Customer Reviews:
The converging point!.......2006-03-03
Since I have been doing extensive research on the voice lately, I have found that most authorities often mention this book. Vennard's widely-respected compendium will prove to be useful for every singer, beginner or full-fledged.
Simply none better.......2004-04-15
This book remains one of THE fundamental must-reads for all serious vocalists. Read it slowly and fully absorb it-even if you have to read it again and again.
The best and most complete.......2002-06-03
The title is misspelled here, it is Technic - not Technical.
Despite all the voice-teaching publications since 1967, this remains the clearest, the most common-sense, and the best learning-to-teach-voice tool besides the actual experience of teaching. No other publication on the voice even comes close.
Required Reading for Singing Teachers........2000-05-02
Mr. Vennard was the head of the voice department at USC. His book is fascinating reading for singers interested in understanding their vocal instruments, but it is essential study for voice teachers.
Voice teachers necessarily employ metaphor in teaching because so much of the human voice is controlled unconsciously. But such metaphors should be grounded in the facts of reality - in the known sciences that apply to vocal production. For instance, when a teacher tells a student, `don't swallow your tone', and is met only with a look of blank stupor, that teacher needs to be able to start talking facts instead of fantasy.
Mr. Vennard demystifies the metaphors. He systematically anchors the art of the teacher to the known sciences of tone, timbre and resonance, and especially to the physiognomy of the larynx, the breathing muscles, and the upper respiratory tract. After covering the basics, he includes extensive discussions of vowel and consonant production, as well as a number of important vocal exercises. He closes with a brief discussion of the technique of messa di voce. I say it is brief, but it is really the ultimate subject of the entire book.
Messa di voce is an ancient vocal exercise done on one note and on one breath: a long crescendo followed by a long diminuendo. But this simple exercise involves a fantastically complex coordination of muscles, and, while the student need not understand more than a tenth of the science behind it, his teacher should understand as much as possible.
Many teachers of singing, and perhaps most of them, do not feel the need for such tools as are available in Mr. Vennard's book, but I believe the best teachers do.
The ultimate, understandable source for voice production.......1998-06-17
This book demystifies the art of singing. You'll understand how centuries of well-meaning but unscientific voice teachers have confused students to this day. Get the facts now. All your questions answered. This book helped me smooth out four octaves with no break! Diagrams and throat photos are great. This book is indespensible for any voice coach or instructor or student.
Book Description
Ah, there’s just nothing better than singing in the shower. The acoustics are perfect and you don’t sound half bad, if you do say so yourself. In fact, with a little practice you could be the next “American Idol” platinum-selling recording artist, or stage sensation. It’s time for Pavarotti to step down and for you to step up as monarch of songdom.
Whether you’re a beginning vocalist or a seasoned songster, Singing for Dummies makes it easy for you to achieve your songbird dreams. Singing for Dummies gives you step-by-step instructions and lots of helpful tips, hints, vocal exercises, reminders, and warnings for both men and women, including advice on:
- The mechanics of singing
- Discovering your singing voice
- Developing technique
- Singing in performance
- Maintaining vocal health
- Performing like a pro
Singing for Dummies is written by Dr. Pamelia Phillips, Chair of Voice and Music at New York University’s Undergraduate Drama Department. Dr. Phillips shares all of her professional expertise to help you sing your way to the top. She gives you all the information you need to know about:
- Proper posture and breathing
- Perfecting your articulation
- Finding the right voice teacher for you
- How to train for singing
- Selecting your music materials
- Acting the song
- Overcoming stage fright
- Auditioning for musical theater
In addition to Dr. Phillips’ wisdom, Singing for Dummies comes with a CD packed full of useful instruction and songs, including:
- Demonstrations of proper technique
- Exercises to develop technique and strength
- Scales and pitch drills
- Practice songs for beginning, intermediate, and advanced singers
Singing for Dummies contains all the information, practices, techniques, and expert advice you need to hone your vocal skills with ease.
