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What’s the difference between chest voice and head voice? Recognizing each – and learning to seamlessly transition from one to the other – can help you really take advantage of your full vocal range. Valencia, PA voice teacher Melody M. explains in this informative video:

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Guitarists, want to master your scales once and for all? Practicing scales and training your fingers goes hand-in-hand with improving your overall technique, especially when you start working on soloing and improvisation. We were excited to come across Gibson’s series of tutorial videos, and this one in particular is great for guitar players who want to learn a few major scale exercises.

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We simply can’t get enough of Lindsey Stirling! Her amazing violin skills, modern integrations of hip-hop and dubstep, and creative videos (many of which have gone viral) have launched her into YouTube celebrity fame ever since she impressed audiences nationwide on America’s Got Talent. She has performed globally and recently embarked on a U.S. tour, and her first self-titled album was released on September 18th. Take a look at her most recent music video here:

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Being a musician isn’t always sunshine and roses – sometimes you lose focus and motivation. But finding your muse can help give you a fresh new outlook and the inspiration to continue creating. Today’s featured guest author is Astoria, NY teacher Jessy T. Read on as she shares her story…

We all possess a creative spirit that leads us to do, to make, to discover and to enjoy.  It’s that inner spark that suddenly one day ignites, and makes us leap out of bed and set out to create something that is uniquely our own.  For us musical folks, this is why we pick up an instrument or start singing.  Music is our natural medium of expression.

I have been a singer for my whole life.  Through singing I have found the greatest joys and greatest challenges I’ve ever known.  Singing was always fun and made me feel good when I was younger, so it seemed natural that I would pursue serious vocal study at the collegiate level.  I was excited to embark upon this journey, but I quickly discovered that studying voice was not all fun and games.  In fact, it was difficult, tedious and even frustrating.  After a while, I found myself enjoying it less and less.  I even got to the point when I was actually dreading my voice lessons.  I was analyzing myself so much that I forgot singing was supposed to be fun!  I felt mechanical, and had censored my creative intuition so many times that it practically went into hiding.

In the midst of this artistic turmoil, I turned to songwriting.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but it was an escape for me.  I was searching for some way to enjoy making music again, and soon found my new favorite form of self-expression in the process.  I will never forget the first time I performed my first original song at a college coffee house.  The reaction from my friends and colleagues was so positive and reassuring; I knew I had discovered something very exciting!  This “unleashing of the muse” was a breakthrough for me because it helped me to express everything I was feeling in a creative way, it reminded me of WHY I wanted to sing, and it helped me to trust my musical and artistic choices again.  I started to feel like an artist for the first time in my life.

As a beginning student of singing, all of the technicalities can seem daunting.  It is easy to lose touch with that creative spirit that inspired you to make music in the first place.  When you break something down to its most fundamental levels, it can become challenging to see the forest for the trees.  You can actually end up getting in your way and blocking your own creativity.

So, how do you study singing (or any other instrument) without losing touch with your own creative intuition?  The answer is you must make it into a study of creativity.  And you do so by always reminding yourself to HAVE FUN!  This may be easier said than done, but isn’t that why we start making music to begin with?  Because it’s fun!  Don’t allow yourself to become so bogged down in the study that you forget the initial joy you found in music.  Trust your unique choices, and try to not be your biggest critic.  Your creative spirit is calling.

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Jessy T. teaches singing, music performance, music theory, and songwriting lessons to students of all ages in Astoria, NY. With a Bachelor’s degree in Voice Performance, Jessy specializes in classical, music theory, jazz and pop styles. She joined the TakeLessons team in August 2012. Find out more about Jessy, or visit TakeLessons to search for a teacher near you!

Photo by derrickcollins