Tuesday, September 27, 2011

The Joy of Singing (Particularly for Money!)


OK. I'll get back to the nuts and bolts of perfecting your craft (or at least, improving your skills) later. The purpose of this blog is to assist people who want to sing for large and small audiences. When I first started singing, I joined a band that already had equipment and some venues in that geographical area. Although we weren't able to support ourselves solely on music, we had a lot of fun and made some extra money. We had a local following and let's face it; musicians love fans! I learned a lot from that experience and over the last 25 years or so, I have worked with a number of bands in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tenessee and Michigan. Most times, we were the featured act and many times, we opened for some major acts. Some of those acts were, The Ohio Players, The Isley Brothers, Jazz Saxophonist, Tom Scott, Doc Powell, Pieces of a Dream and others.

Many of the guys I worked with were in more than one band with me and we have become like brothers. We became "Road Warriors." As I got into my 30's, I got married and started a family. The idea of working all day, and then practicing three times per week and playing on the weekend just didn't work well with family life, but I had a fierce need to sing. I decided to begin to perform as a solo act. I used to see my favorite singers on The Tonight Show and other TV shows and I noticed that you never really saw a band behind them. You only saw the featured entertainer and you heard the music coming from the band, which was off camera. So I started shopping around for a small, inexpensive but durable and efficient, public address system. I am definitely not a "tech guy." I work for an online university and I tell people that I am a "low-tech guy in a high-tech world."

What I believed then and what I believe now is that if you focus on your goals and work toward the acheivement of them you will find a way. One of my favorite lines from the movie, "The Secret" is that "Thoughts Become Things." I visualized myself on a stage, singing and soon I was performing at awards banquets and benefits and on local TV, with my little PA system, recorded music and my voice. The concept of "Me and My Microphone" actually started right there. http://www.rickcombsmusic.com/


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Tuesday, September 20, 2011

So,.... You Want To Sing For Money?


Quality and Integrity First!
Whether your vocal style is like Luther Vandross or Joe Cocker, you have a responsibility to your audience to be the best “you” on stage that you can possibly be. Invest in your skills. Practice singing and if you’re also a musician, practice singing and playing. Hone your skills until you are so comfortable in your presentation that it’s like second nature to you. If possible, take some voice lessons or music lessons at a local music store. If none are available, check the classified listings on http://www.craigslist.com/ in your area. You can usually find listings by people who offer lessons. If you don’t find any music instructors listed, post your own ad saying that you are looking for a voice coach. Now, the idea of lessons and practice may sound boring to you, but one of the best ways to impress your audience is by being really good in the presentation of your music. That is what I call “Musical Integrity.”