Customer Reviews:
Good place to start.......2007-08-29
I sure you've heard it before but don't be fooled by the title.This is a very good place to start if you have never had any training before.One thing I like is the fact that she doesn't play the piano too loudly for the exersizes.The two vocalists sound good too.Allthough the book addresses some pop techniques it seems more geared towards classical.I'm suspicious of methods that try to combine the two,such as Seth Riggs, since they are so completely different.I'm looking forward to Singing for Dummies II.The audio could be a bit louder but I am using a laptop.No big deal.You won't find all the silly endorsments like in the Riggs books.5 stars all the way.
Exactly what I needed.......2007-05-29
I am taking Bengali folk singing lessons. Bengali folk songs demand strong voice and wide vocal range. I tried quite a few different ways to increase my vocal range. Following the suggested instructions in this book, I have gained two notes in the upper side of the range in three weeks. I am also singing much better in the lower range. I feel that I'll continue to make improvements, if I continue to follow Pamelia S. Phillips' suggested techniques. Even though I am more familiar with Bengali music than Western music, I did not have any problem understanding this book. As a matter fact this book has taught me a lot of terms used in Western music. Accompanying CD is a big help.
Great for beginners.......2007-03-17
If you don't have the courage or money to go to a teacher, this is a great book. The exercises are easy and encouraging. Although I found that some of the exercises hindered more than opened my range, I know that not every exercise will work for every person and so I skip one here and there and move on. I did learn a great deal from this book and I would buy it again. Although I wouldn't take it as Bible, it is a great starting point. I am not an expert so I really can't give a more thorough review BUT I would recommend that you buy a few books to get more points of view and take something from each.
The biggest problem I have is that the 'for dummies' series does not sell or give replacement cd's. If you lose the CD, you must buy the entire book again. This is ridiculous. If you buy a book with a CD, make plenty of copies so that you have a back up or three.
GREAT BOOK OVERALL.......2007-03-09
THIS IS A GREAT BOOK OVERALL. AS AN ACTOR I HAVE FOUND THE TECHNIQUES HELPFUL FOR MY ACTING. THERE'S A LOT OF THEORY THOUGH (AS WITH ALL DUMMIES BOOKS) SO BE PREPARED.
JAY MADHAV, HOLLYWOOD
amateur's delight.......2007-01-12
I joined a choir...I love to sing but needed help with voice exercises and breathing. I play the cd while I'm driving & do the vocal workouts then. The book is filled with helpful instructions.
Book Description
Listen to birds sing as you've never listened before, as the world-renowned birdsong expert Donald Kroodsma takes you on personal journeys of discovery and intrigue. Read stories of wrens and robins, thrushes and thrashers, warblers and whip-poor-wills, bluebirds and cardinals, and many more bird. Learn how each acquires its songs, how songs vary from bird to bird and place to place, how some birds' singing is especially beautiful or ceaseless or complex, how some do not sing at all, how the often quiet female has the last word, and why. Hear a baby wren and the author's own daughter babble as each learns its local dialect. Listen to the mockingbird by night and by day and count how many different songs he can sing. Marvel at the exquisite harmony in the duet of a wood thrush as he uses his two voice boxes to accompany himself. Feel the extraordinary energy in the songs just before sunrise as dawn's first light sweeps across this singing planet. Hear firsthand the unmistakable evidence that there are not one but two species of marsh wrens and two species of winter wrens in North America. Learn not only to hear but to see birds sing in the form of sonagrams, as these visual images dance across the pages while you listen to the accompanying CD. Using your trained ears and eyes, you can begin your own journeys of discovery. Listen anew to birds in your backyard and beyond, exploring the singing minds of birds as they tell all that they know. Join Kroodsma not only in identifying but in identifying with singing birds, connecting with nature's musicians in a whole new way.
Customer Reviews:
"Not least,for just being there and singing,I thank the birds themselves.".......2007-05-25
With over 1,000 "Bird Books" in my collection;it takes something real special to excite me. This book is such a special book. There are many books,records,tapes CD's and DVD'd that do an excellent job of teaching and describing bird songs so that with some practice you can recognize a large number of birds in the field.
