Hammond Music

Archive for May, 2009

After the success of last years 2008 season of “Can You Duet”, the producers (Fremantle Media who are the same ones who do American Idol) have decided to do it all again in 2009.

Joey and Rory, Caitlin and Will and The Coppollas all secured record deals from the last season. with Joey and Rory even receiving a nomination in the Academy of Country Music Awards.

Auditions were held on March 7^th at Nashville’s WildHorse Saloon and were attended by close to 5000 contestants. The judges have just been revealed and are different from last year.

Last year’s judges were Naomi Judd, hit Music Row songwriter Aimee Mayo and vocal coach Brett Manning. This year, the older half of legendary duo, "The Judds" returns and is joined by the top hat wearing Big Kenny and CEO of Big Machine records (home of Taylor Swift), Scott Borchetta. The series airs in June, 2009.

Contestants could have submitted a video audition or simply shown up on the Can You Duet open casting call day. Industry insiders, producers and employees of the show culled the over 5000 contestants to a more manageable number, at which point the actual judges became involved.

There were a lot of talented people who entered the competition. Some got through to the final 10 couples and some didn’t. The styles of the competitors was also quite varied. Everything from husband’s and wives, mums and daughters, twin sisters, twin brothers, best friends, fathers and sons and total strangers who just met in the line outside.

All episodes of the show have already been filmed and hence the audience who attended the tapings know the results of the show.

The show commenced at 8pm CST and was recorded on April 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 24 with the finale on the 30th.

Tune in to catch all the Can You Duet excitement in June, 2009

After many years of performing in excess of seventy weddings a year I feel quietly confident in advising couples on the right live wedding music for their celebration. A live wedding band can come in all shapes, sizes and styles and should reflect something of the couple’s personality and the type of day they wish themselves and their guests to experience. They can be used at various times of the day to change the tone of that particular portion of the proceedings. Some wedding bands can provide live wedding music for all parts of the day. Jazz not Jazz has such bands on their roster of musicians and they are much in demand.

When can live music be used in the wedding? Live music can be used for the ceremony, for the drinks reception, during the meal and for dancing after the meal.

What type of live wedding band would one use for the ceremony? Probably not a full band at this point. In a church an organist can play. He or she could be coupled with a flautist or a classical trumpet. Many people like to personalize the wedding music at this point and have a friend to play piano, a guitar or sing. We have been asked, many times, for a brass ensemble to provide the live wedding music at this point and these bands have been most effective at creating a celebratory atmosphere as well as being wonderful at playing hymns for the wedding service. Two guitars playing light classical music for before, during and at the end of the service create a wonderful pastoral atmosphere. Being quiet they focus the guest’s attention for the service ahead.

We are now at the reception. The wedding party has arrived and champagne and Pimms is being handed out. Are you indoors or outdoors? Is it summer or out of season? If it is summer you will be outdoors enjoying the rain and gales so typical of the British summer! Your wedding music needs to be acoustic. The wedding band needs to be able to run in and out as the weather dictates!

A jolly jazz band is perfect. Stripy blazers, banjos and sousaphones. In all the years of live playing and performing, I have found this type of live wedding music never fails to put a smile on the wedding guest’s faces. The music they play is uplifting and celebratory. The tunes are well known, light and uncomplicated and the music can be played live by three or four musicians in a small space with no electricity. An alternative is a saxophone led swing trio. Jazz not Jazz have two all girl jazz/swing trios who are both incredibly accomplished, are delightful company and very experienced in playing for wedding parties. Great bands playing great music. Again, live wedding music, available acoustically or with amplification depending whether they are to be used indoors or out.

Most importantly the music creates a wonderful ambiance and backdrop for wedding guests to chat and catch up with old friends. The wedding band isn’t doing a concert at this point, they are adding to the atmosphere. If the wedding is out of the summer season and the party is in doors, don’t worry, these jazz trios/quartets can play very gently. Remember, Jazz Not Jazz musicians are amongst the best in the country and playing at a lower level is no problem for them.

The guests have been called into dinner. You probably have an hour or more to eat and enjoy the speeches. The last thing needed is a loud wedding band playing. I would always stress a solo piano at this point if music is required at all. If you are having music after the meal then the pianist can be employed for both tasks. There is usually a reduction in price if this is the case. Some pianist’s sing and this can add a lovely flavour to the atmosphere at this time. For the speeches ask to hire a radio mike direct from us ti will give much better sound. It will invariably be a fraction of the cost of the hotels sound equipment and being wireless can be handed round.

