Emile

Showing Tag: "dailysing" (Show all posts)

DailySing - 205 (8.26.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Monday, August 27, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I sang outside several times during the day today. It was sublime. The ideas wouldn't stop coming and they were as varied as they were exciting! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to use these opportunities to do my DailySing.

Now, at the end of the day when I have the time, the energy, drive, creativity and will are fading fast. I think about my BFF at times like these and try to forge on.

This singing session felt like I was just going through the motions, although when I feel like this, just singi...
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DailySing - 194 (8.12.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Monday, August 13, 2012,
I'm just back from an event called Family Camp in the Santa Cruz mountains... where I led about 120 people singing sacred chants, exploring beatboxing, vocal percussion, and vocal improv among the redwoods. It was AWESOME!!! My heart is sooooo full!

...So why am I having discontent and resentment around continuing my DailySing practice? Why do I get this feeling, after a long day that I couldn't be bothered? This is my thing, right? It's what I do, so what's the problem?

I am looking at this th...
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DailySing - 184 (8.2.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Friday, August 3, 2012,
During tonight's DailySing, I reached new depths in "allowing" while remaining alert. 

I was literally trying to BE the music, BE the improv, BE the VP rhythms. 

Allowing myself to see the music from the inside as I sing it and bring it into reality was an exercise in duality.

I lost track of time and sang for 16mns.

To listen to DailySing - 184, click here.

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DailySing - 176 (7.25.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Thursday, July 26, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I have to say that the timbre of the last two DailySings has been joyful and bright.

Today, I sang as soon as I came home out on the balcony. I did attract a little attention from a few passersby, but it didn't matter. The music was exhuberant and energized. One of these days, I'll do it in the park.

The traffic and other ambient sounds provided a nice backdrop or pad for my improv. I found a melody and was able to come back to it with no problem. I was also able to stick to the same groove wit...
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DailySing - 175 (7.24.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Wednesday, July 25, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Wide ranging... That's what I call tonight's DailySing. I started in one rhythm and feel, and abruptly changed to something rhythmically different, while keeping the melody or a variation thereof.

I began with a laid back 4/4 , then went into a 4/4 rock steady feel. Later on, I was basically switching between a rolling 6/8 feel and the 4/4 rock steady beat. Those were my two interpretations of the melody I set up. I had a lot of fun jumping back and forth between the melody and my various solo...
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DailySing - 170 (7.19.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Friday, July 20, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
In keeping with last night's discoveries around keeping happy thoughts while singing, I did just that and am a little surprised at how obvious it is. My joyous mood is affecting the music I chanel,  which leads me to tonight's discovery.

The most effective way to be creative in the moment with vocal improv, is to not rely on our brains, but to allow it to step aside while other senses take over. Just a light touch is all that's needed.

To listen to DailySing - 170, click here. 


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DailySing - 162 (7.11.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Thursday, July 12, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I wanted to reach into a person's mind and know that they hear my bass line.

I want them to sing and feel the bass line, so that when I depart from it, they still hear it, psychologically.

I did this all throughout tonight's DailySing.

To listen to DailySing - 162, click here.
 

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DailySing - 152 (7.1.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Monday, July 2, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Percussion is a part of the array of rhythmic sounds that we relegate to instruments, yet these sounds can be imitated and new ones created as part of a larger vocal vocabulary.

Instead of using vocal percussion to merely keep the beat imitating a drummer, this vocal array of percussive sounds can be incorporated with tonal sounds to enrich a solo, bass line, or main melody.

To listen to DailySing - 152, wait until after 7/9/2012, then click here.

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DailySing - 151 (6.30.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Sunday, July 1, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Another road trip for tonight's DailySing...

As varied as these different themes were, they felt like defaults that I always fall back on.

Playback was a little frustrating. At least now I know what to change n the furture.

To listen to DailySing - 151, click here.

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DailySing - 150 (6.29.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Saturday, June 30, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Listening to tonight's DailySing, I am surprised at how dynamic it sounds.

 I definitely took myself, as audience, on a true musical journey, not just through changes in rhythm, tempo, or melodic content, but in mood, and atmosphere, along with perceptions altered by musical choices.


 There's an emotional component to the very production of sound, to every facet and aspect of music.


 It felt like I was taping into a wide variety of choices, and a deep rich pool of musical possibilities.


To listen...
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DailySing - 146 (6.25.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Tuesday, June 26, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight's DailySing finds me experimenting... as usual!

I started with a drone which slowly resolved into something with an inherent structure. I then added a beat on mychest, which further defined the structure and allowed for the creation of a melody.

