With your teeth slightly apart (imagine you are holding a match between your teeth) and your lips just touching (not pressed hard together) lets hummmmmmmmmm!. Try to aim for a buzzing, tickling sensation on the lips. If you don’t get the “tickle”, try bringing your head slightly forward. Experiment with your head position until you find the point where you get the “tickle”. This is also a good way of confirming that your head is in the right position.

Now take another breath as before and hum down from the very top of your vocal range to the very bottom. Make sure the hum descends slowly and steadily in a controlled manner.

Then try the same thing, beginning at the bottom of your range and sliding up to the top.

Now try the “siren”. Take a breath as before and hum smoothly up and down your range. If you should hit a point where the voice “breaks”, start humming just above that point and slide down and up, down and up over it until it is smoothed out. It’s just like ironing your trousers!

Take in another good breath. Start humming and turn up the volume, then open the mouth and allow the sound to carry forward on a “mmmmmmaaaaaah” sound. Always ensure the shoulders, throat and jaw are kept as relaxed as possible, providing a clear passage for the flow of air.
Practise this until you can confidently reproduce the forward resonant tone throughout your range at will.