Voice Training Lessons Achieve a Clear Strong Voice

When you are first beginning to sing there are many fundamental vocal skills that you must achieve. Mastering these skills enable you to build upon them later to acquire more advanced professional vocal skills. They also help you develop good singing habits to take with you into your singing career, such as developing a clear, strong voice. Having a clear, strong voice is an essential foundation for advancing your vocal skills as your voice develops.

Having a clear, strong voice sets the stage for greater vocal range, increased voice projection, strong breath support, and improve vocal pitch and tone. These skills require practice to master and are most often learned through voice training lessons. These skills may be more quickly learned, however when you partner voice training lessons with simple lifestyle alterations.

Developing a clear, strong voice not only involves the vocal cords but the larynx as a whole. Just like the vocal cords, the larynx is also subject to external physiological changes which can also affect the voice. Some of these physiological changes can include a woman's menstrual cycle, which can affect the voice as well as external factors like weather and climate. Wet climates or summer weather with increased humidity can cause extra moisture and mucous build up in the larynx and vocal cords while more dry climates or winter seasons may dry out the larynx more quickly and require you to consume larger amounts of water.

Other external factors that can affect developing a clear, strong voice may involve lifestyle habits. Your diet as well as exercise routines (or lack thereof) can have a great effect on your singing voice. If you commonly feel weak and have difficulty projecting or attaining vocal strength then you may need to alter your diet away from energy draining foods, such as alcohol, or large amounts of carbohydrates. Dairy products in particular have been known to cause harmful effects on the voice. This is because dairy products are highly acidic, causing mucous production. This excess mucous production can build up in the larynx and around the vocal cords making it more difficult to sing with clarity as well as making it more difficult to project your voice overall.

Caffeine and alcohol can also have profound effects on your singing voice. Alcohol in particular is a depressant and can make singing more difficult. Excessive consumption of alcohol can be detrimental to singing as consuming large amounts of alcohol begins to affect muscle motor control, including the vocal cords and the vocal muscles around them. Losing control of your vocal cords then reduces clarity and strength of your singing voice.

Achieving a clear and strong singing voice is fundamental to acquiring professional singing skills. There are several voice training lessons. which can help you master these foundational skills and improve your singing voice. You can learn more about these exercises and how you can use them to drastically improve your singing voice through voice training lessons.

As a third generation child of music (My grandmother is a proficient organist and pianist, my mother a classically trained vocalist and music educator) I have had the joy of being raised in an environment that fostered musical creativity. This creativity I was able to express both on stage vocally and as a part of musical theater. It has allowed me to participate in my community and challenge myself academically. I have found the quest for vocal improvement to be both enlightening and challenging and take every opportunity I can to further my learning.

Learn More About Me Through Voice Training Lessons

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What Is the Most Powerful Technique Which Helps to Achieve Fast Tempo in Organ Music?

Many of my organ students ask me for advice in reaching the fast tempo in their organ pieces. They often struggle to achieve this level of fluency either because their technique is not developed enough or because they do not know how to practice the piece in order to be able to perform it in fast tempo. Today I will share with you the most powerful technique which will help you to achieve the fast tempo in practicing organ compositions.

If you have difficulty playing in a fast tempo any particular organ piece, here is a special technique you could use. Try to work in shorter fragments like one beat first, then practice this piece in half of measure, then the entire measure and so on until you can play an entire line without stopping. Let me explain how it works.

You see, if this composition has to be performed in a fast tempo, then playing the entire work might be too difficult for you at the moment. However, you may notice that you can play all voices together very quickly just for one beat easily. Play just one beat, then stop and hold the chord. Look at the next beat. When you are ready, play another beat and stop. Look at the next beat, prepare and so on. So you will practice stopping every beat.

If you have never tried this before, this kind of practice might seem strange to you. You maybe wondering what is the point of stopping at every beat. What happens is that although you stop every beat, you can play the notes of that beat very quickly. And so practice a few times playing the piece this way until you feel comfortable enough. Then make your fragment two beats and stop every two beats. Then one measure, two measures, four measures, one line, two lines, one page, two pages and so on. While practicing this way, you will begin to notice that your ability to play the piece in a fast tempo improves gradually over time.

