Are there well-known classical composers who aren't trained on a particular instrument? An acquaintance is a young singer who's interested in composition (mostly for voice), but in talking to him I get the sense that he feels a little inadequate compared to his fellow students who are accomplished on at least one instrument like piano or violin. Can you give me examples of classical composers whose work is respected but who weren't primarily instrumental players? Modern or otherwise. Thanks!
posted by mediareport on Dec 14, 2009 - 14 answers

Is Mozart's - Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) opera with Diana Damrau suitable for a five year old? [more inside]
posted by lynnie-the-pooh on Nov 22, 2009 - 18 answers

Looking for songs with really good vocal harmonies. [more inside]
posted by Bearman on Sep 29, 2009 - 52 answers

Just a curiosity - why do you think that the overwhelming trend in rock 'n' roll / pop style music with male lead vocals is for the male vocalist to sing in a tenor / high tenor / contratenor or higher range - viz. Steve Perry, Triumph, etc.? I just wonder because that isn't the trend so much in other popular music - blues, R'n'B, country, traditional folk, etc. It's simply puzzled me for years and I wonder if MeFi has any theories?
posted by BrooksCooper on Aug 31, 2009 - 12 answers

Teach me how to sing. Before I investigate an actual singing teacher, are there any online tutorials or guides that could help me learn how to sing better? [more inside]
posted by crossoverman on Aug 13, 2009 - 11 answers

I am a music ignoramus. But, I know I really like a man and a woman (a guy and a girl) singing together. Call and response, harmony, part of the lyrics or not, I think it's really amazing when a masculine voice and feminine voice are working together. [more inside]
posted by zeek321 on Jun 6, 2009 - 79 answers

Tell me how to arrange eight to twelve singers, a guitarist (acoustic), a fiddler and a bodhrán player, all unamplified, for best overall audibility and musicality. [more inside]
posted by Faint of Butt on Apr 22, 2009 - 5 answers

I'd like to learn some more comedy songs to sing at the piano along the lines of Hugh Laurie's Mystery. Suggestions? [more inside]
posted by chrismear on Apr 20, 2009 - 18 answers

I like to gripe about Top 40 radio, but I don't have much of a technical music vocabulary. Are there names for the vocal styles of Avril Lavigne, Taylor Swift, et al.? [more inside]
posted by Beardman on Mar 9, 2009 - 20 answers

I'm fascinated by IOLET:The music of Anathem. Can anyone help me find out who performed the pieces involving overtone chant/throat singing? [more inside]
posted by gnomicPerfect on Feb 3, 2009 - 2 answers

Q: What do Butch Cassidy and Bonsai Kitty have in common? A: A terrific, zany soundtrack. What kind of music is this? [more inside]
posted by andromache on Jan 3, 2009 - 5 answers

If I want to be a lady lounge singer, in a restaurant/nightclub, draping myself across a piano in sequins and a smoky spotlight, what are the classic vamp songs I should learn, first?
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur on Oct 23, 2008 - 51 answers

Can anyone offer some good advice on how to sing while playing bass or drums? I play bass, but it seems like advice from drummers would be in tune with what I'm trying to do. [more inside]
posted by freshwater_pr0n on Sep 7, 2008 - 11 answers

Curious about a certain phenomenon in music, where someone sings the same notes that he's playing on guitar... [more inside]
posted by knave on Jun 26, 2008 - 14 answers

Wedding Music filter: My sister and I (both mezzos) have been tagged to sing at our cousin's wedding. This Sunday. Please help us find a song that is a) a duet, b) that we can both hit the notes on, c) is something we know or is easy to learn, and d) is not stupid. Does such a song exist?
posted by cereselle on May 15, 2008 - 15 answers

I want to start a night where a variety of local musicians cover the music of one musician with a large repetoire, or cover songs from one particular period/style of music. I'm looking for a good name for the (hopefully monthly) event and feedback on my ideas and "rules". [more inside]
posted by sully75 on May 12, 2008 - 16 answers

