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Across the Fence:  can you sing?  |
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napafarmhouse1885
True Blue Farmgirl
208 Posts
diane
napa
ca
USA
208 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 08 2008 : 12:11:25 PM
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i cannot..have a horrible voice. i just wrote a story on my blog about my lifelong battle with a bad voice...hopefully the story will make you laugh. please check it out at www.napafarmhouse1885.blogspot.com. i would appreciate it if you left comments on the blog about the talents you have..or talents you wish you had..like my singing!! or tips for me to get over my bad voice phobia
let me know what you think....
best,
napafarmhouse1885
please visit my blog
www.napafarmhouse1885.blogspot.com
www.napafarmhouse1885.com
"Whatever you can do or dream, begin it"
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe |
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bohemiangel
True Blue Farmgirl
2087 Posts
Bridget
Ligonier
pa
USA
2087 Posts |
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corporatefarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
389 Posts
Tamara
Pikeville
TN
USA
389 Posts |
Posted - Apr 08 2008 : 12:23:07 PM
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Napa dear I believe we are sisters in more than just the farmgirl world. I am totally tone deaf. All of my kids have great voices which they get from their daddy.
But my DH insists that when in church I should make a joyful noise unto the Lord. I keep tellin' him the Lord hasn't heard me well enough yet or he would ask me to be quiet too!
small farms give big benefits |
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miss wilma
True Blue Farmgirl
3410 Posts
Wilma
Knob Lick
Ky
USA
3410 Posts |
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junkjunkie
True Blue Farmgirl
1306 Posts
Judy
Lawrenceville
NJ
USA
1306 Posts |
Posted - Apr 08 2008 : 1:07:44 PM
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I can sorta carry a tune....but I sound best in the shower. :D
"To have life in focus, we must have death in our field of vision." Benedictine monk John Main |
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frannie
True Blue Farmgirl
2246 Posts
fran
bonham
texas
USA
2246 Posts |
Posted - Apr 08 2008 : 1:32:45 PM
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i do sing and was in a bluegrass band for about 8 years. i mostly like to sing harmony but i enjoy singing lead every once in a while.
there are ways to imp0rove your singing, especially if you are aware when you sing the wrong note. and if you know that you get the nerves when you sing.
love
frannie in texas
(http://farmfolks-frannie.blogspot.com/)
(http://abunnystale.blogspot.com/) |
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marmieto12
True Blue Farmgirl
213 Posts
laura
utah
USA
213 Posts |
Posted - Apr 08 2008 : 1:37:02 PM
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I love to sing..I do not sense I can do it well.
My boyfriend before my marriage was a musician/singer and we would sing together. He told me to sing louder and have confidence..this would project my voice and make it sound better to me. His kids would comment when I sang in the car, how come you don't sing that loud at church? lol
My own children say I sing well..I can not hit high and lows in the same song...
I "practice" with singers that I sing in the same tone as them. Try that! I do not have a clue in music, just love to sing!
I added to your blog...sing unto the Lord with a joyful noise!
Laura;Dreaming of big girl farm...
Farmgirl # 148
http://lilsfamilyfarm.blogspot.com
Chapter http://justsimplythegirls.blogspot.com |
Edited by - marmieto12 on Apr 08 2008 1:39:43 PM |
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
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napafarmhouse1885
True Blue Farmgirl
208 Posts
diane
napa
ca
USA
208 Posts |
Posted - Apr 08 2008 : 2:08:52 PM
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for all of you that can sing..thank you for the tips. for the rest of you..i am so glad to have company in the "bad voice" club! thank you laura, for the post on my blog. i get a lot of emails from non-farmgirls letting me know how much they enjoy all of your comments..please keep those comments on my blog coming!!! and on this forum...
best,
napafarmhouse1885
please visit my blog
www.napafarmhouse1885.blogspot.com
www.napafarmhouse1885.com
"Whatever you can do or dream, begin it"
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe |
Edited by - napafarmhouse1885 on Apr 09 2008 08:38:23 AM |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Apr 08 2008 : 2:42:35 PM
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I shouldn't ever sing..really! But I love to sing when I am alone or with the kids in the car (they don't sing any better than I do..not a good singer in the bunch!!!) but really....I can't carry a tune and have sort of a raspy voice..can't hit high notes to save my soul.
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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kissmekate
True Blue Farmgirl
890 Posts
Kate
Delano
Minnesota
890 Posts |
Posted - Apr 08 2008 : 2:50:02 PM
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I can sing. In the shower...
