The Dynamics of a Song Guitar Lesson

Chapter 1: (05:26) Intensity in Ten Cities Warm-up Time
Please take a few minutes to review and warm-up with the following:

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" to "mo-mo-mo-mo."
5. Wake up the breath with "sah-sah-sah" long and sustained then five times staccato.
6. "Sah" in five note descending scales then five note ascending scales.
7. Start softly with each then gradually get louder and louder, faster and faster until you reach the volume and speed that you feel you will be using during the performance.
8. Practice singing along with guitar rhythms that you’ve been using in the last few lessons or with material that you’ve discovered on your own and apply the steps listed above to your playing.
9. Relax and enjoy!

As a stern reminder, as we progress into this series, it is of the utmost importance that you make sure that you warm-up completely so that you do not harm your vocal chords. The techniques that we will discuss in the lessons to come are specific to actual performance and hence are reflective of the intensity and strain that are characteristic of a live performance. Please make sure to take your time and warm your voice gradually and thoroughly to avoid any undo harm to your voice. With that said, let's rock!

Intensity in Ten Cities
As a performer who has put on hundreds of shows, I have come to recognize each song as a performance in and of itself. Each song has a pulse of its own and a life of its own and needs to have nourishment and attention like any life form. The nourishment, in this case, is an attention to detail and qualifications that are specific to each song in the performance. Some of the most important details in a song are its flow, its structure, and subsequently its commensurate level of intensity as the song ebbs and flows. Structurally speaking, many songs are similar if not identical in form. Many songs have an introduction, a series of verses and choruses, possibly a bridge or two, and an inevitable end or coda. But how is emotion dispersed throughout the song? Many songs start out very mellow by easing in gradually. They continue to build, peak, and then gradually fade out (literally in some cases). The vocals often dictate where and when the emotion waxes and wanes! You can look at and graph the progress and intensity of the vocals like this:

Intro/Inaudible to quiet, Verse/Mellow/Audible, Chorus/Louder

2nd Verse/Mellow (but louder, more intense than 1st verse)

2nd Chorus/Louder (but maybe same as 1st Chorus), Bridge/Options (there may be no vocals at all during this part, or super quiet or super loud)

Lead break/ Instrumental, Chorus/Same Volume as last Choruses

Final Verse/Loudest or begin to soften, Coda (end)

*Please note that this is just one particular arrangement, and a song can take many different forms. The form may deviate from this particular structure completely or have some similarities. An asterix in this case marks points where vocals could become super intense or keep quiet and mellow. Obviously, this is a simplistic way of looking at a song, and the only reason why I am attempting to chart it out in this fashion is for application purposes. In this next section, I'll show you why...
Chapter 2: (05:27) The Boom Cry Like a Baby
In order to use the full potential of your voice and bring a song to its climax, it's important that you are able to "boom". What I mean by this is that you are able to raise your voice and express the full range of emotion that the song requires at a given moment(s). This expression could take the form of an anguished note, a scream, or just a louder note than previously expressed in the song. It is true that some songs do not have a particularly passionate and climactic point, but may be passionate consistently all the way through (opera) or may be fairly passive and calm throughout. It may not be a necessity to "boom" at all but, inevitably there is the necessity for an applicable technique in each of the scenarios listed above.

The ability to gather breath and sing at your maximum is essential to fully realize your potential as a singer. Proper breathing can be modeled by the smallest of children. Babies have the innate ability to gather their breath and expel the most phenomenal screams at perhaps the most inopportune times. Obviously, to them it is not an expression of artistic passion (at least I don't think so), but rather a response to adverse conditions in their environment like hunger, cold, fatigue, etc. Nevertheless, one can emulate their behavior and bring that innate and intense sense of expression to their own performances simply by filling their lungs at the appropriate moment and letting fly. There is, of course, a specific way to do this in order to get the best possible tone out of your voice, hold the note for as long as possible, and not cause strain and harm to your vocal chords in the process. We'll talk about this and work with the technique in the following section.

In the next series of exercises, we'll use the chords: D, D7, D6, A, C and G.

D major
E_2_
B_3_
G_2_
D_0_
A_x_
E_x_

Csus2(#11)
E_2_
B_3_
G_0_
D_0_
A_3_
E_x_

Gmaj7/B
E_2_
B_3_
G_0_
D_0_
A_2_
E_x_

These three chords are played simply by playing the D major in the "standard" way with your first finger on the G-string, 2nd fret, your second or middle finger on the high E-string, 2nd fret and your third or ring finger on the B-string, 3rd fret. Then, simply move your first finger from the G-string to the A-string on the 3rd fret and then to the second fret to play the other D chords.

A major
E_0_
B_2_
G_2_
D_2_
A_0_
E_x_

C major
E_0_
B_1_
G_0_
D_2_
A_3_
E_x_

G major
E_3_
B_0_
G_0_
D_0_
A_2_
E_3_

Please play all of the chords and get comfortable with the changes as I do them in the video, especially the changes with the three D chords. Watch how I bring the volume of the vocal up gradually throughout the verse and then "boom" in the chorus. Chapter 3: (09:25) Breath Control Diaphragms
We talked earlier in this series about breath control and how to make sure that you are breathing properly and from your diaphragm. Breathing properly will help you to achieve the most you can from your voice while helping to avoid harm to the vocal chords. Please review the section on breathing from the diaphragm before continuing with this lesson. Also, it is important not to expel all of your breath at once. This will result in a wheezing effect at the end of your note. Breathing properly from the diaphragm will also help to avoid this unfortunate event and aid in the control and expenditure of breath evenly throughout your note. Also, remember to main proper posture. Keep your back straight and your head up!

Exercise 1
Play the three D chords using the strum or "down up up" and hammering on the down stroke. Play the rhythm in a relaxed fashion and remember that we’re attempting to create a noticeable change in dynamics between this, the verse, and the upcoming chorus. Remember to relax your wrist and allow the pick (if you’re using one) to flow gently and smoothly over the strings.

Exercise 2
Play the D and A chords using the strum or "down down-up-down- up-down" and the strum or "down down-up-down-up" over the C and G chords. Keep in mind that this is the portion of this particular song where you are going to "boom," and hence, the strumming might be a little louder than the verse chords. Looking back at our diagram at the beginning of this lesson, this portion of the song might fall at any point where choruses are inserted. Hence, it will almost always be at least a little louder than the verse volume.

Exercise 3
Play the D chords again. This time, sing the vocals as I do in the video:

"Seagull you fly, across the horizon, into the misty morning sun

Nobody asks you where you are goin', nobody knows where you’re from"

Make sure that you are still strumming in a relaxed fashion and keeping time. Use a metronome or some sort of time-keeping device like a drum machine. If you find that this is too difficult for you at this juncture, then go back to Exercise 1. Practice getting that portion of the song down before you re-try this exercise.

Exercise 4
Play the D, A, C, and G chords using the strum indicated above and sing the vocals as I do in the video: "Now you fly, through the sky, never asking why; and you fly all around,'til somebody shoots you down." Watch how I gather my breath in preparation of the "boom" that I make in this section of the song and the timing involved. Do you notice how I'm preparing to "cry" before the chorus comes in and how I’m beginning to fill my lungs in preparation for the chorus?

*Please note: once again I can't stress enough the importance of not straining your voice. Make sure that you do proper warm-ups, properly hydrate yourself before doing so and any vocal exercise and avoid yelling and screaming. These techniques do take a certain amount of subtlety and practice to do correctly, so prepare properly.

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