The Contemporary Singer: Elements of Vocal Technique (Berklee Guide) Review

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(More customer reviews)I am a classical singer and have been an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music for 12 years and I have been extremely impressed with this book.Even though the book is called "The Contemporary Singer", it is a valuable resource for any singer.It covers specific technical areas in a clear, direct manner but also includes wonderful guidelines for topics like practicing, vocal health and performance skills.In the CD that accompanies the book, a variety of warm-up exercises are covered which are very thorough and progresses naturally.I would recommend this book to the beginning student as well as someone who just needs to reinforce their vocal technique.

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Product Description:
This comprehensive guide based on the curriculum of the Voice Department at Berklee College of Music is a must-have for every vocalist! Covers all the essentials, including: an overview of the singing process, treating voice as an instrument, tips for getting started and overcoming stage fright, proper posture and breathing, tone, discovering resonance, belting, diction, maintaining vocal health, mic techniques, and exercises for all voice ranges and types on the accompanying CD. Includes lead sheets for such standard vocal repertoire pieces as: Yesterday * I'm Beginning to See the Light * and I Heard it Through the Grapevine. Maximize your vocal potential with this outstanding guide!

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HOW TO SING (HOW TO PLAY) Review

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(More customer reviews)I started with music [guitar and singing] when I turned fifty.Took me ten years for my ear and mind just to tune the guitar. Graham Hewitt's book is a wonderful guide to one interested in going it alone with developing avoice, whatever ability or gift. It took me a while to"recognise" the vocal tones that I was making. But with theguidence provided you can focus. I'd highly recomend it. My many thanks toit's author, Graham Hewitt

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How To Sing Book Brand: Alfred Publishing Model Number: 55-10008

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The Singer's Companion: A Guide to Improving Your Voice and Performance (Limelight) Review

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(More customer reviews)Written by expert vocal coach Brent Monahan, The Singer's Companion: A Guide to Improving Your Voice and Performance is a guide for lay people and professional singers alike to improving one's singing talent. The Singer's Companion simplifies the art of performance by emphasizing practical techniques rather than complex lessons on physiology and theories. Chapters cover proper stance, breathing, phonation, resonance, range, health, vocal exercises, pronunciation and diction, and more. Diagrams, exercise sheets, sample songs, and an audio CD complement this solid, "hands-on" self-training guide for singers of all backgrounds, from aspiring actors to church choir singers to folks who love to sing in the shower.

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The Singer's Companion combines the author's extensive research on hundreds of professional singers' and singing teachers' books with 30 years of personal teaching experience. The book concentrates on traditional vocal and artistic development, as employed at the most renowned universities and conservatories. At the same time, the presentation is extremely practical and accessible. The language is simple, and minimal space is given to theory. As each aspect of good singing and artistry is explained, enlightening quotations from dozens of the best singers and teachers, such as Enrico Caruso, Luciano Pavarotti, Eileen Farrell, Manuel Garcia, and Emma Seiler, help the singer to grasp the concept. The building of the vocal instrument and the artist is the focus. Topics include stance, breathing, phonation, resonance, range, health, choosing a teacher, vocal exercises, musicianship, pronunciation and diction, interpretation, performance, and selecting material. Many illustrative diagrams appear in the text. The book includes exercise sheets, sample songs, and an illustrative CD. Any singer, from the would-be professional to the diligent choir member, can benefit from this easy-to-use, thorough companion.

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The New Voice: How to Sing and Speak Properly Review

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(More customer reviews)I agree wholeheartedly with the first reviewer. This book tells you how to sing, not just what should happen in good singing. Idon't know of any other book that spends the time needed to addresssetting up the structure for singing and especially the tongue and high larynx which causesmost of the problems that as a voice teacher I encounter!This is amazing.getting over the urge to gag is really worth it! I'd like to be in contact with other teachers and singers who find this really great. It has meant so much to many of my students who went to teachers who seemed to be afraid of this approach and who use only the ear and imagery to overcome real physical ignorance ormisunderstandings. There ishelp out there for the tight, retracting, tense and lazy tongue. What freedom this offers!!!!!!

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This book is a valuable contribution to laryngeal knowledge and presents a concise profile of the anatomy of the larynx. Features exercises that will restructure the voice and teach the student a new way to handle the instrument.

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The Estelle Liebling Vocal Course: Mezzo-Soprano and Contralto (Vocal Method) Review

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(More customer reviews)I love this book! It has fabulous exercises for strengthening the voice. I notice an improvement in my voice in only a few days of practice!I love that it has music for the exercises and not just the vocal line. The only thing I wish it had were descriptions of what techniques you are working on for each exercise. While this book focuses on classical training, it is great for other styles/genres as well. I'm actually a singer/songwriter and find that this helps me with my own music (I do not sing opera). I wholly recommend this book!

