Singing and Guitar Guitar Lesson

Chapter 1: (03:06) Introduction and Nasality Nose
In a balanced voice, there is some nose in the sound but the sound is not nasal. Too much nasality is not preferred whereas not enough can make the singer sound dull and monochromatic.

Nasal Test:
Sing while pinching the nose closed. If the sound doesn’t change at all then it’s likely that your voice has “cut-off” nasality. If it changes a lot, then your voice probably has a more nasal quality and may need to be adjusted. If the sound changes slightly, then your balance is probably right on! Chapter 2: (1:07) Humming Remember that humming can be a valuable technique for warming up your voice! Humming is not as hard on the throat as regular singing. Chapter 3: (02:04) New Humming Technique Humming Technique:
Use the humming technique that we’ve discussed previously, but then progress to exchanging between “m” sounds and “n” sounds. Notice the placement of the tongue behind the upper teeth when humming “n” sounds. Experiment with other tones in your midrange and expand outward as notes become more comfortable. Chapter 4: (03:14) Warm Up Time Once you have stretched and relaxed the body, initiated relaxed and consistent breath flow, warmed up and connected breathing to sound, and located and adjusted nasal placement, it’s time to awaken the full range of the voice. Chapter 5: (04:43) Arpeggio Exercise Full Major Scale Exercise
Ascending- Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do then descending, Do Ti La So Fa Mi Re Do. Sing these with “u” on the ascending scale and “a” on the descending scale.

Scalar Passages Exercise
Sing the fllowing: Do Re Mi Fa So, Do Re Mi Fa So, Do Re Mi Fa So then do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do. Sing these with “si” ascending and “o” descending Chapter 6: () Singing and Playing Warm to Perform
Since we are not just learning to sing but to perform as well, we should begin to discuss the process of warming up the voice with the guitar as accompaniment. Hopefully you are familiar with my Introduction to Guitar Series, but if you are not, refer to Lesson #3 and the chord chart that accompanies it. Review the names of the strings, the names of the fingers (I know that sounds silly but we need to have a common language to refer to), and the major and minor open chords.

Now, refer to the chord chart for the A major chord. Play the A chord and strum in this pattern: or "down, down-up, down." This strum will be familiar to my guitar students but may not be to others who are not familiar with my guitar series. If you are not familiar with strum notation, refer to Lesson #4 in the Intro to Guitar Series. Play the A chord and hum in a comfortable range. Hum along with the "down, down-up, down rhythm" while you play the A chord. Hum until your voice feels slippery and smooth with the A chord. Then, sing a three note scale segment up from the A. Watch as I do this in the video for more insight into what I’m talking about. Those of you who are familiar with the first four lessons of my intro series will see that we are doing a standard warm-up, but now with the guitar as our guide and our accompaniment.

Chapter 7: (01:36) The Exercise Exercise 1
Play an A-chord and hum single notes followed by a three-note scale. Then, hum a five note scale. Do these exercises gradually with the guitar until you start feeling more comfortable with singing and playing together. Sing softly and slowly. Then, increase the volume when your voice starts feeling slippery. Once you begin to feel warm and slippery, increase the volume and speed of the scales. Chapter 8: (01:04) Alternate Exercise Now you can take the arpeggio exercise you practiced earlier and sing it while strumming the A major chord. This is more difficult, so be sure you are warmed up properly with both your voice and the guitar. Chapter 9: (04:37) A Minor Exercise Play an A minor chord and do the exact same vocal exercises listed above. Pay attention to the change in feel and of the sound of the guitar in relation to the A minor chord. Work your voice until its comfortable and slippery and until you begin to feel more comfortable singing along with the guitar.

*Note-Learning to sing along with an instrument can take years and years and requires patience and diligent practice. Don’t be discouraged if these exercises don’t come to you immediately. If you’re getting frustrated, relax, take a deep breath or two, and start again. It’s helpful if you are somewhat comfortable with the guitar before endeavoring to sing and play.

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