Individual song arrangement

This is an original song arrangement that I created using the backing track of "Killing me softly - Fugees". This idea came to me while I was browsing around for songs with simple beats in the background so that I would then be able to find a variety of songs with a similar chord progression to the original, and further create my own mash up by mixing the songs together. I got inspired to do this after listening to a few videos by the Pentatonix on YouTube. The songs I used in this arrangement are Killing me softly, I don't wanna know - Craig David and Friends - Aura Dione. I liked the outcome and think the songs fit together well, melodically as well as lyrically.

Zaz - Jeux (My cover)

As I like to experiment with my singing in different styles and genres, I decided to also try out singing in a different language. My favourite outcome on the songs that I covered was Zaz - Je veux. It turned out to be quite difficult considering my French is out of practice, making the pronunciation of the words a challenge on it's own. In the second verse of the song, the singer uses complex turnings in her voice, which was also something I found hard to repeat. The process however was enjoyable.

This is a french song that caught my attention when it first came out several years ago. It has since been a favourite of mine and so I felt like sharing it here. 

The Vocal practice of over tone singing (My essay)

The technique of polyphonic singing is one that originated from south western Mongolia and is considered to be the most active place of overtone singing in the world. It is a fundamental practice of sound waves that depend on the singer’s use of the mouth pharynx and larynx. It initially creates a sound of multi tones simultaneously, which has been considered to sound almost “alien-like” due to the extremely unusual voice (or rather voices in this case) that is created.This method has become better known in recent years as videos and tutorials of this technique are now available online. Particularly by one practitioner named Anna-Maria Hefele. She released her demonstration video on YouTube a month ago which went viral with an extraordinary number of 6,855,037 views. The German soprano singer is described to have “wowed the Internet by singing multiple notes at once, changing the fundamental note and overtones and moving them in opposite directions.” Indeed after listening to her incredible talent, it was found to be quite surprising yet fascinating. This is definitely not something to expect from the average singer.

According to the author “The part starting at 3 minutes 25 seconds is truly astounding. It is highly recommended to watch the video with headphones to truly appreciate what is happening.” After observing the whole video several times, a noticeable difference did occur once listening carefully with the use of headphones. The harmonics in Hefele’s singing sounded more intense and at this point escalated to another level. When singing the scales with the overtones going in the opposite direction to the fundamental, it seemed almost impossible to not only have the capability to create that sound to begin with, however to have such an amazing musical ear to be able to demonstrate this without the guidance of a piano’s accompaniment. It was truly remarkable and understandable why “the skills she displays far outweigh what musicians thought possible for a human being.”

Given the description of polyphonic singing as well as a demonstrational video, it seemed like an appropriate time to attempt this. To begin with, a mono-toned note was sung progressing to the realization of the overtones formational dependency on the shape of the lips. As Anna-Maria’s practice has continued for the past 10 years, it didn’t seem noticeable that she was making a particular shape with her mouth in the video, most likely because she is very experienced and has obtained a lot of control. This observation wasn’t included in the article which should have been, as it is the most important feature of the whole technique. Furthermore experimenting with this, an over tone was created to a single sustained note, as well as succeeding in creating 2 voices with a movement in tone, however only in the fundamental. It seemed unmanageable to create a movement in both the fundamental and over tone note simultaneously, however “While Hefele's skills are “other-worldly,” they are actually not impossible – just incredibly rare and difficult to train.” So there’s potential for anyone who wants to attain the technique of polyphonic singing. It’s just a matter of practice

Bibliography

(2014 ). Overtone singing. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overtone_singing. Last accessed 1/11/2014.
Taboola. (2014). VIDEO: Polyphonic German soprano does the impossible – sings 2 notes at once!. Available: http://rt.com/news/193812-woman-sings-multiple-notes/. Last accessed 1/11/2014.Anna-Maria Hefele. (2014). polyphonic overtone singing - Anna-Maria Hefele. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC9Qh709gas. Last accessed 1/11/2014.

Just another love song

This is an original song created by my friend Laura and me. We started the process by firstly writing the lyrics as we thought it was a good foundation that would further give us idea's on instrumentation, style etc.. After choosing a theme and writing the lyrics, we agreed on giving the song a positive and up beat melody. We then both agreed on using a Ukulele as our instrument because of its uplifting tone.

Laura then began playing simple chord progressions on the Ukulele until we found a workable melody that also matched rhythmically with our lyrics. It was quite contrasting to the lyrics, however we liked the final outcome. We finalized our piece with the addition of singing in harmony at certain parts of the song to give it a fuller sound.

Learning how to play chords on the guitar

I have recently been trying to teach myself how to play the guitar in order to accompany myself when I sing. Learning how to play an instrument, at least on a basic level is an advantage for a singer rather than using play backs. It's a good alternative as you have the freedom to make a song your own. This way, you can experiment with rhythms and tempo's which then helps you find your own individual and preferred style. As well as this, obtaining the practice of an instrument gives you the ability to write your own music.
I came across one particular guitarist on YouTube who uploads tutorial's on how to play chords. I liked her teachings and found her videos to be very helpful as she guides you through the process step by step. I have started learning and improving on the basic chords.

These are some examples of the tutorial videos I've watched and practiced daily.