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Product Description:
A method that has long been highly regarded among teachers and students alike. Each of these books consists of 3 parts: Part I describes the vocal mechanism and its function briefly and in simple, non-technical language. Part II consists of basic, fundamental vocalises carefully selected to develop the specific voices for which the book is written. Part III presents the important elements of diction in the 5 languages most commonly used in singing: English, Italian, French, German and Spanish.

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Singing for the Stars: A Complete Program for Training Your Voice (Book & 2 CD's) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the first voice book I've read, but I'll probably end up reading some others.I have a musical background, have played guitar and piano for years, but just recently decided to make an effort to improve my singing.
I found this book helpful in some ways, but I felt it could have been easier to understand.The book essentially details the speech level singing method, in which the chest voice and head voice are successfully bridged.
As a newcomer to singing, I found some of these concepts a little difficult to understand, and felt the book never really explained things very clearly.It reminded me a little of a instruction manual that assumes you have certain parts that have not been included.
Also, I felt it was a little odd that there was so much ink spent on celebrity testimonials.If the method is really that good, it should be able to speak (or sing) for itself.
It's been a couple of months since I read the book and listened to the CDs, and I can say that my singing has improved considerably (that's why I'm giving the book four stars).Although I don't feel I came away with a full understanding of everything the book was trying to teach, I feel I must have osmotically picked up some concepts that have been helpful.

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What do Michael Jackson, Anita Baker, Natalie Cole and hundreds of other professionals have in common? They all study voice with Hollywood's leading vocal coach, Seth Riggs. You can learn to sing like the pros with this complete program for training the voice.

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Vocal Workouts for the Contemporary Singer (Vocal) (Berklee Press) Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this because it's one of the textbooks I will be using for my course.The first time I tried the warm up for all voices and the basic workout, my 6-year old son who could hear me doing it was immediately attracted to the lively workout and joined me without being invited---imitating all he could hear from the cds too.I truly love this book and cd.

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The vocal workouts in this much-anticipated follow-up to Peckham's bestselling The Contemporary Singer are based on Berklee College of Music's highly effective vocal method. This volume will help vocalists develop the voice through good vocal healt

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15 American Art Songs (Vocal Collection) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book contains songs suitable for singers of every level of study that are interested in unusual repertoire.

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With companion CD of accompaniments, Catherine Bringerud, pianist. Contents: American Lullaby (Rich) * Cabin (Bowles) * The Crucifixion (Barber) * The Daisies (Barber) * Do Not Go, My Love (Hageman) * Heavenly Grass (Bowles) * The Lamb (Chanler) * The Lass from the Low Countree (Niles) * Loveliest of Trees (Duke) * The Monk and His Cat (Barber) * Orpheus with His Lute (Schuman) * Serenity (Ives) * Sure on Ths Shining Night (Barber) * This Little Rose (Roy) * When I Have Sung My Songs (Charles).

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Practical Method of Italian Singing: For High Soprano Review

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(More customer reviews)The story goes that Vaccai used to teach the wealthy sons and daughters of Englishmen, and it was well known in that time that only 'fallen' men and women would attempt a life on the stage, and never those deemed noble.It was the method at that time that students such as these would go through years of just learning scales and singing melodies the "Sol-fa" method.Vaccai thought that his students would get bored out of their minds being forced into such a bland routine, so he wrote cantos and short, Italian melodies which were meant to elastize the voice, widen range, and increase the overall beauty of the voice.
Did Vaccai succeed?Most definitely, as evidenced by this book.I recommend it highly to voice teachers with students that are at the advanced amateur level, and for students who are studying independently or those at a slightly lower level but who have adept learning skills.This book will help with arpeggios and runs, and will turn your blushing straight-toner into a coloratura.

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Italian composer Nicola Vaccai (1790-1848) was known for his operas in his day, but today is remembered as a master voice teacher. Vaccai composed these exercises for training the classical voice, extending range and increasing agility, breath support, and all other technical issues of singing. The art of singing reached a zenith in Italy in 1800-1840. Vaccai's "Practical Method" has been used by millions of singers since its first publication in Europe in the 19th century. Schirmer released the first American edition in the early 20th century, and it remains a classic for voice study. The method comes in various editions for different voice types, including this one for mezzo-soprano, alto or baritone.

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Bel Canto: A Theoretical and Practical Vocal Method Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this book to review it and decide whether or not to use it in my studio for my students.

The preface in which she describes the glottal stroke is correct in that this is what happens upon phonation, but a singer may interpret it as to start the sound with a diliberate glottal stroke which is harsh on the vocal chords.

