Emile

Browsing Archive: April, 2012

DailySing - 89 (4.29.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Monday, April 30, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight's DailySing was a surprise. It started a little raggedly but tightened up as I went along.
I found that I had to push the energy a bit because I am so relaxed. The Golden Bridge Community Choir Concert was today, and after the show and excitement of this long day, the adrenalin has evaporated... I could sleep for a week. 

My explorations kept coming back to variations on the same melody. I've been working on making the jump to falsetto solos from holding the bass. The idea is to hold do...
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DailySing - 88 (4.28.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Sunday, April 29, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
This DailySing felt weird because of several reasons tonight.

First, I started what I thought was going to be a dynamite jam... I must've hit something because the recording "paused", and I only got 3 mns and 55 seconds of what I thought was some outstanding material. I AM BUMMED1!!!

So... I re-recorded, on a totally different theme. The problem was that I could'nt remember what I had just created, which was frustrating, but I had to let it go.

What I recreated was and is valid and has a certain...
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DailySing - 87 (4.27.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Saturday, April 28, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
It's good to be back and able to sing.

Tonight's DailySing felt effortless after being away from the singing universe for a few days. I did find myself drifting into patterns that seem to be my default. I was able to switch my mind and play with my defaults midstream.

At one point in the improv, I tried going into a Grateful Dead style jam which led me into deeper exploration. Toward the end, I even went into some spoken word.

It's easier to divide the 15 mns into three 5 mn sections, because ea...
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DailySing - 86 (4.26.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Friday, April 27, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Still sick...!
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DailySing - 85 (4.25.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Thursday, April 26, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Fever again!!! 
I am so put out! I can't afford to be sick now, we have our final rehearsal on Saturday, and our concert on Sunday!!!
No singing tonight... sorry!     ;~( 
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DailySing - 84 (4.24.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Wednesday, April 25, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Well, this DailySing was as different from last night's session as can be. The "IT" that I discovered last night was a wavelength of energy. It's that same energy that "pops" during a screen test or that is referred to as "Pop"by many in the industry. When I listened today, I was reminded of how I let go when I sing in the car. I apparently got so carried away with creating sounds and patterns that I rarely use, that I woke up my wife last night.

Well tonight was much quieter, although just as...
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DailySing - 83 (4.23.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Tuesday, April 24, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight's DailySing was explosively original. 

I found IT! I can't describe IT except to say that IT's a certain concentration of energy focused outward. 

I let go of the reins of my mind, and felt as imagine it would feel like to be a berzerker of ancient Germania. The combination of raw power and freedom expressed in the explosive series of violent clashes is what I am experiencing at this point in my improvisation.

To listen to DailySing - 83, click here.


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DailySing -82 (4.22.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Monday, April 23, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
One of those days...

I was so exhausted that I fell asleep thrice during my DailySing session. Each time that I was conscious of having fallen asleep, I tried to pull myself together but the need for sleep superseeded all!

To listen to DailySing 82, click here.

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DailySing - 81 (4.21.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Sunday, April 22, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Almost missed it. I fell asleep and woke up in the nick of time. Groggy and sleepy are how I felt when I started, yet as I listen to the playback, the session was full of memorable moments, humour and unexpected choices.

It was one of those times when I stayed with a riff and explored all around it while always coming back to the main melody. I played with rhythm and even left the beat behind at one point. This felt satisfying...

To listen to DailySing - 81, click here.

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DailySing - 80 (4.20.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Saturday, April 21, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
So much for getting to my DailySing in the morning on the balcony. Maybe tomorrow...

Tonight's session was based on a riff I came up with many years ago in college, before I considered this a cappella thang. I revisited whistling the melody and its variations, as well as a vocal percussion interlude, and finally juxtaposed wildly constrasting rhythms to help me launch explorations I might not ordinarily gravitate towards.

Unexpectedly, I felt trapped by this riff. It was ingrained so deeply tha...
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DailySing - 79 (4.19.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Friday, April 20, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight's DailySing felt like it was all over the place. My improv wasn't exciting to me because I felt out of sorts. I felt out of sorts because I tried to record several times earlier in the day, but couldn't because of technical difficulties. I felt inspired then, but by the time I got it fixed, I wasn't in the mood to sing anything at all.

I did do some experimenting with whistling. I whistled the main melody I was working with, then added my voice at the same time. I sound like a "musical...
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DailySing - 78 (4.18.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Thursday, April 19, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Today is my birthday and I find myself waiting to be picked up to go on a birthday adventure. Since my ride is late, I wander over to the little park on the corner to wait and after reading a while, decide to do my DailySing.