Otherwise, it is probably best that I don't quit my day job. Not so good at it. 
Don't miss out on a blessing, just because it isn't packaged the way you expected. ~MaryJo Copeland |
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Prairie Princess
True Blue Farmgirl
1075 Posts
Jodi
Washington
USA
1075 Posts |
Posted - Apr 08 2008 : 3:13:48 PM
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Isn't it funny how singing in the shower makes our voices improve ten times over (for those of us who's voices need improvement, lol)?? I love to sing, but I have a rather limited range, and my voice definitely isn't all that wonderful. My sweet bf tells me I have a nice voice, but he'd be partial, anyway.  My mother is more honest, I'm afraid.  So I limit my singing to home, when everyone else is out and about.
~Jodi
"Women are like teabags...you never know how strong they are until they get into hot water." Eleanor Roosevelt |
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frannie
True Blue Farmgirl
2246 Posts
fran
bonham
texas
USA
2246 Posts |
Posted - Apr 08 2008 : 4:29:58 PM
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i took singing lessons in my life probably for about 10 years, as a child, and as a young adult in college and then as a young mom just for myself. that was all before i was in the bluegrass band.
here are some things i learned. singing is just as much about listening and hearing as it it singing. if you can make the sound. ie the high note you can sing it.
if you sing better alone than you do in public it is probably not a singing problem as much as an anxiety problem. if you know you have made a mistake there is more room for improvement . (that doesnt mean you cant enjoy singing, it just means that others might not enjoy it as much as you do....sorry) i think i would sing even if i couldnt match pitches cause it makes me feel good. of course, like every thing else, the older i get the less pleasant my voice is.
music was my first love....and well we all know about first loves.
if you wonder if you have an anxiety problem , just sometime when you are alone and it is quiet, lie down on the floor or your bed and sing a song and listen to yourself, and notice if you sound better. make sure you are very, very relaxed. if singing on the floor while you are relaxed makes you sing better, than you have a fear problem, and the way to improve that is to sing, sing sing,,,,, and practice getting rid of the fear. sing in your head, and imagine singing in front of someone and feeling the fear and practice calming yourself.
fear of singing in front of folks is pretty normal, but if it isnt addressed as a young person than you can develop some habits which actually make you sing "off".
even though as a child i loved music and wanted badly to sing all the time, i was shy about singing and didnt know there was anything that could be done about it until i was older.
the reason i say all this is because if you love singing and you wish you could sing better, and if you thought you did you might participate in a singing group, i just want people to know that they can get better.....we need more music in the world. just think about it.
now my big problem is i can sing....i can play a guitar.......i just cant do them at the same time.....go figure...but i think the world had a plan there cause if i could have done both at the same time, thats probably all i would have done with my life...and trust me, i can sing, but i'm not THAT good!
love
frannie in texas
(http://farmfolks-frannie.blogspot.com/)
(http://abunnystale.blogspot.com/) |
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Tina Michelle
True Blue Farmgirl
6948 Posts
Tina
sunshine state
FL
USA
6948 Posts |
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frannie
True Blue Farmgirl
2246 Posts
fran
bonham
texas
USA
2246 Posts |
Posted - Apr 09 2008 : 04:42:58 AM
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but can ya dance, nappafarmgirl?
cause i was thinking about this and while i love music and sing, i have never been able to dance. i want to dance, i get it and i have been in groups that required dancing, and i was always the worst one. i mean.....bad.....dangerous to the people next to me.
i was in a uso tour group during the vietnam war, and we went to entertain groups, and one young man kept staring at me, and well, i just thought he MUST be "fascinated".
afterwods, he came up to me and said, you were the worst dancer up there! and i was!
tina , i love kathy mattea and used to sing some of her songs, do you like nancy griffin or gilliam welch, how about allison krause. i wish you could come to our porch band on thursday nites.......any time you're in our neck of the woods, come sing with us!
love
frannie in texas
(http://farmfolks-frannie.blogspot.com/)
(http://abunnystale.blogspot.com/) |
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marmieto12
True Blue Farmgirl
213 Posts
laura
utah
USA
213 Posts |
Posted - Apr 09 2008 : 05:58:42 AM
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Frannie said-if you can make the sound. ie the high note you can sing it.
If you have an anxiety problem,fear of singing in front of folks is pretty normal, but if it isnt addressed as a young person than you can develop some habits which actually make you sing "off".
Thank you Frannie for great advice! This is some of what I was told, "the fear thing" caused me to sing in such a low voice I could not be heard..projecting would be caused by being confident and I could sing.
