 Does it really help? With any instrument practice makes perfect, and your voice is an instrument!
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Kathakali, the consummate confluence of dance, music, theatre and visual art, is one of Kerala’s prime cultural contributions to the world. The word Kathakali is a combination of two words: ‘Katha’ meaning story and ‘Kali’ meaning dance. Over the years, Kathakali has evolved into an intricate and highly stylized classical dance-drama form complete with elaborate make-up, luxuriant costumes, detailed hand gestures and body movements, performed with traditional percussion in the background. The striking green countenance of Kathakali has come to symbolize the global face of Kerala. The origin of Kathakali dates back to the 16th century A.D to two precursor dance-drama forms ‘Ramanattam’ and ‘Krishnanattam’. Kathakali has derived a major share of its techniques from these two art forms besides other ritualistic and traditional art forms like ‘Koodiyattom’, ‘Ashtapadiyattom’ and to a lesser extent, folk arts like ‘Porattunatakam’. ‘Kalaripayattu’, the martial art of Kerala has had a significant influence on the body language of Kathakali. Along its evolutionary course down the centuries, many of the rituals and practices unique to these and many other traditional art forms have become integral to Kathakali as we know it today. The classical elements of fine arts that make up the essence of Kathakali are ‘Natya’ (enactment-histrionics), ‘Nritham’ (Dance), ‘Nrithyam’ (Expressions) while ‘Geetha’ (Song/Vocal accompaniment) and ‘Vadyam’ (Percussion) play a supplementary role in creating a wholesome theatrical spectacle. Traditionally the stories enacted in Kathakali are adapted from the great epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata though the advent of globalization has led to western classics like ‘King Lear’ and ‘Othello’ being adapted to give it a global appeal. Though traditionally, Kathakali performances are known to extend throughout the night, shorter versions are the norm these days to cater to today’s time-conscious aficionados. The intricate and elaborate make up of Kathakali, called the ‘chutty’ is an entire art form in itself, focusing on enhancing the dramatic element of Kathakali. Various predominant shades are used to symbolize the various ‘Gunas’ (qualities) in its characters like ‘Saatvika’ meaning Godliness symbolized by green, ‘Rajasic’ meaning Violence symbolized by red, ‘Tamasic’ meaning evil symbolized by black. A Kathakali performer has to undergo years of intense training to achieve the immense concentration, physical stamina and skill that this art form demands. Its subtle nuances are better appreciated with a basic knowledge of the ‘Mudras’ (gestures) and a general awareness of the tale being narrated. The Kathakali recital is a visual and aural treat for the layman and connoisseur alike and and for many it is the true essence of Kerala, Gods Own Country. Thomas Thottungal
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The combination of an effortless low breath and a fully relaxed throat allows the vocal folds to vibrate freely. The exercises mentioned on this part of the vocal training video aid in training the tongue to remain gently arched upward and forward, while relaxing the back of the throat. Holla at me on Twitter Duration : 0:8:34 |
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The unassuming nature of Susan Boyle compared to her voice stunned everybody. But what made her to be such a good singer? What catapulted her to stardom in just a few days? Before we learn some tips from her, a little about her background will be appropriate. Born April 1, 1961 to Pete Boyle, who was himself a singer, and Bridget, a shorthand typist. So we can say her talent is partly from something in her gene. She also took some singing lessons and attended Birmingham Acting School. Short of that, all we know is that most of the singing she did was in her local church. Although the society, especially the judges of competitions tend to look at physical appearances, Boyle was determined not to hide her talent. Equipped with such a determination, she had appeared in a number of competitions. Her not winning in those competitions was not because she was untalented, but mostly because of the false image of what a supposed singer must look like:beautiful,gorgeous and young. This was the same in the “Britain Has Talent” competition. As she stepped on stage, everybody was expecting a squawking voice, but were geared to reality as her voice pierced through the air. Appearance, the judges came to understand, does not a talent make. What are some tips and lessons we can take from Susan Boyle? First of all, Susan Boyle knew she had some talents in singing. Mainly for spiritual purpose of singing to God, she took some singing courses. She is also a determined lady never to give up on pursuing what she enjoyed doing. That