راهنمای احمق‌ها: آواز خواندن، ویرایش دوم

Idiot’s Guides: Singing, Second Edition exemplifies artful teaching and clearly illuminates the perils, pitfalls, joys, and extreme exuberance that singing can offer. The authors state that there is no substitution for a gifted voice teacher, and they are right. What has been needed, though, is a clear guidebook, a reference to the many concepts inherent in the careful study of singing. This book offers that and more. Especially important is the emphasis on musicianship and the development of music reading skills. One of the great tragedies in music education in the last number of years has been the disintegration of a systematic teaching of basic skills, something that all students should and can learn. It is hoped that the strong emphasis on musicianship, not just singing, found in this book will inspire and provide substance for music students to extend their training to include music theory, ear training, and historical matters. What has always struck me about singing is the fact that it is so personal, and that there is not one degree of separation between the singer and the instrument. Learning to sing places one in a vulnerable position, and this book helps the burgeoning singer to honestly understand what is involved. There are no shortcuts offered here, just clear, artful teaching. Contents iii Part 1: Finding Your Voice 1 1 Your First Singing Lesson 3 Why Do You Want to Sing? 4 What You Need to Get Started 4 Preparing Your Breath 5 Speaking vs Singing 6 Finding Your Singing Voice 8 Exercise 11: Yoo-Hoo! 8 Exercise 12: Ah-Ha! 10 Exercise 13: We 10 Exercise 14: Oh, No 10 Exercise 15: Hey, Ray 11 Exercise 16: Sing the Alphabet 11 2 Employing Vocal Imagery 13 Understanding Vocal Imagery 13 Using Your Imagination 14 Applying Vocal Imagery 15 Vocal Imagery Exercises 16 Exercise 21: Be Operatic 16 Exercise 22: Be Soulful 17 Exercise 23: Be Your Favorite Singer 17 3 Finding Your Range 19 Understanding Voice Classification 20 Classifying the Adult Female Voice 20 Soprano 20 Alto 21 Classifying the Adult Male Voice 21 Tenor 21 Baritone 22 Bass 22 Determining Your Vocal Classification 22 Finding Your Range with the Online Tracks 24 Finding Your Range on the Piano 24 Age-Specific Considerations 26 The Maturing Voice 26 Special Categories 27 A Survival Guide for Young Singers 28 4 Developing Your Technique with Vocal Exercises 31 Doing Vocal Warm-Ups 31 Exercises for Breath Control 32 Exercise 41: Hiss Like a Snake 32 Exercise 42: Hissy Doodle 33 Exercise 43: Sing the Alphabet—in a Single Breath 33 Exercises for Focusing Your Tone and Developing Resonance 34 Exercise 44: Don’t Get Hung Up! 34 Exercise 45: Hum a Tone 34 Exercise 46: Say “Ah” 35 Exercise 47: More Vowels 36 Exercise 48: Nee Neh Nah Noh Noo 36 Exercises for Extending Your Range37 Exercise 49: Ho-Ho! 38 Exercise 410: Ha-Ha! 38 Part 2: Learning to Sing—Properly 41 5 Let’s Get Physical 43 Your Body Is Your Instrument 44 Understanding the Vocal Mechanism 44 The Breathing System 47 The Supporting Muscles 47 The Diaphragm 47 The Lungs 48 The Trachea 48 The Vocal Tract 48 The Vocal Cords 49 The Larynx 50 The Pharynx 51 The Mouth 52 The Mask 53 Conditioning Your Instrument 54 6 Straight and Tall: Why Posture Makes a Difference 55 Proper Posture from the Bottom Up 56 The Feet 56 The Knees 57 The Pelvis 57 The Sternum 57 The Shoulders 58 The Spine 58 The Neck/Chin 59 The Arms 60 Seated Posture 60 Practicing Your Posture: Some Fun Posture Exercises 62 Exercise 61: The Mountain Pose 62 Exercise 62: Interlocking Fingers 63 Exercise 63: Tighten That Butt! 64 Exercise 64: Chin Tucking 64 7 Waiting to Exhale: Learning Breath Control 