How to Maintain and Preserve Your Singing Voice

Most people think that singers with good voices are born with them. Yes, although some people have better singing voices than others, most, if not all good singers undergo vocal training to improve their voices.

Most of the singer's training is done through specific vocal exercises to achieve certain effects such as singing powerfully, getting vibrato into the singing voice or even expanding your vocal range so that singing higher notes is a breeze.
Unfortunately, this article cannot do that as the exercises must be physically demonstrated and manually practiced. So instead of learning how to get a good voice, this article will show you how to protect and preserve your singing voice because your voice quality can be destroyed by bad habits that you may not even know you have.

Your voice is produced by a delicate mechanism and when used correctly, it rarely gives you any problem. So take good care of your precious voice and will serve you well for your lifetime.

The first golden rule to having a good voice quality is not to take up smoking and if you are already a smoker, do quit smoking before this nasty habit destroys your singing voice further.

The thousands of irritants and chemicals in cigarettes damage your voice and will certainly shorten your singing career and even your life unless you are a rock singer and need to have a raspy and coarse voice.

Always stay hydrated and as such, you need to stay away from caffeine, alcohol and other substance that dehydrates you. The vocal folds must be hydrated at all times to stay healthy and lubricated. So drink plenty of drink as much water everyday to keep them hydrated.

If you are on medication, check with your doctor or pharmacist whether the medicine you are taking is dehydrating. As a general guide, your body should be well hydrated when your urine is clear and not cloudy.

Everyone's voice has its own limitations. So get to know yours. Shouting, talking loudly or even singing forcefully is damaging to your vocal cords, this is sheer common sense, but many singers still abuse their voices this way. So don't shout.

Unfortunately, some people think that to sing powerfully, they have to shout. No, they don't have to. You can develop a powerful voice with the correct vocal exercises without having to shout.

Your vocal cords collide with each other more than a million times everyday when you produce a sound and so, any extra harsh activities like shouting puts further strain on the already overused vocal cords.

When recovering from a coarse voice like say, from a sore throat, avoid any unnecessary conversations or phone calls to let your voice fully recover. Otherwise your recovery will be slower and even then, small permanent damages may occur.

You need to know that your vocal cords are muscles and therefore like any muscles, they need a thorough warm up and some voice lesson before it can perform at its peak when you are singing. By the same token, they need to be cooled down with vocal exercises after your performances.

Just because you get away without warming up or cooling down now does not guarantee that you will not damage your voice in the future.

Next on the list is to avoid late night eating because this may end up with your stomach acid spilling into your larynx when you lie down to sleep and causing a hoarse voice and over the long term, permanent voice damage.

These are just some of the many things that you should not do to preserve, protect and maintain your voice producing mechanism so that you can have a good singing voice permanently.



September 22, 2009
By Chris Chew
Chris Chew owns a music education website at http://www.playmusicsing.com

Tips For Taking Dance Lessons

When it comes to the idea of taking dance lessons you want to do your research first. This can be a great way to learn something new but you want to make sure you will get a lot out of it. Find out what types of dance lessons are offered in your area. You may have a particular type of dancing you wish to take part in. If not, find one that could be very interesting for you and that you like the music of.

Some dance lessons require you to have a partner and others don’t. It is important to find this out before you sign up. If you need a partner start looking for one early. Make sure it is someone that will be committed to showing up for the lessons. You can also find out if there are other singles that want to do the class and perhaps the two of you can become partners that way.

The length of the dance lessons as well as when they are held is important to. Generally they should be at least one hour in length per session for you to really learn a great deal in them. The class can run for several weeks or even many months depending on what you are going to learn while you are in it. Make sure you can commit to that frame of time. Some programs even offer childcare services so ask about them if you are worried about getting a sitter so you can attend the various dance classes.

Make sure you sign up for a class that is right for your level of skills. Most of the time you will find beginning, intermediate, and then advanced dance classes in the different categories. You want to start with the beginning classes if you are new to it or you feel you have no real understanding of dancing that you are comfortable with. Then you can move into a higher level of class as your skills improve.

Find out who the instructor for the dance lessons is as well. You want someone that you feel comfortable with. That way you will get more from each of the sessions. If you don’t know that individual ask if you can schedule a meeting with them before you sign up. You want to ask questions too such as their own dancing experience, why they are teaching the lessons, and what you should be able to get out of the program.

Ask for references too so you can find out what other people have to say about taking dance lessons from that instructor. If the feedback is very positive then you want to get signed up. However, if you are getting mixed reviews then you may want to continue looking for another program.

Make sure you find out how many people will be in your dance lesson class too. The smaller the class the better because then the instructor can observe and give pointers more often to you. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes and loose clothing for your dance lessons too. You want to be able to have the freedom of movement.

Finally, loosen up and have a great time with all of it. You don’t want to be rigid and tense while you are learning how to dance. Be willing to experiment and to see yourself as a great dancer. Hopefully there will be some mirrors in the classroom too so that you can see for yourself how great you look. This will increase your self confidence for when you are ready to get out there on the dance floor.



September 18, 2009
By Joshua Safee
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Read This Prior to Taking Any Play Guitar For Beginners Lessons

Before you begin using any material that offers play guitar for beginners instruction; you should familiarize yourself with the component parts that make up the instrument you will be playing. The modern guitar we know today has developed from quite an old instrument.

The acoustic guitar has been around since the late 1700's with the electric guitar being invented during the 1930's. Do not worry about which type you have decided to play; they both share the same main characteristics. The main difference is that an electric guitar is connected to an amplifier. Simply by understanding about the various components that make up your guitar, you will become a better musician.

The guitar parts are the headstock, the tuners, the nut, guitar neck and fret board, sound hole, the body, and bridge. Collectively these parts make the instrument work and give the guitar its distinctive sound. If just one of these parts were removed or changed; all the guitar lessons in the world would be useless, because the notes played would not sound right.

The next thing to learn is how to hold the pick correctly. Some beginners prefer not to use a pick to play the guitar, but this can become painful for your fingers. Your picking hand should be open with the palm facing you, then, make a loose fist and let your thumb remain beside your index finger. Rotate your hand with the knuckle of your thumb facing you.

The next stage for beginners is learning how to tune the guitar before you play it. You can use an electronic tuner but there are videos on the internet that can teach you how to tune your guitar on your own.

Once you master the tuning you should next learn the scales. Included in most play guitar for beginners instructions are lessons on how to play scales. Beginners should learn which finger to use when pressing a specific string. The thumb is not be used to press any strings however, once you are proficient, you may choose to use it. At this early stage the thumb is used as a support. The four remaining fingers of the hand will be used to create a guitar chord by pressing down the strings.

Finally, you are now ready to play your first chord. Start by reading illustrated chord charts and following the instructions. You should memorize them all and practice playing them along with your favorite songs.

Remember, these are just the basics; there are still many things beginners should be learning in order to play the guitar like a professional. By simply taking play guitar for beginner's lessons, the additional material can be quickly and easily learned.

(ArticlesBase ID #876169)



September 14, 2009
By Bernice Eker
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