Category Archives for "Practice Updates"

August 9, 2017

Repetition…But Each Time Better

OK…I am practicing singing a couple of runs from Sam Cooke’s gospel standard Wonderful.

As I am singing however, sometimes I notice that all of the notes are not clearly hit.

Cooke often does very fast runs that is easy to gloss over when attempting to sing them. But doing that gives you a muddled sound that sounds less professional and as if you don’t really know what you are doing.

What is really helping however is this micro focused approach of singing the run. Singing it multiple times. And making sure that each note is clearly sung.
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August 8, 2017

Still Working on the First Riff in Wonderful

Still working on the first riff in the song wonderful.

I had my first lesson with RnB Singing Lessons and the riff he heard I am still having a hard time recognizing.

At any rate, I am soon to start singing with Sam on the album.

But one thing that I am finding is that all of your singing improves as you work on even that little bit of song. So what do I recognize is improving?

  • Tone is improving
  • Power is improving
  • Note clarity is improving
  • etc

After having said that, I do need to work more on rhythm, breath control, and continue with that note clarity. You can slide into a note, but make sure you sliding somewhere and you reach where you going…

Another thing that I was telling a friend, it is amazing how much improvement you can get just from 20-30 minutes of practice a day…

OK…onward and upward…

August 3, 2017

Amazing Slow Downer…And What Folks Are Doing

OK…

So when I was learning how to play harmonica, someone suggested that I grab hold of the amazing slow downer to slow down a background part so that I could play with it.

Well, RnB Singing Lessons suggests using that Amazing Slow Downer with singing.

So I cracked out the Amazing Slow Downer with Sam Cooke’s gospel song Wonderful.

Slowing someone like Sam Cooke down is interesting. There is no way I could figure out some of this without slowing him down.

Some of his runs are even difficult to figure out at 25% of full speed.

In addition, his dynamics are just amazing, how he changes from loud to soft and back again. In addition, his ability, in his gospel tunes, to go from gruff to sweet is awe inspiring.

At any rate…figuring out what he does is one thing…but then speeding your own vocal up to his speed..now that’s something else…I guess eventually I will get there…

But Amazing Slow Downer Will Help every step of the way. You need this tool…

Check it out here

August 2, 2017

My First Exercise

So I have begun voice lessons…

About a year and a half ago I started learning guitar from the excellent Justin Sandercoe online lessons. Over that time I have picked up harmonica as well.

But as I posted my videos some have said that I had a decent voice, so I decided to take voice lessons. I figured, why not try it for four months…

at any rate, my instructor split up my practice time into 2 components.

1) Warmup Exercises – 10 minutes

2) Songs – 20 minutes.

Personally, I believe that ANY method is better than no method, so this seems like a decent road to go down. I have been at it about a month and here is my practice routine:

Using the syllables MAH, MEH, MEE, MOE, MOO. and going up a half step for 5 times.

The last B is messed up here, can’t figure out how to do a ledger B..at any rate we go up a half step 5 times also. Finally, we cycle through the vowel sounds

  • MAH
  • MEH
  • MEE
  • MOE
  • MOO

The two songs I am working an are Pass Me Not and Just a Closer Walk With Thee.

The exercizes are helping, but I am soon to begin lessons with RNB Singing Lessons, who makes exercises out of the songs you wish to sing. But for now, this does seem to be working.