Dinner is over, the speeches have ended. There is always a half hour hiatus while people stretch their legs, loosen their belts and retire to the loo! This is the perfect time for the evening wedding band to put up their equipment for the music for the evening. Which musical direction do you wish to choose? Do you want live wedding for swing and lounge music? Rat Pack? Music by Frank Sinatra and Jamie Cullum? Do you want Jump Jive or Salsa? Do you like music from the Blues Brothers film or from the Commitments?

My experience has been that the most successful weddings have incorporated elements of all types of live wedding music. Remember, you will have guests of all ages and tastes. For some Jamie Cullum is enjoyed. Others are soul fans and adore Stax, Motown and Seventies funky sounds. Music is a little like your favourite food. Too much of one type and you will be soon sick of it. Ring the changes. Have a wedding band that can play all styles. Jazz not Jazz have major representation for The Roadhouse Five, and they are such a band. They normally start with some quiet background swing. Playing Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin classics along with more modern artists such as Michael Buble` and Jamie Cullum. In the first set your guests are still talking to old friends, meeting new friends and enjoying the day. The wedding music, although live, is probably still background ambience and adding to the happy atmosphere. Set two changes this dramatically.

Your guests are relaxed, they have enjoyed your hospitality (they have had a drink or two, let’s not beat around the bush) and they are ready to party. This is the time for the bride and groom to have their first dance. Everyone is ready, gathering around the dance floor and ready to join you.

You will have discussed your first dance with the wedding band leader when discussing your wedding music requirements. There is no need to worry if the song is not in the wedding bands repertoire. If they are good, (dare I mention The Road House’s Five ability in learning client’s song requests?) then it should not pose a problem for the band. After the first song the serious business of celebrating gets underway. From now on you want a band that gets your guests up on the floor, keeps them there and has them yelling for more at the end of the night.

Let’s recap and offer a few tips:

(1) Wedding music can change as the day progresses

(2) Get a wedding band that offers variety

(3) Favourite styles of music for evening celebrations include Swing and Lounge, Rat Pack, Soul and Classic pop. Jazz not Jazz can supply a band that does one style all night or more often, offer a band that mixes all the different styles.

(4) Get a band that can put cd`s on between sets, you want to keep the atmosphere going when the band takes a break.

(5) Should you feed the band? It is not expected but very appreciated when a wedding band is on site for most of the afternoon and evening and away from places that sell food. Tell us if it isn’t convenient and the band can make their own arrangements.

(6) Let us know if you want a band for dancing and/or background listening. It has a great effect on the costs. Let us know where your party venue is. How big is the room? For the wedding music to be at its most effective it really helps to know how many people you need in the wedding band. Size of venue and number of guests will have a direct bearing in the size of the wedding band.

(7) Is the fee you charge inclusive? Yes it is. Obviously we have a standard model. Most wedding band performances are with a five piece wedding band playing three sets of music over a four hour period. These will be priced at a standard rate. There are factors which add costs and these include: distance, number of extra musicians and extra sets.

(8) Talk to us about your favourite music. The best way we can get a flavour of what kind of wedding music to play is by discussing what music and what style of band you enjoy. What cd`s have you bought recently and which tracks do you like the most.

(9) When should I book? As soon you find the band you like. Many people book wedding bands like holidays, a year in advance to avoid disappointment! I am still taking calls from people trying to book a particular band for their wedding on a Saturday in September this year. Very often the band in question may have been booked up for months. Don’t assume this is always the case. It always pays to check, you may be lucky!

I hope this has been of some help. People can sometimes underestimate the importance of the right wedding band playing the right wedding music. People don’t go home extolling the virtues of the napkins or the flowers, the standard of the service or the commodiousness of the marquee. They instead, rave about what a fantastic band you had, how they played some brilliant numbers, how tired they are from dancing all night and how they wished it could have carried on for longer.

About the author: Jeff Williams is the director of Jazz not Jazz Live music agency based in South London. He is one of the few agents to represent the Roadhouse Five, one of the most successful live wedding bands playing music in the South East of England and beyond. See http://www.jazznotjazz.co.uk for more details.

So, your obsessed with guitars to an almost unhealthy point – there the first and last thing you think about during the day. For every day you dont play you become grumpy and youve cut down on the food bill just to afford your new guitar. Now you want to have a crack at building your own all dancing all singing guitar -so what work will go into making it?

