Do you think it’s strange for a man to sing female songs like Alone-Celine Dion, