Billy Joel once said, “I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music” (“Music Quotes”). Although many instruments exist to enliven human existence, two of the most stimulating are the piano and the voice. While piano and singing both create poignant music, they differ due to the instruments themselves, the training involved, and the musician’s individuality. A traditional piano consists of strings, keys, hammers, pedals and pieces of wood (“Piano”). When an individual hits a key, the hammer attached to the key strikes the string. The string is attached to a wooden board. Each note has a different string length; the …show more content…
All implements necessary are housed in the human body. As a wind instrument, the voice requires air. Air can be found in the lungs and forced up the windpipe. The pushed air vibrates the voice box, creating sound. Chest and head cavities then magnify the sound. In order to shape the sound into coherent words and phrases, the mouth, including the teeth and tongue, is utilized (“Singing”). Individuals all sing at different ranges. Generally, people have a one octave range (“Vocal Ranges”). The starting point of that octave determines whether singers serenade at low pitches or trill high tones. The higher sound is produced by a shorter string, exactly like the piano. Singing differs, though, because the voice box stretches all the strings at the same time. This results in only one note sounding per individual. Some people are assigned different notes to create a harmonious, rich …show more content…
However, the way in which each of these is employed differs. Instead of learning only the note positions, one also studies the note sounds. The goal of studying sound revolves around hitting the note flawlessly every time. This is also known as perfect pitch. Voice students still learn the note names and positions so notes can be “read” and then sung. Rhythms are learned so that the notes flow effortlessly together. Piano focuses on getting better at hitting chords and multiple notes where voice training focuses on expanding vocal range and strengthening the sound of the voice. In order to achieve these ends, the pupil learns many drills. One of these drills consists of singing scales in ascending pitches. Others involve lip trilling notes to teach breath support or relaxing the jaw to create more space. Often, these exercises look and sound utterly ridiculous, but as one performs them, improvement appears. Even as training seeks for uniformity, people strive for individuality in their musical style. Piano players vary in their “touch” of the piano. Certain people only pound the keys while others barely tickle the ivories. As different dynamics are written in the music, people will interpret these louds and softs differently. Depending on the feeling of the piece and the individual playing, various emotions fill the soul. However, if one person plays the G above middle C, another
Over an extensive amount of time, the piano has developed into what we commonly see today. Through the improvement in the production of dynamics and the development of the pedals, it has become a popular instrument that is used for a variety of genres apart from classical music, such as jazz and contemporary. There are a variety of models available, such as the grand piano, where the harpsichord and forte piano originated from, as well as the upright piano.
Another technique we have to learn in choir practice is we learn now to pronounce vowels and consonants correctly. An example of that would be pronouncing out “D”s as light “T”s. We also have to keep our mouth round and you cannot smile while you’re singing or else it ruins the effect of the vowels. One thing we always always must do is to pronounce the consonants loudly. What our conductors always make us do to help us remember this is to say “We LoVe ouR CoNSoNaNTS!”.
The piano—originally known as the fortepiano or pianoforte—is one of the most globally recognized instruments in history. Its unique timbre distinguishes it from preceding keyboard instruments and even from modern keyboard instruments that attempt to imitate it. The pianoforte has made many changes and contributions to music, which can be seen through how it came to be, what composers first thought of the instrument, and how it affected orchestral music.
The history of the piano, and his technique born, of course in close relation with the others keyboard instruments especially with the clavichord, his predecessor. The transition from the clavichord to the piano bring to us very interesting information about piano technique and the problems that the musician from that time had to confront.
Playing the piano delights and make one happy. The activity can provide that deep sense of satisfaction, pleasure and fulfillment.
“Sometimes I can only groan, and suffer, and pour out my despair at the piano!” a quote from Frederic Chopin. Similar to Chopin, a copius amount of musicians utilized their instruments of choice in order to express their emotions or feelings. During the Baroque Period both the clavichord and the harpsichord reigned as the most popular keyboard instrument of choice. However, by the end of the Baroque Period the piano had replaced both keyboards as being the most popular and widely used (Verotta). The piano has been derived from the harpsichord and the clavichord which had evolved continuously through the combined effort of keyboard makers.