• The cost. This wont be cheap -think about the prices of the good wood for the guitar, then the prices of the electronics if building an electric and then the paint job. Also remember the specialist tools you are going to need to build your guitar.
• Practice. If you’ve never held wood cutting tools before, practice is really something you should be considering. You wont be great straight away, so dont start on expensive wood- let that come later when you’ve had some experience. By learning to use the tools and praciting you’ll save yourself more time when doing it on your expensive wood. Once you get to the point of making you guitar, all the practice will pay off.
• Wiring. This is for the guys building an electric guitar, because sooner or later, you are going to have to deal with the electronics. Getting electrocuted may become a factor once the guitar is built and you go to play it, so take extra care with wiring it. Always have a qualified electrician take alook at your work before you put it into the guitar just to be sure.

These are just a few things to consider, but if thats too much work you can always just buy electric guitars from these guys.

The list below has some good movie reviews. If you want to download these movies do some searches to find what is out there. You can try to search a term like “Download Movie Rental”, if you want some more, use “Online DVD” and “Movie Download Services”.

Aguirre the Wrath of God: Commanding, spellbinding story of misled conquistador who leads a group of gentlemen away from Pizarro’s 1560 South American journey looking for 7 cities of gold. Dreamlike film was shot on location in remote Amazon forests; Kinski is perfect as the crazy Aguirre. Cast includes Klaus Kinski, Ruy Guerra, Del Negro, Helena Rojo, Cecilia Rivera, and Peter Berling.  (94 minutes, 1972)

Macabre: Strange goings on in smaIl town where physician’s youthful daughter mysteriously disappears and a nameless telephone hailer declares that the kid has been buried alive. Cast includes William Prince, Jim Backus, Christine White, and Jacqueline Scott. (73 minutes, 1958)

The Protector: Bizare mix of a kung fu film and a boy-and his pup tale, this inexpensive looking prduction from Thailand gets sentimental while a youthful martial artist has his cherished elephant stolen by thugs and transported to Australia. Following the poor men there, he hooks up with a Thaiborn Australian investigator and does battle with wicked gangs and others in an attempt to repossess his little Dumbo. Cast includes Tony Jaa, Petchtai Wongkamlao, Bongkoj Khongmalai, Nathan Jones, Johnny Nguyen, Xing Jing, and Damian De Montemas. (81 minutes, 2005)

Days of Glory: Moving (and illuminating) fable of North African cadets who joined their French brothers in battle throughout WW2 even thougth they were on no account acknowledged as equals. The film is constructed on a time worn recipe of following raw initiates as they become stiffened battle Heros by concentrating on a handful of men and personalizing their tale. This film brings this forgotten chapter of history comes to lucid life. Cast includes Jamel Debbouze, Samy Naceri, Roschdy Zem, Sami Bouajila, Bernard Blancan, Mathieu Simonet, Benoit Giros, Melanie Laurent, and Antoine Chappey. (120 minutes, 2006)

Rambling Rose: Evocative story set in 1930s Georgia, with Dem as an oversexed senseless gal who comes to work for a ladylike family headed by Duvall and Ladd. Vibrant, pleasantly detailed, and well performed, with numerous delightful astonishments during the voyage. Cast includes Laura Dem, Rohert Duvall, Diane Ladd, Lukas Haas, John Heard, Kevin Conway, Rohert J. Burke, Lisa Jakub, and Evan Lockwood.  (112 minutes, 1991)

The Black Orchid: Concocted soaper of bumbling businessman (Quinn) courting mafia widow (Loren) and the complication of persuading their youngsters that matrimony can make all their lives more superior. Cast includes Sophia Loren, Anthony Quinn, Ina Balin, Jimmie Baird, (Peter) Mark Richman, Naotni Stevens, and Frank Puglia.  (1959 minutes, 96)

The Great Rock ‘n Roll Swindle: Debatable, outrageously skeptical freeform documentary in regards to the scandalous, ground-splitting punkrock band Johnny Rancid and The Sex Pistols. The film additionally shows how Pistols’ manager Malcohn McLaren cleverly advertised the group. Cast includes Malcolm McLaren, Johnny Rancid (John Lydon), Sid Nasty, Steve Jones, Paul Chef, Ronnie Biggs, and Liz Fraser. (103 minutes, 1980)

Hackers: A group of youthful competer specialists is framed for crimes committed by pc whiz and could-be master felon Stevens, and have to use their own computer abilities to demonstrate their innocence. It is quick paced and the lucid directing makes it fun. Cast includes Jonny Lee Miller, Angelina. Jolie, Fisher Stevens, Matthew Lillard, Laurence Mason, Jesse Bradford, Renoly Santiago, Lorraine Bracco, Wendell Perforate, Penn Jillette, Felicity Huffman, and Marc Anthony. (105 minutes, 1995)

