Emile

Showing Tag: "rhythm" (Show all posts)

DailySing - 211 (9.5.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Thursday, September 6, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
At some point in this process of singing every day, you hit a wall. A great wall as thick as anything you can imagine. It takes a tremendous act of will to break the lethargy and inertia.

The rolling funky fun fresh beat of tonight's jam is rhythmically varied and often interspersed with VP (vocal percussion) interludes. From a rhythmic standpoint, this sounds like a lot of fun.

I feel that my choices for solo voice in my upper range always sound the same. I'll see what I can do to break it up ...
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DailySing - 208 (8.29.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Thursday, August 30, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I've had a wondrous day, full of wondrous experiences, from the tastes, scents, and sensually rich sounds to the sobering daily reminders of my mortality. Ok, maybe not wondrous, but still a damn good day rooted as it was, in the appreciation of the mundane.

The vitality I felt was transfered to the music I sang. With gusto and fervor didst I enter the funky realm of VP (Vocal Percussion), bass grooves and syncopation!

I felt tonight's division of time was in 2 eight minute segments instead of ...
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DailySing - 207 (8.28.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Wednesday, August 29, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I tried singing without relying on the BP I usually use as rhythmic accompaniment and felt hamstrung the whole time. 

It was fun to give validity and gravitas to whatever came out of my mouth without my built in backbeat. The different sections within the jam were more varied as I looked for ways to fill out the bottom. I explored a rhythmically based variation on the melody, I changed the rhythm almost as often as I changed musical sections. Of course, there was no other choice but to explore...
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DailySing - 204 (8.23.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Friday, August 24, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Free fall...! That's what tonight's session felt like

Once I had a theme, or recurring melodic pattern, it was off to the races. I spent all of my singing time playing with variations on the main theme, as well as ideas of a less traditional nature. 

Rhythm played a huge part in my creative process for this session. I used radically opposing rhythms to define different musical sections, as well as to change the mood and atmosphere of the ongoing jam.

Do yourself a favor, and listen to DailySing ...
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DailySing - 201 (8.20.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Tuesday, August 21, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight's DailySing was a beeline journey where I went from one rhythm to another, morphing the melodic phrase to fit. I consciously looked for ways to jump to new ideas, instead of coming back to a common phrase to tie them all together.

I went with my strengths and didn't focus on working on my weak points. Instead whatever served the music was at the root of all motivation (as it should be).

Using that strategy, I wound up in some interesting place musically speaking. I found old melodic ide...
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DailySing - 200 (8.19.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Monday, August 20, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
A pretty joyous weekend led to the sounds that were generated tonight...

I wanted to have tonight's musical journey be interesting enough to a listener, that they would pay to see me create in front of their eyes. I think I had some moments tonight that worked very well, and while I could occasionally catch a weak transition, the overall effect wasn't bad. I was entertained while listening to the playback.

I starts off rather gently, then I added a soft backbeat while I expanded on the main mel...
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DailySing - 185 (8.3.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Saturday, August 4, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight's session was created from a snipet of a sound... Tooky-tooky!

A funky little groove surrounded my "tooky-tooky" sound at first. Then I added a percussive bridge before coming back to "tooky-tooky". By now, chest claps are my snare drum, and I start soloing in my upper register, sometimes on a jazz riff, sometimes on a 6/8 bell or clave, and even around Nayabengi. I call it the "We Will Rock You" rhythm.

Towards the end of the jam, I played with polyrhythms by combining VP with BP durin...
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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 - 183 (8.1.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Thursday, August 2, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I thought I'd try something different tonight and actually sing while playing another instrument, other than my body.
I used a flower pot or planter with a hole smaller than the body for the tabla-like sound. My mind wandered while I did this and I thought of a duet between voice and bass.

I also soloed and used long drawn out notes over highly rhythmic percussion. At other times, using my voice, I played rhythmic counterpoint to the fake tabla.

My explorations were often in an entirely differen...
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DailySing - 182 (7.31.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Wednesday, August 1, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
In order to change a result, you have to do things differently. To get a different result when doing vocal improv, one needs to set up parameters, or a structure before proceeding.

Tonight, I decided, no rhythmic component, which meant no VP, and no BP. I may have slipped once or twice and put some stank on it, but just for a couple of seconds. The whole thing sounded like a ballad, but with no swelling violins in the background.