The city sounds of traffic, of a nearby construction site, of birds in the park, all create a sonic wall in the background.
The sun on my face warms me and puts me in a grateful place, allowing me to bring my inner landscape to the fore. This means that I gave voice and so...
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DailySing - 77 (4.7.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Wednesday, April 18, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
You'd think that I'd try to sing at different times during the day, but it's not been working out that way. However, I have discovered singing in the Element. In the car I have more freedom to let loose and sing big... It's fun!

Tonight's DailySing went places I hadn't expected to go. I was inspired earlier this evening by two events. First, by a friend who's working with autistic kids, using horses to calm, ground and reconnect them. The second, by two of my teachers who have received Sri Chi...
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DailySing - 76 (4.16.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Tuesday, April 17, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Feeling run down and not like singing at all, but it' s turned out to be invigorating!

I do remember that at one point I fell asleep, but that comes later in the playback. So far I sound inspired. I'd listen to this if it were on a CD. That should be my project, to create a CD from all improvized pieces, then go back, overdub and flesh them all out. 

The way I'm singing tonight, it could work... Inspired creativity in the moment. I start with a riff and explore it, move away from it, come back ...
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DailySing - 75 (4.15.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Monday, April 16, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I found tonight that one of the reasons I like doing the DailySing in the car is that I can really let go. Maybe one of these days I'll explore c-r-a-z-y and "go off", encased in my relatively soundproof silver box on wheels.

Again, I started with one basic riff, stayed with it, played with it, went away on multiple solos and came back to it each time, explored inserting vocal percussion into the melody and other parts of the jam. At one point, I adapted the Happy Birthday song to it and sang ...
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DailySing - 74 (4.14.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Sunday, April 15, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I feel that I am at a crossroads and facing some tough decisions. I am also reclaiming a fundamental part of myself, and while that part feels unclear and amorphous, I know that I can't live without it...

... Which led to tonight's DailySing of a familiar melody that's kept bouncing around in my consciousness for several years. This melody has always spoken of new vistas of undiscovered life and experiences to me. It just welled up in me as I opened my mouth, and I just rode the wave through s...
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DailySing - 73 (4.13.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Saturday, April 14, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight's DailySing started off big and brassy and ended sweetly and quietly.
 
 The opening feels big brassy because of where I was putting my voice. I started by thinking of horns, how they sound, how melodic choices are made on a horn, and how their sound complements other instruments.

From there, I let my voice lead my choices. Sometimes high, sometimes rich, sometimes soft, sometimes loud, sometimes full voice, sometimes falsetto, my voice took me on a journey and I was happy to follow it i...
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DailySing - 72 (4.12.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Friday, April 13, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
If I were in New York, I'd climb out onto the roof or the fire escape to do today's DailySing. But since I'm in LA, I climb into our Honda Element and rock out!

Basically, it's a funky repetitive groove that I can come back to after many a varied foray into solo-land. I begin boldly, probably because the car is a little chilly and I need to generate some heat. After playin' around a bit, I wind up with the f.r.g. (funky repetitive groove).

I'm shifting around and seeing where I can go when I st...
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DailySing - 71 (4.11.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Thursday, April 12, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I really enjoy my beginnings, the starting points in my improvisations. That moment when my mouth is open and I've initiated sound, yet it hasn't broken through to be heard, is the spark. Once that door has been opened, once that key has been turned, there's no going back. Once I hear the note, I try to feel it as I follow it to the place where it's going, and beyond to the next note and the next note and then I jump on the wave just below the threshold of the notes. That's the ride, that's t...
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DailySing - 70 (4.10.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Wednesday, April 11, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I felt full, content and sleepy after a fine dinner and bedtime story with my daughter. The last thing I wanted to do was sing, but that's what I did. It's amazing how much rejuvenation occurs when you are following your passion. I feel totally energized while listening to the playback.

I started a motif and stayed with it through all of its permutations and variations, dipping into several bridges, skirting various choruses and was rather playful the whole 15 minutes.

 This felt like building ...

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DailySing - 69 (4.9.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Tuesday, April 10, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
My journey tonight feels non descript, or a bit bland. It feels like I am being safe. I set up a pattern and keep coming back to it after several excursions into soloing as a voice or being one of the instruments. It feels like I stay safe within the confines of my structure...

Now that I listen to the playback, it sounds richer and more dynamic than when I was actually doing it. Perceptions are everything, it seems. 

Using my chest to beat on while I sing is not technically VP, but it really h...
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DailySing - 68 (4.8.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Monday, April 9, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Wow, my first DailySing in a couple of days! I'm still shaky but over whatever it was, for the most part.

Tonight, I went on a travelog to stretch a little, switching from blues to jazz to Afro-Cuban to spoken word, and finally to vocal percussion. My wife listened to me and suggested that I sing standing up instead of sitting at a desk or on the couch. The dynamics would be different, she says. She's right. In fact, I should try doing my DailySing practice at different times of the day, to ri...
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DailySing - 67 (4.7.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Monday, April 9, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Still sick with Fever...      ;~(
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DailySing - 66 (4.6.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Monday, April 9, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Sick with Fever...   ;~(
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DailySing - 65 (4.5.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Friday, April 6, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
What an interesting journey this DailySing was...
 