The Dunwich Horror: Adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft’s tale in regards to wizard Stockwell’s malevolent plans for lady friend Dee. The movie is often powerful, although the ending spoils the entire film. Cast includes Sandra Dee, Dean Stockwell, Ed Begley, Sam Jaffe, Lloyd Bochner, Joanna Moore, and Talia Coppola.  (90 minutes, 1970)

Did you find something good to see? Don’t forget, search with terms like “How Do I Download Movies” and “Download Movie” to find download sites. You can search “Download Movie” if the others don’t help you.

To view DivX movies you need the DivX codec installed in your computer. Download Tv Sitcoms Buy and rent movies online from movie download sites. Many movie download sites provide low quality streaming videos.

So we all think all certain guitars when we hear the word – a guitar that just to us, symbolises what our favourite players uses to achieve that sound and look damn cool while doing it. These be the guitars that made guitarist become more than just musicians and become rock gods.

The Fender Strat. Created in 1954 by Leo Fender, the Stratocaster may just be the most iconic guitar around. There are thousands of coopies coming in all colours, but you know a real Strat just by its tone. Considered a blues and rock guitar -having been in the hands of many of these players, who find it hard to go back to other guitars afterwards. When thinking of Strat guitarists the names that come to mind are Clapton, Hendrix and Buddy Holly to name a few. The legendary reputation of the Stratocaster proceeds it, ensuring it remains an icon for years to come.

The Fender Telecaster. Considered more of a country guitar than anything else, it may surprise people to know that the telecaster also has its share of rock players. Jim Root of the metal band Slipknot, and John 5, Marilyn Manson’s former guitarist being two of them. Created again by Leo Fender, but before the Strat, the Tele was originally known as the Broadcaster. A law suit saw the name change to Telecaster, and the rest, as they say is history. Notable players include Joe strummer, Keith Richards and Andy Summers -showing just how versitile the guitar can be.

Gibson les paul. Created by Gibson with Les Paul, the guitar was created in 1952. Suprisingly, the original Les Pauls had single coil pickups in them, as opposed to the humbuckers we know they have -this change happened in 1957. Most guitar giants have placed thier hands on a Les Paul at some stage. Notable Les Paul players are Slash of Guns and Roses and Zakk Wylde, Ozzy Osbournes main guitarist.

Gibson SG. in 1961 this was going to be a new Les Paul guitar -the only problem being that the man himself didnt like the design. Renamed SG (for ’solid body’), it is a much lighter model with a thinner neck than the Les Paul. players who made the SG famous are Tony Iommi and Angus Young, both of whom have signature models.

In the mood for buying Fender Guitars? Go here.

When you have the huge choice of keyboards and digital pianos that is available today, it can seem a little overwhelming. Any trip to the local music shop or even a quick online search will show you the vast array of instruments in this niche available to you -but which one is right for your needs? Which one will best suit you? Here are a few tips that you should be considering before you go out and buy your keyboard:

1)  Affordability. Take the time to look around and get the best deal you can -set yourself a top level that you would pay and don’t go over that. Because the selection is so large, it really shouldn’t be too difficult in finding one that will fit your particular budget, no matter how conservative it is!

2)   Weighted action versus synth action. The weight of the keys transmits to the style of play that you are buying the keyboard for: weighted action is great for the trained pianist or someone who is looking to develop their piano skills; synth action is more suited to those who play a more synthy or techno style, as the keys can be played a lot faster. Synth action simply means that the keys are a little lighter, weighted action simply means that the keys are heavier and therefore behave more like an acoustic piano.

3) The number of keys. The number of keys that the keyboard has will depend once again on the style of music that you are looking to play. It can certainly seem that the choices you have when it comes to the number of keys can be almost as far-ranging as the choice of keyboards in the first place! The range goes from as little as 20 right up to 88. The choice is yours: if you are looking to use your keyboard for things like samples, then only a small range is needed and you only need a few keys. For the more experimental, for instance if you are looking to play around with sound development, then you want as many keys as possible.

4) Is it worth getting an onboard sequencer? A simple answer to a simple question here: if you are working with a computer, then yes it most definitely is. If you do not plan to work with a computer, then it probably won’t be necessary.

5) Do I need a workstation? The workstation on your keyboard will perform a myriad of functions, from sequencing to effects. If you are already using a computer which handles all of that, paying extra for a workstation may not be the most economical vantage point. This should be weighed against the fact that the workstation is, however, an incredible tool to use.

