Singing: The Tonic of Life

Most people these days would associate singing with the popular music they see and hear on the radio and tv. This can make you feel like its beyond you, like it's some form of high skill that you need to be born with. A natural talent if you like. In fact singing is much more a part of our everyday lives than you might realize, and it can be a tonic for an improved state of mind and recipe for stress reduction and better health.

The best example of this is, think about the songs that when you hear them on the radio make you remember something wonderful in your past. The song that reminds you of your first kiss or when you proposed to your partner, or perhaps just some good times with friends at school or work. You can be sitting all alone feeling sorry for yourself about the way life has treated you and a song comes on the radio that reminds you of a great time in your life.

I'm sure you have songs that do this to you. Songs that you sing along to in the car at the top of your voice, ignoring the strange looks from other drivers at the lights. It can be a form of instant atitude adjustment and will often completely erase the effects of a bad day. This effect is multiplied ten fold if you can sing along with a favorite song. For the moments when you sing along you get to journey through a personal fantasy, a kind of mental movie of events that you recall related to that song. When you sing along to a CD in the car you get to momentarily exit this reality and visit another which is tailor made by you.

There is even a flip side to it. I still find it hard to listen to a particular Lead Zeppelen song which I associate with breaking up with my first wife. However, when I do hear it I feel like singing along because it makes me remember how much better things are now than when I was with her. Funny how that works.

If you are the sort of person who has a lot of emotional ups and downs in your life then you could try this little trick for a kind of instant pick me up. Make a CD up of about 10 of your favorite songs and keep it with you at all times. Make sure these songs are related to great times in your life. When you are annoyed or upset, or just need a bit of a boost put the CD on and play one song at random. Do not play more than one song and resist the urge to play the same song each time. Playing the same song will reprogram you to associate it with your current situation and it will loose it's effect. Then sing your head off! Make sure you are alone and sing from the heart. Don't spare the horses - just go for it. Make sure you take a good deep breath to start and concentrate on the sound of your own voice, not the voice of the singer in the song. This will help you pitch correctly and make you feel like you are a real singer on a stage.

Many people simply ignore music in their environment. They regard it as background noise like traffic or the murmur of people talking in a cafe. The truth is music is like a custom built emotional trigger. We all react to it in different ways. How many times have you found a piece of music totally distracting when you are trying to concentrate on something? This is because music is created specifically to evoke a response, it is looking to push your buttons, to make you participate. The next time you see some motor racing on the tv check out the sort of music they put behind it. It won't be Beethoven or Mozart, it will be high speed aggressive guitar music. How does it make you feel? This music is chosen to evoke an adrenelin response, to get you excited and feel like you are part of the action. Conversely, you are unlikely to hear thrashing guitars used behind a documentary about gorillas in Kenya, you will hear thoughtful music that is designed to create empathy and wonderment.

All this means that you should take more notice of the music around you and try to participate whenever you can. Above all, try to listen to music that allows you to sing and express your emotions, let it all hang out and don't give a damn about what other people think. The next step is to get better control of your singing voice. Try getting some kakaoke tracks and sing to those regularly. From there you might consider some actual singing lessons. The benefits are huge in terms of improving your sense of wellbeing and confidence. Finally, pay a visit to The Explore Your Voice Show Podcast. It's a half hour downloadable mp3 audio show on the net where we talk about all aspects of singing, performing, and getting your voice into shape.

Michael Oliphant is a musician, producer, songwriter co-inventor of Explore Your Voice Singing Lessons and co-hosts a regular free show on singing and performing called The Explore Your Voice Show Podcast

---

Throat Singing In Inuit Culture

Originally, Inuit throat singing was a form of entertainment among... Read More

Zen and the Art of New Age Piano

We all want to be in the moment. That's where... Read More

Songwriting - The Art of Writing a Good Song

Did you know that good songwriting is often the key... Read More

Anglican Arrogance: Small-Minded Choirmembers

What is "Episcopal" music?We often hear people express concern about... Read More

How Many Songs Are In Your Pocket?

The portable MP3 player continues to be the hot item... Read More

5 Sure Fire Ways to Get Radio Play for Your ?Independent? Music!

You have to find radio airplay time if you're going... Read More

New Age Music - How Its Made

Different styles of music have different "sounds." We can all... Read More

Learn To Play The Piano Better By Learning To Arrange Chords & Chord Progressions

Piano arranging is the process by which you take a... Read More

Guitar Tuning Tips

Most new guitar players and even some experienced ones have... Read More

Be Your Own DJ - Digital Audio Processing Tools Overview

SoundEdit Pro is a digital audio editor for a user-friendly... Read More

How Any DJ Can Increase Their Gigs and Profits By This Simple Strategy

The DJ industry is very competitive. There are many DJ's... Read More

Dont Go Tubthumping

I have always had a big problem with my addiction... Read More

Beginning Clarinet: The Very Start

Like starting with any instrument, beginning clarinet is a process... Read More

The Revolution of Electric Guitars

Sometime during the 1930's electric guitars were introduced onto the... Read More

How To Make Money On A Music Website Through Pay-Per-Click?

Interested in making money while you're asleep, or making money... Read More

New Age Piano Tricks

One of the things that makes New Age piano so... Read More

A Guitar Lesson To Help You Test Your Note Knowledge

In this guitar lesson we look at a great way... Read More

5 Ways to Enjoy Your Music Files

OK, say you've got one thousand of your favorite MP3... Read More

Getting Rhythm - Three Tips for Guitar Beginners

If you are just starting out learning guitar one of... Read More

Six Reasons to Play New Age Piano

Here are six very good reasons to learn how to... Read More

Inspiration Wanted - Apply Within!

One of the biggest stumbling blocks for music students is... Read More

Legend Vega Releasing New Pop CD

Legend Vega is scheduled to release her newest CD this... Read More

Growing and Keeping Loyal Fan Support

Fan support for musicians is a two way street. You... Read More

Would Chopin Have Passed A Music Quiz?

Q. My children are very interested in playing music. Is... Read More

Music: Uniting Nations, Dividing Generations

Cultures around the world since the beginning of time have... Read More

Defining The True Artist - Do You Have What It Takes?

"The real communicating artists seek unique expression. They are not... Read More

Arpeggios and New Age Piano Playing

Chopin used them extensively. So did Beethoven and Mozart. Arpeggios... Read More

The Revolution has begun - and it will not be Televised The new Artist Development Paradigm

In reflecting on the world of the Music Business in... Read More

Fiddle Tab Makes Learning Fiddle Fast and Easy

Learning fiddle tab is so intuitive and so easy that... Read More

Creating Caverns - an Improvisation Exercise

In a recent post to my Yahoo group, I mentioned... Read More

Music for Cross Cultural Accelerated Learning

The Search for the Right MusicEver since Georgi Lozonav, the... Read More

Beginners Guide to Music File Formats

Are you confused by the various types of music file... Read More

Hip Hop Clothing

Celebrities now such as Outkast, a fashion wear can be... Read More