It worked! The end result was much different from what I usually ...

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DailySing - 178 (7.27.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Saturday, July 28, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
A bright exhuberant DailySing with plenty of explorations and sections of effusive rhythms and joyfully sung melodies. 

I feel full of effervescent life energy and it's coming out in hearfelt musicality. 
I suggest that anyone reading my words try this.

Focus on a positive or happy thought or feeling. Let it build and swell until it's in your heart/gut... then open your mouth to sing. Don't anticipate, don't think... remain blank in your mind, while allowing your heart/gut to run riot.
What comes...
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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 - 168 (7.17.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Wednesday, July 18, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
My thoughts were lyrical in nature and tonight's DailySing reflects that.

A friend and fellow drummer and singer turned me onto Symphonicities, an album with Sting backed up by a classical orchestra. I was able to listen to a song called I Burn For You, in which the orchestration was simultaneously rich and sparse to great effect.

I imagined my musical co-conspirator and I exchanging patterns, riffs, and ideas ad infinitum, with vocal variations on the main melody and rhythmic textures to excit...
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DailySing - 154 (7.3.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Wednesday, July 4, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Here it is...

The funky beat that keeps bubbling under the surface of my spirit. I decided to let it burst forth, so to speak.

It feels good to let myself be carried along. It makes me wonder if I shouldn't explore singing and scatting very rhythmically oriented material that people want to move and groove to.

I explored a little soloing in my upper register, jumping back and forth between it and the main melody.

To listen to DailySing - 154, click here after 7/9/2012.

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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 - 149 (6.28.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Friday, June 29, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I tripped and fell into tonight's groove. It's one that bounces around inside my psyche and comes to the surface from time to time.

The cool thing about it coming up when I started to sing was that, with a semi-known groove, I had more freedom to experiment and play with the tempo, the rhythms, harmonies, and even some counterpoint.

Sudden departures from a theme can be attributed to my use of free will. I'm so used to feeling where the song wants to go that I rarely use my will to control outc...
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DailySing - 147 (6.26.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Wednesday, June 27, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
The drone idea was there with much more syncopation than the other night.

I did a good job of keeping it together as far as the exploration was concerned. The section where just the vocal percussion takes over and we follow some cross cultural rhythms was exhilirating.

Toward the end I fell into a jazzy swing-feel bridge which dropped into the main melodic groove.

To listen to DailySing - 147, click here.

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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 145 - (6.24.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Monday, June 25, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
A funky little energy ball took over just as I opened my mouth tonight, and you can hear the result on the recording.

It was a field day for learning to keep the groove interesting and fun on the fly. 
I juxtaposed radically different rhythms together, divided by sections. The first split was into a slow jazz thang with swing, then I explored variations on a funky theme before coming back to the main melody. The next departure was into a tribal 6/8 PV groove, before dropping back into the 4/4 o...
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DailySing - 140 (6.19.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Wednesday, June 20, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight I had odd meters on the brain before I started singing, so I guess it shouldn't have been a surprise when that's what came out of my mouth. The tempo was rapid and had a little swing to it. I didn't know if I could maintain. It wasn't a problem.

I skipped around between meters, like 5s, 7s and 9s, mostly because I really have to concentrate when I deal with odd meters, and I felt like I was on a runaway train that I had to hang on to for dear life.

I decided to give the VP free reign at...
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DailySing - 134 (6.13.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Thursday, June 14, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I did it again. Just as I was sitting down to sing, I had all of these musical ideas come into my head. It took a conscious will to ignore them and just open my mouth while keeping a blank mind.

The intros are rough with this method, because I'm trying to fit what I'm hearing into a pattern for something already established, yet I'm trying to do just that very thing while establishing a rhythm.

The solo exploration was revealing as usual, about where I put my voice in my throat and chest along ...
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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 - 125 (6.4.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Tuesday, June 5, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I sang in the car tonight to wake myself up, and it worked to a degree.

I just closed my eyes and went with whatever came out. I stayed true to the main melody, coming back to it time and time again, after numerous departures and explorations.

