Learning how to play the violin can be a difficult but rewarding experience. Playing the violin takes a large amount of knowledge and skill. Violinists must know how to hold the violin, how to finger the notes, and how to sound the notes.
Holding the violin properly is very important. If a violinist holds the instrument incorrectly, it will be uncomfortable and more difficult to play. The left arm is curved underneath the body around over the neck, so that the hand and fingers are over the strings. The chin rest is placed between the left shoulder and chin. The right arm is then brought up in front of the face in order to bow or pluck the strings.
Once the violinist knows how to hold the violin, they can learn about fingering the notes. Violins do not have frets such as those found on guitars; players must practice and train their ears until they know exactly where the notes are on the fingerboard. There are four positions on the violin; the first position is furthest away from the player’s face and sounds low-pitched notes. The fourth position produces the highest notes and is further up the neck. The strings are tuned, from lowest to highest, G, D, A, E. Violinists can play open strings, which means they play a string with out pressing on it, or they can change the tone of the string by applying pressure.
There are several ways of sounding notes once they are fingered. Violinists can drag the bow across the string or strings they wish to play, creating a long, steady sound. They can also play pizzicato, which involves plucking the strings with the fingers of the right hand, creating a sudden, staccato sound.
Just knowing how to play the violin is not enough. Violinists must also be able to know what to play as well. Violinists should also be able to read music or play by ear, assuring that they will sound good when playing in a group with other musicians.
Violins Info provides detailed information about antique and electric violins, violin music, sheet music, strings, and shops; violin makers and repair; and explanations of how to play the violin and a short history of the violin. Violins Info is affiliated with Business Plans by Growthink.
Do you ever feel there is an inner voice speaking to you, telling you that you’re not very good, or you can’t do it, or there’s just not enough confidence and repertoire with you? This is the voice that calls itself “I” right? Let’s refer to this as Self 1, and Self 2 as the normal you, the real you that has the masses of potential.
Self 1 is our interference and concepts such as our judgements, associations, how things should be and uses words such as “should” and “shouldn’t”. Have you ever noticed that? For example, “you shouldn’t play there tonight because the audience are just going to laugh at you.” Self 2 is the large reservoir of potential within each one of us. It’s our natural abilities and talents and the unlimited resource we can tap into and develop. If it’s on it’s own, it can perform with gracefulness and ease.
The equation is simple. The more you minimise Self 1, the better Self 2 performs. Therefore, the more you work on things like your confidence, practice, and performance, conquering that silly inner voice, the better you will play and enjoy it.
It’s good to be aware of how Self 1 came into the act so that you can notice it and conquer it when necessary. At a young age, children are great natural learners. The first eight years of their lives are crucial as this is when they are in an open space and receptive to different things that come in front of them. What we’re taught by our first teachers - our parents - is Self 2 but gradually is changed as we are open to a wider audience. We begin to collect ideas, attitudes, concepts and other beliefs and draw our own conclusions which get Self 1 in the act as it tells Self 2 that it’s wrong. As a life coach for musicians, my purpose is to help musicians regain that natural talent and ability they hold within them.
Self 1 always tries to attract our attention away from the music we are playing or listening to, like a child interrupting their parent in a conversation just because he wants something. It’s very difficult, or nearly impossible, to just demolish Self 1, but you can change your focus, making it difficult for that Self 1 voice.
To begin coping with our Self 1, recognize that it’s not just going to get up and go away. As it talks to us, we have a natural tendency to talk back - just like any other conversation. Not only is Self 1 talking, but our natural responses are getting in the way. You don’t have to talk back to Self 1, so don’t do it. By focusing on a particular part of the music such as the notes, sounds, sights, the way in which we are involved in the music, something that’s happening in the present, etc.
That’s the best technique you’ll ever get and every great musician will tell you what the power of focus has in music. This article forms as a basic introduction into Self 1 and Self 2 so that you become more aware of it, and can understand what to do.
How much of your potential will you release?