67 Breathing In: Inhalation 68 Expanding Your Diaphragm 68 Breathing with Your Back 70 Mouth vs Nose Breathing 71 Breathing Out: Exhalation 72 Exercises for Better Breath Control 73 Exercise 71: Inhale and Hold 73 Exercise 72: Exhale Like a Snake 73 Exercise 73: Hiss a Song 74 Exercise 74: Sing a Song 74 Exercise 75: Sing a Scale 74 Exercise 76: Keep Your Chest High 75 8 Finding Your Focus: Vocal Placement and the Even Voice 77 The Path to the Mask 77 Imagining the Path 78 Palates and the Path 79 Good—and Bad—Vibrations 79 Understanding Vibrato 80 Developing Vibrato 80 Controlling Vibrato 80 Dealing with Unwanted Vibrato 81 Vocal Registers and the Even Voice 81 Chest Voice and Head Voice 81 Make It—Don’t Break It 83 Exercises to Develop the Even Voice 83 Exercise 81: Stay in the Mask 83 Exercise 82: Feel the Vibrations 84 Exercise 83: Falsetto to Full 84 Part 3: Sight Singing and Vocal Theory 87 9 Basic Vocal Theory 89 Singing Pitches 90 Pitches by Number 90 Pitches by Name 91 Pitches on a Piano Keyboard 91 Pitches on a Musical Staff 92 Working with Different Clefs 93 The Treble Clef 94 The Bass Clef 94 Singing in Rhythm 94 Understanding Note Values 95 Taking Count 96 Taking a Rest 96 Taking a Note and Dotting It 97 Taking Two Notes and Tying Them Together 98 Taking the Beat and Dividing by Three 98 Singing in Time 99 10 Do, a Deer: Using Solfeggio Techniques 101 How Solfeggio Works 102 Finding Do in Different Keys 104 Understanding Key Signatures 105 The Key Signature with No Flats or Sharps 105 Key Signatures with Flats 106 Key Signatures with Sharps 106 The Next Steps 107 Sight-Singing Intervals 108 Singing Notes Outside the Scale 110 11 Practicing Your Sight Singing 113 Understanding Sight Singing 114 Sight Singing Intervals 114 Exercise 111: Prime (Unison) Intervals 115 Exercise 112: Major and Minor Seconds 115 Exercise 113: Major and Minor Thirds 115 Exercise 114: Perfect and Augmented Fourths 115 Exercise 115: Perfect and Diminished Fifths 116 Exercise 116: Major and Minor Sixths 116 Exercise 117: Major and Minor Sevenths 116 Exercise 118: Octaves 116 Using Familiar Tunes to Practice 117 Exercise 119: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” 117 Exercise 1110: “Frere Jacques” 117 Exercise 1111: “Amazing Grace” 118 Exercise 1112: “Go Tell Aunt Rhody” 119 Sight Singing Simple Rhythms 119 Adapting Speech Patterns to Music Notation 119 Exercise 1113121 Exercise 1114 122 Exercise 1115 122 Exercise 1116 122 Exercise 1117 122 Exercise 1118 122 Exercise 1119 123 Exercise 1120 123 Exercise 1121 123 Exercise 1122: Putting Pitches and Rhythms Together 123 Exercise 1123: Name That Tune 124 Sight Singing in a Minor Key 124 Exercise 1124: “Poor Wayfaring Stranger” 125 Exercise 1125: “Erie Canal” 125 More Sight Singing Practice 126 Exercise 1126 126 Exercise 1127 126 Exercise 1128 126 Exercise 1129 126 Exercise 1130 127 Exercise 1131 127 Exercise 1132 127 Exercise 1133 127 Part 4: Taking It Further 129 12 Learning Proper Diction 131 Vowels: The Vehicles of Tone 132 Shaping the Vowel 132 Finding the Open Jaw 133 Singing the Five Basic Vowels 134 Singing the Short Vowels 135 Handling the “Uh” 135 Dealing with Diphthongs 136 Consonants: The Articulators of Tone 137 Understanding Consonants 137 Voiced and Unvoiced Consonants 137 Confronting Common Pronunciation Problems 137 Give the Most Weight to the Initial Consonant 138 Watch Which Consonants You Connect 138 Don’t Hum Your Ns and Ms 138 The Extended “Arrrr” 139 Don’t Slur Your Rs 139 Don’t Drop the Final Consonant 139 EW or OO? 140 13 Employing Proper Phrasing and Dynamics 141 Introducing the Phrase 142 The Art of Phrasing 143 Tempo Variations 143 Articulation and