I juxtaposed odd combinations, for example, warm rhythms with the austerity of classical music, or a rapid twist from whatever is in our comfort zone to sticking our neck out and feeling very much alone, or abruptly doubling the rhythm and giving it a 6/8...
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DailySing - 123 (6.2.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Sunday, June 3, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I went about singing tonight with the same "nose to the grindstone" attitude that I had last night. This slogging through my own barriers and obstacles feels like a phase in the learning, and it doesn't feel like it'll end soon. 

I ranged far and wide in my vocal explorations tonight. To keep going in my upper register, several solos were based on the electric guitar with wah-wah pedal. 

There was a smidgeon of spoken word and some rhythmic play and some ballad-like passages.
I am very blessed 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 106 (5.16.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Thursday, May 17, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
When I opened my mouth tonight, rhythms came out, and I went with it. I tried layering different parts until I couldn't handle singing so many parts at once. I came back to a simple groove.

The next phase was adding a bass line to the groove along with some body percussion. From there, it was time to add a little solo in my upper range, boucing back and forth between that and the bass line.

After exploring various permutations of the groove line, I went into Nantucket Sleighride by the band Mou...
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DailySing - 103 (5.13.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Monday, May 14, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I didn't have an easy time of it this evening. I started with a melody that just wouldn't stick in my brain, so I kept doing variations whenever I tried to get back to the head (top of a song).
 
I finally just started playing a djembe rhythm on my chest which helped cement the melodic phase I had in mind at the time.
I was able to flesh out different ideas that came to mind. Melody with rhythm, unacompanied melody, vocal percussion as a verse, vp as a bridge, drastic juxtapositions in rhythm, a...
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DailySing - 102 (5.12.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Sunday, May 13, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight was fun! I still feel the effects from our Improv Family session last night. One of the people there has a unique interpretation of rhythm. She is steeped in West African music and I find myself not simply drawn to her rhythmic expression, but entranced by it. Her phrasing is also very West African. I find strips of Wolloff, Serere and Bambara rhythms in her choices. Singing with her is deeply satisfying... like comfort food. Melodically, her sense of phrasing is unique... very Africa...
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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 - 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 - 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 - 90 (4.30.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Tuesday, May 1, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Singing felt like slogging through molasses tonight. Every foray into solo exploration was a chore. I wasn't inspired and kept finding myself sliding into default mode. I had to force myself to break whatever pattern I was slipping into, with each exploratory foray.

I tried improvising with words, with cuica sounds, with different rhythms, and with singing this piece as a ballad. Breaking it down into separate categories helps my brain monitor what I have and haven't worked on.

Still, I feel th...
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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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 59 (3.30.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Saturday, March 31, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Today, I learned of the death of dear friend, beloved singer and fellow improviser Anne Potter. I will miss her sharp wit, quick mind and wicked sense of humour. When we improvised together, I always felt like we went to similar creative places for our inspiration, and I thought of her as my "creatin' cousin". I love her a lot and was thrown for a loop as the news of her death trickled through my body. I remembered an unflinching explorer pushing me to stay outside my comfort zone, who stayed...
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DailySing - 56 (3.27.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Wednesday, March 28, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight I decided to try something different. Instead of just improvising, I sang Roberta Flack's well known ballad, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. I've never sung that song before and didn't now how to approach it, so I paired everything down to the bare essentials. I could hear wavering, and sliding and catching in my voice as I got acclimated to the song.

I used my daughter's Echo-Mic, and it's sound qualities to play different rhythms while I sang. It added another dimension for me a...
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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 - 43 (3.14.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Thursday, March 15, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
What a gift we humans have in our capacity for creativity and imagination. I've been listening to tonight's playback and feel humbled and amazed at the continuous flow. A balance was struck tonight, as far as keeping a listener's ear is concerned. In spite of a few rough spots, where I started to think too much and was immediately rewarded with pitch issues, my attention never wandered  and I found myself engaged "as listener" for the entire 15 mns. This means, I'M NOT BORING!!!