Howerever,much more than showing a few ,typical songs of birds,so that you can recognize them when they call or sing;this book goes far deeper in showing you how to understand and appreciate bird song. There is much more to the song of a Chestnut-sided Warbler than the common "Pleased-pleased-pleased-to-MEETCHA." or the "whip-poor-Will" of the Whip-poor-will than one could ever imagine.In the case of the American Robin the author has found out how to tell one robin from another right in your own backyard. Obviously,it would take many years to learn and understand in detail all the songs of a large number of species as the author has done;but then he has studied birdsong for over 30 years and was recognized as "the reigning authority on the biology of avian vocal behavior"by the American Ornithologist's Union in 2003.
In this book,Kroodsma gives us the benefit of his vast knowledge,and it will certainly become "the book to have" for anyone who wants to give bird song serious study.His writing style is such that a very complicated subject can be understood and helpful;be the reader one who is a relative amateur or an extremely experienced birder.
One could almost start reading at any point in the book;but I would suggest,after the first chapter,turn to page 366,"Bird Sounds on the Compact Disc" and play the CD and follow the description for each track.You might even want to do do this a couple of times.
Another suggestion, once you have purused the book, would be to pick one of the birds the author has gone into detail with,and that are abundant near your home ,such as the American Robin,and really study the songs as the author explains.This can be done simply,as long as you don't try to get into advanced recording.A notepad,pen,seat and a cool drink will suffice.
At first glance this book might overwhelm you ;but don't let it.
I have two wonderful friends,sisters Joan and Gail,who I meet each spring at Point Pelee in Ontario. Joan was given this book by a friend,thought it was "too deep" for her;so she gave it to me. Thanks Joan,I love it.
An Excellent Book.......2007-04-04
I was looking for a book on bird song to give to a friend who is graduating from music school, and I bought the Kroodsma book on the recommendation of other Amazon reviewers, whom I can't thank enough for encouraging me to purchase this book. Having also purchased "Why Birds Sing" and "Birdsong: A Natural History" for my friend, I find that the Kroodsma is by far and away the better book, not only because it contains a cd, but because of the unique writing style that reflects a lifetime interest in and knowledge of the subject matter.
The Singing Life of Birds.......2007-01-10
A scientist's very personal record of the life and song of the great number of birds, including a CD with autor's recordings as well as the recordings of some of his colleagues. The extensive and interesting narrative is supplemented by many analyses of the structure of the bird's song. Author's interest and knowledge of music is reflected in comparing the birds' and human's music "appreciation". The sonagrams are shown in the text as well on the screen in their multifaceted form.
The Singing Life of Birds.......2007-01-10
Excellent service. Prompt shipping. The book is fascinating as is the accompanying CD. Would recommend to anyone with an interest in birds and wildlife.
out of this world!.......2006-07-30
One can only think the amount of knowledge Don has on bird sounds is in a different scale to the rest. But then he finds the way to transmit a good portion of it with simple and very easy to read stories and that becomes even more incredible. A very beautiful book in all senses.
Book Description
For anyone who wants to turn his dreams of singing into reality, for anyone who is self-conscious about speaking or singing in public, for anyone who hates the sound of her own voice on answering machines-SET YOUR VOICE FREE offers the solution. With innovative techniques and enjoyable exercises that have worked wonders with his professional clients, the internationally acclaimed vocal coach Roger Love demonstrates how to carry a tune, expand vocal range, and speak with ease, confidence, and effectiveness. - Roger Love is one of the foremost vocal and singing authorities in the world, having coached leading actors, celebrity speakers, and musicians, including Billy Baldwin; Mtley Cre; Earth, Wind Fire; Billy Idol; the Jacksons; Martin Landau; Def Leppard; Phish; Iggy Pop; and Anthony Robbins.
Customer Reviews:
Handle with care! Please!.......2007-05-27
I am dismayed by reading all of the praise for this book! Coming from the perspective of a voice teacher and professional vocalist, I am concerned at the number of people following blindly into the potentially damaging advice in the book. I have an old one from 1999, along with instruction CD's, and Love demonstrates his glottal action (which is the technical term for his "gluggs" that he tells you to do). I think I rated as low as I did simply to attempt to lower the overall rating and get people to pay attention to the potential danger.
