Singing Can Benefit Your Well-Being

Have you ever wondered how singing may improve your well-being?
How can it possibly help?

Reducing Stress and Pain
Studies have linked singing with a lower heart rate, decreased blood pressure, and reduced stress, according to Patricia Preston-Roberts, a board-certified music therapist in New York City. She uses song to help patients who suffer from a variety of psychological and physiological conditions.

"Some people who have been traumatized often want to leave the physical body, and using the voice helps ground them to their bodies," Preston-Roberts says. "Singing also seems to block a lot of the neural pathways that pain travels through."
(http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/06/07/how_singing_improves_your_health_even_if_other_people_shouldnt_hear_you_singing.htm)

You can see that singing is good for you physically and mentally, and the singing aspect helps you to drop heart rate because your breathing is creating more oxygen in your blood making it easier for your heart to pump.

Boosts Immune System
Several studies have found that singing also enhances immunity and well-being. One, conducted at the University of Frankfurt in Germany, found that choral members had higher levels of immunoglobulin A and cortisol -- markers of enhanced immunity -- after they sang Mozart's "Requiem" than before. Just listening to the music did not have this effect.
(http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/06/07/how_singing_improves_your_health_even_if_other_people_shouldnt_hear_you_singing.htm)

Also in this article, they stated you have:
Improved lung capacity

High energy

Relieved asthma

Better posture

Enhanced feelings of relaxation, mood and confidence

"He who sings frightens away his ills. ~Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote"

Singing for the Moment

"Cause we consider these minutes golden
And maybe they'll admit it when we're gone
Just let our spirits live on, through our lyrics that you hear in our
songs and we can... "
~Sing for the Moment
By: Eminem

Music does shine through all of this. I realized not too long ago, on Friday night, my brother, my best friend, was hit by a drunk driver. Then later on Sunday night, died of massive internal bleeding. Nothing can hurt more then knowing that you no longer have a friend you can rely on and just have someone to confide in.
With so many deaths to handle nowadays, how can we manage to even keep our own selves alive with the hurt you feel inside?
Easy for me to say, and maybe you. Music can help, and sometimes it doesn't. The words can help you, or even hurt you for the same reason you hurt.

As a dedication to those you've lost, I would like to post that to all of my friends/family I've lost, that you'll forever be missed, but never forgotten.

Singing at its "best"?

Have you ever had the dream to sing like a certain singer?
Carrie Underwood?
Steven Tyler?
Even Christina Aguliera?
Don't forget that they may have a talent, but the voice that you hear on the radio or in music videos is their natural voice! Audio edit does a lot of things to the voices making them sound "desireable".

Fergie singing "Sweet Child O Mine" for Slash's birthday
Without Audio Editing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBIpBNMzzGs

Fergie again singing her own song "Clumsy"
With Audio Editing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf_gPZSDIxI

Big difference!

So you shouldn't ever wish anything different for your voice or wish you had someones voice. Yours is unique in its own way! You can make it work however you'd like!

Singing A Cappella

Singing A Cappella is singing without music. Your voice being the only music you get! There are many singers who sing that way for practice because they need more of the pitch practice more then timing and such.
For the most part, a lot of singers start out by singing that way. It may be a challenge to keep a good rythem, but very much worth it when you are satisfied with your voice alone. Music will just add to it!

Songbirds v.s Humans Singing

You would think different systems in different species would make for different vocal cords? Not true when it comes to songbirds.
If you didnt know, the song birds have the same vocals as us, it just works in a different way.
What makes it different is how we take in air.
The lung placement is different too! How our lungs are openned are down and out, like a balloon.
But birds are just out. How that affects is our muscles inbetween our ribs, also known as the 'Intercostal Muscles', are not used to functioning like that.
As your lungs take in air, they expand and open your ribs up.
At the same time, they are pushing down on your stomach and intestines and all of that stuff, so that in turn is pushing it out due to lack of room for movement to go anywhere else anyways.
Songbirds have the lungs that just expand. Thats why in movies, and in real life, the song bird takes a breath before singing.
We do have a lot in common with animals!
Song Bird Singing

Vocal Scale

"Do, a deer, a female deer.. Re, a drop of golden sun.." Etc..
You know that song from the "Sound Of Music" and that is a huge part of singing is the musical  scale.
You can go off of the scale into sharps and flats.
An F# is just the step up from a F and A Bb is a step down from B
C D E F G A B C
If you go up a half step it would be a sharp after a whole. (For example: C to C# 'sharp')
After youre at a sharp, you go up another half step and it would turn to a flat. (For example: C# to Db 'flat')
Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do
As you go up, like the C D E F G A B C, you go up. Most people can lift the octive, and make the high Do (After Ti) at a higher pitch.

A website to help you further practice is..
Musical Scales for Vocal Warmups
A guide for the Musical Scale
Major Scales- A Musical Scale Guide

Best Times to Write a Song?

You may turn on the radio, and hear a song about having a good time, "Musta Had a Good Time" by Parmalee is a good example, then the next song is "Tonight I Wanna Cry" by Keith Urban. Other songs like "Miss The Misery" by Halestorm may also be a more popular song choice.
All know what they have in common?
They all have a certain emotion to them, and they are are very strong songs because the artists has feelings that way.
'Party' songs generally are meant to bring up a mood, while maybe an artist is talking about a breakup or a death, and they have that creative energy flowing to make an impactful song.
Many, MANY country and rock songs have huge impacts like that.
"Every Rose Has Its Thorns" by Poison is a good example. They can pull off so many different meanings, while the potent meaning you get is that everybody, whether they seem perfect on the outside, have that one flaw, or 'thorn'.
Impactful songs happen most when your hormones are trying to produce more to send to a certain part, and thats where you may feel the affect of more of a deeper feeling.