That is interesting to hear if you can make the sound you could sing it..wow everyone is asleep in the house and I want to try this! I thought I had a problem with pitches..I am excited you wrote on this.
You have awakened some memories for me! I want to sing and play the guitar too. I wanted to tour with Joan Biaz..now I do not even remember what she sounds like..lol
How fun to have toured with USO. I was fascinated by the tour as a kid and wished I was one of those girls!
Well I can not dance or sing, ok maybe I can sing, dance is learned... I make cookies for young men we know and send those overseas. I think from this MAMA they would enjoy that better :)
Ok Girls, for those that do not think they can sing..let's try what Frannie said and SING.
Laura;Dreaming of big girl farm...
Farmgirl # 148
http://lilsfamilyfarm.blogspot.com
Chapter http://justsimplythegirls.blogspot.com |
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frannie
True Blue Farmgirl
2246 Posts
fran
bonham
texas
USA
2246 Posts |
Posted - Apr 09 2008 : 06:31:44 AM
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laura, you are too cute!
you brought up a very important point that i forgot. a crucial part of singing is breathing.
when you get nervous most folks tend to take short breathes, or shallow breathing. you cant support singing with shallow breathes, and you either end up singing softly or cant finish the phrase, ya know run out of breath. so that is another reason that any activity that promotes relaxation or proper breathing, like yoga, for example, will help with singing.
as a young woman, i could sing better than i do now, but i was so self consious and aware of myself, that i couldnt really sing and share a song like i wanted to .
when i started singing in bluegrass bands, the whole attitude was different and what became important to me was sharing the message in the song. i quit thinking about myself and whether or not people would like my voice and just literally sang my little heart out. i knew i wasnt headed for nashville, or anything and i just enjoyed what the music could bring to people.
if you can sing with other people, like harmony and not get off that might be a way to sing and share your voice, cause all the pressure isnt on you.
thats another reason that i participated in bluegrass because it is a group effort and there isnt a star most of the time.
anyway, if you lived close to me i would invite you to come to the porch band too and maybe you and me and tina could sing harmony. who knows if we would sound good, but i know we would have a wonderful time.
the other thing i found out late about singing is that it is a pretty personal and subjective thing. no matter how good you sing, not everyone will like your singing, even if there is nothing wrong with it. i guess that is why there are so many different styles of singing.
so when you first start singing for folks, some may comment on your voice and some wont. sometimes folks dont say anything cause they think you must know you can sing, you just did it. they dont always know that it feels good to have folks enjoy your singing, that is a part of why you do it.
any way, laura, keep singing, if it is in your heart to do it, you have to, and you will find a way to sing that means something to you.
and i think you might be right about the cookies!
love
frannie in texas
(http://farmfolks-frannie.blogspot.com/)
(http://abunnystale.blogspot.com/) |
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Lainey
True Blue Farmgirl
2401 Posts
Elaine
Waco
Kentucky
USA
2401 Posts |
Posted - Apr 09 2008 : 08:11:48 AM
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I love to sing and have been doing it as long as I can remember. I took voice lessons when I was in high school (I've probably forgotten everything I've learned) and majored in Vocal Performance for a while at college. I sing at weddings, funerals, charity events, and love to go karaoke! I sing a lot when I'm driving which is funny sometimes because on some songs I really get with it and forget that other people in cars might be watching. hehe
When I was younger I wanted to be a professioner singer but I didn't dedicate myself enough. Still there's nothing quite as enjoyable than an evening of singing for fun.
Farmgirl Sister #25
http://countrygirldreams.blogspot.com/ |
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napafarmhouse1885
True Blue Farmgirl
208 Posts
diane
napa
ca
USA
208 Posts |
Posted - Apr 09 2008 : 08:44:29 AM
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frannie in texas..no, no, no..i cannot dance well either..although this does not stop me. what is up with my inability to sing or dance??? thanks for the tips..i will try them today...but i love this topic..let's keep the stories coming...(and the memories)
best,
napafarmhouse1885
please visit my blog
www.napafarmhouse1885.blogspot.com
www.napafarmhouse1885.com
"Whatever you can do or dream, begin it"
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe |
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frannie
True Blue Farmgirl
2246 Posts
fran
bonham
texas
USA
2246 Posts |
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catscharm74
True Blue Farmgirl
4687 Posts
Heather
Texas
USA
4687 Posts |
Posted - Apr 09 2008 : 10:32:17 AM
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No, I can't sing more that what Charlie will allow for me to sing to him and sometimes he says "No Mama.." HA!!