The exercises are nice and challenging. The progression of the exercices build on each other as well. I have started using this for my more advanced students.

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Renowned teacher presents the "vocal alphabet," or basic instructions and exercises that formed the voices of her own students, whoincludedMelba andCalve. Topics includebreathing, attack, registers, voice management, and projection.

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Easy Songs for the Beginning Mezzo-Soprano/Alto (Book & CD) Review

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(More customer reviews)This was one of two beginning song books that were recommended by our voice coach.It comes with a CD too.

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This series was designed to supplement traditional vocal instruction and works perfectly as preparatory literature for The First Book of Solos and The First Book of Solos Part II. Each piece is in English and has a limited vocal range as well as a piano accompaniment that is playable by a student pianist. The pieces include art songs, folksongs, humorous songs, and suitable vintage popular songs and are all appropriate for contest solos. The accompanying CD includes professionally-recorded accompaniments.Mezzo-Soprano Contents: At Parting (Rogers) * Early One Morning (arr. Williams) * Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit * The First Primrose (Grieg) * Gently, Johnny, My Jingalo (arr. Sharp) * If No One Ever Marries Me (Lehmann) * It Was a Lover and His Lass (Morley) * Last Night (Kjerulf) * Little Wild Rose (Schubert) * Long, Long Ago (Bayly) * The Lotus Flower (Schumann) * The Maiden's Wish (Chopin) * Mother, Oh Sing Me to Rest (Franz) * Now Is the Month of Maying (Morley) * Oh, Come Again, Beautiful Spring (Weckerlin) * Shepherd, Play a Little Air! (Stickles) * Sing Me to Sleep (Greene) * Snowbells (Schumann) * That's an Irish Lullaby (Shannon) * There Are Plenty of Fish in the Sea (Foster) * Vienna, My City of Dreams (Sieczynski) * Who'll Buy My Lavender? (German) * You Are Free (Jacobi).

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Callas at Juilliard: The Master Classes (Amadeus) Review

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(More customer reviews)In 1971-72, several years absent from the operatic and performing stage, Maria Callas appeared in a series of master classes at Juilliard, which attracted attention far beyond the world of the admittedly famed music school at which they were held.
There were several reasons for this. At the time Callas was still the most famous opera singer in the world, as much for her entanglement in the lives of Aristotle Onassis and Jacqueline Kennedy as for her vocal and dramatic artistry. The format of the master class is a peculiar hybrid of individual lesson and public performance, both for the students and the teacher. As Ardoin and others have pointed out, whatever her concern for imparting her knowledge and experience to students, Callas undoubtedly saw the Juilliard classes as an opportunity to test the waters--appearing and even singing, under the guise of demonstrating, in public again to see if she could handle a possible return to her career.
Minus the extramusical baggage that surrounded them, and the excitement Callas' personal presence and vocal illustrations must have created, what remains of these master classes? These faithful transcriptions of many of the sessions give as good an idea as can be had without actually listening to tapes, and show that Callas was a scrupulous, detailed and demanding musical taskmaster. To operatic connoisseurs, there is much interest in the variants, cuts and cadenzas she suggests, illustrated in manymusical examples which really need to be compared with published scores in order to obtain the clearest idea of her suggestions. One problem with the original edition was that the excerpts were riddled with printing mistakes--it remains to be seen how much, if any, of this has been rectified.
One is struck by the businesslike tone of much of the instruction, not at all like the embroidered scenarios of McNally's play, and how much Callas invokes her own teachers, such as Tullio Serafin, giving a real sense of the musical traditions of Italian opera. Ultimately, this book is mainly of interest to those who appreciate Callas the musician, not Callas the legendary diva. For such readers it repays careful perusal, though probably not all in one sitting. Amadeus Press is to be thanked for restoring this volume to the print catalogue.

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Advanced Vocal Technique Middle Voice, Placement, Styles BK/CD (Essential Concepts) Review

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(More customer reviews)As I was reading this book, I kept thinking "well she got that wrong", and that, and that..... She didn't even take the time to research the anatomy of how the voice works.She makes the claim that the arytenoid muscle group stretches or elongates the vocal folds... at least take the time to do your homework before passing yourself off as an expert and know that it is the Crico-Thyroid muscles that stretch or elongate the vocal folds, the arytenoids only function is to open or close the glottis thus pulling the vocal folds apart or bringing them together.

