Singing for Dummies :: Education by Design Store

Editorial Review
Ah, there’s just nothing better than singing in the shower. The acoustics are perfect and you don’t sound half bad, if you do say so yourself. In fact, with a little practice you could be the next “American Idol” platinum-selling recording artist, or stage sensation. It’s time for Pavarotti to step down and for you to step up as monarch of songdom.

Whether you’re a beginning vocalist or a seasoned songster, Singing for Dummies makes it easy for you to achieve your songbird dreams. Singing for Dummies gives you step-by-step instructions and lots of helpful tips, hints, vocal exercises, reminders, and warnings for both men and women, including advice on:

The mechanics of singing
Discovering your singing voice
Developing technique
Singing in performance
Maintaining vocal health
Performing like a pro

Singing for Dummies is written by Dr. Pamelia Phillips, Chair of Voice and Music at New York University’s Undergraduate Drama Department. Dr. Phillips shares all of her professional expertise to help you sing your way to the top. She gives you all the information you need to know about:

Proper posture and breathing
Perfecting your articulation
Finding the right voice teacher for you
How to train for singing
Selecting your music materials
Acting the song
Overcoming stage fright
Auditioning for musical theater

In addition to Dr. Phillips’ wisdom, Singing for Dummies comes with a CD packed full of useful instruction and songs, including:

Demonstrations of proper technique
Exercises to develop technique and strength
Scales and pitch drills
Practice songs for beginning, intermediate, and advanced singers

Singing for Dummies contains all the information, practices, techniques, and expert advice you need to hone your vocal skills with ease.
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Customer Reviews

Very boring to read and very limited with regard to style

2008-10-11
Although there is some factual info that one can learn from, the book is very boring to read. This book only places focus on singing in one style which is the style of singing they tried to teach you in high school chorus class. There is no contempory point of view such as Rock singing and all in all I think there are much better books out there. Mark Baxter's book is much more informative and is much more to fun to read.

good

2008-07-03
This book is standard nothing special. Like most books in this genre you don't leave feeling that you and tackle any songs as the exercises are weak or usually lack of them. What I would recommend is `an introduction to singing with style' I came across this book quite by accident on amazon.co.uk and it has helped me a lot. It goes into great depth about how to develop a great singing voice, vocal projection, vocal clarity and this book even tells you what diet to avoid and what food is good for healthy living it's amazing! If you're looking for vocal stamina then this book has it! It is packed with breathing techniqe too so there you have it

Really good resource

2008-07-03
This book is a great overview of singing for the beginner. (Not that singers are Dummies) When starting off without a teacher it is great to pull from as many resources as possible to get a feel for correct singing.

Check Out: Vocalize!

Very Good Book

2008-06-26
There's a lot of information in this book, so if you're looking to learn how to sing (especially for a beginner like me) this is the book to get. It will have you singing comfortably in no time.

I've immediately heard the beautiful changes, in my singing voice, even my talking voice has improved a bit. it's the voice exercises among other things I am sure.

I also got You Can Sing (with Audio CD) (You Can) but that isn't as helpful as this one.

If you like to learn how to sing, I'd also recommend getting a piano or a keyboard or some sort of musical instrument that will help you know if you're hitting the right notes.

I'd say, after you get the basics, then you can decide if you'd like to get a live singing coach. I mean if you're only singing for fun, you may not need one.

Save your money for live singing lessons

2007-12-23
After trying this book, I am convinced that nothing compares to live singing lessons. Although chapters are written fluidly and are an easy read, real singing improvement after finishing seems minimal compared with the effort.

Great starting point

2007-10-29
Ah, there’s just nothing better than singing in the shower. The acoustics are perfect and you don’t sound half bad, if you do say so yourself. In fact, with a little practice you could be the next “American Idol” platinum-selling recording artist, or stage sensation. It’s time for Pavarotti to step down and for you to step up as monarch of songdom.

The mechanics of singing
Discovering your singing voice
Developing technique
Singing in performance
Maintaining vocal health
Performing like a pro

Proper posture and breathing
Perfecting your articulation
Finding the right voice teacher for you
How to train for singing
Selecting your music materials
Acting the song
Overcoming stage fright
Auditioning for musical theater

In addition to Dr. Phillips’ wisdom, Singing for Dummies comes with a CD packed full of useful instruction and songs, including:

Demonstrations of proper technique
Exercises to develop technique and strength
Scales and pitch drills
Practice songs for beginning, intermediate, and advanced singers

Singing for Dummies contains all the information, practices, techniques, and expert advice you need to hone your vocal skills with ease.

Good place to start 2007-08-28
I sure you've heard it before but don't be fooled by the title.This is a very good place to start if you have never had any training before.One thing I like is the fact that she doesn't play the piano too loudly for the exersizes.The two vocalists sound good too.Allthough the book addresses some pop techniques it seems more geared towards classical.I'm suspicious of methods that try to combine the two,such as Seth Riggs, since they are so completely different.I'm looking forward to Singing for Dummies II.The audio could be a bit louder but I am using a laptop.No big deal.You won't find all the silly endorsments like in the Riggs books.5 stars all the way.

Exactly what I needed 2007-05-28
I am taking Bengali folk singing lessons. Bengali folk songs demand strong voice and wide vocal range. I tried quite a few different ways to increase my vocal range. Following the suggested instructions in this book, I have gained two notes in the upper side of the range in three weeks. I am also singing much better in the lower range. I feel that I'll continue to make improvements, if I continue to follow Pamelia S. Phillips' suggested techniques. Even though I am more familiar with Bengali music than Western music, I did not have any problem understanding this book. As a matter fact this book has taught me a lot of terms used in Western music. Accompanying CD is a big help.

Great for beginners 2007-03-17
If you don't have the courage or money to go to a teacher, this is a great book. The exercises are easy and encouraging. Although I found that some of the exercises hindered more than opened my range, I know that not every exercise will work for every person and so I skip one here and there and move on. I did learn a great deal from this book and I would buy it again. Although I wouldn't take it as Bible, it is a great starting point. I am not an expert so I really can't give a more thorough review BUT I would recommend that you buy a few books to get more points of view and take something from each.
The biggest problem I have is that the 'for dummies' series does not sell or give replacement cd's. If you lose the CD, you must buy the entire book again. This is ridiculous. If you buy a book with a CD, make plenty of copies so that you have a back up or three.

GREAT BOOK OVERALL 2007-03-09
THIS IS A GREAT BOOK OVERALL. AS AN ACTOR I HAVE FOUND THE TECHNIQUES HELPFUL FOR MY ACTING. THERE'S A LOT OF THEORY THOUGH (AS WITH ALL DUMMIES BOOKS) SO BE PREPARED.
JAY MADHAV, HOLLYWOOD