I soloed over this creation and went off on tangents with different rhythms, and time signatures, berfore coming back to the main jam time and again. After a bit, the main jam morphed into a variation, but then went further and redefined itself....
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DailySing - 143 (6.22.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Saturday, June 23, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I kept falling asleep in the middle of singing various idea, during tonight's DailySing. Being up since 5 AM is no excuse.

I started tonight with a jaunty little African steeped motor to get the ball rolling. It was lively and made you tap your foot. 

After some vocal exploration, I heard the music stop.... I abruptly started up in a totally different genre. This new groove lasted for a little while.... silence... A different genre again, and so on and so forth.

To listen to DailySing - 143, cli...

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DailySing - 141 (6.20.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Thursday, June 21, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight's DailySing started with confusion. My friend Will talks about a "sit up" place, which I think I've discovered quite by accident. As I understand it, it's a musical transitional moment of discomfort or "turbulence" , when we don't feel as confident. Maybe our voice wavers, we feel vulnerable, we back off instead of singing with confidence.

This is the place where the real work needs to be done. This is the place that calls for courage, the courage to feel the discomfort, the constricti...
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DailySing - 138 (6.17.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Monday, June 18, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I started tonight's DailySing with a blank slate, so that I could be true to whatever was coming through me.

While the BP helped ground the music with a mean backbeat, I left it out for long periods of time to explore my voice qualities when I solo, without the distraction of a groove. I never thought I'd ever say THAT!

Other times, I changed the beat from a straight 4/4 to a 6/8 feel to see where the different peception would take me. It made for a varied and entertaining creation.

To listen to...
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DailySing - 137 (6.16.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Sunday, June 17, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Still high from our performance at the L.A. Mixed Roots Festival and I wondered what would come of tonight's DailySing. I was not dissapointed at the results. The main theme took a few seconds to firm up once it was established, but after that is a rather extensive study of what to do if you're going to sing a long improv all by yourself.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself, as all the ideas coming out of me seemed to flow effortlessly into one another. I found dfferent ways to depart from the main th...
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DailySing - 132 (6.11.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Tuesday, June 12, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
It took a little effort to find "it" tonight. I had different riffs in mind before I even started, and wanted to remain open with no preconceived ideas. At first, I changed ideas every time something came out of my mouth, until I settled on something that was in the moment.

Once I found a groove, Itried to stay fresh by changing rhythms, having multiple solos each based on differing parameters, a couple of vocal percussion moments and I was down to 3 minutes.

I let go even further and lost trac...
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DailySing - 131 (6.10.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Monday, June 11, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
The first 10 mns of tonight's DailySing just flew by. All of a sudden, there were only 5 mns left to go.

I was able to come back to the main melody time after time this evening with no trouble.

 The explorations involved switching rhythm and tempo, spoken word, sung lyrics, solo tone work, along with body and vocal percussion.


To liten to DailySing - 131, click here.

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DailySing - 130 (6.9.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Sunday, June 10, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I was inspired... again... by my Improv Family. I was listening to what we did last night, and a piece of a riff stuck with me and when I opened my mouth to sing, it was there, with a little variation on the second measure, no less.

I didn't think that I'd have the breath to maintain that fast paced rhythm throughout, but I did.

I tried everything from switching rhythms to crooning over a bridge, from changing instruments and timbre to singing as purely as possible.

To listen to DailySing - 130,...
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DailySing - 129 (6.8.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Saturday, June 9, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I lost track of time again, and I was so into it!

Tonight's DailySing was inspired by my Improv Family, which consists of people who have taken any of Rhiannon's advanced workshops. It's a pleasure to sing with them, to connect different musical sensibilities and styles into a cohesive whole. So far we've done different permutations of Orchestra and Mystery Band.

DailySing - 129 is inspired by the session I just came from with my Improv Family. I explore the crafting of different sections tonig...
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DailySing - 128 (6.7.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Friday, June 8, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I got lost in the improv and didn't realize that time was up for an extra 38 seconds.

It started as a slow, lazy riff and meandered through various musical landscapes before picking up speed at the bridge and becoming a raucous island jam for a few measures, before dropping back down into the funk of the slow, lazy riff.

I even went for lyrics and they weren't half bad, if I do say so myself.
 
There was a moment where I inserted VP into the melody, which led to focus on the rhythm section, which...
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DailySing 126 - (6.5.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Wednesday, June 6, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight's DailySing was about holding on, for me. After establishing an island sounding riff, I gave myself over to an exploration of solos.

I wonder, how does your instrument affect how you interprete a piece of music? 