When you stop and hold your chord, do not rush to play the next fragment. Instead, make sure you look ahead and understand in your mind what the next fragment is. Only then play it. In other words, play only when you are ready.

Reaching the level when you can play organ music fast is not so easy. As you can see, the system is simple enough for most organists to understand but not too many people reach that kind of proficiency. However, you must persevere and practice with never-give-up mentality.

One thing in particular is helpful here - having a clear goal in mind. In other words, try to have a vision or a goal of what it is you are trying to accomplish. If you say that your goal or dream, for example, is to be able to play that wonderful prelude and fugue by Bach or Toccata by Widor at a concert tempo, then you will have the necessary motivation to persevere. No matter how boring, how tiring it will be to practice, you will stick to the plan and successfully accomplish your goal.

By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe organ? If so, download my FREE video guide "How to Master Any Organ Composition" http://www.organduo.lt/organ-tutorial.html in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music.

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3 Techniques to Achieve Efficient Fingering in Romantic and Modern Music on the Organ

Many beginner organists struggle with choosing the correct and efficient fingering in their music. Without knowing what are the main principles of fingering, it will be difficult to achieve a perfect legato and play with precision and accuracy. In this article, I will give you 3 techniques which will help you to choose the most efficient fingering in Romantic and modern organ music.

1. Arpeggio and Chord Fingerings. When you notice a place with an arpeggio in it, think in terms of a chord. In other words, the standard way to play arpeggios is by using the chord fingerings. For three note root position chords, such as C E G, use 1 3 5 in the right hand or 5 3 1 in the left hand. For first inversion chords, such as E G C, use 1 2 5 in the right hand or 5 3 1 in the left hand. Second inversion chords, such as G C E are best played with 1 3 5 in the right hand and 5 2 1 in the left hand. For chords, starting on the sharp or flat note (B flat D F) we have to use the same fingerings.

Play chords with four notes, such as C E G C, with 1 2 3 5 (right hand) or 5 4 2 1 (left hand). Play the first inversion E G C E with 1 2 4 5 (right hand) or 5 4 2 1 (left hand). The second inversion G C E G is best played with 1 2 4 5 (right hand) or 5 3 2 1 (left hand). The main rule for using 3 or 4 in the middle of an arpeggio or a chord is an interval of the third. If the third is major (as in C E), play with 3. If the third is minor (as in E G), play with 4.

2. Finger Substitution. This technique allows achieving a perfect legato when playing more than one voice in one hand. Finger substitution basically involves changing fingers on the same note. The most common instance for finger substitutions are passages in double thirds, sixths, and other intervals. Sometimes when playing more chromatic music we have to change fingers on three or four note chords as well.

3. Finger Glissando. Finger glissando is a technique of sliding from one key to another with the same finger. We use it to achieve legato primarily when playing more than one voice in one hand. Passages of chromatic scales in double thirds and sixths are typical places for this technique.

I suggest you write in fingerings in every piece that you play on the organ, at least in the beginning of your organist career. This will diminish chances of playing with accidental fingerings which will hinder your progress. Choosing fingering, of course, should be done before the actual practice of the piece. If there are several options available, try all of them and choose the one which is the most efficient and comfortable for your hand.

You can write in fingerings for a shorter fragment and start practicing it right away without waiting to finish fingering the entire piece which might take a while. With experience you will start to feel the familiar patterns and you will instinctively choose the most efficient fingering automatically. Then it will be necessary to pencil in the fingering only in the most difficult places.

By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe organ? If so, download my FREE video guide "How to Master Any Organ Composition" http://www.organduo.lt/organ-tutorial.html in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music.

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3 Tips for Organists Who Want to Achieve Accuracy in Playing the Pedals

If you are serious about organ playing, then you know how important it is to develop accuracy in playing the pedal part of your organ compositions. It it not easy to hit the right notes with your feet. Many organists struggle to avoid making mistakes in their pedal part. In this article, I will give you three tips which will help you to achieve accuracy in your playing.