Did your parents sing to or with you? [more inside]
posted by arcadia on Apr 19, 2008 - 90 answers

Jazz/Blues voice teachers in the Baltimore area. Does anyone have any recommendations? I have a little bit of classical voice training, but even my voice teacher from Peabody admits my voice is better suited towards the jazz and blues side of things. Unfortunately, she doesn't have any teacher suggestions. Do you?
posted by schroedinger on Mar 1, 2008 - 0 answers

I'm not a pro (and I don't play an instrument...) Where can I go to sing early country music in New York City? [more inside]
posted by supercoollady on Nov 24, 2007 - 3 answers

Jack Endino famously traced back the roots of yarling in the manner of Creed's Scott Stapp. Have the origins of other popular music singing styles been established? Two examples of distinctive styles are the floaty west coast folk style of the 60's (e.g.) and the back-of-the-throat 80's singing sweeping the internets in the form of Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up (other non-rickroll examples). I'm looking for the history of other pop music singing styles, not just the above-mentioned two, but these were the ones that got me thinking. Ideal would be essays on the subject. [more inside]
posted by Kattullus on Sep 5, 2007 - 4 answers

Is it possible to develop that smoky quality in one's voice (Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Janis Joplin, etc.) without damaging one's vocal chords? Or is that something that just occurs naturally, or else would be too dangerous to try?
posted by psmealey on Jul 30, 2007 - 13 answers

SingingFilter: When I sing in certain keys / registers, my head seems to vibrate, and more. [more inside]
posted by tmcw on Jul 20, 2007 - 8 answers

Can you recommend a voice teacher in the Bay Area? [more inside]
posted by scrump on Jul 2, 2007 - 5 answers

Suggestions for a somewhat folk-y, non-contemporary song to sing at a friend's wedding ceremony? I've searched all over, to no avail, to find something that is hauntingly beautiful in just the right way. [more inside]
posted by bigd on Jun 26, 2007 - 38 answers

We are a upstate NY local chorale, 10 years old now, reorganizing with a new director and we are not sure of the best legal setup. We want to have a board with officers so the chorus members can become more involved in management. Currently there is just a tax ID#. Should we incorporate as a non-profit and get 501(c)(3) status? Just incorporate? We want to try and get grants to buy some risers, for example, and don't know if non-profit status would be required. But we are also thinking of raising money by paid singing gigs (as opposed to our regular community concerts where people donate to support us) and we don't know if we could still do that as a non-profit. We would like to know what other groups have done, and would be grateful for any advice.
posted by tejasa on Jun 15, 2007 - 7 answers

What are the best books/CDs/DVDs for learning good singing techniques, across a range of vocal styles? [more inside]
posted by Stacey on Jun 1, 2007 - 4 answers

Hitchhiking songs? [more inside]
posted by xanthippe on May 3, 2007 - 26 answers

Singing in Spanish filter: I need some feedback, por favor! [more inside]
posted by miss lynnster on Feb 20, 2007 - 15 answers

i sing. i have never been trained. it has been noted by a number of people that i sing very loudly. i have a question about proper singing. [more inside]
posted by radiosilents on Jan 12, 2007 - 19 answers

Need some help in singing Handel's Messiah! [more inside]
posted by storybored on Dec 1, 2006 - 6 answers

Help me put my newly discovered superpower to a good use. [more inside]
posted by falameufilho on Nov 19, 2006 - 14 answers

How do speakers of tonal languages sing without losing the meaning of their lyrics? [more inside]
posted by Schlimmbesserung on Sep 10, 2006 - 18 answers

I'm a fourteen-year-old cellist and singer who experiences no trepidation in practicing the former—in our finished basement or otherwise—but who is intractably reluctant to practice the latter, either upstairs with the piano or downstairs. This is beginning to present a problem. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 21, 2006 - 19 answers

