Magazine beauty and impossible singing!!!

Magazine beauty, the unimaginable, unattainable, unrealistic measure of perfection!

Girls have been obsessed.  What is Victoria Beckham wearing this season, doesn't she look fab now that she's a size 00 (er... not really - have a mars bar love).  When will Kristin Stewart smile, and wow doesn't Amanda Holden look amazing just weeks after giving birth?

With exposure and documentaries galore, as well as pressure on the European fashion markets to only employ models that have a BMI of 18.5 and over, we are much more savvy about photoshop, and the magazine market.  We seem to understand now, having seen some pre and post photoshop pictures from the likes of Britney Spears and Lady Gaga, that the image we're sold is not real.  It doesn't always stop us lusting after the perfect body, with no blemishes, and absolutely no cellulite, and it gives us a sense of schadenfreude, when we see the candid photo's of our celebs on their days off!

So, why oh why, in this world, where we know that the unreal is portrayed to us in so many ways, do we still feel the need to vocally out-master the masters?  When we are in our singing lessons in Edinburgh, we're frequently asked, "why can't I sound like...?", "how do they do that?".  9/10 it's clever production, disguised fades to make it sound like someone is singing something all in one breath, when actually, they have laboured in the Studio for days.  Taking the best parts of various "takes", splicing them together to make us believe what we here is the perfect rendition of a song, in truth, it's an amalgam of many hours of hard work.  We've all heard Cher's "Believe", a song which was marketed as clever recording, but has become recognised as a use of auto-tune.  Auto-tune, can now be used as a vocal effect to give the singer a more "robotic" sound, but let's not forget that auto-tune is there and was developed, to correct poor performance.

That's not to say that there aren't talented singers out there these days, of course there are.  And it's not to say that we would want you to stop trying to be the best that you can be, but please remember that there is a very good chance that your desired vocal, has not even been achieved by the person you look up to!

Busy times at RVM

SINGING

It has been a while since we updated... singing lessons have been going well, fully booked for the next 4 weeks, and bookings are starting for next year too! 

Lots of happy exports from RVM singers and we have a singing showcase happening on the 23rd November 2012 at the City Cafe on Blair Street, register your interest now!!!

We are now happy to announce that we are working with Edinburgh Council and Creative Scotland to bring music to youngsters through the Youth Music Initiative, a wonderful project to provide the arts to everyone!!!

FUNCTION BAND

The band is booking up quickly for next year, and the guys are very excited to be a part, and to have been a part of so many fabulous and special days!  Don't forget that you can hire the band for Weddings, Birthday Parties, Corporate Functions, your own amusement really!

Keep your eyes peeled for news on Rear View Music's entertainment.  There are some projects in development at the moment, including an upcoming showcase for the band.  If you want to see the guys in action, contact info@rearviewmusic.co.uk for information on this.

RECORDING

As a freelance sound engineer, JamieT was living it large on the Ross Bandstand, during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, seeing a number of acts perform more than admirably and to very excited crowds.  Bring on EFF 2013!

JamieT has been rushed off his feet.  Having become the in house engineer for Edinburgh 's famous, Banana Row, he's booking up even faster!

JamieT was featured in an article in the Scotland on Sunday, talking about a recording session taking place at Banana Row, and is very excited to be part of the team!

The Peanut Butter Adagio!

Singing made easy!  Ha, if only there was a quick fix.  

The truth is, there isn't a quick way to become a good/ great singer.  It takes hard work, effort, practice and guidance to help you develop and understand the sensations that you're feeling.  You have to know whether you should be feeling it, or what you should, instead have going on.

People learn in different ways, and some are more responsive to kinesthetic (it feels like this... or that) rather than the auditory (listening to) examples of technique.

I love this one.  It might not appeal to everyone, particularly those with the old peanut allergy but if you have any similar products that I could substitute, I'd welcome them!

So yes, the peanut butter, what is she talking about?  

Well, when we do our singing lessons in Edinburgh, one of the first things we do, is warm up!  Every good teacher should make sure that the voice is adequately warmed up and ready for the session!  One of our warm up exercises is a series of descending hums, on a major scale.  When you're thinking about doing the hum, imagine that you're trying to lick peanut butter from the roof of your mouth, and relax the tongue at the point where the tip of the tongue is about to cross the threshold made by your teeth.  You'll notice that your tongue is down at the back, you're soft palate will be raise slightly at the back, and above all the internal workings of your mouth will be relaxed!

Relax relax relax!

Try it!

Safety first!!!

Phew, what a week...


