John Pape Online Blog

Here is a list of resources to help improve vocal performance.  If you have any others you would like to include please contribute a comment to this post.

Singers.com
Primarily A Cappella is the world’s oldest and largest company specializing in all styles of unaccompanied vocal harmony. We are involved in many aspects of the a cappella music scene – from recording the best of the new vocal bands, to making the music more accessible thru our mail order catalog, along with producing a cappella music festivals and events around the country. Our goal is to expand the growing world wide interest in this wonderful art form. By discovering new talent and developing larger audiences, we hope a cappella will find it’s rightful place as a significant contributor to the greater world of music.

I Lead Worship: Singers
FREE referrals provided to individuals, groups, churches, communities needing a worship leader, musician, singer, team or band to minister or perform for an upcoming event, venue or position.

Singing In Worship Part I and Part 3
Singing has a very definite place in worshipping God in spirit and in truth. We glorify God in our singing praises to His name. There are only nine scriptures in the New Testament which specify the kind of music in the worship of the church that God wishes in order for us to worship Him in spirit and in truth. This is an interactive Bible study on the role of singing in the believers life.

Singing Praises
Article by by Tom Gilbert

Singing The Psalms
Article by Dr. Richard Leonard.  Psalmody is the use of the biblical psalms in worship, as distinguished from hymnody, the creation and use of extrabiblical poetic and musical compositions in worship.

Prophetic Songs
WHAT IS A PROPHETIC SONG? This is a excert from the book, “Songs of the Spirit”

Sight Singing
The Mission of this Web Page is to provide help to those wishing information about the various aspects of the art/skill of sight singing. Whether you are looking for general information on the subject, classes to take, choirs or chamber ensembles to sing with, techniques to improve your sight singing skills, ear-training software or interesting websites about matters related to sight singing

Secrets of Singing on Pitch
Ebook reveals 11 innovative steps to help you sing accurately on pitch. If you’ve had tin ears or been called tone-deaf your whole life, this easy method is for you. Say goodbye to singing off key and singing flat.

Voice Training
The Ultimate Voice Training for Singers.  A complete voice training program on CD or high quility cassette by one of southern Califonia’s premier voice technique and performance teacher.

Choir and Organ
Choir & Organ, the classical music magazine for organists and musicians, directors of sacred and secular choirs, singers, organ builders, and everyone who loves choral and organ music. Choir & Organ provides insights into the careers of leading organists and choral conductors, examines important instruments and provides comprehensive news and reviews of new publications, recordings and events.

Technorati Tags: encourgement, Lessons, Lyrics, singing

For people that sing, learning to sing well is as important as any other part of the singing process. How do we learn what a good singing technique is though? Learning correct singing techniques takes time and patience, but the first thing you must learn has nothing to do with your voice at all. It has to do with breathing.

When you speak or sing, your vocal chords can’t act on their own or they become strained and you can often lose your voice and damage your vocal chords. Therefore, when you speak or sing or do anything else involving your voice, you need to use the air from your diaphragm so as not to damage the chords.

The breath should come up from your diaphragm, glide over your vocal chords carrying with it the sounds you make so that your vocal chords aren’t strained. When speaking or singing, it needs to come from your mouth and teeth rather than your throat again, so as not to strain your throat. If you use your vocal chords correctly, you could speak or sing all day without ever having a sore throat, but if you use your throat improperly, you are sure to lose your voice quickly.

A problem that many people have is that they don’t know how to operate all the parts of the body that are involved with singing at the same time in the same order. You’re dealing with the vocal chords, your breathing, and the acoustic cavities above the vocal chords, but unless you are instructed how to use these three things your singing techniques will be all wrong. Learn how to use these parts of your body and your singing techniques will skyrocket.

Another good idea is to make sure you are relaxed when you are singing. If you are tense, it will show in your voice. When people are tense, it happens a lot in their face between their jaw and their mouth and for your voice to flow well and come out melodiously, your mouth, teeth, jaw and tongue all need to be loose. Keep tension out of your face and it will stay out of your voice.

One final point for having good singing techniques is to make sure you enunciate your words. When singing in particular, it is important to almost go overboard on enunciation to make sure your words are clear. If you follow these singing techniques, you will surely become a better singer.

About the Author

Skyler Jett is a prolific singer, songwriter and producer. He has worked with many top musicians, such as Stevie Wonder, Celine Dion and Aretha Franklin. Skyler started singing in church and fell in love with jazz and R&B at an early age. Find more of tips on improving singing techniques at http://howtosing.org

Technorati Tags: Music, singing

Here is an article I found at goArticles.com.  In this article Nate Edwards share his insight in different strumming techniques.  I hope you enjoy the article and find it useful.  If you have any comments specific to this topic please feel free to post your comment.

There are 2 types of guitar strumming techniques you can use to make a smoother sound. The biggest complaint I hear from beginner guitar players is “I don’t think I’m picking the strings on my guitar right because I can’t seem to hit the note I’m looking for.”

This is frustrating and can be the result of a few things like the thickness of the guitar pick you are using.

So to help you get over this little obstacle I decided to share with you the 2 ways you can strum your guitar and the benefits each one offers.

Technique #1: Using the right pick.

You have to have the right guitar pick for what you’re trying to accomplish if you choose to use one. A guitar pick serves the purpose of producing a clear sound with more than enough treble in it.

Understanding the hardness of the pick is critical: a hard pick will make the sound harsh and a softer pick makes a “sloppy” sound like when you hit a tuning fork.

Technique #2: Strumming with your finger.

When I play sometimes I use my finger instead of a medium thickness pick. Do you know what purpose your finger serves when strumming? Your finger creates a very warm and inviting sound. Make sure you use the nail of your index finger while strumming the guitar strings and use your thumb as support for your index finger.

I prefer using my finger because of the feeling of control I get when strumming.

So now that I have told you what the 2 Types of Guitar Strumming techniques are I encourage you to experiment and find the method that fits your playing style. Click here for more tips to help you improve your guitar playing skills.

About the Author – Nate Edwards
Hi my name is Nate. I’ve been playing the guitar for almost a year now. I’m the lead guitarist and singer of my band “The Deep End”.

Check out These Resources to Help You Play and Learn Guitar

Technorati Tags: Guitar, Music