Kavit Haria is the musicians coach, working with musicians to facilitate and further their personal and professional development so that they can achieve their desired results. Kavit runs InnerRhythm, a coaching practice for musicians in London, UK and runs a free fortnightly newsletter action-packed with tools, tips and strategies to make you a successful musician. Subscribe here: http://www.coachkavit.com
We don’t simply wear a theatrical costume; we wear the national dress of Scotland. While some people might think that any proposed definition of what is “correct” in traditional Highland dress is in some way a gross infringement of their right to express their individuality, others may be interested to know just what the standards are, even if they choose to exhibit variations on the theme. Voluntarily observing the rule and custom of the Scots in the matter of dress is one way to strengthen and to reinforce the genuine and traditional of the Highland culture that we claim to celebrate.
BLACK TIE
Formal Highland attire is in order whenever the invitation on an announcement reads “Black Tie” or “Evening Wear” requested. For men, this means the Highland equivalent of a tuxedo. Burns Nights, St. Andrews Dinners, and Dining In ceremonies are all formal affairs. This includes a kilt, either white hose or other solid primary color kilt hose, tartan kilt hose, red and white, red and black or blue and white diced kilt hose and flashes, white tux shirt (with studs and cufflinks, if appropriate), black or solid colored bow tie and one of the formal style kilt jackets such as the Prince Charlie, regulation doublet, or Argyll jacket. The Argyll jacket is particularly appropriate for an individual who doesn’t want to spend a fortune on several different coats as it can be properly worn for both day and evening wear. All of these are worn with waistcoats. A dirk may be worn on the right hip with a Prince Charlie or regulation doublet with the hilt between the tashes (Inverness flaps).
For the ladies, formal Highland attire means either a hostess length kilted skirt with a fancy lace trim blouse or an evening dress (either long or tea length) with an optional tartan sash and brooch. Some evening dresses incorporate or are entirely made of tartan. In Scotland, it is traditional for younger lassies to wear white evening dresses with full skirts and tartan sashes for Scottish Country Dancing. As they become older, they graduate to black dresses. The ladies should wear their tartan sashes on the right shoulder unless they are a clan chief or a colonel of a Scottish regiment, or the wife of a clan chief or colonel of a Scottish regiment, who then wear it on the left shoulder. The exception to this rule is Scottish country dancers who wear the sash on their left shoulder for safety’s sake. The rules for a lady’s sash apply for both day and evening wear. Women do not wear bonnets with evening wear.
WHITE TIE
White tie for men means the formality equivalent of “tails”. This requires a kilt with tartan or diced hose, white pique shirt and vest with white studs and cufflinks, and a Prince Charlie or regulation doublet, with a white bow tie. The Argyll jacket is not appropriate here. Another option, and there are many for this level of formality, would be one of the white collarless shirts with lace jabot and cuffs with one of the more formal type coats such as the Sheriffmuir or Montrose doublet. The sporran should be like that worn with black tie, except that the day/evening sporran is not considered appropriate for this level of formality.
For ladies, “white tie” means long evening gowns with the option of a silk tartan sash and brooch.
Kilted Skirts
Unless in the uniform of a pipe band women don’t wear kilts, they wear kilted skirts, either soft pleated or knife pleated. The lighter worsted wool falls more easily into easy soft pleats and hangs better. You can just pull the gathers or soft pleats together and place a waistband on it. Length is largely a matter of taste and varies with occasion. You can put a zipper in the side or a button or even eye & hook closing (left side). If you want to wear it for evening dress you can make it floor length (or formal). As with a man’s kilt, matching up the setts in knife pleating can be very tricky, but must be done properly to look good. Some ladies wear a vest or velvet jacket of dark, complimentary colors, with a plain white long sleeved blouse under it. Lace ruffles can be snapped or sewn in the sleeves and allowed to come gracefully down half way on the hands, and a lace jabot at the neck flowing out over the vest or jacket. Most items of male Highland attire are generally not considered appropriate feminine attire, including sporrans (the possible exception would be a sporran worn as a shoulder bag, which can be most tasteful and attractive), dirks, sgian dubhs, kilt hose and flashes, etc.
