The best bit is that your voice doesn’t have to be fantastic to begin with and everyone is capable of being taught to produce a joyful noise. Singing is healthy and provides many plusses to the mind and body, so whether you sing in the car or the shower, at a karaoke night down the pub or in a church choir, let it all out, have a good sing and enjoy yourself.

When singing we can show deep feelings and this has an amazing release on stress levels. It makes us relax and takes our minds off whatever may be putting a downer on our spirits. In general, a session of singing makes us feel much better.

The medical profession strongly believes that singing is a good form of aerobic exercise for the abdominal muscles, the lungs and the circulation of blood. Singing both with and without music is used by way of therapy for treating people who are suffering many kinds of physical, psychological or emotional illnesses or traumas and is a regular component of treating those who have had strokes resulting in speech impairment. Singing is a great aid to communication, breathing and rhythm.

Especially within the United Kingdom, it is becoming more and more popular for elderly folk to take part in community groups where choirs are part of the agenda and they will find themselves singing anything from hymns to modern songs. Getting together for a good sing song does them the world of good.

Take for example, The Zimmers, the British rock group which is made up of forty old aged pensioners. They have just released a cover version of the famous chart topping song, My Generation originally performed by the Who, and have fast become a world wide hit, their popularity spreading to the US and even further. Originally created as part of the BBC Television documentary about how the elderly are treated within the UK. the results of the program have brought a whole new meaning to the word retirement for the members of this group.

For several pensioners, these types of singing groups are a lifeline and they really look forward to meeting up with their friends. Many have no families or maybe their children and grandchildren have moved away so forging this type of friendship with others of a similar age provides them with a sense of belonging and can only improve their health. They will join in together singing well known songs from their early lives which may well stir up happy memories of youth and special times past, making them feel so much better in themselves. According to studies carried out in America, breathing, stance, voice and life expectancy have been shown to improve by singing.

So, no matter what your age, get singing to your hearts content and reap the benefits of good health, healing and happiness!

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There are many — way more than just 10. But due to space limitations, I’ll just list 10 out of hundreds:

1. By learning chording techniques, you are at least quadrupling your chances of creating exciting new sounds on the piano — sounds that most other piano players have no idea how to create. That’s because arranging using chord techniques is open-ended — there’s no end to the styles and applications you can eventually learn and apply.

2. Learning chording techniques in NO WAY interferes with your ability to sight-read music. Some ill-informed people think it does, but not so! Ask any great jazz musician from Dave Brubeck to Andre Previn to Oscar Peterson to Chuck Corea to…. They ALL read music prolifically, yet choose to apply chording techniques to song after song, creating many of the great classic tunes we all know, like “Take Five”, etc, etc.

Knowing chords and being able to apply techniques to those chords actually HELPS YOU TO SIGHT-READ FASTER, because instead of just seeing groups of random notes on the sheet music, you can see chord patterns forming and dissolving into yet another chord, another chord progression!

3. Knowing chords and applying chording techniques allows you to become a first-rate accompanist for singers and other musicians, should you want to do that. You will be able to “wrap the chords” around the singer to support them, rather than be in competition by playing the melody from the sheet music. You’ll be able to create fills and counter-melodies and a host of other devices that can make you the most desired accompanist in your area.

4. By knowing chords and chording patterns you will automatically open the door to opportunities to play at places you never could if you only “play music as written”. When people hear you play, they will immediately sense that “this person knows what they are doing”, which can very well bring invitations to play in fraternal clubs, churches, community centers, and even weddings and funerals. I have had students of retirement age who have fulfilled their lifelong dream to play in public, even if in a small venue. I recall a CPA in Washington State who took lessons from me by cassette for a couple years and got good enough to play at a local restaurant-pub on weekends. He didn’t need the money, but just LOVED the opportunity to play for folks and have them sing along.

5. Being able to apply chords to song after song means you NEVER HAVE TO PLAY A SONG THE SAME WAY TWICE! When people see me play, they often ask me to play the song again — but are often surprised when I play it again, since I create new chord progressions and fills and improvisations each time — so it never sounds the same.

There’s a classic story about Erroll Garner, the great pianist and composer of the classic song “Misty”. A lady came up to him after a concert and raved about how he played “Misty”, and asked him to play it again the same way. His reply was “I can’t remember how I played it last time — but I’ll play it again anyway”, which greatly surprised the lady.