Feel the position on the pedal board with your toes. Try to keep your feet close to the sharp keys. This technique allows you to feel the exact position on the pedal board with your toes. For example, you know that sharp pedals are arranged in groups of two and three. Try to locate the F by feeling the edge of the F sharp with your toe. Similarly feel the C sharp and play the C. Resist the temptation of looking down to your feet. It is OK to make mistakes while practicing. Just play it over and over until you get it right. In order to make it automatic, play some more times correctly. Look at the music at least when you play not from memory.

Keep the feet in contact with the pedal board at all times. When you have to move your feet try not to lift them off the pedal board. Instead, slide the feet to the desired pedal while always touching the surface of the pedal board. In other words, the movements of the feet should be horizontal and not vertical. This technique also helps you to get acquainted with the pedal board and play the correct notes with ease. It is especially important that you pay attention to both feet. Do not forget the foot which is resting - relax and let it touch the pedals slightly without pressing them.

Do not use force. Avoid hitting the pedals with unnecessary strength and imagine you play mezzo piano. Depress the pedals with as little power as possible and keep your legs relaxed. In other words, there should not be too much noise when playing the pedals. Of course, on tracker organs some noise cannot be avoided because of the mechanics. This kind of relaxed manner of playing helps to be in control of articulation. Your movements will become very economic and you will feel the fatigue much less.

If you follow my suggestions every time you sit down to practice your organ music, you will improve your pedal technique tremendously. The accuracy while playing complex pedal parts will become much better. Of course, practicing wisely requires a strong will and patience but I can assure you from my personal experience that it's worth the effort.

By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe organ? If so, download my FREE video guide "How to Master Any Organ Composition" http://www.organduo.lt/organ-tutorial.html in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music.

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How to Achieve Natural Phrasing in Organ Playing

Just like the correct articulation helps to achieve clarity and precision in the performance, the right phrasing can help emphasize structurally important points in the piece. It is precisely phrasing which can give much desired natural flow and life to the organ composition. Moreover, phrasing will help the listener to understand the form of the piece. In this article, I will give you the advice on how to choose the best phrasing in organ playing.

Phrasing involves certain rhythmic fluctuation which takes place at structurally important elements of the piece. This fluctuation helps to emphasize the places which make up the form of the composition. While the usual playing and articulation help to achieve the hierarchy of the strong and weak beats in the measure, the phrasing is used to make subtle rhythmic inequalities. In other words, with the help of the phrasing the organist is able to achieve gentle ritardandos and accelerandos which are governed by certain compositional elements. Sometimes phrasing has much to do with articulation and taking a breath in a musical line.
Cadences. Cadence is a certain harmonic or melodic curve which helps to complete the musical idea. Whenever you see a cadence, you can gently slow down to make it more prominent. Gradually resume the normal speed afterwards.
Rests. Rests are important for the phrasing as well. Quite often the composer will put a rest in a place where one particular voice or part has to take a breath. This is the sign for the subtle phrasing technique.
Caesuras. Very often caesuras are placed at the end of the phrase in order to show the necessity of taking a breath. Although the organ can play without breathing, if you emphasize those musically important places and articulate them, your musical lines will become much clearer.
Long Notes. After the long note there is a tendency to take a breath in a vocal composition. The same applies in organ music as well. Make a short rest after long notes to show the contour of the melody.
Repetition of Rhythmical Figures. If you see some repeated rhythmical figures in your organ piece, feel free to make more pronounced articulation at the end of each figure. This will be a natural way to make phrasing.
Beginnings and Endings of Melodic Line. Very often it is appropriate to make gentle rhythmical inequalities at the beginning and the end of the melodic line. Start slowly, speed up a little and finish slower. This is especially useful in Romantic organ music. It is helpful to imagine analogy with driving a car here. Similarly to the shape and performance of the melodic line, the car will start to move slowly, speed up and slow down at the stop.

If you apply subtle rhythmical phrasing and make articulation at structurally important points of the piece, your performance will become very natural. However, do not over-do it, especially in the Baroque music. Although the Romantic compositions often require these rhythmical alterations, the early music must be played much more rhythmically and should emphasize meter, pulse, and alternation of strong and weak beats.

By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe organ? If so, download my FREE video guide "How to Master Any Organ Composition" http://www.organduo.lt/organ-tutorial.html in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music.

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