Music

During school occasionally musical instruments will be introduced to you. These may consist of singing, guitar, or recorder. Each school has a different program. Some schools have special assigned teachers that teach music but others compromise. Beneath here you may learn some stuff about the recorder, the guitar, and maybe learn to sing!

 

RECORDER

The recorder is taught in many schools and is one of the first instruments many people learn to play. However, the recorder also has a unique sound and is prominently featured in some popular music groups such as Mannheim Steamroller.

There are nine types of recorders varying in length from the tiny sopranino to the large double contra bass. The most common is the soprano (or descant) recorder. This is the type most often taught in schools. Other types include the alto/treble, tenor, and bass recorders. Whether you are looking for a simple instrument to learn or want to explore the intricate beauty of this instrument, sit back and enjoy the music.

Steps

  1. Assemble the recorder. Recorders usually come in three parts, although smaller sizes such as the soprano or sopraninio have just two parts. But some recorders are also one piece. Recorders used in schools are this type. The altos and tenors contain the head joint where you blow into, the body which contains most of the fingering holes, and the foot joint. The foot joint should be turned so the hole is slightly to the right when viewed as you would play it.
  2. Place the recorder on your lips. Do not bite the mouthpiece or let it touch your teeth. Gently hold it between your lips and balance it with your fingers.
  3. Blow through the instrument and pronounce the word "too". The fingering is unimportant at this stage, just try to hold a note and sustain it. Saying "tooooo" gives the note a clear beginning and is called tonguing.
  4. Support your breath. Breathe from the diaphragm and make sure you blow evenly. It will help to keep the sound consistent.
  5. Play a note. Start by placing your left thumb over the hole on the back and the left index finger over the top hole. Ensure the holes are completely covered. Now gently blow, remembering to say "too". The note you just played is B. If the note does not come out, or you squeak, make sure that all of your fingers all fully covering the holes, and that your fingers stay flat.
  6. Learn the fingering for other left hand notes. To help visualize the fingering, we will use a simple fingering chart consisting of numbers 0 through 7, 0 being the left thumb, 1 the left index finger, 2 the second left finger, and so on. One through three are played with the left hand and number 4 starts with the index finger of the right hand. So the note B in the previous step is fingered as 0 1. The next note to learn is A and fingered as 0 1 2 (left thumb, index, and middle fingers). Once you have mastered those notes try playing G — 0 1 2 3, C' — 0 - 2, and D' — 2. Note that C' is played using only the thumb and middle finger, the 1 hole is open. A tick mark (') after the note indicates a high note so it is not confused with the lower C and D we will learn later.
  7. Practice right hand notes once you have mastered your left hand. Add the index and ring fingers of your right hand to play F — 0 1 2 3 4 - 6 7. Also try playing E — 0 1 2 3 4 5, D — 0 1 2 3 4 5 6, and C — 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Make sure you are covering both holes on the lowest two holes (6 & 7). You can now play an entire C major scale (C D E F G A B C).
  8. Learn the semitones. Semitones are the notes between the notes (the black keys on a piano). One of the most commonly used is F# (between F and G) and the fingering is 0 1 2 3 - 5 6. Other notes you should be familiar with are Bb — 0 1 - 3 4 - 6, Ab — 0 1 2 - 4 5, and C#' — - 1 2. Note that the sharp (#) of one note is the same as the flat (b) of the next higher note. For example, F# is the same as Gb.
  9. Cover only one of the double holes to play C# and D#. The lowest two holes (6 & 7) actually have two holes. To play C#, use the same fingering as C, except only cover the larger hole of finger 7. C# — 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7a and D# — 0 1 2 3 4 5 6a.
  10. Practice the high notes. These can become a bit tricky. To play notes above D', a technique known as pinching the thumb hole must be used. Cover 2/3 to 3/4 of the thumb hole using the tip of your thumb. Tighten your lips slightly and blow a little faster. Practice the technique on E' — X 2 3 4 5 (where X means a pinched thumb). Once you have mastered the process, try playing even higher notes: F — X 1 2 3 4 - 6, G — X 1 2 3, A — X 1 2, B — X 1 2 - 4 5, and C — X 1 - - 4 5. Refer to a fingering chart for semitones and even higher notes.
  11. Work on vibrato once you have mastered the notes. A vibrato allows long notes to resonate, creating a nice dynamic effect. There are several ways to accomplish this.
    • Use a diaphragmatic vibrato. Control the flow of air into the recorder by tightening and contracting your diaphragm. Say, "heh heh heh" but do not cut off the flow of air entirely.
    • Use a tongued tremolo. Say, "yer yer yer yer yer yer" using your tongue to control the airflow.
    • Use a flutter-tongued tremolo. This method is rarely used as a vibrato, but creates an interesting effect. Allow the front of your tongue to vibrate as you are enunciating a trill (Spanish RR). It should sound something like a bird chirping.
    • Use a finger vibrato. Also not very practical for a sustained vibrato, this method is commonly referred to as a trill. Alternately finger the note and the next higher note. Do not tongue each note, but rapidly play an A B A B A B A sequence.
  12. Clean your instrument after each use. Disassemble the recorder and carefully wipe the moisture off the inside with a soft cloth. This is especially important for wood recorders, but good practice for any instrument.