As a guitarist, I'll listen for melodic and rhythmic cues to follow.

As a percussionist, I'll listen for a pattern between the rhythms and the melody.
As a vocalist, I listen to the silence in between the notes, and try to taylor my musical ideas to fit.
As a pianist I listen to t...
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DailySing - 122 (6.1.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Saturday, June 2, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight I just put my head down and worked it out. I tried some spoken word right away and that felt semi-ok.

Afterwards, I explored jumping from the groove to a solo and back again.

Toward the end of the session I wanted to go back to the original melody, but couldn't remember it. Exploration outside the box began at that point. Changing rhythms, no rhythm, plenty of soaring long tones for my solo search, etc...

To listen to DailySing - 122, click here.

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DailySing - 121 (5.31.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Friday, June 1, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight was special!
 
I let go of whatever tension/stress/angst I've been holding inside myself. It was therapeutic! I sang with no filter and was rewarded with an interesting and varied DailySing.

I gave myself permission to make sounds that are considered un-musical, and mashed them up with riffs that I was spittin' earlier.

I took radically juxtaposed rhythms and fitted them into something altogether different. Right here in my own living room, I felt the same freedom as I feel when singing i...
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DailySing - 119 (5.29.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Wednesday, May 30, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I decided to shake things up a little tonight. After establishing a groove, the first solo exploration I went into was about flowing some lyrics on the fly. Although I still suck at it, I can see a definite improvement in my delivery and word choices.

That was exciting, but I followed that phase with an exploration of my upper register as I became a guitar, horn section, bass, and finally a whole drum set. In between each foray into town... I had fun!

To listen to DailySing - 119, click here.

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DailySing - 116 (5.26.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Sunday, May 27, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
This session had a playful quality for me. After establishing the melodic phrase, for my first exploration, I went all VP on it.

My second exploration centered around the upper range of my voice, the precision and clarity of my tone when I jump from one octave to another.

My third exploration used lyrics on the fly, which wasn't as difficult as I expected, but I kept it short anyway. I then followed that up with different forays into the extremes of my range. Jumping from a bass groove to the s...
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DailySing - 115 (5.25.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Saturday, May 26, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight's DailySing had humor in it. While listening to the playback, I was pleased with the way I was building the jam around the main melody, then breaking everything up with two vp interludes followed by a solo exploration, into a rhythmic approach to the next solo exploration. And that's just the first third of the whole improv.

I seem to be breaking the longer jams into sections in my mind. This one started with a theme that I kept throughout the singing. It essentially has a beginning mi...
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DailySing - 114 (5.24.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Friday, May 25, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Distant... is how I felt while singing tonight's DailySing. I was in a standard jazz headspace for the longest time, and explored all kinds of permutations for solos. 

I then felt the need to change everything and got into a quick highlife beat which devolved into a funk default that I often use. I followed that with a reggae groove which slid into a ballad-like solo. I wound up at another funky default that uses some vocal percussion then back to ballad-like solo, to funky groove, to Afro fun...
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DailySing - 113 (5.23.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Thursday, May 24, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I was struck by the disparity between what we "perform" and what we glean from the playback.

While I was singing, I felt on top of the world. When I listened to the playback, my perceptions were different and I could hear the flaws that had not been evident until after the adrenaline wore off. 

Many brilliant ideas remain, and when I started tonight's DailySing, I was inpired.
There are rhythmic grooves, long strains of solo voice, vocal percussion and a lot more in this session.

To listen to Dai...
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DailySing - 112 (5.22.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Wednesday, May 23, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight's DailySing felt like one long jam! It was fun from beginning to end! Even when I transitioned to different tempi, feel, or genre of music, I held it together.

I went to some "outside" places for tonight's session. I literally just held on for the ride. The all vocal percussion section near the ballad section, near the jazz section, etc...

To listen to DailySing - 112, click here.

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DailySing - 111 (5.21.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Tuesday, May 22, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
What struck me first about tonight's DailySing was the smoothness of the transitions from one idea to another. I always expect them to be tight, but tonight they felt inspired.

The second thing that struck about tonight's session was the arc of the improv. There was a beginning, middle, and end with several bridges and side trips into various modes of improvisation.

The rhythmic application of non percussive vocal sounds, the beat established by the use of my hands drumming on my chest even whi...
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DailySing - 110 (5.20.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Monday, May 21, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I took it old school tonight, and literally didn't sensor any thought as it came to mind. When an idea was fully explored, I felt perfectly fine with changing melodies or grooves immediately, and launching into a new world of exploration.