It is true that glottle action helps to develop a more forward voice, and that is why songs with glotal emphasis can be valuable. However, to spend as much time doing these exercises as Lov recommends, can cause permanent damage. As the vocal folds are repeatedly slapped against one another, the abrasion will quickly cause fatigue and irritation within the vocal apparatus, particularily the delicate vocal folds. Over time, your skin will become calloused and you will not feel the abraision anymore, but that's only because of the long-term damage that has occurred.
Rather than this, I recommend The Vocal Coach by Chris & Carol Beaty (published by Star Song). They have a wide range of instructional tools, and a phenominal daily workout series for all voice types.
Great Book.......2007-05-17
This book is incredible. I had no idea I ever had the potential to improve my speaking voice. I do the exercises almost every night, and can see serious results in my singing voice. I'm now working on incorporating the singing voice into my every day speech (they are really one and the same), and feel much more optimistic about using the incredible instrument of my voice to get my message across to people in a much more efficient and pleasant way in the future.
Thank you, Roger Love.
Very informative.......2007-05-14
I am a music director at a local church resposible for teaching vocals. I can not sing, but because of the information in this book I can teach and instruct the vocalist. This book is a must if you want to teach correct breathing control and diaphramic breathing.
The bible of pop singing.......2007-05-09
Play the included CD in your car for the next 3 months and sing along. If after those exercises you don't have good voice control, you're doing something wrong because the exercises DO put you in the proper position for maximum flow and you eventually develop a continuous, steady, vocal pressure.
I had to learn sing with a jazz band a year ago , and without this book and CD I would have been lost. There are lots of people who will give you their opinion as to the proper way to sing, but few who know the mechanics behind it.
Though the book has a bit of hype related to the name-dropping, it is nonetheless an excellent text on how to sing pop music, properly.
Would have liked some guidance on how to sing properly with microphones as I found that the next problem one faces in pop music
Review of Set Your Voice Free.......2007-01-05
I found it to very helpful, although as a "Basso Profundo" I found it difficult at times "Setting my voice free" in the higher head tones.
Customer Reviews:
Great for finding Voice- Freedom.........2007-03-09
It's no secret singing is a personal universe of mystery that somehow remains unveiled no matter teachers, discipline, technique, etc. With all other instruments you can actually SEE what's going on in the process of learning. With the voice, everything is how "you feel" about it. You can not see your vocal chords to realize you have a good or bad habit...
The secret is then how to LEARN to recognize if what you feel is right about the way you sing or not. It shouldn't be so hard; you either -for example- feel exhausted after singing an aria or whatever, or feel you can keep on singing for the rest of the day without fatigue. That should indicate something! But the problem is to be able to reproduce great singing sensations in an everyday basis. That can certainly be a lifetime challenge. This book helps pointing out towards sensations associated with freedom and flow of a natural voice; Brown is all about this, in search of a more "primal" sound, connected to the way we speak. Not everything is as simple as that, and singing, depending on the repertoire, etc, etc, needs to a certain extent, some kind of artifice beyond the speaking natural sound of our voices. But this book will put you on the right track if you have been wondering about tensions with the way your vocal production occurs. Highly recommended for connecting singing with a more mundane experience in which emotions need to be part of your singing. Great simple exercises can reveal so much, and in that respect it is a fantastic book. Highly recommended.
The best explanation of how the voice works.......2007-01-20
Mr. Brown has written a powerfully informative book about all aspects of the voice. His book provides many interesting case studies, is very enjoyable to read, and includes factoids like "the Western and European singing style uses a low larynx." My one gripe is that the CD is not usable as a practice aid. Every exercise is demonstrated so briefly that you won't get a warm-up at all after singing along. If you don't have a piano, and you want to practice vocalizing at home with a piano recorded on a CD and exercises that methodically start on consecutive pitches, try the Jeffrey Allen book/CD set. That set includes techniques such as messa di voce, also demonstrated (more briefly) in Mr. Brown's CD.