6. Knowing chords and chord progressions will give you a confidence you’ve never known before. It’s exhilarating to know that you’re no longer “tied to the written music”, but are free to soar through the musicphere unhindered by traditional limitations! If you’ve never known such a feeling you are in for the musical treat of your life.

7. Knowing chords and chording techniques is “self-feeding”. That is, the more you apply the techniques you know, the more new techniques will gradually become apparent. For example, once you master left-hand chords in a “hand-over arpeggio” form, if will some day occur to you that you can do the same in the right-hand. That will not just double your potential in that area, but multiply it exponentially, because you will come to see opportunity after opportunity to apply those arpeggios in many different ways — from “music box” sounds to “waterfalls” to “flowing river of sounds” techniques and so on.

8. As you become more and more proficient with chord applications, you may discover that other musicians want to play along with you. Many a combo, band, worship team, etc. has been formed simply because one musician heard another playing, and liked what they heard. That not only leads to friendship and opportunities to play in some public forum, but also is a wonderful way to learn even more new techniques from the other members of the group!

9. Music theory, which once looked like a giant puzzle to you, now gradually becomes self-evident as you understand more and more about music and how it all works. I recall taking a music theory course in college after playing in a small group for a few years, and it was so easy I challenged the course after a couple weeks, and easily passed it. Years later many of my young private students (I used to operate a teaching school for years names “Piano University”) challenged the course too, as they started their college work.
And the more you master chords and their implications, the easier music theory will become for you as well.

10. You’ll just plain-old have FUN once you get the hang of it. Many of my students have no intention of ever playing in public, but want to play for their own relaxation after work, or just for fun with the family.

That’s great and as it should be. Each of us has different needs and different goals, so what we do with our piano playing is entirely up to us.
Piano playing is one of the most satisfying hobbies you could possibly have, and the more you “do your own thing” on the piano in the way of arranging songs using chording techniques, the more fun it becomes!

So what are you waiting for? Jump in and enjoy it!

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“I heard that music helps my child…. Is this True?”

“What sort of music should I sing to my baby?”

Increasingly it is thought that singing to a child, right from birth and even during pregnancy has significant benefits, both for your baby and for yourself.

According to research by scientists in Germany, at the University of Frankfurt singing strengthens the immune system in Adults.

The scientists tested the blood of people who sang in a professional choir in the city, before and after a 60 minute rehearsal of Mozart’s Requiem. They found that concentrations of immunoglobin A – proteins in the immune system which function as antibodies – and hydrocortisone, an anti-stress hormone, increased significantly during the rehearsal.

A week later, when they asked members of the choir to listen to a recording of the Requiem without singing, they found the composition of their blood did not change significantly.

The researchers, who included Hans Guenther Bastian from the Institute of Musical Education at Frankfurt University, concluded singing not only strengthened the immune system but also notably improved the performer’s mood.

A new mother could certainly benefit from an improved immune system, especially with the lack of sleep and everything else that goes along with being a parent of a young baby!

The benefits for the child are more basic. There is nothing more settling for a baby than a mother or a fathers calm voice, and singing has a natural soothing effect for babies and children.

There is a wide amount of research suggesting that music has a lot of other benefits in the brain, as Kidshealth.org, one of the most well known parenting websites says:

“Children who hear music and sing songs, and move to the beat are experiencing what the experts call “a rich sensory environment.” That’s just a way of expressing that a child is exposed to a wide variety of smells, tastes, colours and sounds. And kids who enjoy such a rich environment do more than have fun. Researchers believe they forge more pathways between the cells in their brains.”

The Music also does not have to be complex, and you do not have to be a good singer! Your child will love you singing to them, even if you feel you are completely tone deaf.

So start singing, you don’t have to do anything complex! You can sing any old nursery rhymes or songs, and you can even make up your own songs, to match what you are doing at the time.

For example, if you happen to be getting them dressed, you could sing:

I’m going to put…

One arm in, One arm in. The other arm in, the other arm in Now my head goes through the hole, Now my head goes through the hole Over my tummy, yes over the tummy And button Me up! Button Me Up!

It doesn’t matter what tune you sing it to – anything will work! You will notice that I repeated nearly every line. This just makes it fall more naturally into rhythm. You can of course repeat every line as many times as you like. Just have fun, and your baby will have fun too!

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