Piano gives people vigor in the morning; and it tranquilities people the end of a fussy day. It can be the center of a classy gala; it can be the tool of lightening up a gathering dinner. Different kinds of pianos can fit into variable situations with different classes of people. And musical performances for small groups of people became popular events. That is the magic of the modern piano. But
Develop Your Own Style: Well-known singers often have a unique quality to their voices that make them recognizable to their audience. Voice lessons can help you develop your own singing style that resonates with your audience.
If one were to look back into the world’s history, one would find that an important and consistent element is the world of music. Music has presented itself in various forms throughout its spread and through our identification of its magical realm, people have been fortunate enough to come across a means of relation. Whether it is blues and reggae or rap and pop rock, there is music out there for everyone. Music can serve as a stabilizer for some, a relaxant to others, and to many a form of inspiration.
To get the best voice of singing, breathe properly and deeply, with the expanding outward diaphragm, as breathing is in the respiratory system of the vocal instrument. Then, sing the scales, go up to the voice range and go down. It can relax the vocal folds and expand the capacity of the lungs (McCoy, 2004). For example, start warm-up exercises with ‘br’ in different notes and sing ‘nor’ in 5-note scales with different range.
Weir, Kirsten, and Debbie Nevins. "Music And Your Mind.. (Cover Story)." Current Health Kids 34.1 (2010): 10-12. Health Source - Consumer Edition. Web. 9 Jan. 2012.
Vocal fry is different from natural voice because it phonates lower and in a unique way. When frying, vocal folds remain short and have minimal change in shape or length, as opposed to the stretching and relaxing that takes place within the vocal folds during pitch change in natural voice. When frying, lower subglottal pressure is present than with regular phonation. In addition, observations have shown less use of the posterior cricoarytenoid, interarytenoid, and cricothyroid during fry than while singing in chest voice. Conversely, the thyroarytenoid is activated and used more in vocal fry than in natural voice. Strohbass is viewed in both positive and negative perspectives. Some pedagogues believe it to worthy of strengthening by low basses and useful to performance with particular evidence drawn from the frequency of use in Russian ensembles and literature. Others, however, reject it and hold the opinion that it contains no legitimate phonation quality and compare it to a mere groan, squeak, or scream. Some others argue as well that Strohbass has no musicality aside from the possibility of measuring pitch and therefore has no legitimacy in a vocal context. Many pedagogues, such as William Vennard, believe strohbass to be an effective practice for correcting a breathy timbre. According to Vennard, the utilization of vocal fry all but eradicates the possibility of breathiness because of the tension required to cause phonation. Vennard believed this tension not to be negative, however, as it stays confined to the glottis without affecting the remaining musculature of the throat. This can also be used as an effective technique and exercise for the benefit of students with excess tension in their singing. Again other pedagogues, such as Richard Miller, would argue that vocal fry should be employed
"'natural phrasing' and `from the heart' are prized attributes of song, singing that way requires rehearsal, preparation, and getting in touch with whatever it is inside singers and getting in touch with whatever it is inside singers that, by a neural kink or the grace of God, enables them to turn themselves into vessels of musical sound."
“Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music.” These were the words of Sergei Rachmaninoff, a Russian composer and pianist who was very influential in the twentieth century. Sergei’s perception of music was accurate because he understood the impact and significance music can have. Everybody knows what music is and they all have heard a form of it but most people underestimate the value and power music has in our everyday lives. Whether they know it or not music plays a vital role in the lives of people today. Music is a very efficient tool that influences and assists people, it plays a huge part in today’s society, and it had done so much for me as an individual.
Sacks, Oliver. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain. New York: Vintage Books, 2008. Print.