6) Velocity and aftertouch features. The aftertouch feature deals more with the sound that is produced after the keys have been pressed, like when they are resting on the keybed. The velocity feature relates to how the sound is produced relative to the amount of pressure given to the keys, for example how quickly they are pressed. Whatever use you have in mind for your keyboard, then velocity and aftertouch is something you should definitely be looking for.

7) Can I take this to a gig? You might want to think about a hard case to protect it, and obviously maneuverability is going to be a factor. It may seem obvious to say, but do you really want to be lugging some huge keyboard around from one gig to another? If one of the reasons you are buying the keyboard is to take it to gigs, then this should definitely be considered.

Think about what is available online -this is often the best way to buy a new keyboard -with the added advantage that they will deliver straight to your door! When you take the time to find the best keyboard, one that will suit your needs and your goals, then you are much more likely to develop the long-term relationship with your instrument.

Copyright 2009 Lauren Paltrow (Stage Pianist)

The almighty Fender Stratocaster- the guitar most people think of when they hear the word ‘guitars‘. The Strat guitar is as inconic a guitar as they come since they were first produced in 1954, as have gone from strength to strength. Lets look at the players who made this axe the legendary guitar that it is today.

• Iron Maiden. All three members of Iron Maiden have at one time or another played with a Fender Stratocaster. Other than Steve Harris, Dave Murray is the only other founding member of Iron Maiden that is still with the band. He used Paul Kosoff of the band ‘Free’s guitar up until 1990 when he switched to his signature series model. Murray has his own signature model with Seymour Duncan pickups and Floyd rose system on it -both a rarity for a Fender guitar, let alone a Strat. The two other guitar players in Iron Maiden, Janick Gers and Adrain Smith also play Strats, yet Smith seems to always be photographed with a different guitar in his hands.
• Eric Clapton. Ol’ ’slow hands’ as hes known, has played as many guitars as most people have had hot dinners, using everything from a Gibson Les Paul from his days in Cream and a Telecaster when he was in the Yardbirds. But he is most famous for using a Strat, namely the infamous ‘blackie’, which he used up until its retirement in 1985. Blackie was sold at auction to help fund the Crossroads centre for drug and alcohol addictions, and sold for $959,500 in 2004. Clapton made the switch to Strats in 1969, and hasnt looked back since.
• Jimi Hendrix. The man who redefined guitar playing and considered to be the greatest guitar player ever. Hendrix started playing the guitars in 1966, and then started to use them exclusively for recordings and live performances. Although like Clapton, he had been seen playing many different instruments, it is the strat which he settled on. He was left handed, so he played right handed guitars upside down and strung them in reverse order. Eric Clapton’s birthday present to Jimi was supposed to be a left handed Strat, which Jimi never received due to his death. he 1969 Monterey international pop festival performance.

After a Fender guitar now? Look no further.

The internet has given us a whole new media when it comes to learning to play the guitar, whether you are an absolute beginner or a seasoned pro. Lots of people today are making use of the high availability of online sites that promise to help you learn to play the guitar.

Online guitar tutorials are now a huge industry – there are a massive amount of sites, and a lot of them will teach you how to play the guitar to very high standard. Streaming videos now allow people to learn in the comfort o their own living room, at any time, whenever they like. Here, we have explored some of the advantages of these sites for you, and taken a closer look at what they can offer you.

1)    The convenience
More and more everyday activities are becoming more and more convenient (like shopping, for example). As we stated earlier, by learning to play the guitar online you can learn wherever and whenever you want. We are lucky to live in a time when convenience and easy availability of goods and services is part of our social make-up, and when it comes to learning to play the guitar, this is no different.

Nowadays, you can learn at your pace – a few minutes here and there if you so desire. You can even fit learning to play the guitar around other activities. In the past, guitar students would have to travel to the instructor’s studio for a lesson. This involved often inconvenient travel times, and more often than not involved setting aside a whole afternoon or evening for a lesson.

2) You get to choose your instructor
Instead of just taking lessons from someone who is closest to your home or more convenient for you to get to, this way you can take a look at their biographies, sample lessons and other relevant details. This is a huge advantage, as you will be learning from someone who best fits your particular needs. With the majority of online tutorial sites, you can select from a variety of instructors.

Taking lessons from two or three instructors will give you a good sense of balance and you may even learn better doing it this way – don’t have to stick to just one instructor. Some of them are more hands on, whilst others favor a more visual approach, it’s worth trying out different instructors to find one that best suits your learning style.