Legato 144 Articulating the Phrase 144 Smooth Singing for Pop Ballads 145 Rhythmic and Melodic Nuance 145 Tonal Shadings 146 Dynamic Contrasts 146 Applying Dynamics to a Phrase 146 Changing Your Volume 147 Dynamic Markings 147 Other Vocal Markings 148 14 Establishing a Practice Routine 151 Exercises for Beginning Singers 152 1 Start with Stretching 152 2 Roll Your Neck 153 3 Practice Breathing 153 4 Make Some Noise 153 5 Work on Tone and Resonance 154 6 Develop Your Repertoire 154 Exercises for More-Experienced Singers 154 1 Stretch It Out155 2 Work on Your Range 155 3 Start Singing 156 4 Work on New Songs156 Creating a Practice Journal 156 15 Learning a New Song 159 How to Mark Your Music for Learning 159 Taking the Next Step—Singing! 161 The Rhythm 162 The Pitches 162 The Lyrics 162 And More ... 162 Building Your Portfolio 163 16 Choral Singing 165 Learning to Fit In 166 Types of Choral Ensembles 167 Trio 167 Quartet 168 Chamber Choir 168 Madrigal Choir 168 Large Vocal Ensembles 169 Rehearsal Etiquette 169 Reading a Choral Score 170 Practicing an Ensemble Piece 172 Part 5: Singing in Style 175 17 Classical and Musical Theater 177 The Roots of Classical Singing 178 Opera to Listen To 178 Everything Old Is New Again: The Re-Emergence of the Classical Style 179 Crossing Over to Musical Theater 179 The Musical Theater Repertoire 180 Singing in Musical Theater 180 Listening to Musical Theater 181 Singing an Art Song 181 18 Pop, Rock, and Country 185 Popular vs Classical Singing: What’s the Difference? 186 Singing Pop and Rock Music 187 How to Sing Pop and Rock 187 Sing, Don’t Scream 188 Great Pop and Rock Singers 188 Singing Country Music 191 What Makes Country Country191 Great Country Singers 192 Singing a Pop Ballad 193 19 Jazz 197 What Jazz Is 198 Jazz Vocal Technique 198 Tone and Diction 199 Vowels 199 Consonants 200 Melodic Embellishment 200 Rhythmic Variation 201 Improvisation 202 Great Jazz Singers 203 Pure Jazz Singers 203 Pop Singers in a Jazz Style 205 Learning a Jazz Song: “I Ain’t Got Nobody (And Nobody Cares for Me)” 207 20 Gospel and R&B 211 Singing Gospel212 Singing Black Gospel 212 Singing Southern Gospel 213 Singing Contemporary Gospel 213 Great Gospel Singers 213 Singing R&B and Soul 214 How R&B and Soul Differ from Other Types of Singing 215 Great R&B and Soul Singers 215 Singing a Gospel Song 217 Part 6: The Next Steps 219 21 Taking Care of Your Voice 221 What Causes Voice Disorders? 222 Infectious and Inflammatory Conditions 222 Dealing with a Cold 223 Using Over-the-Counter Medications 224 Dealing with Allergies 224 Vocal Misuse and Abuse 225 How to Abuse Your Voice 225 Smoking, Drinking, and Drugs 226 Physical Problems 226 Warning Signs of Vocal Fatigue or Illness 227 Staying Healthy 227 22 Finding a Teacher 231 Why Take Lessons? 231 Regularly Scheduled Lessons 232 Someone to Hear You 232 Expansion of Your Repertoire 233 Networking with Other Singers and Musicians 233 Development of Other Musical Skills 233 The Teacher as a Resource for Further Study 234 Types of Voice Teachers 234 The Voice Teacher 234 The Vocal Coach 235 What to Look For—or Avoid—in a Voice Teacher 235 Where to Find a Good Voice Teacher 236 Questions a Voice Teacher Should Ask You 236 Questions You Should Ask a Voice Teacher 237 Voice Teachers to Avoid 238 Getting the Most from Your Voice Lesson 238 23 Singing Onstage and in the Studio 241 Singing Onstage 242 Be Prepared!242 Get the Look 243 Walk the Walk 243 Watch Those Hands 244 Deal with Stage Fright 245 Work with an Accompanist 246 Using the Microphone 246 Choosing a Microphone 247 Proper Microphone Technique 247 Singing in the Studio 249 Reading Counts! 