Military Decorations
With formal wear, miniature military medals are worn on the left lapel of the coatee or doublet. Ribbons, campaign ribbons, unit citations, or full-size medals are never worn with formal Highland attire. The exception to this rule is the Congressional Medal of Honor, which is worn around the neck in its full-size form for day or evening wear. Non-military medals and/or ribbons are not worn. It is absolutely incredible to me that this needs to be said, but experience has repeatedly shown it to be necessary and worth repeating here. The wearing of military medals or ribbons to which you are not rightfully entitled is considered the penultimate in bad manners, deeply offensive to a great many people, and may provoke the most negative of consequences socially. In Canada and the UK it can even get you arrested.
Plaids
A full plaid may be worn over left shoulder and under right arm, pulled firm to the body. The edge of the plaid should be 11″ from the ground at rear of the leg with fringe hanging down below this level. The lower edge of the plaid should be horizontal and parallel with ground. The leading edge of plaid and front face of plaid is secured by plaid brooch high on the left shoulder. While very striking, a full plaid is also very hot, and wrapping and securing it properly requires quite a bit of practice, and generally cannot be done without an assistant. A more common alternative, the fly plaid, may be worn on the left shoulder, usually under the epaulette and pinned with a plaid brooch. The upper edge of brooch should not be above the top of the shoulder, with the design properly aligned. An Irishman might elect to wear a brath instead of a fly plaid; essentially the same square yard of cloth but folded into a rectangle, draped over the left shoulder, and pinned with a kilmainham (penannular brooch). Plaids are always in the same tartan as the kilt and preferably purchased at the same time, as there can be differences in color from one bolt of cloth to the next, even from the same mill.
Sporrans
For formal wear the sporran should be a formal type with a silver-mounted cantle-top and fur pouch or a full fur and animal mask type (the animal masked sporran is one of the few all-purpose sporrans that can be worn with the most formal dress or the most informal wear). There is also a day/evening combination sporran that looks best when worn with the Argyll jacket, but looks a bit out of place with the more formal Prince Charlie. Sporrans are worn centrally over front apron of kilt, the cantle one hand’s breadth below the waist belt buckle. The sporran should square the area between the hips and the knees and swing at a natural arc from the hip. Sporran straps go through the belt loops at the back of the kilt, and over the buckles at the sides (the belt is generally not worn through the belt loops, but over them and the sporran strap), with the pointed end of strap pointing to right hip. A military horsehair sporran is generally not worn except with a military or regulation doublet. Leather sporran straps are worn with horsehair sporrans (leather sporran straps also don’t wear on the kilt quite as badly as chain straps). Hair sporrans are not trimmed to length. When a gentleman is dressed in Highland attire and dances with a lady, he should move the sporran to his left hip. For Scottish country dancing, you may want to take up your sporran belt a couple of notches. The sporran should also be moved to an unencumbered hip when sitting down to the table. This removes the sporran from harm’s way so you don’t spill on it and makes your lap unencumbered for a napkin. In general, it’s just considered good manners.
Belts
For evening wear the belt should be of black leather and the buckle silver; generally belts will match the leather and hardware of the sporran. The belt is worn outside of the kilt’s belt loops, it’s top edge flush with the top of the kilt’s waistband. It should be very snug, allowing only an index finger to be inserted between the belt and kilt. The buckle should be centered on the body, level from front to back, and both runners should be drawn up tight on both sides of the buckle. The belt should not cover the buttons on the rear of the doublet or tunic. Belts generally aren’t worn together with waistcoats.
Hose & Flashes
Argyll and diced hose are considered formal wear. Solid color hose are appropriate for almost all occasions. The color of hose and flashes should compliment both kilt and each other. If you want dressier hose but can’t afford Argyll in your tartan, get a pair of the fancy cabled kilt hose with the ornate knitted hose tops (not the puffy “popcorn tops” of cheap pipe band hose). The top of your hose should be three fingers breadth below the outside bone at your knee, and level side to side and front to back. The leading edge of front flash may be vertically lined up with the front of the leg (in line with the center of your shoe), or just forward of the side of your leg, with no gap between the flashes. If wearing diced or Argyll hose, the leading edge of the front flash should bisect the top “diamond” of the pattern (which should be centered on the front of your leg). The sgian dubh is worn tucked inside the hose of right leg in the front-right portion of leg bisecting the flash. The handle should protrude only and inch or two above the top of the hose top. Staghorn sgian dubhs are not appropriate for evening dress.