Excellent for beginners.......2006-04-04
I have been wanting to teach myself to sing for several years, since I can't afford voice lessons, and have tried several books on the subject. This one is by far the best. I first tried books by William Vennard and Richard Miller and found that they were meant for advanced students, not beginners. There are other books for beginners, but they aren't usually meant for classical singing, more for pop (and I find that the authors don't really seem to have much of an understanding of the human voice). I don't know how he does it, but Brown manages to make normally difficult concepts easy to understand. Part of that is because of the CD that comes with it. It helps give a better understanding of what he's trying to explain. I would highly recommend this book for anyone trying to learn how to sing classically.
The plain truth about singing........2006-03-08
This book is glorious.
Never could I have imagined that the (singing) voice was so clear to understand. Brown almost performs the miracle of "a book teaching somebody to sing". This is, as we all know, not true. However, just by simply reading this book, you will start to have wonderful insights about your own voice, which this book is all about.
A Great Read.......2005-11-02
Wow, I really like this book! As a voice teacher and vocal coach of popular music, students frequently come to me with damaged voices in need of repair. Reading Mr. Brown's stories, I knew I found an author who shared my dedication to healthy singing. Orin L. Brown's warm and direct writing style conveys his true passion for healthy vocal use and his desire to share his great knowledge with both vocalists and teachers. This book is filled with descriptive stories that tell the tales of Mr. Brown's experiences with, discoveries of and solutions for ailing vocal students.
Book Description
Proven tactics and techniques from a leading New York vocal coach on how to "act" a song, choose the right material, handle a callback, what to wear, how to use eye contact, select a voice teacher and vocal coach, and more. Includes 130 excellent yet unusual audition songs for all types of situations and performers, including juveniles and dancers.
Customer Reviews:
i'm now the leeding lady of the Ellis Island Repatorey Theatear .......2006-11-12
... aftur reeding this book i audishined for everyone and the responce was wonderful. They kept calling me back. ~ Everytime i sang the room filled up and i saw it brought a smile to everyone's face. I go on audishens every day- just to keep in practus. When i sing hits from "Kean" (whilst tap-dancing) the people applaud a lot. This book has changed my life. God Bless Frank Sliver for this book. I now have a life.
Inspirational........2006-10-16
This book really helped me understand every aspect in auditioning for musical theatre. Honest to God, with this book I feel I have much a better understanding of what I'm auditioning with and that I will have a better chance among the rest of the auditioners.
It's worth every penny :)
You want the part? Read this book, now........2005-03-06
The moment I read the introduction I was hooked. Silver uses humor and wit to bring to life these practical and useful methods he shows you to give a flawless performance. He teaches you everything from how to relax before an audition to how to become the part. I can not describe to you all how much I am in debt to this man for teaching me the way to a auditioners heart. Mr. Silver will not let you down.
An indispensible tool for ANY Theater student........2004-01-23
While this book is, of course, geared torwards musical theater, there are many tips in here that can be used for any kind of audition.
The other review for this book was so good, I almost don't want to write a review, but I want to so, here I am. :D
I decided to find books on acting last year and I stumbled across this one.
At the time I wasn't auditioning for any musicals, but I started reading it anyways. I didn't think much of it though, I mean I thought it was helpful, but I wasn't able to see its true practicallity until I was actually in the middle of the audition process.
I found this book extremely useful because it told me how and when to move during a song. And it taught me how to stand out from the "pack" of other singers/actors and make an impact. It also helped me gain some much needed confidence in my own performance abilities.
Also, if you don't sing, but you act, it gives you some pretty good reasons to think about, as to why you may want to consider learning to sing as well. :)
I would reccomend this book to any actor along with "Audition". These too books alone will teach you enough to get through auditions. But I also suggest reading some books about finding your own technique as well. One book I have been reading recently that is quite helpful is "The Actor Speaks". It is a book that has around 20 different actors talking about their own personal technique, and will help you discover or at least really think about your own.
So, what are you waiting for? Get this book, and start improving your abilities today!!!
God Bless ~Amy
Musical Auditions Will Never Be Easier!.......1999-08-05
Fred Silver is a man who's been around the auditioning block a few times... and this experience is captured in this book for every aspiring musical theatre actor/actress. He spells everything out in terms that even the most naive actors can understand. Not only does Silver explain how to look at an audition, but he also goes into great detail about how to emphasize, breathe, stand, walk, and... well, EVERYTHING! He even talks about the use of your eyes and posture to win those directors over. Another great aspect of this book is that he provides a list of "not-overdone" songs that have worked for his students in the past. What a valuable resource for any musical actor or actress!
