The power of singing

I joined Leven Singers (Kinross) in March, the singers started in January this year, and what a joy it is. We sing a cappella and it is glorious. There are about 40 of us, all ages, well, adult although young not excluded, all shapes and sizes and it is one of the happiest groups of people I have ever had the fortune to join.
I would thoroughly recommend it.

Loved the bit about 'lose the wobble', the pooor man has obviously suffered!

Yes, it does work. I was very low a couple of years ago for various reasons. My DBH&Son are both singers, ex-choristers and musicians and I had spent my life it seemed chasing around after them and going to hear them singing. I felt like a wallflower, with people always turning to me and asking 'and where do you sing?' and having to admit that I didn't. I finally realised that singing along to youtube no longer worked for me, and joined a choir two years ago, which led to joining another, which led to me doing six concerts and carol services in one week alone last xmas and next week I shall be singing in three concerts. The performances are not the important part, it's the learning of a beautiful new piece, and the sound that is eventually made. I could quite happily not bother with the concerts actually, but they are important as they bring in the revenue for books, hall hire, orchestra hire and so on. However, if that is all too much U3A has lots of small singing groups.

I love to sing but since I had a throat operation no one anywhere near me seems to enjoy it as much as I do! DH has suggested hiring me out to anyone who wants a room emptied!

It may be that your vocal chords just need a bit of exercise! Regular singing may help with that.

Oh jane I sing regularly, its just that no one but me likes it!

Singing has always been an important part of my life.
My ex was a brilliant baritone.My DD1's life and career is also about the power of singing gitikapartington.com
She lives in Tuffnell Park just a short hop from GNHQ office . She runs workshops in many parts of UK-currently in Scotland.
janerowena earlier in my life I shared your experience of travelling round following performances of OH and family .
I've enjoyed singing in choirs but I'm not in their league.I can now only sing the bass/tenor line.
Living alone the voice doesn't get enough exercise-you're right about that.

P.S.I am so enjoying Cardiff Singer of the World this week

Yes I wold fully recommend this. ! I joined one 6or 7 yrs ago after discovering I was not, as told at the age of 13 tone deaf.
Two years ago I joined a local choral society as well. I struggle a bit with reading the music. I am a low alto and a top E is pushing it. I am tempted to join the tenors. We already have 3 lady tenors in the choral society. The buzz you get from a Concert performance is amazing.

My voice is getting stronger since I started but after the parathyroid surgery in March my throat still feel tight. I don't know if it would get much higher anyway. My speaking voice has always been low.
Go and enjoy.

Movedalot on Maniac's daughters website it says that ALL VOICES are welcome!

The thing is - I know that some of our choir members have less than perfect voices. However, once you are in a big enough choir the voices can sound stunning as a whole. It's what gives individuality to a choir's sound. The lady who sometimes stands behind me sounds like a buzzsaw on occasion. If I step away from the choir I can't pick her out at all.

We have a couple of ladies who are baritones, but can also sing alto. We also have an alto male. They shuffle around depending on who can be at which concerts, it's very useful.

...going off at a tangent but was thinking about you last night, Maniac,as you didn't seem to have been around much lately ...

jane I'm told it would have to be a very large choir in my case! DH and 2 DSs are extremely musical, I must be the cross they have to bear

Maybe one day you will just think, what the hell, and try it anyway! I'm amazed at how many have had throat surgery, I must google parathyroid, so many interesting and exciting new possible illnesses to look forward to...

Yes, I can remember thinking I would never sing in front of DBh ever again. My daughter has a beautiful voice too. They all used to sing in front of the piano, but if I joined in they would try to be 'helpful' but i felt they were criticising. So I joined a choir that I thought would be uninteresting to them until I thought I was good enough to be able to sing with a slightly more challenging choir. I knew I was much better when they started to invite me to sing with them occasionally. It took a good year to get my sightreading to a level they found acceptable.

Nelliemoser what sort of music do you sing? There are some sites that you can sing along to using midi files. I find them for a friend I have who can't read music very well. And if I can find a piece for her on youtube's choralparts I feel that I have struck gold.

Like this ( I have selected the tenor part

Sing along now everybody

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmbSe5icowc&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLF03485CD3B7804EC

we could have an online gransnet virtual choir.

I sing with Ely Choral Society but dropped out for a year due to my mother's and DH's care needs. I hope to return before long because I miss the big performances in Ely Cathedral but much as I love singing, the commitment was causing me as much stress as family problems.

janerowena I always dig out the various sites for the midi files.
I would be lost without them.
The conductor is good and gets newbies without much experience sitting next to or in front of confident singers.

This is the choral society program
www.holmeschapelsingers.co.uk/?page_id=298

The piece I have liked most so far was Poulanc's Gloria.