Shoes
For formal wear, black gillie brogues or shoes with gilt or silver colored buckles are worn. With gillies the laces should not be wrapped up around the leg like a ballarina’s slipper. Gillie laces are given two or three turns in the front, wrapped around the ankle, given two or three twists, then brought forward and tied off in front or the outside of the ankle. White spats are only worn with military and pipe band uniforms.
Bonnets
The balmoral is worn with ribbons tied; the glengarry with the ribbons left untied. The balmoral is worn level on forehead 1/2″ above the eyebrows, with the cloth top pulled over right side of the head. The cockade should be centered over the left temple. The bow should be centered at the back of the head. The glengarry is traditionally worn canted to the right; 1″ above the left eyebrow and 1/2″ above the right eyebrow, with point of the glen centered on the head, aligned with the nose (although some regiments wear them square on the head). In Scotland, the balmoral is the more popular style, in various colors, with or without the red “toorie” on top. The glengarry owes its popularity to the Highland regiments and pipe bands. Civilians, officers, and pipers generally wear plain glens; enlisted ranks and drummers wear dicing. The diced (red checked) band indicates loyalty to the House of Hanover, i.e. the royal house of England. Highland civilians generally do not wear dicing. The caubeen, the traditional green bonnet of the Irish piper, is worn level on the head with the cap badge centered either over the left eye (Royal Irish Rangers) or right eye (Royal Irish Guards), with the cloth pulled over to the opposite side, similar to a balmoral. The Irish caubeen is often decorated with a “sheillah”; the harp of Erin, or a shamrock. In the Republic of Ireland, the harp is usually displayed without the crown for obvious reasons. Traditionally the only adornments should be the cockade and your clan crest worn in a strap and buckle form or your own crest if you have one. It’s also common for veterans to wear their regimental badges, and sometimes firefighters and law enforcement officers their badges. It is also appropriate to adorn the bonnet with a sprig of your clan’s plant badge, or rosemary on Remembrance Day, and rising no more than about 1 1/2″ above the top of the badge. It’s also customary for pipers to wear the red poppy on their glens for Remembrance Day, as the bass drone tends to brush them off of jacket lapels. The poppy is usually displayed forward of and on the same side as the glen badge (although I know of at least one regiment which has an aversion to anything being forward of their regimental badge; even a red poppy).
Remember that the bonnet isn’t a cowboy hat; it shouldn’t be the repository of your lapel pin collection. However, a friend of mine wears an old USMC collar pin on his; as it dates from his visit to the Chosin Reservoir, I don’t think anyone has ever questioned his right to wear it any way he pleases. Feathers in the bonnet are traditionally reserved only for clan chiefs, clan chieftains, and armigers. Officially the rule is; a Chief wears three feathers, a chieftain wears two, and an armigerous gentleman (one who personally has a right to heraldic arms) wears one. The wearing of bonnet feathers by those who are not chiefs is generally considered presumptuous in Scotland. However, Americans, who have the right to keep and bear arms guaranteed under the second amendment of our Constitution, could arguably wear one eagle feather in good conscience. Feather hackles are awarded to regiments for battle honors or a special reason. Therefore, serious consideration and research should be given prior to hackles being worn by a civilian pipe band, much less an individual.
One last word on hats; uncover when you go indoors. It is considered bad manners to continue to wear the bonnet indoors, especially in someone’s home or in church. The only exception is when you are under arms. Examples of this would be carrying a flag or tartan banner in the Kirking of the Tartans, or while playing the pipes. Pipers should uncover when not actively piping.
The Kilt
The inside and outside aprons are securely fastened by buckles, with the inner apron folding to the left, usually secured by one buckle, and the outer apron folding to the right, usually secured by two buckles (buckle the lower one loosely). Ladies’ kilted skirts fold the opposite way. The kilt is not meant to be worn like blue jeans, down around the waist near the hips. The top of the waistband should be at your navel; military-cut kilts rise high enough to come to the wearer’s bottom ribs. Highland dancers and Scottish country dancers often ask for a very high rise so that when they raise their hands above their heads, tartan is still seen beneath the jacket instead of a white shirt front.
