I Begin Singing Practice

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I decided earlier this week to begin practicing some of the singing exercises in "Singing for Dummies," a book that comes with a CD.  I didn't want to start at the beginning, so I chose two chapters with the most potential for improving my vocals.  They are Chapter 11, "Developing the Parts of Your Singing Voice" and Chapter 12, "Expanding Your Flexibility and Range."  I found the tracks on the CD that cover these two chapters and burned them to a CD using iTunes.

Today I had an hour's drive to San Jose to have lunch with a friend.  A car is a great place to practice singing exercises, because no one else can hear you.  So I sang Tracks 15-48, covering both chapters above.  I sang them as well as I could with sincere effort, even repeating some that I didn't quite get on the first time through.

I paid attention to how the exercises sounded and how they made me feel.  I became more conscious of my head voice, middle voice and chest voice, all of which are exercised by these recordings.

By the time I arrived at the restaurant in San Jose, I had finished all of the tracks and my voice was feeling a bit tired, like a muscle that has been exercised.  That's a good thing.

I now have a singing practice routine.  Knowing what to do is half the battle.

Videos From Practice Session of June 5, 2011

These are videos of our practices, for use in evaluating and finding what and how to improve our band.  They are not intended to be polished performances.  However, suggestions and criticisms are welcome -- viewers can help us improve!


My World Is Empty Without You



Me and Bobby McGee



Island Style

More Songs From Practice Sessions - This From 2/13/2011

Blues Jam


25 Years


Tequila

Practice Session of Sunday, January 16, 2011

I have started filming our practice sessions.  I am posting the best of these sessions here.

This first post features our new lead guitar player, Lorraine Lewis.  Lorraine's guitar riffs add an important new element to the band.

Spooky