|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If Seals Can Sing, Why Cant You?
It sounds like a side show, doesn't it? It does to me. But it's true; researchers have discovered that some varieties of seals really do sing. Indeed, male leopard seals have been heard singing complex melodies in their lonely search for a mate. Likewise, male Weddell seals, which are a very social creature, lure their mate by improvising original melodies the way a master musician would in front of an audience.
Hearing that seals sing really shouldn't surprise any of us. Music is a central element of life. Walk through the forest at night in the eastern part of the United States and you can't help but be moved by the symphony of sound that is created when each woodland creature sings its part.
Music moves us, often in ways that we don't understand. For example who hasn't been calmed by the sound of quiet singing such as a lullaby? But more than that, who can explain why cows produce more milk and chickens lay more eggs when listening to certain songs like The Blue Danube? I've seen many studies that verify that these observations are true, but none that I've seen fully explain why.
Fortunately, we don't really have to understand why singing and music in general is so central to the world we live in to benefit from it. I doubt that Mozart or Beethoven understood it, but we have all benefited from the works of these two masters, both of whom seem to have benefited from listening to the birds sing. As a matter of fact, many people believe that Beethoven actually stole the opening to his Violin Concerto in D, Opus 61 from the song of the European Blackbird! Maybe, maybe not. But we know from Mozart's own notebooks that he played the last movement of his Piano Concerto in G Major to his pet starling who then sang the passage back to Mozart with revisions that impressed the master. Now that's singing worth noting!
So sing already! Join all of God's creatures in singing and making melody. In the animal kingdom that singing comes in all forms so there's no reason that any of us can't join in. We might as well, the more we learn of the world around us, the more we learn that singing and making music is central to life.
If seals can sing, so can you!
Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and music educational materials such as DVD's, CD's, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. His book-CD-DVD course titled "How To Dress Up Naked Music On The Piano!" has sold over 100,000 copies around the world. He holds advanced degrees from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He is the author of the popular free 101-week online e-mail newsletter titled "Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions" with over 58,300 current subscribers.
Wind Chimes and more... When Clear Channel controls the radio and the monopoly newspaper... Read More When memorizing music there are several things you can do... Read More Pakistan is blessed with talent and when we talk about... Read More Everybody's doing it: downloading music and sharing files. People who... Read More Here's a method I use that works. First, sit down... Read More Do you want to learn how to play chords on... Read More Piano playing doesn't have to be boring. There's no law... Read More Repetition is the key to learning something deeply. It works... Read More There are basically two ways you can compose a piece... Read More For the Creative Artist -- Good Health Insurance is Truly... Read More Remember the old ad that used to run endlessly in... Read More CORRECT PRACTICE IS INDISPENSABLE!Your success or failure at the keyboard... Read More Pop/Rock Recording Artist Amber, who has scored seven #1 Billboard... Read More Canadian Indie bands are dominating the music scene and it... Read More The lyric writing side of songwriting is known to create... Read More For the self-promoting independent artist, the idea of taking on... Read More There's a reason Apple Computer dominates the legal 99-cents-a-download digital... Read More "Turn it down!"How often have you heard that command in... Read More This months tip deals with micing kick drums.You wouldn't believe... Read More We all want to be in the moment. That's where... Read More If your band is in rehearsals, either preparing for gigging,... Read More Different styles of music have different "sounds." We can all... Read More Some of you may remember a book titled "Drawing on... Read More A while back I was driving along the Jerusalem highway... Read More It has become increasingly popular for U.S. military veterans and... Read More
Windchimes
for great gifts!
10 Ways for Unknown Musicians to Get the Word Out
Memorizing Music - How Is It Best Achieved?
Pakistani Pop Music
10 Music Download Legal Points
How to Create an Original Melody
Learning to Play the Piano with Chords Part 2
Piano Playing Your Way: How To Have More Fun Playing The Piano Than You Ever Have Before
Repetition is the Key to Learning Something Deeply
Piano Chords and New Age Music
Health Insurance for Creative Artists -- A Multi-Talented Health Investment
They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano... but When I Started to Play...
Automatic Control of Chords
CD Review: Amber - My Kind of World
Canadian Stars: The Marble Index and the Waking Eyes
How To Overcome The Lyric Writing Hurdles That Are Keeping You Behind
College Radio: The Most Important Radio Level for Musicians
MP3 Music Subscription Services. A Good Deal?
Play Too Loud And Well Cut The Power!
Micing a Kick Drum
Zen and the Art of New Age Piano
Effective Band Rehearsal
New Age Music - How Its Made
Piano on the Right-Side of the Brain
Its Jewish Music, But Is The Music Jewish?
Taps; Piping Military Honors: A Ceremonial Guide for Highland Bagpipers
Facts about Betty Kresin, Eminems grandmother
Betty Kresin, Eminem's grandmother from the maternal side... Read More
Jazz Yatra
Jazz is arguably the most argumentative form of music (even... Read More
How to Construct Chords and Improvise
How To Construct Basic Chords on the PianoThe easiest way... Read More
Modal Theory for Guitar Players - Part 2
Playing the ModesWhen I used to use this pack with... Read More
Is Your Child Struggling in School? Get Him (Or Her) Music Lessons
This is counterintuitive, I know. Our natural response to seeing... Read More
Polychords and the Jazz Improviser: How to Practice & Apply Polychords to Improv
In the world of music, many Jazz improvisers and Classical... Read More
Surf Waves With Jack Johnson
Lately I've been listening to some pretty cool music by... Read More
Music to Echo Your Mood
In what way do the kinds of music (rock, rap,... Read More
Piano Playing and Performance Anxiety
I'll never forget the first time I played the piano... Read More
Learning the Piano and Playing the Piano
Many piano students spend much time learning how to play... Read More
The First The American Idol Kelly Clarkson
There is a lot more to the story that meets... Read More
Top Rap Song
After months of email and posts, we've finally compiled and... Read More
The Ostinato - What It is and How to Use It
Ostinato means "repeating pattern" and is used frequently in all... Read More
Music Licensing
Music licensing can be a very confusing subject. My... Read More
Music and Healing: The Power of Meaningful Words and Music
We All Have a Favorite Piece of Music that Moves... Read More
Managing Your Time, when Music isnt Your Day Job
You CAN do everything.Repeat.You CAN do everything. What you cannot... Read More
Getting the Best Performance From Your Artist
So now you've decided to record your songs. Good for... Read More
Jealous Again - Jealousy Among Musicians
Jealousy ? do you feel it? Do you sense it... Read More
Self-Expression Without Criticism
When I was 9 years old I played the Saxophone... Read More
Why You Cant Play Piano
It's really not your fault. You see, you've been taught... Read More
New Age Piano and Improvisation
There are so many areas in life where one must... Read More
Is it Possible to Download Music Legally Anymore?
Throughout the past few years downloading music on the internet... Read More
Record Collecting Still Thriving in the Twenty-first Century
It may surprise many to find that the hobby of... Read More
Top 7 Donts for Successful Improvisation
1. Don't try and make something happen. Trying blocks the... Read More
Common Thoughts That Kill Inspiration
Do you sit down at the piano and feel anxiety... Read More
Music & MP3 |