The lower edge of the inner apron should not be visible. If the inner apron consistently shows from beneath the outer apron, you’ll need to tighten the strap on your left hip, even if it means cutting away the buckle and moving it back a few inches. The lower edge of the kilt should break somewhere between the middle and top of the kneecap. Above the knee, and it’s not a kilt, but a Catholic school-girl skirt. Below the knee, and it becomes a tea-length dress. The apron should be centered and the hem should appear even from front to rear and side-to-side. If you wear a kilt pin, the proper place to wear it is three inches from the bottom of the kilt and three inches inward from the right side of the apron. The kilt pin should only go through the top apron and not be pinned to the bottom apron. Any variation in this general area is considered OK, and if you have a double thickness on the right side of the apron, you might affix it to that area. As with the sgian dubh and the sporran, the kilt pin should be appropriate for the level of dress and the occasion. Keep in mind that kilt pins can become snagged upon all sorts of objects, potentially tearing the outer apron.
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That’s why now you really need to check into and run across if you can have a credit loan at a good percent interest rate.
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Basically, you can call music any noise that is set to either a rythm as in percussions or that follows a melodic line of some sort.
Our early ancestors sitting outside the cave by the fire, after a hard day of gathering and hunting food, probably made music by tapping bones together or blowing in sea shells. While the rest of them would make conveniently placed grunts and howls.
Obviously, this was not Beethoven or Vivaldi musicality:) However, music is music!
This begs another question and that is: What is “good” music?
Altough this may seem like an impossible question to answer, there is a simple one.
Good music is any music you enjoy listening to! That’s it!
Music is a deeply personal experience, the more varied your exposure to music the wider your taste in music will be. My own personal taste are very ecclectic to say the least. My personal collection includes over 5000 songs and will forever keep growing.
The music I create is computer generated and I will sometime voice over one of my poem. How good is it? I have been reviewed as an heir to the famous group Kraftwerk!
But again those that do not like the type of music would refer to it as CRAP! I am getting airplay in the USA, Europe and Canada thus far. I do sell a few CD here and there:)
As I write this I have 5 albums available and working on number 6…
Music is but one of my passion but definatly the most influential driving force behind all of my other artforms and it shows in my everyday actions.
Basically, look back at history, and you will find music as the corner stone of every society no matter how small a tribe or how big a nation. It is an unavoidable fact that music is and will always be here to take us along on the long road of life.
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About 25 years ago you’d find just a small number of British people looking for real property in Spain. Ask any person who has chosen to remove to Spain and they’ll tell you the same. Plenty of people would look upon it as a negligible rage and others look upon it as a near to a fetish. People that are keen on moving here may extend from young well to do couples in search of a challenge in life to retirees intending to have fun in life.
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One of the things New Age pianist George Winston is known for is what he can do with just a few notes. In fact, in his piece Colors/Dance from the CD “Autumn” he uses an ostinato pattern in his left hand to create a wonderful stark mood.
He creates this atmosphere by using a simple ostinato pattern in his left hand while the right improvises a melody. The trick to all of this is the way he lets the notes ring out. You really get to hear the overtones.
Also, he is a very percussive player, hitting the keys very hard. This contributes to the stark sound created. When I first heard this piece I was in awe! So captivating and alluring, the music instantly took me away and transported me into that wonderful nonverbal realm where magic happens.
Now you too can create like this. In fact, it’s quite easy once you get the ostinato pattern down in your left hand. Then you can really have fun while you explore and create by improvising a melody with the right. Many New Age pianists employ the ostinato technique and in my next lesson, I’ll be showing you how to create a stark mood similar to what George does in Colors/Dance.
Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!
Buying a digital piano could be a very delicate attempt, especially if you have no idea about pianos in the first place. This article is written to help you out how to choose the best digital piano.
For starters, digital piano is different from an “acoustic” piano in many ways. A digital piano is a copy of what the “acoustic or original piano is. However, instead of strings and hammers, it uses “digitally sampled” sounds, amplifiers and speakers. It was made to imitate the real sound of that of the original piano. Many people now prefer digital pianos. It is because of its portability, low-to-almost non-maintenance, volume adjuster and various voices.