There's a cert...
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DailySing - 42 (3.13.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Wednesday, March 14, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
My iPod has rebooted and all is now well. I sang to celebrate, after an exceedingly long day and found myself drifting off as I was singing. I didn't find any gaps in the playback, but my focus was elsewhere at the time I was singing.
I found myself juxtaposing disparate elements like a jazz rhythm and melody in a chorus while the the verses have more of a blues feel, and the bridge sounds African. 
And I seem to be casting my net far and wide this evening, as I listen to the playback. I go fro...
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DailySing - 40 (3.11.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Monday, March 12, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Our emotional landscape directly affects the content of the music, the method of performance, and the energy invested. Seems rather obvious, but the visceral experience is noteworthy. 
I had quite a good day, first breakfast with my daughter India, followed by teaching at choir, India's friend Philina's birthday party, where one of the other parents played piano while I jammed with my voice and beatbox rhythms, pick up my wife Billie from a workshop that she loved, then home for pizza from Mam...
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DailySing - 36 (3.7.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Thursday, March 8, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight's DailySing was really different from yesterday's singing session. Whereas yesterday was about exploring what I could do with established songs, tonight's journey is about staying present while opening up to channel whatever sounds come through. While rhythm seems to remain almost constant in my creations, it too is taken around the percussive block for a different perspective.
 
Creating on the spot, while fun, is not as easy as we make it look. The amount of musical sensitivity is pal...
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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 - 28 (2.28.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Wednesday, February 29, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Tonight's DailySing was an exploration in the classic sense. I used the echo mic, and tried some made up language to get started, and kept my focus until the end where I lost it, several times. I stuck to a couple of themes, but ventured farther than my comfort zone would normally allow. And while this made for good musical ideas, it also left me deeply listening.
The ticking of the clock on the wall, the hum of the computer processors, the occasional car passing by outside, the muted music fr...
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DailySing - 27 (2.27.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Tuesday, February 28, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I'm two for two! I did not leave my body for unexplored inner musical landscapes while improvising tonight. I was able to maintain focus while staying receptive and open to source. I also jumped into my improvisational arch nemesis... Made up language! I love rhythms, melodies then harmonies to play with. Words are a distraction, and made up language has been too close to words, for me to enjoy the musicality of the sounds. I really tried tonight and I was able to make the leap, although my i...
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DailySing - 22 (2.22.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Thursday, February 23, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Wow...! 
Listening is a 7 layer cake that you slowly explore
Listening is a palpably varied and delicate tool
Listening moves me to tears, moves me to ecstacy
listening brings me back to myself
Listening makes me aware of the thick and heavy presence of mastery
Listening brings clarity and light to my inner landscape
Listening helps me guide my mojo (!)
Listening feeds my spirit
I did something different tonight in my singing. I sang a Victor Wooten song that I know, Heaven Is Where The Heart Is, and ...
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DailySing - 13 (2.13.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Tuesday, February 14, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Started out with a plan... First mistake! If you're going to improvise, then improvise, don't plan! Planning is the opposite of improvisation!!!
Thought I'd begin with some vocal percussion (vp), and explore how to develop those ideas for the full 15 minutes... Hah!!!
First of all as soon as I had that great idea, I could no longer come up with any vp parts. My brain shut down and I had already begun the 15 mns of improv. I tried desperately to come up with parts in a vacuum, where there were a...
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DailySing - 10 (2.10.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Saturday, February 11, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
Here I am once again at the witching hour feeling both drained and energized. I went away again, but I wasn't all the way gone. There was a thin veil through which I experienced the here and now while I was in the music in some other place. This inner journey that comes about every time I sing in this way is intriguing. I feel the weight of the symbols behind the flashes of imagery and behind the story birthing the melodies that are coming through me. My voice stayed in the lower registers th...
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DailySing - 9 (2.9.2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Friday, February 10, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
I'm amazed at the many places inside us that music comes from. Laughter, sadness, that pain in our heart, the euphoria bursting forth from our throat, the heat in our loins, it's all energies from different places within us. I was fired up from Men's group and brought that fire to tonight's song play. I once again left my body and came back to it (or woke up) singing. This time, I was aware of the fact that I experienced time dilation while being "away". In two separate instances, I remember ...
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DailySing - 7 (2/7/2012)

Posted by Emile Dyer on Wednesday, February 8, 2012, In : Daily Sing 
The repeated huffing of Timbu, the male of our twin cats, led to an approximation of rhythm which started this little foray into unknown waters. I didn't stick to a musical path or idea, but neither was I a completely free and open channel. I was aware of drifting in and out of knowing where I was musically, and in and out of caring. Tonight was another last minute dealio, where I hit the record button at 11:44 PM. I feel restless and disjointed inside, and that's what I hear in the music dur...
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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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