At one point, it was all about the rhythms I was playing and singing out about. It felt very avant-garde and experimental, and yet familiar at the same time. I played percussion on my chest while doing VP and really enjoyed the richness of the textures out he...
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DailySing - 109 (5.19.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Sunday, May 20, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight's DailySing was the expression of a satiated spirit, slow, loose, easy and relaxed. Maybe a little too relaxed as I dozed off five times.

I started in a slow ballad mode, and during the playback, I can hear myself sounding more and more tired, and less and less coherent musically. I was very content with what I was experiencing and stopped mid-phrase. A few seconds of dead air, then I come back in as if nothing had ever happened.

I even added some syncopation to the melody in lieu of a ...
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DailySing - 108 (5.18.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Saturday, May 19, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Surreal is how tonigh's DailySing felt. I came home at 11:30 pm and didn't have any time to waste, so I went down to the car. Sitting in a dark parking garage with only the glow of my iPod on the dashboard to see by. This time, none of my neighbors walked by the car while I was clapping, making weird percussive noises, and singing at the top my lungs.

I didn't sensor myself and allowed whatever came through, to come through unchecked. I explored the upper register of my voice while soloing, an...
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DailySing 107 (5.17.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Friday, May 18, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight's DailySing was weird to say the least. I did improvise, but in a slightly different way.

I've lately been fascinated by all things Kurt Elling and recently fell in love with the song Samurai Cowboy. I decided to see if I could sing this piece in any way shape or form, possibly interprete it a la Emile, and finally to find out what improvisations could come from this. 

This was one of those nights where no matter what you did, it sucked! I learned a lot though. Musically, Kurt Elling is...
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Dailying - 104 (5.14.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Tuesday, May 15, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight's DalySing started as a fast jazz oriented walking bass line which quickly morphed into something a little funkier, and after several permutations , my solo voice sang sotto voce and building to a bluesy passage.

I sang in the living room while my wife sat by and spun yarn. I wasn't embarrassed nor was I using her as an audience to work that energy up in myself. However, I think her presence affected my performance in some subtle way.

I played with rhythm a lot, yet, I was able to balan...
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DailySing - 101 (5.11.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Saturday, May 12, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I've been enjoying these last few DailySings because of the dynamic quality that's come through each session. Tonight was no different, but the cause was unique.

Tonight was the first meeting of what I like to call Improv Family. Several of us got together and improvised in different configurations. I then left and got dinner out in downtown Culver City. By the time I was ready to do my DailySing, I had the richness of this entire evening to draw upon.

Towards the end, I even tried to sing word...
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DailySing - 100 (5.10.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Friday, May 11, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I was tired and sleepy when I started tonight's DailySing. As groggy and grumpy as I was, I've now been energized!

I began with an exploration of my voice in its middle range, then ventured into falsetto solo territory. I explored different avenues, but eventually found myself playing with a riff from Deep Purple's Sweet Child In Time. This allowed me to play with various rhythms on my chest while exploring how to sing best with fists and hands slapping my sternum.

Vocal percussion came to the ...
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DailySing - 99 (5.9.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Thursday, May 10, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Dynamic...! That's the best way to describe today's DailySing. I've been listening to Carlinhos Brown and Kurt Elling lately and I could feel the bits and pieces I've been picking up, start to gel and make sense inside me.

I started with a rhythm which I then layered (a la Carlinhos Brown) into polyrhythms using my hands and mouth. I then added my actual voice, played with made up language, and rhythmic counterpoint. Later on in the improv, I explore how I use my voice to solo with my falsetto...
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DailySing - 98 (5.8.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Wednesday, May 9, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I was proud of the way I started tonight. I had had several very cool ideas and improvs throughout the day, but by the time I was to sing, I had a particular idea I wanted to revisit. I caught myself, and when I opened my mouth, I allowed anything to come through. I was rewarded with a direction I had not considered.

I was a little dissapointed about the fact that I fell asleep 3 separate times during my improv. Last duty after an unusually long day. Whatcha gonna do?

To listen to DailySing - 9...
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DailySing - 97 (5.7.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Tuesday, May 8, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I feel totally uninspired and mechanical. However, when I listen to the playback, it doesn't sound half bad and I wonder at the role of perception in my life. We (humans) alter our appearance, what we say, and even what we think in order to be perceived a certain way.

I had fun exploring my upper register again, but a harder time returning to the melody... and it changed all throught the 15 minutes. 

To listen to DailySing - 97, click here.

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DailySing - 96 (5.6.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Tuesday, May 8, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Well... it didn't happen. I was so exhausted I fell asleep after putting my daughter to bed, and woke up at 12:30 AM.
I had been meaning to sing all day, but never got around to it. Always, later later later...