What you need to know in buying a digital piano is how closely it resembles the “acoustical piano” in terms of the sound, and its total piano-like feel. Do the keys move under your fingers almost the same as the acoustical piano keys do? Sometimes, most digital pianos have damaged spring action on the keys thus they could affect the tone of the piano. Always see to it, when you are in a hunt for a good digital piano, you should bring a good set of headphones. It is one of the advantages the digital piano has compared to an acoustical piano. When a player wants to play loud but his surroundings are opposed to the noise it could bring, he could only attach the headphones and play as loud as his heart desires without causing another’s eardrums to bash but his own. Other than that, the headphones could help distinguish faint defects that the speakers couldn’t detect. Do not hesitate to try as many brands as you like to compare and choose which sounds better. It is not in the brand or price range that the piano is considered good. It actually depends on the buyer whether he feels good about the sound of the digital piano he chooses.
Do not forget to check out the range of the tone. Does the tone change when you turn up the volume? And what about when you turn it down? The digital piano should be consistent in its tone no matter how low or high the volume is. Also check out the sound as it ends. Does it linger too long or fades easily? If there is an acoustical piano nearby, do try comparing the sound as you play a note and then a chord. Check out the time lapse of the sound as it ends and sense for repeating patterns or loops.
Check out where the notes come from when you play a scale or chord successively. The trebles should be coming from the right side and the bass should be coming from the left side.
Try holding down the sustain pedal and play the two low C’s to check out the polyphony or the harmony of the notes. It is good if you can distinguish the two low C’s played simultaneously. Most not-so-good quality digital pianos would cut off one tone while being played. Poor quality digital pianos drop both notes prematurely.
Is the digital piano user-friendly? Check out the design and see if you can understand the lay-out of the model. Check out the buttons and if they are functional. Be sure that the “special-effects” buttons are not that close to the keyboard or you might accidentally hit one and then change the entire settings of your piano while you’re playing.
Check the manual for other fine-tuning facilities. Some digital pianos come with other special effects such as alternate tunings, variable harmonics and adjustable decay (fading) lengths. These effects can be very useful when you play with a group. You wouldn’t necessarily go to lengthy process in adjusting to the level of the group.
Most digital pianos offer various tones and voices to have diversity in voice effects. Some have whistles, echoes, guitars, and other non-piano voices. If you are used to playing the piano and using pressed-pedal for sustain, it might become a hindrance to you if the digital piano you got has an “on-off” pedaling.
Also, other accessories such as amplifiers and speakers must be compatible with the brand or model you have. The digital piano you purchased may be a good quality but when attached with an incompatible amplifier or bigger sound boxes, the sound projected may not be very good.
Lastly, if you doubt your capability to choose for yourself a good piano, ask a friend who plays piano, or even better yet, a professional to help you determine a sound-quality digital piano. However, you must not rely totally on what they say. It is because what is good for them may not be good for you. Buy a digital piano that you are going to be comfortable playing with.
About The Author
The Writer, Ismael D. Tabije, runs the website http://pianos.e-mart4all.com that markets a wide choice of high-quality digital pianos and accessories at the lowest prices in the online market. Brands sold include Casio, Yamaha, Korg, Kurzweil and Roland. The website also features interesting piano articles about piano humor, trivia, myths and facts and even piano lessons and instructions
When I first set out to write this article about voice problems in singers, I was looking for two experts from contrasting fields of medicine - “medical” and “holistic”. What I found, instead, in the first practitioner that I interviewed, was a delightful mixture of the two.
The following biography of Dr. Brian Hands was taken from the website VOX Cura, his Toronto clinic. There is a link to the website at the bottom of this article.
“Dr. Brian Hands, M.D., FRCS (C), is a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in his field of laryngology, sits on the Board of the Canadian Voice Foundation, is a member of the Voice Foundation in the U.S. and is on the editorial board of The Medical Post.
Brian Hands’ life-long passion for the arts, combined with his medical practice as an ear, nose and throat specialist, has led to a growing practice among performing artists of all disciplines. He is voice consultant for the Canadian Opera Company, Stratford Festival, the major theatrical companies, Mirvish Productions and the former Livent as well as major record labels.”
