Book singing lessons near me in Whangarei

Take your vocal practice to the next level

If you have had some sort of vocal lessons or training and you are already familiar with basic technique and concepts, then the next step is to involve different challenges to continue your progress.

Let us start with musicianship: this involves expression and mastering Tempo and rhythm. One element that will improve your expression is your knowledge of different articulations. For example, using slides or gliss to connect notes, accenting notes to create a certain rhythmic pattern that overlaps the actual rhythm of the song, stressing a note or bending a note. Your dynamics play a major role as well: from the softest sound to the strongest level of volume for your phrases, mastering your range of dynamics will make your interpretation sound more energetic, delicate and less flat. Vibrato is another technique that will make the notes sound less bland. When it comes to rhythm and Tempo, it is very important to have a strong sensibility to a consistent Tempo. Once you know that you can be locked with the beats of a specific metric and speed, you can then let go and sing more freely but always having the chance to go back to being consistent and steady with the overall Tempo of the piece.

Playing with others is very important as well. Playing with others will force you to have good rhythm, but also it will force you to listen to others while singing. And if you are harmonising with others singers, well that is a great training for your ear and for your vocal technique.

The next step might be trying different styles and trying to let yourself be influenced by the different aspects of each new style that you learn. Soul is very different from classical, and Hip-hop and R&B are quite different from Jazz and Country. Yet most artists who excel at their style have been influenced by another style of music. One could say that this is due to a change of perspective, but it  also be the acquisition of other techniques that might have not been reinforced in your particular style.

Lastly there is improvisation and the way it can influence your song-writing. Improvising is a great skill to acquire, not just for solos and Jazz, but it can be a great skill to have the next time you are writing a song. Writing a song is already difficult, but by being familiar with the practice of improvising it might be easier to start coming up with ideas for lines of melody and you might feel more confident doing so.

Learning music in Whangarei

The city of Whangarei can be a great inspiration to you if you are studying music as Whangarei is the hometown of international sensation and multi-awarded country singer Keith Urban. Keith Urban has been the leader of many bands, including the Ranch. He has also participated in the guitar recording of many albums including bands such as the Dixie Chicks and Garth Brooks. In 1999 he released his first American solo album, also titled Keith Urban, and scored a number-one hit on the Billboard country singles chart with “But for the Grace of God.” The albums Golden Road (2002) and Be Here (2004) generated more number-one country singles, earning fans and critical acclaim. It is fair to say that he is one of the most prominent music artists that have come out of New Zealand. If you are a musician in Whangarei perhaps this will inspire you to write your own songs and start performing them for an audience!

The benefits of learning how to read music

Music is a language, and just like any other language signs and symbols are used as the primary elements for communication. Therefore, by learning how to read music you will open the door to a grand catalog of music that has been established for the last four hundred years, just as if you had learned how to read in a certain language and now you have the ability to crack open any book written in that language. But music notation and the practice of music reading will not just allow you to read music written for your instruments, it will allow you to read music written for any instrument. Because our music notation system has been established in a general sense, the skills of reading music sheets will allow you to read jazz standards, symphonies, classical pieces, song books of your favourite bands, musical show song books, etc. And if you are a kid and you are learning how to read music, you will have a better chance of developing a stronger relationship between what you read on the music staff and what you hear. Reading music, analysing or sight reading with an instrument are great practices that will create a strong bond between the theoretical and the practical.

Why learn with a teacher and not just with videos online.

Although learning how to sing or to play an instrument by watching videos online might be an excellent complement to your weekly lesson, it is hardly a substitute for it. Learning with a teacher means learning with someone who will see your improvements and your shortcomings. This person will meet with you at a consistent scheduled time and that schedule will organise your time more efficiently. The teacher will also address the challenges and difficulties that are specific to your  progress and relationship with your voice, your instrument or any other aspect of music in general. The teacher will guide you then through what he or she will consider to be the better path for your improvement, and he or she will pinpoint the improvements for you to continue engaging in your practice while feeling motivated. Learning with a teacher will give you another reason to be consistent in your instrument practice and it will give you the chance to interact and to get to know someone who will guide you patiently through your journey of learning music. This practice which is personalised, tailored and customised to your needs is something that no video would be able to give to their audience. Learning with a teacher is the best option since in your journey discovering   your voice or the instrument of your choice, you might come to realise quite quickly that everyone is different.