 

[edit] Tips

  • Tighten your lips when playing high notes and relax to play low notes.
  • If you're squeaking a lot, make sure you're not blowing too hard, and that the holes are completely covered by your fingers.
  • Keep the recorder in its case when not in use to prevent chipping or damaging of the whistle-like hole at the top, because damage there can render the whole recorder useless.
  • Most music stores sell decent plastic recorders for around 5 dollars.
  • Playing the clarinet can help your recorder skills, and if you start on the recorder, a good choice for another instrument is the clarinet, as it's played, held, and fingered in a similar way.
  • Try to remember the first three notes spell the word BAG.

 

 

GUITAR

The guitar is especially versatile not only because it can be used in a wide variety of styles of music (from death metal to country to classical and everything in between) but also because it's more approachable than many other instruments, once you master a few basics as outlined below. It may take you years to get the basics down, and you'll need formal instruction at some point, but this simplified overview can get you started today. This article focuses on standard chords, which are only a basic element of guitar potential. For those who have significant difficulty forming chord shapes with their fingers, it may be better to start off learning songs which utilize single notes or power chords. This will help build finger strength, dexterity, and familiarity with the guitar, hopefully with less stress and frustration.

 

Steps

  1. The
    The "height" (top/bottom) is how high or low the sound is.
    Tune your guitar. This will not only help your playing sound better, but it'll also familiarize you with which string and fret combinations correspond with which notes. A useful mnemonic to remember the string arrangement is "Every Body Gets Dinner At Eight" (going from high E to low E) or "E"at "A"ll "D"ay "G"et "B"ig "E"asy (low to High). You should try to make up your own acronym, it will help you remember more easily.
  2. Learn how to read guitar tabs. Guitarists have their own system of music notation called guitar tablature, or "guitar tabs" for short. The basic idea is to look at the tab in the same way you look at your guitar; each line corresponds to a string, and each number tells you which fret to hold down when plucking that string.

    E---------------3-0--------------------||
    B-------------------3-0----------------||
    G---7-7-7---------------2-0------------||
    D-2-7-7-7-7-7-7------------------------||
    A-2-5-5-5-7-7-7------------------------||
    E-0-------5-5-5------------------------||

  3. On the first fret
    On the first fret
    Place your fingers correctly on the frets. Right-handed players use their left hand for fretting and use their right hand for picking. The frets are the metal strips that run perpendicular to the strings. You actually press your finger down between the metal strips, not on them. For example, if you're playing the third fret, you place your finger on the string between the second and third metal strip. Hold the string down firmly so that it only vibrates between your finger and your strumming hand. Do not forget that you must play on your fingertips and not on the soft part of your finger. This requires cutting your nails to avoid scratching the fretboard. Place your finger as close to the fret as possible to create a good sound.

