Singing

In medieval Europe, the music of a choir, which is a group of singers chant together, was an essential part of church masses. Usually during this period, the monks in monasteries sing in Latin. At present, music sung by choirs is based on this tradition of the church, called choral music.

Another kind of singing in groups are large scale musical performances called oratorios, where they sing a story. This type is based on Bible stories of the Jews and the Christians. Unlike choir music, oratorios do not have to be executed in church. An orchestra, with a choir and soloists, perform orations where the soloists sing necessary elements individually. The narrator conveys the tale in form of a song. Johann Sebastian Bach, a German composer, is famous for his church cantatas, which are stories sung by one or two singers who are complemented by different instruments.

Gospel music is one type of singing in groups as well. It’s particular among the Black American church singers who blend touches of jazz, hymns and their religious folksongs. Gospel choirs are worm and emotional, with audiences stamping their feet, clapping and dancing.

Of course, not all who sing in groups are choirs. Music groups include pop and rock bands, jazz bands, folk singers and a lot more. In a band, two or three can sing in the group, with one lead and the rest as back-up vocals. All of them can sing together too, like folk singers who can also alternate in singing.

And who wouldn’t be familiar with the famous boy bands singing in groups? There was New Kids in the Block during the early ‘90s, and in the mid to late ‘90s, more singing male groups emerged like Westlife, Backstreet Boys, and N’sync, to name a few. Indeed, their crooning and serenading, blending in their different tones made a lot of girl fans scream and shout!

Wouldn’t it be fun to sing in a group? Why not grab your friends and have a singing spree–sing like a choir, or perform like a boy band (or girl band for that matter). (:

There is a diverse array of instruments under the strings category, one of which is the most versatile and unique of all the stringed instruments. Read through and find out. (:

In the 1500s and 1600s there were the six-stringed instrument called the viol, then the violin emerged which is a smaller instrument and makes a louder sound than the viol. Violinists made marks in music like the Italian musician Niccolo Paganini, modern violinists Yehudi Menuhin and Korean Kyung Wah Chung. Then there’s the family of strings which can form the string quintet. Besides the violin, there’s the viola, cello and double bass. Charles Mingus is an American jazz musician who plays double bass standing up.

Lyres and harps are popular all over the world during the ancient times. From the legend of Orpheus playing the lyre, to religious festivals of Africa, lyres and harps were used. The lute is another kind which is plucked like a guitar. Banjos and ukeleles were played in America and England, sitars made raga music in India, zithers were played in China, Japan, and Korea, while guitars originated in Spain. There were classical, acoustic and folk guitars, until in the later years electric guitars were developed. Orville Gibson, Les Paul and Leo Fender are just three of the well-known names in guitar making. When it comes to guitar playing, one of the legends is American guitarist Jimi Hendrix.

A keyboard is also a stringed instrument, which includes the clavichord, harpsichord and the piano. If you open the lid and look inside, there you’ll find the strings. But the most versatile and unique of all stringed instruments is the chords found in your voice box. The human voice has its own vibrating strings and resonator in just the same way as a stringed instrument like the guitar does. You sing high notes by tightening your vocal chords; low notes are created when your vocal chords become looser. We have a range such as the soprano, alto, tenor and bass. The three tenors Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti are among the great singers of the world, thus have great stringed instruments in them!

There are a lot different styles of singing and vocal techniques we hear from various singers. So, if you are a singer, what’s yours?

If you can produce musical effects by having a regularly pulsating change of pitch, where you can use this style to add articulation, then your technique is what we call vibrato. If you can sing smoothly, transitioning from note to note, where there’s no superseding silence, your method is legato.
If you sing where you can produce strong soaring pitches using your chest voice, then you are a vocal belter baby! Voice created in belting is technically known as chest voice or middle voice, and this kind of voice a powerful one indeed. In the popular music, be it rock or general pop, belting is commonly used to sing higher notes than the normal vocal range.

Moreover, you have clean vocals when you have melodic and clear singing style. It is especially used to label voice of heavy metal singers. This they say, is an alternative to coarse, scratchy screaming vocals or growling vocals, which can be heard from really hardcore metal bands. If you are in a heavy metal band, then you probably have clean vocals. If you are in a solid hardcore metal band, then your technique is almost certainly screaming and growling. Or you can use both techniques, whichever of the two kinds you are into. There can even be an operatic voice in metal music, singing simple melodies then having rough screaming, which they use in what is called melodic death metal.

If you are not a belter but you are not a screamer or growler either, you can have other techniques as well, such as having a breathy chest voice which is different from belting, or a metallic voice. If you don’t scream or growl, there’s even grunted vocals which is nearer to those two.

Whatever style, whatever technique, it’s up to you. Just sing and have a heck of a time doing it.