I don't have great rythm even though I was in band for 4 years. I have my early Madonna moves down and I can clap...that is about as far as I go. Oh...and I can do the typical wedding dances pretty well. I do want to try dancing at the dancehalls down here. I can't wait. Maybe if someone is leading me, I will be better.
Cheers,
Heather
FARMGIRL #90 |
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Utahfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1940 Posts
Portland
Oregon
USA
1940 Posts |
Posted - Apr 09 2008 : 10:48:50 AM
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When I was young, I was a coloratura soprano. I had a scholarship to a music college and gave it up to get married. (insert hysterical laughter here) I still sing. Can't do it like I used to but I still love to sing. We have a great radio channel here in Portland that plays standards and show tunes from the 30s to the 60s and it's on all day at my house. ("What kind of foooool am IIIIIIII?")
Patricia
Proud Farmgirl Sister #19
Rusty Chicks Chapter
check out my etsy site http://ThePlayfulFarmgirl.etsy.com
Today I choose faith not fear. |
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - Apr 09 2008 : 10:54:34 AM
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Um. Nope. Not that I think so, anyway. My husband is the singer...and he does it so beautifully, I let him take the "lead" so to speak. I do sing in the shower, doing laundry, gardening, while doing dishes, etc..but only when he's not home!!!
Sometimes, if a favorite song is on in the car, and we're riding together, he'll start singing and because I think he can't hear me, I sing VERY quietly along with him. Eventually, I'll notice that he ISN'T singing anymore, so naturally I stop!!!! When I ask why he isn't singing anymore, he says, "because you were, and it's so magical and so infrequent that I want to hear you!"
Farmgirl Sister #80, thanks to a very special farmgirl from the Bluegrass..."She was built like a watch, a study in balance ... with a neck and head so refined, like a drawing by DaVinci"...
NY Newsday sportswriter Bill Nack describing filly, Ruffian.
http://www.buyhandmade.org/ |
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junkjunkie
True Blue Farmgirl
1306 Posts
Judy
Lawrenceville
NJ
USA
1306 Posts |
Posted - Apr 09 2008 : 12:39:21 PM
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Singing is a great release. I usually sing in the mornings...the most innane songs that I can't get out of my head for a while. lol! Sometimes I'll try to make up something or change lyrics and it's usually dumb, but at least it helps me to get going in the am. In high school, I belonged to the glee club and was an alto. I can sing in harmony (usually) and have a pretty good ear in picking up harmonies in music. I do much better in a group situation than solo. I don't have that kind of voice. As far as dancing...well...at a wedding or social situation, I can make the boring moves to get through, like most people. I really admire people that can really dance. I love to watch professional dancers (all types of dance)! If I had to chose an ideal body type, I would love to have the lithe, toned body of a dancer.
"To have life in focus, we must have death in our field of vision." Benedictine monk John Main |
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napafarmhouse1885
True Blue Farmgirl
208 Posts
diane
napa
ca
USA
208 Posts |
Posted - Apr 09 2008 : 7:14:32 PM
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singing actually helps me work out. if i sing at the top of my lungs while on a treadmill, stepper or eliptical machine it helps me breathe, plus if i pick a selection of fast and slow songs i can better control my heartbeat...and it makes working out way more fun cause i am not one of those.."oh, i so love to work out" people. problem is..i go to the gym and cannot belt it out there..so..i do my weird lip-syncing thing to my ipod..and hope no one is watching....how strange is that..i promise girls..i am not as much of a weirdo as this post makes me sound...i just cannot sing!!
best,
napafarmhouse1885
please visit my blog
www.napafarmhouse1885.blogspot.com
www.napafarmhouse1885.com
"Whatever you can do or dream, begin it"
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe |
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Linda Houston
True Blue Farmgirl
538 Posts
Linda
Lake Charles
Louisiana
USA
538 Posts |
Posted - Apr 09 2008 : 7:31:18 PM
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I love to sing----I wish I were a famous singer. I did NOT say I had a wonderful voice, I said I love to sing. When I am in the car and the music is on I sing my heart out---I sing with my grand children and they appreciate Grammy's voice---wait til they are older !!!!!
I also lover to dance. I always joke and say when I "come back" I will be a braodway dancer !!! I have danced since I was a little girl (dancing lessons) and then when the teen years began we had barn dances and loved them. What is better for the soul than singing and dancing and it is FREE.
thanks for the topic |
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Across the Fence: can you sing? |
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can you sing?