3) Its flexible
When you choose an online program, you are in the driving seat, and you get to learn what you want to learn! The courses are completely flexible in that you can choose what you want – in a more one-on-one situation you will often fin that you are learning only what the instructor wants (or is able to) teach you.

4)    Affordability
The math is relatively simple: if 100 members of a particular site pay $10 each, then the site generates $1000. This revenue can then be used to film and produce even more lessons. The whole business premise of the online tutorial is that they can provide more lessons for less money. In order to learn to play the guitar, a lot of people don’t want to spend a whole lot of money.

The value of the online training is clear. A lot of the websites offer membership for around $40, which represents great value for money when you consider how many lessons are open to you when you join up. With a one-on-one instructor you will be looking to pay something between $30 and $60 per half hour lesson.

The only real downside of the online tutorial is that there is no-one there is you get stuck. However, this seems like a very small disadvantage when you consider all the benefits of learning to play the guitar online. Sometimes, you need to ask a specific question about the things you are learning, and it can be quite frustrating that you cannot ask that question.

Copyright 2009 Liam Gibson of ReviewsMetro.com

The human ear can identify literally thousands of different sounds – your ear is a marvellous organ. The majority of the workings of the human ear are muscle, and, just like any other muscle in the human body, it can be trained to work even more efficiently.

It’s much like training a dog – you continue to give the dog the same order over and over again, until it recognises the sound and knows what it must do. Similarly, if you hear the same piece of music over and over again, you will recognise it. This is why playing the piano by ear comes so naturally to some people – when they hear a certain chord or selection of notes, they can immediately identify how those notes were played and the position of those notes on the keyboard.

Did you know, for example, that the majority of car horns are tuned to a major third? And that if you were able to find a very patient friend who didn’t mind sitting at your piano for two days straight and playing nothing but major thirds (for example C and E or F and A), the next time you hear a car horn you would immediately recognise the sound!

It can be done, and it can be done relatively easily. Once your ear is actually trained to identify these certain sounds, you’ll be amazed at how much you recognise them as they occur everyday life all around you. Train whistles, car horns, even tannoy announcements! If you can identify a train whistle as producing a tritone portamento descending, then do you see how easy it would be to learn to play the piano by ear?

It can be difficult to find a friend who doesn’t mind playing the same chords over and over again whilst you listen, so the best solution to this that we have found is get hold of a tape recorder, and record the music. If you can find a recorder with a numerical counter on it, all the better, as you are then able to rewind to any specific spot you like. This is really the initial step – you have to listen to the sounds in order to be able to recognize them.

A good place to start is with chord progressions – they can often be a bit more engaging than the relatively simple melodic intervals, and a bit more fun to play. Another reasonable place for you to start, according to many teachers, is with melodic intervals such as skips of a major third or a perfect sixth.

The art of training your ear to recognize specific sounds and thus transferring them onto the piano is very much a time-honored tradition, and there is absolutely no reason why you can’t do it yourself. In no uncertain terms, learning to play the piano could not be simpler!

Copyright 2008 Lauren Paltrow

All singers admire those who can sing high notes with apparent ease. If you would like to be able to improve the range of your voice, consider these points.

It is necessary of course to have a strong foundation of previous vocal training upon which to build before attempting this area of advanced study. Even with knowledge of singing it is still possible to harm your voice through over use.

If you would like to extend your vocal range, you must have a good idea what your range covers today. Range is loosely defined as the lowest note you can sing most of the time to the highest. The divisions of ranges are bass, tenor, alto and soprano. To improve your voice will take time, this is no quick fix program. A complete warm up is necessary before you work on  any advanced technique. Easy  is the key word here. If you want to not injure your voice, make sure you vocalize before you perform. Warming up is so important it can absolutely not be over emphasized. If you vocalize before you perform, your voice will be pliable . The voice will last well into old age if you treat it well .

If you want to improve even faster, record your voice during your lesson and performances. If you can  sincerely judge your performance, you can improve much quicker. This is an excellent method to hear your performance, learn from your mistakes and triumph over your success as well.

You can monitor your position and posture if you stand in front of a mirror while you practice. This will help you enhance your voice that much faster. While singing, the only thing that should move is your vocal cords. When singers lift their jaw when they try to sing higher, they are limiting the vocal cords and working against themselves.

Working with a competent teacher or through a college-level course is fundamental if you expect to make long lasting progress in extending your vocal range. This will make certain that you have the guidance that you need.