Groove, Sing, & All the Things

As musicians we tend to be very critical of ourselves and equate our self-worth with how well we perform. Let's talk about how you are more than your last performance or practice session.

In a world where anyone can have a fully produced song -Including vocals- with just a few clicks online...is it even worth learning to sing or play anymore?

It’s normal at first to maybe be a bit disappointed with the way your voice sounds recorded. Or the way you perceive it to sound. We are used to hearing slick vocals on the songs we stream. But most new singers have that reaction where they just want to say “that’s what I sound like”? Let's talk about how to get past these feelings and why it's important.

We live in a ‘hustle’ culture. It can feel competitive. It can start to feel like a thankless job. Especially when you’re learning to sing or play while trying to do all of this. And take care of your bills and home ect. It adds stress. That feeling that you have to hurry and learn to get ahead. Stress adds tension. It won’t help, it will hurt.

We’ve all been there. You’re learning to sing or play and feeling great! You’re putting the time and work in. Making progress, this is going great! But then, in a moment, everything comes to a screeching halt.

Do you have a favorite singer or singers? What do you love about their voice and how they sing? Do they move you emotionally? Or are you mesmerized by their vocal riffs and runs? There could be a myriad of reasons for why you love their voice or the way they delivery of a song.

Are you learning to sing or play guitar? Or maybe even both? What does it really take? Maybe you’re 3 weeks in or even 3 years in. Inevitably you will face some frustration. That is just par for the course.  So what do you do? You decide to keep going. You keep showing up. When you’re frustrated. When you’re feeling like you’re the only one who doesn’t ‘get it’…You keep working towards your goal. It’s not easy, but it is simple. Is there a magic formula? Kind of. As the title of this blog states, it’s tenacity. It is the secret sauce. It’s what separates the ones who do learn to play and sing from the ones who wanted to but never do.

Let go of tension and finally make those barre chords feel effortless. I outline 5 tips to make the process easier and provide some general advice for learning. Oh, and I include 2 bonus tips!

If you get a good vibe from a teacher, that’s a great sign. If you don’t, well…walk away. You’ll find someone else to learn from who uplifts you. 

So, you’ve learned all your open chords on the guitar and can play a few songs. That’s great! You know C, A, G, E, D Major and em, dm, and A minor right?

Today I want you to ask yourself one simple question: what if learning to sing were easy? I know that might sound crazy right now, especially if you’ve been working on learning to sing for a while. Weeks, months, even years, we all need to ask ourselves this.

I had never heard of Alee Willis, but WOW! I have heard her songs before. Great songs, and lots of them. What an interesting and prolific artist she was. Just incredible. Her drive to create things, all kinds of things was indeed incredible. And yes her story is just simply inspiring. 

Yes, I said it. I meant it. Singing with too much emotion will not give you the result you hope for. Over-emotional singing might be fun at the moment, and many singers think that is what they are supposed to be doing. But this is not the case.

Have you ever told yourself you'd practice singing, or guitar later- only to feel too tired to follow through? You're not alone. The secret to more effective practice might be a s simple as timing. In this post, we'll explore how to align your musical practice with your peak, or 'good' energy, so you can improve faster, feel more creative, and maybe enjoy the process too.

Are you a singer who doesn't yet play an instrument but you're thinking about learning one? Let's talk about some benefits of being able to accompany yourself while singing.

Sometimes being a musician feels like all work and no play. Inspiration to play and create can seem further and further away. We're either practicing, learning new techniques, rehearsing, writing songs, learning songs, playing gigs, trying to book gigs, keeping up with social media, and maybe working a day job. It's easy to forget why we're working so hard and to lose our inspiration. Creativity starts to feel hard to come by. Enter ... live music.

Are you learning to sing or play guitar online but haven't yet considered getting a teacher IRL? Having a vocal coach or guitar teacher IRL can be life-changing. Whether in studio or on a video call, a teacher lesson meets you exactly where you are and serves you exactly what you need that day. And one one-on-one lessons make you feel seen and uplifted by the teachers' energy and enthusiasm for your progress. 

Have you always wanted to learn to sing? Or maybe improve your singing? But you can come up with a list of so many reasons not to start? I'm here to tell you that...Absolutely, you can learn to sing! I will give you 7 key concepts to consider when starting or leveling up in your singing journey.