Have you ever dreamed that you are the next Kelly Clarkson, rising high from being a simple lass to an über popular singer after winning a singing competition? Or that you are a pretty young girl with a pretty young voice, and you daydream of switching places with Jojo for a day? Wondered how being famous is like, singing in front of thousands of crowds in huge theaters, seeing large posters waved by fans, signing autographs for thousands of followers, and selling multi-certified, multi-awarded, multi-million albums?

If you have the dreams of being a much-admired singer, hold on to those dreams. You never know, your dreams might someday come true.

Everything starts from aspiring. Every songster that has carved a name in music wouldn’t be who they are if they did not aspire. They say, desire is the starting point of all achievements. So if you want to be a known singer one day in the future, keep that desire. It’s where you begin.

In every singer’s story, success isn’t achieved in an instant. They did not become famous overnight. There are always the stories of trials and tribulations of an aspiring singing star. But then, they wouldn’t be where they are now if they didn’t choose to go through the rocky roads towards musical triumph. So, be determined. No matter how frustrating it might get, go on. If you have to pass through pain to achieve the pleasure of succeeding, so be it. As long as you’re sticking to your desire to sing sing sing, then you’re solid determination would get you through.

Famous singers all started from doing hard labor of auditioning, scouring locations and opportunities where they can perform and be heard, and working their way to finally get their break. They hone their skills, practice singing until they improve and become better singers. This spells hard work. If you want to be victorious, you have to work on it as hard as you could. Earning something from hard work has the sweetest rewards.

So keep in mind to always hold on to your dreams, be determined, and add hard work along the way. These are just some points to learn by heart on how to fulfill your singing dreams. As you become what you want to be, keep your feet on the ground and remember how you got there.

Congratulations to your awaiting stardom!

One time my dad joined a contest in a local fm radio station asking their listeners what the first musical instrument is. Luckily, he was picked as the winner, and received a CD as the prize.

His answer was vocal chords.

My guess was the lyre, and it wasn’t even close. The lyre was invented waaay after this first musical instrument’s discovery, which was since the beginning of time. Before the arrival of classical music, and even before the invention of archaic tribal instruments by prehistoric men, humans were already creating rhythms using their own built-in musical implement–the vocal chords.

Vocal chords are these lower of two folds or bands in the throat which produce sound when made tighter or loosened when air is breathed out while speaking or singing.  Vocal chords have the ability or power to produce musical tones. For some people it comes out effortlessly. For some it needs thorough training. While for some, it’s just something they have accepted they can’t acquire (ahem).

To look at it, it’s the only instrument that produces an ample diversity of pitches,  elaborate timbre, and various tones all in one. Our voice can create a story on its own with just striking different melodies, even without putting words. That reminds me of a vocalist humming all the way through the song, and yet it’s tells a whole tale. It also brings me in awe with what amazing things this body part can do. It can croon. It can hum. It can yodel. It can scat. It can chant. It can carol. If you can do at least one of these skills, then you can produce musical tones yourself. We all can. I take that it’s-just-something-they-have-accepted-they-can’t-acquire back. I can hum, at least.

Literally meant producing musical sounds by structuring words to form a medley, almost anyone who can speak can sing.  Singing has been associated with music, like a baby when they hear that soft music when someone sings or a musical instrument radio is switched on, they often sleep deeply that is their means of relaxation.  Singing here is informal.However, on the other hand one may also do singing formally like in a choir, presentation, orchestra, or a recording studio.  In this type of singing, it requires a great deal of practice so sounds will blend well in the group.  What audience normally does in a formal singing is to sit back, relax, and enjoy the rest of the presentation that would normally be held in theatres, churches, and parties.

Unlike a baby where they still can’t utter words and is still being guided by medley music, adults are different, they normally does informal singing themselves as their form of relaxation just like you and any other adults going to the shower just singing out aloud while sprinkling water flows unto our undulating body, admit it that almost all of us has had experienced this.  Another is that amidst of that stressful and busy day at work, when you arrived home, before taking rest you normally would want to spend time to family. With this, you simply do listen to music before going to bed.

However, relaxation does not only mean turning and listening that musical instrument but you can always switch on your karaoke, pick that microphone up, and here it goes, you are ready to sing!

Karaoke products usually comes in with a microphone with keypads where all one has to do is to press those number codes of the song, then music automatically loads, and now one is ready to sing.  This makes it one of the hottest and most affordable instruments that captivate the need to enjoy every man’s perennial hobby and interest – singing.  Where it is considered to be a highly touted product available in the market rather than buying those traditional huge instruments that might be time and space tedious

In this accord, life’s medley music is captured through the individuals’ body and soul that gives him one of life’s best forms of relaxation – TO SING.