In our singing lessons this week, we've been mostly talking about safety!  What's there to be safe about? Well, if you think that singing is as easy as opening your mouth and letting even the proverbial belly rumble, then you could be in for a shock!


It's very important that you ensure that you're looking after yourself, because so many things can affect the shape of your voice.


If you bought a guitar, you'd have to change the strings on it periodically, you'd have to tune it certainly and that's all with the knowledge that your guitar already knows how to be a guitar, because it's always been nothing BUT a guitar!  You are not only learning how to use your instrument, but you need to learn to BE your instrument, and that is one of the unique qualities about being a singer!


Make sure you keep yourself well lubricated (with water and not diuretics, such as coffee, tea or fizzy drinks).  Make sure you keep yourself well slept because lack of good, efficient rest can take its toll on your voice.  And make sure you look out for any symptom that might be untoward!  That is, anything that is present without any other symptoms.  A sore throat, when accompanied by a cold, is likely just a sore throat!

Settle down and breathe right!!!

Breathing is a fundamental part of your singing process, and in our singing lessons, we like to make sure that our students know, not only how to breathe for health and well being, but to breathe for singing... there IS a distinction!


When we breathe normally, our ribcage expands as we breathe in, and collapses when we breathe out.  When we sing, we want our exhalation to create a feeling of firm support for the lungs, so that our rib cage doesn't fall when we use the breath!


In our singing lessons, we teach you how to suspend your breath, but it's worth thinking about how that might be accomplished, in an attempt to help you use your breath to it's full potential.


As we have said before, relax, don't put too much pressure on yourself.  Ultimately, it's breathing, you've been doing it since the day you were born!!!

Best Singing Method!

Cher vs Lene Nystrøm

You may remember Lene Nystrom as the singer from Poptastic Eurodance band, "Aqua", then again you may not!  We would not criticize her performances or singing technique, she has made a living from using her voice, but in the No.1 hit "Barbie Girl", her voice demonstrate, what we would consider, an undesirable technique.

It's all about the soft palate, and in our singing lessons in Edinburgh, we like to make sure that our students use the soft palate correctly.  If you're looking for the best singing method, would you choose, baby talking Lene, or rich and round sounding, velvet voice, Cher?


This is not to say that Cher is 100% perfect, her single "Believe", is rumored to be an example of auto-tune gone wrong.  However, in "If I could Turn Back Time", we hear the wonderful tones in her voice, like listening to an audible chocolate fudge cake!


Using the soft palate correctly, is one of the key ingredients of using the best singing method, practiced in our Edinburgh singing lessons.  It's not the only thing that you want to think about, but it certainly helps.


The next time you're doing your scales, have a think about where your soft palate is, and have a think about how you can make it work for you rather than against you!

Relax and Sing!!!

It is commonly known that relaxation has numerous health benefits, including improving your concentration, lowering blood pressure, increasing blood flow to muscles and boosting your confidence in your abilities to handle problems.


It's easy to allow your stresses to spiral out of control and leave you confused, disorientated and unable to handle simple tasks.  What's that got to do with singing?


Well, not only is music a well documented stress reliever, but relaxing into your singing will only make your singing voice stronger and more effective.  Taking a deep breath is something that is often said to people that need a moment to compose themselves, but how often do you think about it for singing?  Well the truth is, if you're not practicing your breathing techniques, you're doing yourself and your voice an injustice.


Tension will cause your voice to sound strained and will feel uncomfortable*.  After a gruelling day, do you want to hear stress and feel discomfort during your "me time"?  Take a few minutes at the beginning for your session and breathe deeply, think about now! What someone said at work, how someone has made you feel the other day, the presentation that you're scared of giving, whatever, they can all live outside the bubble that is your singing session if you choose it!  Breathing exercises are very important for your practice and singing lessons, which is why you will always be encouraged, particularly as a novice, to demonstrate your breathing ability! 


We encourage all of our singers, during their singing lessons in Edinburgh to use time wisely and to remember to be calm and present.  See how a singing lesson or practice can benefit your health?


*(see Adele, Someone Like You at the line "Don't forget me I beg", recorded version not live for an example of this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLQl3WQQoQ0 1:26)

If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you always got...

If you always do what you've always done, of course, nothing changes.


When it comes to singing lessons, we are often asked how to achieve certain skills and although everything takes practice, and careful management of your voice, one thing is absolutely true, try something totally new!  Take it outside your comfort zone!


So if you're a Pop Ballad fan, get yourself into some Jazz, if you love the Rock, try the Musical Theatre and if you live it large with metal, you need to get on down with Boy Bands... You WILL learn something!