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I've been taking voice (and Ukulele) lessons, and so I've also been intensely watching and listening to singers on music tracks I have as well as YouTube videos. I don't watch tv per se but I do enjoy viewing the video auditions on the various shows that highlight musical "talent". "Talent" is an interesting word to use in this context because music in any form is work, and just about anyone can sing or play an instrument if they dedicate the time. Stage presence is a bit different though that's mostly dependant on confidence.

I decided to see if anyone would like to discuss any of these videos or recordings.

Spot, there might be quite a few videos in this thread, so would you prefer we link to them or post them?

Stage presence has nothing to do with confidence. My youngest suffers terribly from anxiety and he can hold an audience in the palm of his hand.

Some of the best performers in the world have said they throw up before going on stage. Or they make sure the lighting is just right so they can't see the audience

Ahso!;1514104 wrote: I've been taking voice (and Ukulele) lessons... The problem with ukes is that there is no bass.

Why not just take guitar lessons?

I don't know, I just chose the ukulele.

Ahso!;1514172 wrote: I don't know, I just chose the ukulele.Well, the chords on a normally tuned uke will sound just like the chords on the top (high) strings of the guitar with standard tuning, though the key may be different.

My prediction is that once you've learned the uke you will become interested in the guitar also.

I love the Uke. It's quite in vogue to learn it . Most will not take up he Guitar because of bulk and multiple chords. I know many who have taken Uke lessons here. You only need to know little and sound like a maestro.

It's a good intro to the guitar but most take it up later in life (maybe cause they missed the boat when younger to learn an instrument.?)

Not only is this guy an accomplished Ukulele player, but he's a terrific vocalist, as was IZ.

that's nice

This is a Britan's Got Talent performance by Alice Fredenham. What I enjoy about Alice is how she interprets other's songs (I have her new cd). She's isn't necessarily among the best of vocalists but her interpretations and the way she expresses them is quite pleasing. Alice's body language during this performance shows her constructing each note so very carefully and for 2 minutes and 42 seconds, there was not a vocalist on the planet any better than Alice. Her interpretation of My Funny Valentine on that day was better than Frank Sinatra's or Ella Fitzgerald's ever was recorded, AFAIK. Enjoy!

Ahso!;1514259 wrote: This is a Britan's Got Talent performance by Alice Fredenham. What I enjoy about Alice is how she interprets other's songs (I have her new cd). She's isn't necessarily among the best of vocalists but her interpretations and the way she expresses them is quite pleasing. Alice's body language during this performance shows her constructing each note so very carefully and for 2 minutes and 42 seconds, there was not a vocalist on the planet any better than Alice. Her interpretation of My Funny Valentine on that day was better than Frank Sinatra's or Ella Fitzgerald's ever was recorded, AFAIK. Enjoy!




Wow! That was good. I agree her interpretation was amazing.Very mesmerizing.

That young lady has a wonderful voice. I looked her up and there are a number of other pieces she has done since.

Yes, Alice was signed by Sony to audition for a recording contract, but then Sony backed out, so Alice went on to record on her own financed through crowd-funding. The cd came out this year. I enjoy listening to the cd.

The first concept to learn in singing is that you are the instrument. I've always kinda known this. It takes lots of tuning and fine-tuning to get the instrument to play correctly and to harmonize with the other instruments in a song (this is my greatest challenge right now - I find it easier to harmonize with other people's voices, but not with musical instruments. My teacher tells me that that's because my ear needs work).

The following video is NPR's Tiny Desk Concert Series with Tank and the Bangas. Featured are two young ladies who sing jazz beautifully. Not a crack or deviation will you hear from them in this recording. Not even in their speaking voice - that's how finely tuned their instruments are. This is a bit on the long side but really is worth the time if you're so inclined. Enjoy!

This is a 2010 performance of Paul Simon's Bridge Over Troubled Water by Josh Groban and Brian McNight. Folks, it doesn't get any better than this - the harmonizing is absolutely wonderful.

Andrea Motis