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A voice that sounds like one register: isn't this what most singers want? And how do you get that sound live, outside of all the engineering tools used in a studio? A follow-up to the author's highly successful °Vocal Technique° book & 2-CD set, °Advanced Vocal Technique° teaches the higher skills needed to bridge your voice and help you get the sound you desire in whichever style you choose. Includes: placement and air function; exercising the tongue and mouth; singing in the mask and bridging; use of the slide; strengthening your voice; all styles including jazz, country, R&B, pop, rock; and more. The included CD contains demonstrations, exercises, and full band demo tracks!

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Great Singers on Great Singing: A Famous Opera Star Interviews 40 Famous Opera Singers on the Technique of Singing (Limelight) Review

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(More customer reviews)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.

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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

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History Through the Opera Glass: From the Rise of Caesar to the Fall of Napoleon Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is a treasure trove of connections, perspectives and yes, real history that is directly related to the world of Opera. So often Opera is seen as some rarified gallery of pretentious invented characters that seemingly interact only in the most insane of plot contrivances. Mr Jellinek's book firmly resists this outlook and reaffirms one of the best kept secrets of the world of Opera and that is thatOpera composers and to some extant their librettists, were simply trying to retell the stories of private lives that inhabit the history that belongs to us all. The book is not an easy read and not one you must read cover to cover. It is a highly useful terrifically engaging reference for every level of Opera goer, from the "only curious" to the student of music, to every board member of every Opera house in the world. Thank you George!

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This first-of-its-kind, highly entertaining, and carefully researched account reveals how nearly 200 operas by leading composers and librettists have portrayed the major events and personalities of more than 2000 years of history. In a continuous and absorbing narrative, the book sweeps from Roman times to 1820, with a cast of characters that includes Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, Attila, Charlemagne, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Catherine the Great, Napoleon - and hundreds more. All are seen as the figures historians generally perceive them to have been and as their on-stage counterparts, created and re-imagined by some of opera's greatest artists.

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Choral Music in the Twentieth Century (Amadeus) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is the first of its kind, and much needed in the world of choral literature.Up until this book, the best survey book out there was Homer Ulrich's Survey of Choral Music, which focused more on large genres, spanned the history of Western music, and only reached the 1970s.Nick Strimple, professor at the University of Southern California, has written a fantastic survey focusing the twentieth century.

Strimple features music from six continents (sorry Antartica!)-- music is first classified by region, then by composer (Ulrich's book is classified more by genre, which means some skipping around).While Europe and North America receive most of the focus, considerable attention is also given to South America and regions of Africa and Asia.In addition to large works, Strimple also discusses octavos as well, making this a complete survey.

The most notable element about Choral Music in the 20th Century is that it is so well-written.Descriptions of compositions are concise, descriptive, and can serve as springboards for program notes and further research.Perhaps even more impressive is how well the book holds up when read cover to cover.It is so easy for descriptions about music to sound alike after awhile (there are only so many ways one can describe an upbeat piece, for instance).Yet Strimple's prose seems unburdened by the density of research which a survey must convey.

Readers should keep in mind that this is a survey of choral music -- there are no lengthy analyses or value judgments here (these pieces are great, these pieces are lousy, etc.).Otherwise the book would have been three times its size.Also, when writing a book about choral music across six continents, there are bound to be some composers or works which slip through the cracks.I can only imagine the disappointment expressed by some who didn't "make the cut."

The truth is that with nothing out there like it, Strimple's book didn't have to be this good (or this inexpensive, for which Strimple and his publisher should also be credited).Due to his diligence, however, it seems this book will likely serve as the de facto survey on 20th century choral music for several decades.And there's good news -- Amazon shows that Strimple's book on nineteenth-century music is due to come out later this year.Hurrah!

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Nick Strimple's all-encompassing survey ranges from 19th-century masters, such as Elgar, to contemporary composers, such as Tan Dun and Paul McCartney. Repertory of every style and level of complexity is critically surveyed and described. This book is an essential resource for choral conductors and a valuable guide for choral singers and other music lovers.

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La Boheme: Full Score Review

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(More customer reviews)Looking for a good, moderately priced recording of "Boheme"?This is it.Schipper's conducts a delightfully theatrical performance.The young Freni is ideal:fresh and touching as Mimi should be.Gedda has a lighter, more youthful sound than Pavarotti or Bjoerling, and makes an excellent match for Freni.Good stereo sound.Excellent supporting cast:Sereni a charming, youthful Marcello.Other sets have great casts and great conductors (and you may want to augment your collection with Beecham's classic recording and Kleiber's live La Scala performance, but this one is a perfect introductory "Boheme", with its user-friendly book and libretto. Beautiful.

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Ricordi is proud to present the first titles in their new series of orchestral scores featuring engaging images (from Casa Ricordi's historical archives) and synopses in Italian, English, French and German. In addition, these scores feature heavier cover and paper stock plus stronger binding.

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