Tone deafness and musical ability - nature or nurture? [more inside]
posted by PercussivePaul on Aug 13, 2006 - 20 answers

I've started singing with a group, but my skills in reading sheet music are... lacking. [more inside]
posted by tomble on May 28, 2006 - 8 answers

I need a good Irish bar in San Francisco. The kind where there's lots of drunken singing of faux-Irish songs. [more inside]
posted by jewzilla on May 27, 2006 - 20 answers

I need a simple pop song that can be retrofitted for a farewell party. Have a decent acoustic guitar player, and a team of writers standing by to rework the lyrics to pay homage to our departing friend. What songs could semi-skilled singers use to good effect, and not mangle? [more inside]
posted by sacre_bleu on Oct 13, 2005 - 16 answers

GiftFilter: Can you recommend a good vocal microphone? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 18, 2005 - 10 answers

I need karaoke song suggestions suitable for my voice. My range is somewhere between Bass and Baritone. I can go higher, but it's difficult for me to keep in the right octave, and I almost always end up dropping songs made for Tenors down an octave or two. Examples: Blink 182 songs, Inside Out, even Creed songs I tend to lower without realizing it. [more inside]
posted by ElfWord on Aug 9, 2005 - 16 answers

Needed: "Romantic songs of the 1930s/40s/50s that are very easy to play on guitar". My brother has asked me to sing "something" at his mostly secular wedding on August 13. No piano available, *maybe* a guitar player of unknown skill level. He seems to want something romantic and 1930s-50s American pop. He's mentioned "It's Only a Paper Moon" with enthusiasm, but I'm not sure that would be easy enough to play on guitar. [more inside]
posted by amtho on Jul 11, 2005 - 12 answers

What are some good bands with lead singers who can (and do) really sing? The best example I can think of is Queen. I also like Ben Folds Five and The Shins.
posted by callmejay on Jun 8, 2005 - 81 answers

Is there someone who was a direct influence on Buddy Holly's vocal style, a combination of people/styles, or was all of it just something truly original? [more inside]
posted by sleepy pete on May 29, 2005 - 16 answers

A friend of mine is teaching someone to sing, and is looking for well known popular songs with male / female duet. Think Sonny and Cher's `I got you babe', and you're in the right sort of area. Some singing together, but plenty of separate male / female singing going on. Any recommendations?
posted by tomble on Feb 11, 2005 - 42 answers

A couple years ago I had a call back audition with a singing group called Chanticleer. Part of the audition was sight reading medieval notation [pdf]. Having never learned to read medieval notation, I failed this portion of the audition miserably. I am a very good sight reader of standard musical notation, but I find myself struggling very much with medieval notation. I have a liber usualis (I got mine free. Yes, I'm lucky.), and I found this great site with midi files of the tunes (They match, some of the time, I think.), but I'm still having problems. Any suggestions?
posted by Igor XA on Jan 25, 2005 - 7 answers

How does a singer actually sing vibrato? I have absolutely no vibrato in my voice-which comes in handy for choir but not so handy when I do demos....help!
posted by konolia on Sep 13, 2004 - 14 answers

How do you sing in Chinese and other tonal languages? Does the music follow the notes as usual but deviate a little bit to express tones (which could explain the sort of warbly psychedelic sound of the Chinese singing I've heard), or does the music itself dictate what tones are used - in which case I'd guess lyrics are mostly limited to flat tones since singing is mostly level notes.
posted by abcde on Sep 4, 2004 - 18 answers

I am a bad singer, although I really like to sing; we are talking William Hung levels of badness. Are there any good books or online resources? Is it worth it to get voice lessons if I just want to not embarrass myself at church and at karaoke? And just how much singing talent is inborn?
posted by Jeanne on May 19, 2004 - 6 answers

I wore out my cassette from "Sweden's Oldest Male Choir", Par Bricole years ago. Does anyone know how I might get another one? I can't read Swedish!
posted by black8 on Feb 24, 2004 - 3 answers