When we go for a run or we decide to do some kind of exercise, we always start by warming up some of the most important muscles in our body, for the activity we are about to perform. Singing is exactly the same thing as exercising, therefore an effective warming up routine is required for a better performance.

It is essential for a singer to prepare his body and mind to the task of singing. The vocal chords, used for singing, are muscles and we should try to preserve them and avoid injuries. In the act of warming up, not only should we warm up the vocal chords, but also the muscles in other areas of our body that are involved in the act of singing such as shoulders, neck, jaw, tongue and lips. The muscles in these areas should feel free and loose. In the act of breathing for singing, other muscles are used such as the pelvis, belly and abdominal muscles.

In order to “wake up” your body and make you feel energized, a good idea is to run on the spot for about one minute. This exercise will make the blood flow through your body and as the airflow increases when you breathe, the oral cavity will naturally open.

Once you have run on the spot or have done some exercise with a similar effect, it is important to warm-up your shoulders by rolling them back and forth. So that you loosen your shoulder muscles you can move your shoulders up and drop them for a few times. Shaking other parts of your body such as your arms and legs will also help you feel more relaxed.

After you have performed these exercises, it is important to slow down and gain control of the circle of your breath. This will help you relaxing the pelvis and abdominal muscles.  While you take control of your breathing, you can start warming up your jaw. A good way to do this is by massaging the muscles in your face. In order to loosen and freeing your jaw there are a few exercises you can do (please watch the video).  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2V3ha2WD0o
A good exercise to warm up your lips is lip rolls (Please watch the following video about lip rolls). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lR2S1G-g0c

Finally, we can warm-up the vocal chords. A good way to start doing this is by humming triads and gradually going higher in pitch. Performing some descending or ascending scales is also a good exercise, or taking a pattern of notes from a song we are going to sing or practice.

Once we have done our warm up we are ready to start singing. Warming up the voice before singing is vital to protect the singer’s voice, preserve it and avoid severe injuries. Vocal warm-ups also help obtaining a better vocal timbre.

The rhythm style known as Reggae is used in a wide range of musical styles. Some of the most influent and successful reggae bands include Aswad, Toots and the Maytals, and Bob Marley and the Wailers. Some famous British artists, such as The Police, The Clash and UB40 have been influenced by this musical genre.

Reggae is either played in 4/4 time or swing time, because the symmetrical rhythmic pattern does not lend itself to other time signatures such as 3/4.The rhythmic emphasis of reggae revolves around the bass-line which is often more predominant than in other genres. The guitar part consists of very sparse chord chops (known to reggae musicians as skanks or drops), which are played on beats two and four rather than the main beats of the bar. The aim is to create a very steady, even rhythm, with the bass and guitar parts complementing each other. Click here to learn more about how to play guitar and bass in Reggae.

The chord drops are usually played using down-strokes. In order to get a crisp sound, they should be played staccato. Long guitar solos are not normally a feature of Reggae, with most guitar lines in reggae music consisting of short licks or improvisation based on the melody line.

It is very common for reggae to be sung in Jamaican Patois, Jamaican English and lyaric dialects. Vocal harmony parts are often used throughout the melody (with vocal groups), and as a counterpoint to the main vocal line (backing vocals). Many singers use tremolo (volume oscillation) instead of vibrato (pitch oscillation). In Reggae, effects such as reverb and delay are often used. Another characteristic of reggae is the toasting vocal style, which is the act of talking or chanting over a rhythm or beat. It differs from rap mainly in that it is generally melodic, while rap is more a spoken form without melodic content.

Lyrically, Reggae usually relates to social criticism, social gossip, personal subjects and socio-political content that include Black Nationalism, anti-racism, anti-colonialism, anti-capitalism. Many Reggae songs promote the use of cannabis, considered a sacrament in the Rastafari movement. Some artists also utilize religious themes in their music. 

We decided to play Three Little Birds by Bob Marley because Marley was one of the main icons of Reggae. It was great learning this style and understanding the feel in this genre. The other song that we played was Sweat by Inner Circle as it is a different with a different feel. Lesley sang the harmonies in both songs and we used reverb and a bit of delay in the vocals.