249 Use the Mic—and the Mix 249 Sing It Over—and Over, and Over ... 249 Don’t Be Surprised by What You Hear 250 Be Professional 250 24 Belting It Out in Vocal Competitions 253 Are Vocal Competitions Worth Your Time? 253 Finding Talent Contests 254 How the Big-Time Vocal Competitions Work 255 Making It Big—Or Not 255 Letting Your Personality Shine 256 Picking the Right Material 257 How to Belt a Song 257 Participating in Educational Vocal Competitions 258 How an Educational Contest Works 258 Choosing Your Performance Piece 259 25 Following Your Dreams 263 Options for Serious Singers 264 Karaoke 264 Talent Contests 264 Singing in Church 265 Community Choirs 265 Community Theater 266 Demo Sessions 266 Background Vocals 266 Jingles 267 Singing in a Band 268 Pursuing a Singing Career 269 Put Together a Résumé269 Cut a Demo 270 Market Yourself 271 Audition, Audition, Audition 272 Going Professional 272 Acing the Audition 273 Choosing the Right Material 273 How to Prepare 274 Dressing for Success 275 What to Take 275 Warming Up 276 How to Enter 276 How to Exit 277 Stay Focused—and Become the Singer You Know You Can Be 277 A Vocal Music Glossary 279 B Pronunciation Reference 287 C Troubleshooting Vocal Problems 293 D Audio Track Listings 297 Index 303 This is an approachable, easy-to-use guide to improving one's singing voice. It takes a similar approach used in other Idiot's Guide music books to guide the reader step-by-step through the process of becoming a real singer. Readers will learn how to find their ideal singing range, how best to practice, how to improve basic technique, how to stand and breathe properly, how to sing in different musical styles, and how to move beyond singing in the shower to singing in public. Both solo and ensemble singing are covered, as is the concept of sight singing.The book is filled with numerous illustrations and musical examples, as well as fun and productive singing exercises. Unlike more traditional vocal instruction books, Idiot's Guide: Singing takes a'fast-track'approach to the topic, so that budding vocalists start singing right from the very start. The book even shows readers how to sing in different musical styles (pop, rock, country, classical, etc.) and how to perform live-including proper microphone technique.This second edition of Idiot's Guide: Singing is accompanied by a variety of audio exercises and examples, which will be available online. These online examples and exercises replace the CD-based audio tracks available with the first edition, and will help to make the exercises more immediately accessible and lower the cost of the new edition. pt. 1. Finding your voice. Your first singing lesson ; Employing vocal imagery ; Finding your range ; Developing your technique with vocal exercises pt. 2. Learning to sing properly. Let's get physical ; Straight and tall : why posture makes a difference ; Waiting to exhale : learning breath control ; Finding your focus : vocal placement and the even voice pt. 3. Sight singing and vocal theory. Basic vocal theory ; Do, a deer : using solfeggio techniques ; Practicing your sight singing pt. 4. Taking it further. Learning proper diction ; Employing proper phrasing and dynamics ; Establishing a practice routine ; Learning a new song ; Choral singing pt. 5. Singing in style. Classical and musical theater ; Pop, rock, and country ; Jazz ; Gospel and R&B pt. 6. The next steps. Taking care of your voice ; Finding a teacher ; Singing on stage and in the studio ; Belting it out in vocal competitions ; Following your dreams Appendix A. Vocal music glossary Appendix B. Pronunciation reference Appendix C. Troubleshooting vocal problems Appendix D. Audio track listings.