I, too, have been around the block when it comes to auditioning for the musical theatre. And I must say, Fred Silver's book points out many of the lessons I have learned through the process. If you want the part, read this book.
Amazon.com
If some of renowned bass Hines's "great singers" seem to have been included more for political reasons (after all, he had to work with these people) than because they were truly great, most of them do rate the title, and there's something for the singer to learn from almost all of them--about technique, learning music, developing the voice, preserving the voice--even if in a few cases it's what not to do. If nothing else, the book proves what an inexact science vocal pedagogy really is, and the anecdotes are worth reading. Hines's subjects include Birgit Nilsson, Joan Sutherland, Marilyn Horne, Luciano Pavarotti, and other operatic stars, primarily of the generation just passing, that which came to prominence in the '60s and '70s.
Book Description
Jerome Hines has interviewed 40 singers, a speech therapist, and a throat specialist to provide this invaluable collection of advice for all singers. This collection includes the commentary of Licia Albanese, Franco Corelli, Placido Domingo, Nicolai Gedda, Marilyn Horne, Sherrill Milnes, Birgit Nilsson, Luciano Pavarotti, Rose Ponselle, Beverly Sills, Joan Sutherland and many others. "Probably the best book on the subject." Publishers Weekly
Customer Reviews:
A must for students!.......2007-08-08
I was assigned to read this book and write ten critiques from ten article in this book. I first read this book as a student who loved the great singers of the past. This book is not a how to book in singing great, but it gives different points of view on how to sing well. I got a copy of the book to study it more indepthly. This book is great if you are going to teach students. There are exercises and hints from the great singers on how they warm up, their views on proper breathing and the fundamentals of singing. Each singer has their own point of view so that is also great for a teacher to consider because every one has their own way of explaining what works for them when it comes to singing correctly. Again, a great book for voice teachers and students!
Great Singers on Great Singing.......2007-07-29
My husband is an opera lover and has loved listening to the human singing voice his whole life. I bought this book for him for his birthday, and he is delighted with it. Any one of your opera-loving friends would enjoy receiving a copy.
Great Tips for the Well Trained Singer.......2006-03-22
I'm a mezzo soprano with more than 40 years of performance experience and I learned new things when I read this book. It's not for beginners as the technical references would be confusing. But for the experienced singer who always wants to learn and improve there is a wealth of information. On the first read through I just examined what the mezzos had to say...a good way to get info quickly for your particular voice type...then I sat down and read it all. This will be a permanent part of my music library.
Anectodal interviews with little sustance.......2006-03-04
As Head of Voice at a University Conservatorium, I had hoped to use this book as a text for a course about Performance Preparation.
Sadly there is little information about the true art of Singing or indeed of artists approach to their careers. Jerome Hines has used the format to recount his own experience while sychophantically "chatting" with the great singers, prefacing many remarks with "I said to him/her...."
I found it at times quite patronizing and very disappointing.
A wonderful Book.......2006-01-28
I read this book when I was young (borrowed it from the Library) then bought it later. At the time I first read it, I was studying singing myself and I really wanted to make sense of what teachers were saying and what great singers had to say about singing. I found the book wonderfully insightful, but completely contradictory. It seemed so few singers agreed with one another. It was like black was white to some of them. The descriptions of the passagio left me more than confused, "Making the throat space larger by making it smaller?" Or Corelli's idea of shoving your tongue down your throat to hold the larynx low (a thing that literally choked me!).
I concluded that there were as many ways of singing as there were singers. And NONE of their insight helped me one bit in understanding my own voice teacher (who I left because in the end, I was getting no where, and only getting a sore throat).
Once I had found a great teacher (a former very famous Wagnerian soprano) who really seemed to understand about freeing the voice, I began to understand what things meant. She was able to tell me what the different terms people used meant, and that sometimes terms that sound in contradiction really were explaining the same thing. At this point, I purchased the book and read it again. With this new insight I was able to make more sense of what the various singers were saying. It is true, they still contradicted each other as far as their methods, but at least I was able to see they were still talking about achieving the same things. Some of the singers were using the same technique I was being taught, and they explained it well enough (though in different terms) so I could see what they were all about. I also listened to their recordings and could hear the same things I was being taught.
