Voice and Guitar Guitar Lesson

Chapter 1: (02:13) Voice and Guitar

Review

1. Warm up the body
2. Single note hum
3. Three note hum
4. Hum "me-me-me-me" to "mah-mah-mah mah" to "me-ma-me-ma-me."

Wake up the breath with "sah-sah-sah" etc. long and sustained then five times stacatto.

5. "Sah" in five note descending scales, then five note ascending scales
6. Work these scales faster and faster, then louder and louder

Chapter 2: (03:26) Performance Practice singing along with rhythms that we’ve been working on in the last few lessons. Practice singing single note hums first. Then, sing/make up a melody line that you think might work with the chords you are playing.

*Note: Make sure that your voice feels smooth and "slippery" before moving on to the next section of the warm-up. "Slippery" meaning relaxed, not cracking, moving easily through the notes.

In last week's lesson, we talked extensively about all (or most) of the factors that contribute to being a good singer/performer. Poise, confidence, spontaneity and years of diligent practice, amongst other aspects, are all important. Let’s take a closer look at some of those other factors that may need closer inspection. Chapter 3: (02:26) Emulation Emulation

The act of copying another performer's style, inflection (the voice's pitch or loudness), and timbre (quality of tone of someone's voice) is an excellent way to learn and acquire performance skills. Most singers, guitar players, as well as other types of performers usually have an idol that they've listened to, watched and copied for years. Who are your idols?

Exercise 1

Pick a song that you like and listen to it with no one else around. Make sure there are no other distractions that might interfere with the exercise. Pay close attention to how the singer uses his or her voice, how and when they sing in falsetto or if they do at all, what the timbre of their voice is like, what kind of style do they employ, etc. Literally tear apart every aspect of his/her performance. Pay attention to each and every detail of the song. Make sure that you have gone through the warm-up process (always available at the beginning of each lesson!) before singing to avoid any undue damage to your vocal chords. Then, once you are warmed up, try and sing the song like they do. I know this will not be the first time some of you (or maybe all of you) have done this, but I want you to get in the practice of active listening and emulation. Working through this process on a regular basis can help you build upon your skills.
Chapter 4: (03:02) Enunciation Enunciation

Simply stated, enunciation is the act of speaking clearly and articulately. The definition remains the same when applied to singing. Articulating the words of a song can make your performance sound more concise and subsequently, more powerful.

Exercise 2

This might be a great exercise to do when you're by yourself, since from an outsider's perspective, you may seem odd doing it! Stand in front of a mirror and sing the same song that you emulated in the first exercise. Now pay careful attention to how your lips form the sounds when you're singing. Over-form the vowels and consonants to get a super-clear perspective of how your mouth should feel when singing these words. Really form your words clearly as if your eighth grade grammar teacher were standing over your shoulder. Sing the entire song in this manner and don’t forget to laugh a little. Chapter 5: (02:40) Decision Time Decisions, decisions, decisions!

As always, there are a multitude of decisions to make when singing, playing an instrument, or any other creative endeavor. Some of these include "should I sing clearly or mumble the words of the song." (Shania or Bob Dylan). Or "should I sing this next part in falsetto or my natural range?" Also, there are decisions within decisions - micro-decisions. One example of this is "should I sing an ascending scale over this next stanza that I just decided I would sing in falsetto?" These decisions contribute to what could be called your style and inevitably, all of the decisions will be up to you in the end. You will determine whose work you will emulate, whether you enunciate clearly or make your lyrics indiscernible and whether you decide to sing in falsetto or not.
Chapter 6: (03:55) Vocal Shaping Shaping

As we discussed briefly in the last lesson, shaping simply describes the manner in which you "shape" your mouth. Change the shape of your mouth, and you’ll change the sound coming out of your mouth. Different mouth shapes make different sounds and these different sounds can be used to your benefit when you perform.
Chapter 7: (04:05) Implementation Exercise 3

Once again when you find yourself alone and without any distractions (this may be tougher for those of you with children!), go to the mirror again. You can sing the same song that you've been working on or pick another for this exercise. Make sure your vocal chords are good and warm and then sing your song. But while you are singing, pay close attention to the shape of your mouth! Is it perfectly round, is it just barely open, is it oblong, or is it? What shape is it? Pay attention to how the note sounds that's coming out and then change the shape of your mouth. How did the sound change? Is the quality better or worse? Can you tell? How does the shape change as the song progresses and intensifies? Keep mental or journal notes as to your discoveries in this experiment.

Let's see if we can apply the techniques that we've discussed today to the context of a song. In this next part of the lesson, we're going to use the following chords: Am, Am7, D9/F#, F, G/B, D, and E
Am

E_0_
B_1_
G_2_
D_2_
A_0_
E_x__

Am7/G

E_0_
B_1_
G_0_
D_2_
A_0_
E_3_

D9/F#

E_0_
B_1_
G_2_
D_0_
A_0_
E_2_

F major

E_1_
B_1_
G_2_
D_3_
A_3_
E_1_

G/B

E_3_
B_0_
G_0_
D_0_
A_2_
E_x_

D major

E_2_
B_3_
G_2_
D_0_
A_x_
E_x_

E major

E_0_
B_0_
G_1_
D_2_
A_2_
E_0_

We'll be playing these chords using the "down down down down" strum. You can also try this progression with the palm muting technique. Another option is to mute the third strum. Watch me in the video for hands-on instruction as to how to make these particular chord changes with the variations as well.

Exercise 4

Play through the chords while emulating the style that I've shown you today. Try to sing the song in the same manner that I do. Make sure your voice is good and warm before you do!

Exercise 5

Play the song again. Only this time, make sure you are enunciating every syllable clearly. Do this exercise in front of the mirror again if you think this will help you form every word clearly.

Exercise 6

You know what to do! Change the shape of your mouth as you sing and take note of the relative changes in sound as you do so.

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