According to Oxford Music Online, Rock and Roll is a musical genre original from the USA, which became established in the mid-1950s and is usually used to refer to the popular music of the 1960s and 70s. The term “rocking and rolling” originally described the movement of a ship on the ocean, but it can be found in blues lyrics from the 1930s, serving as a euphemism for sex. Although some historians defend that rock and roll began when white teenagers started listening and dancing to rhythm and blues, it is often described as an amalgam of black rhythm and blues and white country music, with a bigger contribution of black musicians.

In the earliest rock and roll of the late 1940s and early 1950s, the instruments used as the lead instrument were either the piano or the saxophone. In the middle 1950s, these instruments started being replaced by the guitar. Classic rock and roll is usually played with one or two electric guitars (one rhythm and one lead), a double bass or an electric bass and a drum kit.

Musically, Rock and Roll combined boogie-woogie rhythms; the 12-bar blues chord structure; vocal styles from the blues and country music, the euphoric shouts of gospel and the innovatory rhythmic treatment of lyrics introduced by Elvis Presley. There is a strong rhythmic drive provided by straight quaver rhythms and solos on the electric guitar, as well as an accentuated backbeat (syncopated accentuation on the ‘off’ beat) usually provided by a snare drum.

The migrations of black and white southerners to urban areas in the north and west of the USA, the post-war prosperity, the break-up of the large swing bands after the war, the rise of independent local record labels and the growth of mass-mediated culture contributed for the development of this genre. Rock and Roll crossed racial boundaries as radio, recordings and television facilitated cultural interactions, with white teenagers acquiring new idols in black musicians. Chuck Berry was one of the pioneers of this musical genre and is considered by many the father of Rock and Roll.

Rock and Roll songs dealt with issues of cars, school, dating, clothing, events and conflicts that most listeners could somehow relate to, and introduced topics that were considered taboo, such as sex. This new kind of music also tried to break boundaries and express the real emotions that people were feeling but didn’t talk about.  

Soon this genre would spread around the globe influencing young musicians especially in Britain. American rock and roll artists such as Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Buddy Holly became major forces in the British charts influencing a new generation of musicians.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s the interest in Rock and Roll was decreasing in America and increasing in Britain. Groups in major urban areas like Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London began to arise. About the same time, a British blues scene developed initially led by blues followers who were inspired by American musicians such as Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf.

Many groups moved towards the beat music of rock and roll and rhythm and blues. A new form of Rock and Roll created by The Beatles and other bands would mark the history of music. British bands would achieve national and international success and a new wave of rock roll would invade America (the British Invasion). Other groups followed The Beatles like Freddie and The Dreamers, the Dave Clark Five, and the more blues-influenced The Animals, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, The Who and The Yardbirds.

Rock and Roll was more than a musical genre. It influenced lifestyles, fashion, attitudes and language. It also helped the cause of the civil rights movement as both African American teenagers and white American teens enjoyed the music. 

A good singing posture is essential so that the vocal resonators and the breathing mechanism work at maximum efficiency. There are seven areas listed as possible vocal resonators: the chest, the tracheal tree, the larynx itself, the pharynx, the oral cavity, the nasal cavity and the sinuses.

According to Oxford Singing Lessons online, we should create a vertical imaginary line from the arch of the foot up to the ear, passing through the knee, top of the hip and the shoulder (left picture). It should be a comfortable relaxed position instead of a rigid position. When we straighten up our body, most of us end up looking slightly downwards. We should keep our eye-line horizontal, parallel to the ground, making sure we keep the ear in line with the shoulder. Our shoulders and chest should be relaxed. When we have the right posture for singing, we should ‘look important’. Our knees should be unlocked and undone. They must be slightly flexed as if we were ready to start running. We should point our feet towards and our weight should be evenly distributed. The distance between our feet should be approximately the same as the distance between our shoulders (right picture). 

A good alignment and body posture allows a better access to the abdominal processes, free rib and diaphragm movement for breathing when singing. An effective breath management is essential in order to sustain the air required for singing. A good posture is also vital for the position and free movement of the larynx, which is where we control pitch. A free and open upper body is crucial for a good reaction of the resonators that color the sound for tonal beauty, emotional expression and articulation.

As mentioned before, having a good posture is not about finding a fixed position and stay still. This would mean holding our body rigidly. In order to be fluid we need to allow our body to make small movements, constantly adjusting our position, passing through the central point several times. This way we are never completely stationary and the ‘average’ position over time is central.

We should always keep the previous information in mind without getting obsessed about it, otherwise our body won’t be free from tension and we might not breathe or express ourselves properly, or even have a good and pleasant experience.