Singing, Second Edition

Book excerpt: This is an approachable, easy-to-use guide to improving one's singing voice. It takes a similar approach used in other Idiot's Guide music books to guide the reader step-by-step through the process of becoming a real singer. Readers will learn how to find their ideal singing range, how best to practice, how to improve basic technique, how to stand and breathe properly, how to sing in different musical styles, and how to move beyond singing in the shower to singing in public. Both solo and ensemble singing are covered, as is the concept of sight singing. The book is filled with numerous illustrations and musical examples, as well as fun and productive singing exercises. Unlike more traditional vocal instruction books, Idiot's Guide: Singing takes a "fast-track" approach to the topic, so that budding vocalists start singing right from the very start. The book even shows readers how to sing in different musical styles (pop, rock, country, classical, etc.) and how to perform live-including proper microphone technique. This second edition of Idiot's Guide: Singing is accompanied by a variety of audio exercises and examples, which will be available online. These online examples and exercises replace the CD-based audio tracks available with the first edition, and will help to make the exercises more immediately accessible and lower the cost of the new edition.