I hope you’ll enjoy reading about Dr. Hands and his work treating singers with voice problems.
Linda Dessau: Why did you decide to focus on the voice problems of singers?
Brian Hands: As an ear, nose and throat resident, options for training in taking care of voices is limited. After a few years of practice, a board member of the hospital where I was working offered me the position of voice doctor to the Canadian Opera Company. I quickly became fascinated and passionately excited by performers who use their voice - the purest sound a human can produce. I loved doing it. At that time, in Toronto, CATS and the Phantom of the Opera were beginning their production. Touring singers from all over the world would call the Canadian Opera Company for referrals if they had voice problems while they were in Toronto; eventually rock singers, movie people and theatre people from Stratford all started being referred. This is the work I get the greatest enjoyment from, and I try now to limit my practice to only voice problems. I identify with the strong emotional aspects involved in performing; I love the creative arts.
I believe in taking a mind/body/soul approach and use elements of energy work, chakra therapy, color therapy and yoga. I find the performers find these approaches easy to relate to.
I start with a Western medical method of taking a patient’s history and doing a physical assessment. And once that’s done, I deal with the emotional and spiritual aspects of the person.
I appreciate that my clients see me as non-threatening, like a friend - not a conventional doctor who just wants to label them and get them on their way. I see them as a whole entity and not just as a medical problem.
Most voices DON’T have pathology, or a physical ailment. The singers are so relieved to hear that their vocal cords are fine!
After a few short minutes in my office we’re usually able to get to the deeper problems, emotional “baggage” that may have been with them since childhood.
This brings more relief, the fact that someone is listening to them and understands them. I’ve heard many times, “How do you know so much about me, when we’ve just met?”
Another joy for me is facilitating, for these singers, the cathartic release of their pain through singing.
LD: What are the most common vocal disorders?
BH: Muscular tension dysphonia or supraglottic hyperfunction - excessive muscle tension in muscles above the larynx. Common symptoms are pain after singing, inability to hit high notes, difficulty in passaggio (transitioning between the different registers of the voice), constant clearing of the throat, pain in neck and head and tightness in the jaw.
LD: What’s a myth about singing that you’d like to correct?
BH: The myth that some people should just mouth the words because they “can’t” sing - with training anyone can sing!
LD: What happens when a singer comes to your office for treatment?
BH: We take an extensive physical history, find out about any allergies, examine the neck and throat, and look inside the mouth by using either a flexible or rigid endoscope. Frequently we use a sophisticated video exam called a videostroboscopic evaluation of the larynx. After all of these procedures we decide on a form of treatment. The most common course of action is reassurance that there’s no structural damage to the vocal cords, coupled with talking about the underlying emotional issues that are bringing on the physical symptoms. Sometimes treatment involves speech therapy, and occasionally speech therapy and medication. It’s rare that a patient needs surgery.
LD: Is a vocal disorder a lifelong issue? Why or why not?
BH: No, because once someone has mastered the proper breathing technique, they’ll eliminate the physical symptoms that lead them to the clinic in the first place. Breathing needs to establish a deep connection between the 3rd chakra (solar plexus) and the 2nd chakra (creative energy) by planting their feet firmly on the ground through the 1st chakra. With those connections in place, the patient can deliver a breath from the 3rd chakra with inspiration from their heart (4th chakra) and then to their 5th chakra (larynx, throat chakra). Often, the trouble is that the spiritual connection (7th chakra) has been broken and their intuitive center (6th chakra) recognizes this. And thus there is a backlog of energy at the 5th chakra; an incoordinate activity with too much tension in the area around the larynx (leading to the muscle tension described earlier).
LD: What are the three most important things a singer can do to prevent vocal disorders?
BH: 1. Breathe correctly 2. Drink lots of water 3. Warm up every day
This article was originally published on the Muses Muse Songwriter’s Resource website (March 2005) http://www.musesmuse.com
(c) Linda Dessau, 2005. All rights reserved.
Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, helps artists enhance their creativity by addressing their unique self-care issues. Feel like your creativity is blocked? Sign-up for the free e-course, “Roadblocks to Creativity” by visiting http://www.genuinecoaching.com
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