The community choir I joined first? Oh dear!
A Les Miss Medley.
The Rose , You raise me up. Andew Lloyd Webber, Superstar. Don't cry for me Argentina. West Side story selection. Moon River. A couple of other such stuff.
The christmas carol concert is a little more exciting. We did Bethlehem Down which is beautiful but some complained it was too gloomy

janerowena I alway dig out the various sites for the midi files. I would be lost without them. The conductor is good and gets newbies without much experience sitting next to or in front of confident singers.

This is the choral society program
www.holmeschapelsingers.co.uk/?page_id=298

The piece I have liked most so far was Poulanc's Gloria.

The community choir i joined first. Oh dear!
A Les Miss Medley.
The Rose , You raise me up. Andew Lloyd Webber, Superstar. Don't cry for me Argentina. West Side story selection. Moon River. A couple of other such stuff. The christmas carol concert is a little more exciting.

We did Bethlehem Down which is beautiful but some complained it was too gloomy

Sorry that second one just had the link converted.

I do so envy those who can sing, and realise my voice is quite weak now that I'm 68, because I rarely sang, and never after the age of about 9. I had a bad abcess in my right ear when I was 5, and this has left me slightly deaf, and also with no tolerance for loud music. I was young in the 70s but never entered a disco because my ear could not handle it. I also cannot tell direction of sound.

At junior school I was belittled for singing out of tune, so I learned to mime. At home, Mum said I could sing as long as I did the vacuuming at the same time. At grammar school the music teacher, Doc Wood, could tell I was miming and tried to force me to sing. I was generally a good girl, but I dug my heels in and refused. Detention was the better option than humiliation. After that, I always took the seat behind the piano where he could not see me. Later I fell out with a boyfriend who wanted me to join in the Christmas carols, and would not believe I was incapable.

So when I listen to any music, choirs, soloists, opera etc I have rather more admiration than most. They do so well, that which I cannot do at all.

I have heard that absolutely anyone can be taught to sing. I wonder if this is true? I suspect not, though I have to admit that no-one actually ever tried to teach me.

Nelliemoser that's very much the sort of thing my main choir sings, plus quite a lot of mediaeval music as our conductor is a Uni music lecturer and that is his 'thing'. So no hope of finding a midi file as much of it probably hasn't been heard for centuries. I have to plink them out on the piano slowly instead.

Joan my OH would disagree. He used to be a Head of Music and he always says it's just a matter of time and patience and getting the pupil to hear properly. Just cup your hands over your ears and try to hit the note you want, for a start, and as for tone, that too can be adjusted to sound better with a few tricks. It may not come naturally to some, but it can be worked on. When we were very broke he used to give music and singing lessons in the evenings, it was fascinating to listen to. People who made me have to stifle a nervous laugh on their behalf initially were usually singing quite competently after a few weeks.

One girl had lied to a friend about being able to sing, and the friend had promptly asked her to sing at her wedding. You can imagine the state she was in, but she had two lessons a week for two months. I can't say she had the sweetest voice in the world, but she was word-and-note-perfect and loud enough.

Tegan thanks for thinking about me .You must have picked up on my vibes.I was very miffed at the lack of response and negative comments to my posting on 'Fathers for Justice'-a subject affecting over 1 million children -so what are grans doing about it?

Yet there were 2 threads and over 100 comments (still ongoing) about Nigella

Joan, I sympathise. Our nasty Primary 3 teacher put her hand over my mouth and told me I was 'droning' when the rest of the class were singing. I think she just didn't like me! I was never confident about singing after that and now I physically can't sing because my vocal chords have been damaged by acid reflux. I can reach a high note and a low note but the range in between is erratic and in some cases non-existent. What would I give to be able to blast out a big chorus in a great choir! Belshazzar's Feast springs to mind!

Why do teachers do that? DS thinks he is bad at maths because of something a teacher said when he was 7. he isn't.

I envy all you singers. I would love to join a choir but unfortunately I'm tone deaf

My headmistress at primary school wouldn't let me sing in assembly. I had to mime !
What a crule thing to do to a 6yr old. It wasn't even a choir for pete's sake

At school we all had to audition for the choir. When it was my turn to sing the scales (in front of the whole class) the music teacher just laughed
I do not sing now unless I am -pissed- v.drunk or on my own in the car!

I joined a U3A singing group last March and I love it. Only thing is I wish we sang more folksong.....I keep putting in requests!

I used to sing to guitar buI was in a choir for a Carol Service as a once off, when I was a student. I enjoyed that, but don't really want to sing in public now.
I used to sing to guitar, but can no longer play - weak left arm after an op, and broke my right wrist as well.
Then when I had to take Tamoxifen after the op, it had very strange effects on my voice, I could not hold a note at all. It gradually came back after I stopped the medication, but left me very unsure about singing!

This group has helped my confidence a lot.