Once again, I finished the day's duties around 11: 30 pm, and got to "sangin'"! When I was finally able to express/channel/flow it felt like a dam springing a leak, which slowly built until the pool of creative ideas broke free and I went from some funky little ditties to the land of jazz by way of Jethro Tull's Cross Eyed Mary through speed Ska around Island riffs over Nigerian rhythms which powered my  stream of consciousness soundings. Ther...
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DailySing - 64 (4.4.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Thursday, April 5, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I kept the DailySing recording that I did tonight, even though it was mostly dead air.

I fell asleep twice right in the middle of singing.

I must figure out how to make this the cornerstone of my day, maybe by singing earlier in the evening...
Something...! 

To listen to DailySing - 64, click here.

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DailySing - 63 (4.3.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Wednesday, April 4, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
By this time, Will said that his practice was becoming the center or cornerstone of his day, that his day revolved around his singing time, that his schedule somehow magically made room for the singing... Good for him!

I'm not having that experience. I go about my day, then come home and do the family thing, then the daddy thing where I put baby girl to bed and read her a story, then start working on music for the choir. By now, I'm exhausted and all I want to do is go to bed, but then I remem...
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DailySing - 62 (4.2.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Tuesday, April 3, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I survived April Fool's Day. Actually it was a great day! I learned Vinx's Tell My Feet, and Maggie and I taught it to the choir. We all had a blast!!!

Tonight, when I did my DailySing I found myself enjoying a free form improv, when about halfway through I started noodling with Tell My Feet, which I then improvised around. My inner musical landscape was very happy and positive as I explored making it my own for our upcoming concert. I suspect that these positive feelings are in part an extens...
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DailySing - 61 (4.1.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Monday, April 2, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Gratitude, gratitude and more gratitude... is what I've been feeling all day today and yesterday. I thought that it could be a reaction to my friend Anne's death, but realize it doesn't matter how I come to appreciate my riches... Just that I appreciate them! 

I've really been enjoying being a dad lately. It's not necessarily been easy, but it is worth it. Witnessing my child's growth and development is like being part of an action adventure/drama/comedy/documentary/reality epic. Parenting imm...
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DailySing - 60 (3.31.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Sunday, April 1, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Anne is still with me, so tonight, I open the windows to the rain and the night air, turn off all of the lights, light a candle and some incense and sing with Anne. I imagine our lengthy and playful duet and find myself tranced out at the end of my singing time. Crazy!!!

My explorations sound purposeful yet feel full of abandon. I am inspired as I travel through my inner soundscape. The outside air invigorates me, and I feel full.. Full of joy, full of light, full of laughing... OMG, full of A...
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If you can talk, you can sing


Emile Hassan Dyer I believe that singing is our birthright, and that it is good for our brains, bodies, and spirit. Singing releases oxytocin in the brain, and many studies have shown a correlation of oxytocin with human bonding, increases in trust, feelings of calmness and security, as well as reductions in anxiety. In other words, SINGING IS GOOD FOR YOU! I get high making up music on the spot. I get high(er) when I can do it with several people at once. There's nothing like riding the crest of a creative wave, linked harmonically and rhythmically, supporting, leading, following, creating, coaxing, cajoling, p-l-a-y-i-n-g... THAT'S MY BLISS! Singing for 15 minutes a day means trusting yourself. It means clearing your mind, opening up and discovering what sounds can come out through you, if you allow it. To listen to each of my daily sings, click on the "songs" link on the left in the grey field above the most recent post or on the link at the end of each post.

Categories

My DailySing practice is inspired by Will Hewett's Sing15 practice.

You can learn more about Sing15 at www.willhewett.com.

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"creative wave"percussive lyrical vocal solos melody "richard bona "sing out loud 'vp guy" riffs sounds patterns 4/4 4/4 feel 4/4 time 6/8 6/8 bell 6/8 feel 6/8 time a cappella a cappella thang abandon accented beat accents act of singing actors adaptability addendums aeolian african vocal delivery afro blue afro funk afro-cuban air flow alive ambient apex approach arc arc of the improv architecture arrange arrangements arranging art artless aspect of music atmosphere attacked the singing audience backbeat background hum balance ballad ballad-like bass bass line bass lines bass llne be the sound beat beatbox beatboxing beats berimbaus berzerker bird song birthday birthing the melodies blog blues bluesy body percussion body rhythms bp brain brassy bre bridge bridges burst carlinhos brown catchy tune cd channel chant chants choices choir chops chorus clapping claps clarity classical clave climactic crescendo codification of play cohesion color compose compositions concert conduit 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