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.

How to ingnite your Salivary Glands!!

Hydrating is good for your body, am I right?
Well, its good for you in many different ways besides "flushing out your system".
Your vocal folds, located by your soft upper palate, need to stay moist to get the sound out. Because nobody likes to sing with a dry voice!
But how can you get the spit flowing??
Some sources online say that Jolly Ranchers, and even some suckers help with the process. Water may or may not, but the sugar within the candy does spark a reaction and that will release saliva within your mouth to start to go, and that in turn will lubricate your vocal folds for a well balanced sound!
Salivary Gland for Vocals

Doubling your voice with instruments

In college I had a weekend gig at a restaurant, a solo thing that was the best practice I could have ever had. That's where I learned to coordinate my singing and my piano playing.
Norah Jones

Sometimes you hear those songs that make you wanna sing along but you have to have the music for ques as to when to start or even cut off.
It is always nice to have a good accompany to any beat. Whether you are performing a ballad or even just a simple slow song. Anywhere from country to rock to punk to the classics.
What is the most common instrument used in solos?
Guitar?
Piano?
Actually, it varies due to different kinds of music, and also how you want the song to sound. If you are hoping for a hopeful upbeat song, you'll generally start with a guitar, and for a down beat you may find artists using pianos. Always depending on you, and how you interpret a song, or how you interpret your own.

Voice Types

There are many different people in this world, so that means you have many different voice types! Many many be low, or high, or maybe right in the middle with a larger range.
However your voice is, that can make to a HUGE contribution to how you enter the musical type career if you'd like.

For the first time, this year in choir I was put into the soprano section. I do honestly believe I have a higher range for this course.

Alto section is generally a lower range for females, as to sopranos who generally have a higher range.

I kind of believe that every female voice can all get high, it just is a matter of fact if your soft palate is lifted, you can go way above your "averaged range"

Is Guitar Hero helpful for voices?

Man, does this come up a lot. Thinking that maybe, just maybe, this vocal part of the game would help with the scale (Do-Re-Mi.. etc...) because of the jumps in some songs. How would I ever know that?
Well, easy! As you know, rock band, guitar hero, whatever games has vocals that you can sing a long with may help with learning the words, and maybe how to train your voice to hold notes out longer.
Pitch is not something you could learn, nor could you learn other ways to perform, but it does help you to have a good time!

                                                           Today at a friend's house playing Rock Band
                                                                                                 Singing "What I've Done" by Linkin Park

If you know you want to..

If only you'd want to ever know the feeling I got when I first got my new audio recorder today.. Now all those extra solo parts in songs I've always dreamt of adding, I finally can!!

Just one step closer to a dream I've always had and always wanted to succeed at! Almost there!

"You make me st-st-stutter"

You know those songs that are really catchy?
The ones you listen to, and you wanna put it on replay it over and over until your ears bleed?
Yep!
I know I have many songs like that!
My full intention in this post is to help people to realize that, yes, singing/music, may be a HUGE step with tons of different options, but when it comes down to it, are you ready?
A group of friends and I decided a while ago to start a "garage band". Yeah, I took the lead and claimed vocal right away! While other friends realized they had talent in other areas.
One friend of mine is good on bass, while the other on just normal guitar.
Thats what sets music apart from eachother!

Reason one being your range in music, whether you're playing an instrument, or even just simply singing up the scale (Do-Re-Mi.... etc...), thats your talent that you yourself can fulfill to the fullest.

Hard work and determination can get you as far as Madonna, or even Aerosmith! Even Grace Potter probably fell down a couple times (not literally.. Maybe literally) but she still got up and tried and is still working hard!

Singing is a huge part of me!

I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me-like food or water. 
Ray Charles 

You know how some people have that one thing that people say they are good at behind closed doors, yet they do it in front of people and they choke up?
Yeah.. I love singing.. I love choir.. I love every aspect of that! Every detail down to the little solo piece the guitarist gets, and where the high notes are.
Alto or Soprano, either way I like range in females voices. I appreciate the "rocker chicks" and "country" and even some female rappers are worth listening to if you come across it. No matter what, whether it be the genre you listen to, or even just a song for a certain bass part, there is something in everyone that people love.