In the end, though the book was written to help curious people understand what makes these particular singers "wonderful", again one must never use it to teach yourself or anyone else proper singing technique. If you used all you read, you would tie your throat into a knot.
For me, what I found most interesting was learning what these various singers were trying to achieve in their singing, and that was very insightful and beneficial. Even Jerome Hines shares a time period where he lost his confidence (and as far as I can learn, I think he had about the longest active singing career of any singer in living memory), where he actually when to see a therapist to discover what suddenly was overcoming him and ruining his ability to produce like he used to. The psychological aspects of singing are seldom talked about in any technique, but he reveals some super important ideas about what and how we feel about ourselves and how they can actually destroy what we are trying to do (and that bad technique doesn't even have to be a part of that).
No matter the real value of the book, I have to say that what is written in these interviews is often the closest we will ever come to what these singers thought about when dealing with technique and singing, and some, like Sutherland, openly admit they really can't explain what they do and only have vague understanding of what is actually going on (and yet, with all this lack of really understanding her own technique, when retired and in old age, this woman would sit in masters classes and judge good singing -- perhaps she could hear what was good, but obviously even throughout her own career couldn't figure out for herself why it is good).
I am glad he wrote this book, just because it is interesting to read, but like I say, you really do need some vocal study background to really figure out what they are talking about, and even then, there is no guarantee what they say will make that much sense.
Book Description
Combining the physical, technical, and artistic aspects of singing, the author applies current findings in medicine, acoustics, phonetics, and speech therapy to the singer's needs. The text demonstrates the scientific basis of exercises and vocalises, covering all major areas of vocal technique.
Customer Reviews:
New edition?.......2007-06-09
Is there a difference between the first and the last edition? I see the number of pages is different. (367, 400). I have the first edition.
Review of reviews.......2007-04-12
...very curious set of reviews of this book. The unschooled, uneducated, and inexperienced (not to mention the illiterate) give the book low marks. The more highly experienced and more intensively tutored give it high marks. The style of the various reviews speaks more clearly than their substance. Again and again, reviewers carp because the author did not say what they wanted him to say. Gag! Don't gripe because Miller didn't write the book that you want written, for goodness sake! Read the book for what it IS, not for what you WANT it to be.
Pedagogue's Guide.......2006-11-10
If you are a teacher of voice, you need to have this book in your library. Students enrolled in vocal pedagogy should have this listed as required reading. It was an asset in my voice exams. I highly recommend it.
for the voice teacher or very serious voice students.......2006-11-04
The book has a lot of information on different aspects in learning to sing. It also contains a lot of drawings, charts and useful vocal exercises for development of different techniques. However, it does use a lot of technical terms that is not common in everyday language, and the writer is very detailed. So you'd need a lot of concentration in reading it. It's a useful book for voice teachers. As for students, it will be a good source of reference, but singing should not be learned only from a book. One would benefit much more with the guidance from a good teacher.
The Structure of Singing.......2006-02-23
I purchased this book as a textbook for a course in vocal pedagogy that I am enrolled in. I have found this book to be very useful, not just for those who want to teach voice, but also for students of voice, and for anyone who is generally interested in how the vocal mechanism functions. This book is full of useful information on the functions of breath support, muscle groups that aid in the singing process, and resonance balance, and has many useful diagrams as well. It also contains many exercises that aid in vocal agility, vowel differentiation and sostenuto. This book would be a valuable part of the voice teacher's collection.
Average customer rating:
- A hit!
- Our Daughter Loves this Music
- Great quality fun jazz for all ages.
- 16 month old loves this book
- An intelligent book for babies!
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Ella Elephant Scats Like That: Baby Loves Jazz
Andy Blackman Hurwitz
Manufacturer: Price Stern Sloan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book
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Miles the Crocodile Plays the Colors of Jazz: Baby Loves Jazz
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Duck Ellington Swings Through the Zoo: Baby Loves Jazz
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Charlie Bird Count to the Beat: Baby Loves Jazz
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Baby Loves Jazz: Go Baby Go!