Well, the best thing to do after you fall off your horse, is to get right back on.

I'll sing and blog tomorrow!

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DailySing - 95 (5.5.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Sunday, May 6, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I literally started this DailySing with 14 minutes left in the day. I explored that jumping back and forth  between holding down the groove then singing in my extreme upper range, as I imitate different solo instruments, guitar, piano, trumpet...

After a while it's no longer about the kind of instrument or the different melodic choices made because of the nature of the instrument, but the examination of my extreme upper range and that dead space that comes after my highest note.

When that's ove...

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DailySing - 94 (5.4.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Saturday, May 5, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Jumped at the chance to sing in the car again. It was late and I was burnt out after a long day.

Even though I started out calmly, the more I sang, the more exhuberant I got, the more chances I took, and the more boundaries I pushed. I thoroughly explored the high end of my range tonight.

I had fun jumping from holding down the backbeat with bass and VP, to flying high in a solo at the apex of my range, and back again.

To listen to more of DailySing - 94, click here.

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DailySing - 93 (5.3.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Friday, May 4, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight's DailySing felt like a jumping marathon. I jumped from one idea to the next to the next to the next to the next... without fleshing any of these brilliant ideas out.

Abandonning the rhythmic component while I explored spoken word and vocal soloing was exhilarating. The lack of rhythm gives me more freedom, but less structure. Musicality is maintained by occasional references to the melody. A little rhythm and no melody works well for spoken word also.

To listen to DailySing - 93, click...
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DailySing - 92 (5.2.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Thursday, May 3, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight's DailySing came on the heels of the one that got away. I was so tired last night, that I fell asleep on the couch and woke up at 12:45 AM.

I let the spirit guide me tonight and it felt like having to readjust to a feeling of familiarity.
It didn't feel like me singing, and I didn't like it.

I am tired. Maybe things will make more sense in the morning.

To listen to DailySing - 92, click here.

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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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 52 (3.23.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Saturday, March 24, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
What a journey tonight's DailySing turned out to be. I just dove in with both feet so to speak, and found myself warming up my groovebox, then jumping into sung words, over to the land of polyrhythms (sung consecutively), into a rendition of Jobim's The Waters Of March, more grooveboxing, and finally a funky little rendition of Sweet Jane. It lasted over 17 minutes. I am happy and sleepy all at once.

To listen to DailySing - 52, click here.

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DailySing - 48 (3.19.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Tuesday, March 20, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Fell asleep during tonight's DailySing, 3 times. I felt lke I was rambling in sections, while in others, the theme was well in hand.

To listen to DailySing - 48, click here. 
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DailySing - 44 (3.15.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Friday, March 16, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight''s DailySing was about the unmitigated joy of unapologetic exploration! There are some really juicy moments and some good idea development going on. I picked up the shakers and started using them, and pretty soon it became a game of "how far can I keep going?". 

The first part was mostly setting up a melodic pattern, then I added shakers and slowly slipped into riffs I grew up with, from Pink Floyd and Grand Funk Railroad. I kept jumping back and forth between a 6/8 feel and a square r...
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DailySing - 37 (3.8.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Friday, March 9, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Sometimes, like tonight, I wonder what I am doing with this singing thing, I try to remember why this is so important and realize that I and this pact are still getting used to one another. It's early,and I want to catch up on some badly needed sleep, but NOOOO.... I gotta do todays' DailySing... And I feel annoyed... annoyed at this thing I love, annoyed at myself for putting us (me, myself and I) in this position. The lofty goals of learning about myself and attaining some deeper understand...
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DailySing - 33 (3.4.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Monday, March 5, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I finally did it! I sang outside, on my balcony facing the sunset, suffused with the sounds of the city, and the sounds of life in general. I even had a passing audience at various times on the sidewalk below, as well as perceived movement behind 2 of my neighbor's windows. Being in this soup of living sounds while singing was extremely energizing to me. It influenced some of the melodic interludes I found myself channeling. The sound of a siren fading in the distance, passing conversations c...
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DailySing - 26 (2.26.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Monday, February 27, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
OMG!!!!!! 
I had so much fun with tonight's DailySing! I sang through a kids toy called an Echo Mic. I got one for myself and one for my daughter India earlier today. She loves it, and I apologize profusely to my wife Billie for the sounds my daughter insists on sharing, but it's a stellar addition of my arsenal of unique sound toys. It's basically a Lion's Roar but the size of a thick-ish mic, with a curved bowl in the top of the mic to create an echo effect, and a spring in the base to ampli...
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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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