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Articles on Music Matters:

A Matter of Style

There are numerous styles of music to choose from when deciding what you want to sing, so where do you begin. Maybe you already know the style for you. Maybe you grew up listening to the blues greats. Maybe you desire opera, or the rich sounds of jazz, or maybe you haven't identified your niche yet. If you are on the road to a professional career in singing then it may be beneficial to examine the different music styles available, such as jazz, pop, rock, R&B, cabaret, theater, or opera.

Jazz is great for those who have a more narrow vocal range as it can be sung in any key. It has an extensive repertoire of songs so there are lots from which to choose. You can really get into the nuances of the meaning of the words and phrases and have fun expressing yourself. However, it is a tough market to break into. Blues and R&B are similar to jazz and can lead into folk music. They are also great for exploring what can be done with harmony when you sing with a group.

Pop and rock are very similar. They are far easier to break into than jazz and the performing opportunities are wide open. You can join a band or form your own or team up with one or two other musicians and play parties, weddings, and singing competitions. Unfortunately, your looks and image are as important as your singing ability, so in the end you may not be musically challenged enough or satisfied. Another disadvantage with rock singing is that it is very hard on your vocal cords because most singers and bands play at a high volume.

Cabaret singing is more a matter of where you sing and performance style than the type of music itself. Jazz, R&B, pop, rock, and show tunes can all fall into this category. Clubs, nightclubs, television, restaurants are all potential performance venues.

Theatre singing and opera are much more involved and take years of training. Singing in the theater is very artistically fulfilling and the expansion of vocal skills can be phenomenal. It is very technically difficult and, although there are many performance opportunities for both amateurs and professionals, it is a very competitive field.

Opera is even more limited, and the opportunities are primarily for professionals the technical mastery needed is significant as is the ability to read music and master pronunciation of English, German, French, and Italian. It is also very competitive, so you need to be very certain your passion is strong before considering the operatic journey.

These are the most common styles of music to choose from, but there are many others that are very enticing. These include children's music, Celtic, country, bluegrass, or a Latino flavor. So, think about it, feel it out with your heart, soul, and body, and experiment with some of the different styles to find out what resonates with you.

Gordon Lee
26 Dec 2006

Gordon Lee is an aspiring copywriter, podcaster and self improvement strategist. He offers a free Podcasting ebook at his website:

Piano Restoration

Pianos are one of the loveliest instruments one can own, and make some of the most loyal companions. Pianos aren't to be taken lightly and you should care for them as you would any other expensive item. For pianos, care is especially important as the more you take care of them, the better they become.

Pianos, like some pets, are bought and loved, then slowly forgotten. They become dusty and out of tune, sitting and waiting until someone decides they want to play again fifteen years later. But what happened? It's out of tune, dirty and doesn't sound like it used to. Do you throw it away? You could, but there are better options, like piano restoration.

Piano restoration can make any old instrument come alive again and work as well or better than it once did. Imagine that gorgeous old baby grand, cleaned up and in tune, ready to be played again. A good piano technician can make your old piano sound better than it ever did, even when it was brand new.

Like any other instrument, pianos have limited lifespan. However, different parts on pianos also have different life spans, and this is one of the main reasons piano restoration can be so effective/ For example, on an instrument that saw heavy use over its life, the hammers might be worn while the soundboard could be alive and kicking, so to speak, for decades more.

Thus, having a piano technician look at your instrument every couple years and replace worn parts can eliminate the need for deeper, more intensive restoration later on. Though piano restoration is a very good thing, it should only be done on expensive pianos or on pianos with sentimental value, because it is also relatively expensive.

Its cost lies in the tediousness and the time involved in rebuilding or restoring a badly damaged or decrepit piano. For example, imagine a piano where some of the action parts, like the hammers, ribs and strings, are still in good condition, but the body is worn and cracked in areas, and the bridges are about to go out.

A good piano restorer could rebuild and replace the worn parts and tweak the okay parts so they are better than before. A good rule of thumb is that, when a piano technician assesses your piano and says repair, the cost will be mild to medium depending on the repair. Maintenance is in the same bracket, but restoration is a clue that it is getting more expensive, and rebuilding is even more intensive.

So while restoration can be an excellent venture if you love your piano immensely, if it holds sentimental or historical value or if it is valuable enough to justify the expense, don't do it if you have only lukewarm feelings about the piano and don't use it much. You will be better off selling your piano to a technician who will rebuild and resell it, and buying a newer one with part of the money from the sale.

David Anderson Pianos is a full-service piano business offering complete restoration and maintenance services for pianos in the Los Angeles area. For more information, please visit http://www.davidandersenpianos.com.

Marcela De Vivo
29 Dec 2006

Marcela De Vivo writes for http://www.davidandersenpianos.com