Forsyth, Mark (2013) The Elements of Eloquence: How To Turn the Perfect English Phrase, Icon Books, London [This is not likely to be on many songwriters’ shelves, but I think it makes a great contribution to any songwriter’s reference library. This a very entertaining read that shows how memorable (not necesarily ‘great’) quotations and lines become […]
Elements of Eloquence – Forsyth (book) Read More »
Webb, Jimmy (1999) Tunesmith: inside the art of songwriting Preface Preface: expression, form, aesthetics; rescue form from mediocrity Preface: 1) Inspiration comes from the guts. 2) Technique is a personal and private conceit. 3) Creativity as a concept is perhaps not well understood by the people who practise it most successfully. [Analysis will reveal the
Tunesmith – Jimmy Webb (notes on the book) Read More »
My singing students are well acquainted with my teaching model for singing lessons, and this summary is a reminder for them of the core concepts. It serves as a draft outline of a book I would like to write about what I have learned and teach about singing. I don’t know whether the book will ever
A to J model of singing Read More »
Whether you are a singer, a lyricist, songwriter or melody writer, it is valuable to understand how songs are put together. Here is a glossary of some of the main elements found in songs, whether they are pop, rock, music theatre, classical, jazz or folk. At the end, I have described the formulae / recipes
Understanding song structures Read More »
Can we learn to sing from a book? Absolutely not. I regard myself as reasonably knowledgable about voice, and a number of its related fields, including the teaching of voice. While I use the books listed here as reference tools, I think they might be only moderately useful to someone who isn’t a voice geek and voice
Oscar Hammerstein II the essay ‘Notes on Lyrics’ in 1949. They were reproduced in Hammerstein, William (ed.) (2002) Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, London, Omnibus, pp3-48. These are my notes of Hammerstein’s notes … 3 – “There is, as a matter of fact, no invariable or inevitable method for writing songs. Sometimes the words are
Notes on Lyrics – Oscar Hammerstein Read More »
Some teachers (including me) use a mirror in singing lessons, and encourage the use of a mirror in practice time. There are pros and cons to this. Although I use a mirror in lessons, I always suggest that singers get used to working without a mirror as quickly as possible.
Is a mirror useful for singing practice? Read More »
1. ALIGNING In the ‘3 + 1’ map I set out how all vocal technique has to be relevant to the Breathing system, Vibrating source, Resonating system, or inner life of the singer. The one aspect that affects all of these is how we ALIGN ourselves. ‘Processes’, not ‘positions’ Some singers and teachers talk about this in terms of
Aligning and Awareness Read More »
Introduction This is an edited version of my posts (without other people’s responses) in a topic (Jan 2013) I started on a LinkedIn discussion group consisting of singing teachers. I wanted to explore what role / responsibility teachers felt a student has in the teacher’s studio, and in their own learning, and how should they
Who is in charge of a singer’s learning? Read More »
What are they looking for? (NB Check the section ‘College Advice’) “Is my singing voice OK? What if I can’t hold a tune?” Wrong questions! This audition is not about the beauty of your singing voice, or your level of musicianship. This is an audition for drama college, not a music theatre training. In other
Singing for Drama College Auditions (Part 1 of 6) – General advice Read More »
