take vocal lessons

I have talked with a few teachers, and one was v. helpful and put me on to another voice teacher, who I’ve called and who has (opposite annoyance!) called me back 3X. I will call her back after I knock down a significant chewy task today. However, due to finances mostly, I’ve decided to not start lessons in October. Instead, I’ve decided to start 30 days of singing every day, scales and other stuff to a metronome, and recall everything I was taught before when I took voice, albeit I threw the notes out ages ago. things like ha-he-hi-ho-hu for scales, which is a lot harder than do-re-mi scales (which are hard enough right now). I want to go in to my lessons already primed, and ready to practice consistently.

I have a B-flat harmonica to help keep me in key. Yay. Though I suppose GarageBand would also do it.

Someone I used to do some work for is in a prof. choir. I called to ask about auditions and voice coaches. Turns out the person answering the phone is the woman I worked for! I have three prospective teachers, and she told me to look in a local music mag that I have for auditions for some of the less-professional choirs. I don’t see myself as a choir girl although I was one for years. It is a fantastic way to get back into singing, I bet, although I fear overtraining in the wrong style of singing. Singing backup and solo has been a goal of mine for as long as I can remember.

and getting seriously annoyed. I have left two messages for the voice teacher, and she hasn’t called back. That’s unprofessional. If she’s too busy to take me, she should be calling me back with a recommendation of someone else.

So I have started recording my voice with CD Spin Doctor and with GarageBand. I’m going to concentrate on GarageBand as it teaches me a skill, too. I have recorded three meditations from a book I’m finding extremely useful right now. Back in 2001 when I bought it, I didn’t like it much, it was too esoteric for me. Now that I’ve gotten an education, I can see that the author has, too, and it’s getting to be quite profound and in line with exactly where I’m at and what I’m needing.

You can download my meditation voice files here. Critique my delivery if you want (I know it’s too fast; is it too monotone?). But not the words or the recording.

-First%20Chakra_Abundance%20meditation.aif
…/Second%20Chakra_Feeling%20Flow%20Meditation.aif
…/Third%20Chakra-The%20Inner%20Fire%20meditation.aif-

I’ve struck them out because I have to find a way to compress them. 38 Mb is ridiculous for a voice file! I thought is was a lot smaller than that when I put them up. When I unstrike them, you can download.

Left her a message. She teaches a friend of mine. Her recommendation sounds good. Don’t know if she can take me, but I said I could go 2 x per month for the next little while.

When lessons actually start, I can complete this goal, and can continue posting if I have anything to share.

I went out to karaoke last night – a last-minute, surprise date where he asked me out to the PERFECT thing that I can’t refuse even on the short notice excuse – and it was 6 of us in a room. This was good, because I can break my 3-song limit (any more than 3 and you’re obnoxious) and try out a few new things and old. But dammit, it’s hard! There really is something to the voice being an instrument in a band. I hereby renew my pledge to take vocal lessons and/or choir and/or some way other than at home by myself learning how to sing again, this time for other people.