    • C Major chord
      C Major chord
      When you hold down multiple strings at once at different frets (to play chords), it can be a little tricky (especially if you have short, inflexible fingers). There are usually several different ways to position your fingers for the same chord, so research them and experiment to find which one feels most comfortable for you.
    • Keep in mind that every time you move from one fret to another, the resulting pitch will be half a step higher or lower (i.e. "sharp" or "flat"). This is important for if you want to eventually read and play from sheet music.
    • Some people find that placing the thumb in the middle of the back of the neck, not coming over the top, leads to better finger placement because it allows better reach and strength of the fingers on the frets. Ultimately, however, do what feels best for you.
  4. Strum with your other hand. This can be the most difficult part to learn without having a teacher demonstrate. Strumming consists of downstrokes and upstrokes in various combinations. Count every beat and off-beat as "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and..." (every "and" is an offbeat). Each beat and offbeat can be an upstroke, downstroke, or no stroke. No matter which direction you use, make an effort to sweep across all of the strings with even pressure and steady speed. You don't want to strum some strings a little harder than others, or start off fast then slow down as you get to the last few strings. The motion should come mostly from the wrist, not the forearm.

    • You can do this with a pick or with your fingertips. There are various kinds of picks you can use, but beginners are usually advised to start with a thin pick, held between the thumb and the side of the index finger.[1]
    • Keep your arm going in a constant up-and-down motion, sticking with a rhythm whether or not you're actually strumming. This motion functions as a metronome for beginners. As you get better at strumming, you can tap your foot, bob your head, or jerk your knee like Elvis instead.[2]
  5. Practice chords. A chord is a group of notes that sound good together. The reason they sound good together lies in music theory, but for now, learning how to play a few key chords will suffice. Practice until you can move comfortably between them without losing your rhythm.

    • The most commonly used chords in Western music are the major chords, which can be remembered with the word "CAGED". Click on any of the following links for specific instructions on how to play each chord:

  6. Learn to play some songs. Start off with easier songs - ones with fewer chords in simpler arrangements. Listen to the song being played properly with guitar so you know what kind of sound and rhythm to aim for. Start off slow and speed up gradually, singing along (if applicable) to stick with the rhythm. As you master easier songs, move on to more complex pieces. Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd is an example of an easier song to start with. It's basically a repetition of the same three chords in the following order: D, C, G.
  7. Have Fun

 

SINGING

 

Singing is a skill based on muscle memory. It is an extension of speech. To become a "good" singer you must be able to breathe properly, sing with power (resonance) and sing on pitch. To become a "great" singer you'll need to add musicality that only comes with incessant practice. Singing is a lot of fun and most likely you will be admired if you're a good singer. To be able to sing, you need the confidence.

 