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Louis Lion Sings Good Night: Baby Loves Jazz
ASIN: 0843120851 |
Book Description
Hi-de-hi, hi-de-ho! Ella Elephant will teach you how to scat:
Ella Elephant sings jazz just like that
And uses her mouth to do something called scat .
Customer Reviews:
A hit!.......2007-09-23
This series is wonderful! Our two-year-old absolutely loves the Baby Loves Jazz series. We bought a few to start out, then ended up buying the whole set. Two months after acquiring them, she is still enamored and requests to listen to them and read them every day. Her favorites? Well, these are the words we hear most often: "Mommy, read Duck and Miles?" or "Daddy, listen to Duck and Miles?" Philly Joe is also high on the list. I recommend them all. The books stand out on their own, but the music is what makes this series really shine. For example, on Duck Ellington's CD, he does a great Monk style on one track, then switches to great impression of Coltrane's classic quartet on the next track, with a very nice McCoy Tyner impression. Lots of variety and high quality make this series worthwhile (though I could have done without Louis Lion's potty tune). Don't forget the Go Baby Go CD as well (a stand-alone CD without a book), which is perhaps a notch above the music on the book CDs. The ABC tune is her favorite on that one.
Our Daughter Loves this Music.......2007-08-16
Our 17-month old always asks for Ella the Elephant music. She's completely entertained by it. My only complaint is that the book has minimal use, as there's not much to point out for an entire song on two pages.
Great quality fun jazz for all ages........2007-06-27
Our 2 1/2 year old granddaughter played 'Ella Elephant Scats...' over and over for the week she was with us. We ALL enjoyed it every time.
16 month old loves this book.......2007-01-15
Do not know if it is the rhyming in the beginning of the book or the beautiful breakout colors but my 16 month old loves this book.
An intelligent book for babies! .......2006-12-22
I was so impressed by this book! I happened across it a few months ago and had to buy it. since my son is still quite young (6 mos.) we havent really played the CD much, but whenever I bring the book out he grins so big! He loves the sounds and pictures! I come from a family of jazz lovers, so this is right up our alley! I can't wait to get the whole series.
Book Description
Speak.
Laugh.
Cry.
Shout.
Scream.
Sing.
Whether you're an actor or a singer, your voice is called upon to do many things. But how do you keep your voice healthy while satisfying these demands?
Theatre voice specialist Joan Melton is uniquely qualified to show how. She maintains that the training of singers and actors should be similar. Her groundbreaking book outlines a course of study that integrates basic elements of singing technique into the whole range of theatre voice training. The physicality of Melton's approach addresses all the issues of concern for professional voice users in any field.
Melton's detailed work on phrasing demonstrates the technical similarities between text that is sung and text that is spoken. She supports her suggestions for relating and integrating voice and movement, toofor those in musical theatre who must sing, speak, and dancewith exercises that fully engage the performer physically and vocally. Kenneth Tom contributes a chapter on vocal anatomy, offering clear and accessible material on how the voice works along with practical advice on its care.
Customer Reviews:
A Student of Joan's.......2007-07-29
I was a student of Joan's at Cal State Fullerton in the Theatre Arts program and consider myself fortunate to have worked with her and given valuable information on vocal work. She integrates movement with vocal strengthening and presents the necessary understanding and incorporation of diction, pronunciation, and phonetics. She's a singer, musician and a master dialectician. If you're a beginning actor and you aren't able to take a class with Joan, this book in an incredible investment for your training.
AMAZING text for singing and voice.......2006-09-25
I highly recommend this text! Joan Melton clearly explains through exercises how to link the singing voice with the speaking voice via Fitzmaurice voicework. The anatomy and vocal physiology sections of the book are also very useful.
Valuable for both singers and actors..........2003-10-13
A comprehensive physical approach to voice training that draws extensively from the groundbreaking work of Catherine Fitzmaurice and her innovative approach to destructuring and restructuring the breathing. Highly recommended for singers and actors alike.
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