is why in spite of her failures in previous competitions, she still entered “Britain Has Talent”, where her star really shined. Her training showed off as she hit high notes continuously without losing her breathe or the quality of her voice. This is where most singers fail. Reaching high tones is more of a psychological trick than technique. It could be illustrated this way: Moving a car forward requires putting it in gear 1 after starting it. But in order to continue moving steadily and smoothly one needs to almost immediately put it in gear 2, then 3 and so forth. In reaching high tone, say C, what one needs to do is reach a slightly higher tone than C. Then almost automatically, all by itself the tone will come to C. In other words, hitting exact tone at once is disastrous, a little higher tone should be reached first. Then this way, the tone needed will be struck, almost by itself. Another thing we need to discuss is about vocal choirds. Vocal chords are the instrumental strings of the voice. It could be illustrated with piano strings. The lower notes are longer and thicker, while the higher notes are shorter and thinner. Applying this to singing, the vocal chords need to be shortened when singing higher notes in order for the sound to come out well. All these Susan Boyle mastered because she did not give up on her dream of becoming a good singer. She as well took steps to singing mastery by taking lessons in singing. But most important, she pushed herself to success by undauntedly stepping forward. Now she is a star, known, viewed and heard by millions. If you think you can´t take a singing lesson because of cost or master the art of singing, you´re wrong. In my signature is the review of a resource that might make you sing like Susan Boyle in no time and it is affordable Kenny Adeleke
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I want to be on broadway someday and am planning on taking vocal lessons soon. Is there a special way to learn to sing for broadway, or will any lessons cover it? Singing on Broadway is it’s own genre.. it’s nothing like just singing in a garage band or with some choral group. For one thing.. you have to be in VERY GOOD PHYSICAL CONDITION.. because doing 8 shows a week can really drag you down. YOu also need to be able to HOLD A STAGE for 2 HOURS. Doing professional singing is like a race.. Broadway is the MARATHON while singing in a band is like a sprint race.
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I’m looking for someone to tell me (Honestly) how bad I sound… And lessons/training to get better. Preferably free. I don’t know where to go.
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hey am looking for reasonable & cheap vocal training classes here in japan but I just dont know where…one-to-one would be preferable…any suggestions anyone?
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I really would like to train my voice, and I have seen people come out of training with wonderful voices, but then I do have friends who have been training for a while and not really progressed. I don’t know much about this so the people I have seen might just have to do with their own individual ways. Sorry– back to the question– should I pursue vocal training? If this is something you’re serious about, then go ahead. Invest in good vocal training. Find a good, certified teacher and begin. Your teacher will help your voice in many ways and you should come out better than you went in. (Not necessarily after your first lesson of course. :]) I wish you the best of luck and urge you to keep practicing and working hard. It’ll be worth it in the end. :]
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Duration : 0:3:22
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That’s me playing Daigasso! Band Brothers DX, singing Love Story wa Totsuzen ni.
Different people are born with different singing voices. How come some people can naturally sing opera without any vocal lessons but many people cannot sing opera? Is opera singing a natural gift or is it something that people without the gift can achieve if they had long term intensive vocal lessons and training in order to get that opera voice? I don’t have an opera voice. i can sing in tune but cannot sing as Broadway performers do. I would love to learn to sing opera well but somehow i think that no amount of vocal lessons for me will achieve that. This goes the same for Broadway singing. Am i wrong? What do you think? Opera and Musical theatre voices are different. Usually, musical theatre performers belt a lot more than people in the opera. It’s quite complicated, but usually if you can already sing in tune, you can learn how to sing Opera and/or musical theatre. In addition, it also depends on what your range is and what type of voice you have. Are you an alto? mezzo-soprano? soprano? You can find out all of this stuff from a teacher. Good luck!
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