Steps

  1. Find a vocal coach. Incorrectly performed techniques can ruin your singing voice. Investing in an experienced vocal coach is well worth the money. If your voice is weak, know that this is usually caused by under-developed muscles or improper use of the resonators (the pharynx, the hard palate, and the nasal cavity). Muscles can be strengthened and with training you can learn how to use your resonators to project a powerful voice. If you cannot afford or do not want the dedication that comes with hiring a professional voice coach, consider joining a local choir.
  2. Learn your vocal range. This is essential, as singing pieces written for the wrong range may strain your voice. The tone of your voice is much more important than range. People will love or hate your voice based on its sound character, not how many notes you can hit. Never sacrifice tone for range (stay inside your range). Your range can change over time and with maturity and training but vocal chords can not learn to physically change.
  3. Correct your posture. Stand tall with one foot slightly in front of the other one, feet shoulder width apart. This allows you to breathe easily and to allow maximum lung capacity to allow better notes and phrases. Stand up straight, shoulders back and down, floating over your torso. Make sure that your chest is high to give room for your lungs to expand and contract. Relax your jaw, relax your face.
  4. Breathe properly. The voice is best described as a wind instrument, because breathing is 80% of singing and proper singing begins and ends with proper breathing.
  5. Get to know your singing tools so that you are more familiar with how everything is supposed to move and feel.
    • Touch the top of your collar bone. About a half of an inch below your finger is the top of your lungs.
    • Find your nipple line. This is the place where your lungs expand the largest.
    • Find your ribs. Your ribs move like bucket handles attached to your spine and your sternum. When you breath in, they move upward and make your chest expand, when you breath out, they move downward and your chest decreases.
    • Find the place right below your sternum where your rib cages meet. This is the bottom of your lungs and the housing of your diaphragm. The reason your stomach may pooch out when you breath deeply is because your diaphragm is pushing down on everything below your rib cage, not because your lungs are in your stomach.
  6. Always warm up before you begin singing or doing practice exercises. You should always warm your voice up in this pattern: middle range, low range, then high range, then back to middle. You should spend at least 10 minutes on each range and do not stress your voice if you're frustrated and cannot hit a note. Warm back down or up to your comfortable range and then try again, carefully. Other things to practice:

    • dynamics - Sing a comfortable pitch and start very softly, crescendo to loud then decrescendo back to soft. Do this with many different vowels and pitches. Dynamics are variations the intensity of your resonance (volume, but don't think about it that way). Even the simplest use of dynamics will make your songs come alive, and the more you practice, the louder and softer you'll be able to sing healthily. When reading music, from quietest to loudest, dynamics marks are as follows: pp (pianissimo, very quiet), p (piano, quiet), mp (mezzo piano, medium quiet), mf (mezzo forte, medium loud), f (forte, loud), ff (fortissimo, very loud). When you start out you will probably only be able to sing from mp to mf, but your range will increase with practice.
    • agility - Try singing from do to sol to do really fast back and forth, trying to hit all of the notes. Do this in increments of half steps on different syllables. This will help your voice become more flexible.
  7. Pronounce your vowels correctly. Words are truly nothing but a constant succession of vowels with consonants dropped in occasionally to create meaning. So practice all your vowels at every pitch (high, low and in between). In English there are very few pure vowels. Normally, we will encounter diphthongs which are two or more vowel sounds elided together. In classical singing, the singer will sustain the note on the first vowel and then say the second on the way to the final consonant. In country, singers like to slide through the first vowel and elongate the second vowel on the sustained note. Where as: a classical signer would sing "Am[aaaaaaai]zing Gr[aaaaaai]ce" and a country singer would sing "Am[aiiiiiii]zing Gr[aiiiiii]ce". If you can, always sing the first vowel for as long as you can before letting the second vowel in. Here are some pure vowels to practice with: AH as in "father", EE as in "eat", IH as in "pin", EH as in "pet", OO as in "food", UH as in "under", EU as in "could", OH as in "home". Try singing all of these vowels while maintaining your core sound which is the resonance in the mask of the face.
  8. Practice scales. You need to do this often if you have pitch problems. Most coaches will recommend 20-30 minutes a day when starting out. Practicing scales will also strengthen the muscles used for singing and give you better control. To practice scales, identify your range (tenor, baritone, soprano, etc...) and know how to find the notes that cover your range on a keyboard or piano. Then practice the major scale in every key moving up and down using the vowel sounds. At some point you can start working in minor scales as well. Solfege (Do,Re,Mi,...) is also an effective tool for improving pitch problems.
  9. Be reasonable with your self-expectations, regardless of where you are coming from, if you can devote 20 minutes or more a day to practicing scales and songs you can expect measurable improvement within four weeks. Most pitch problems can be corrected within 3-4 months. Understand that your progress is linked to your ability to practice daily (as with most training). If you only do 15 minutes a day, a few days a week, you could spend a year or more. If you devote yourself you could completely transform your voice in three months. Everyone is different.

 

And so that end our Recorder, guitar, singing music page!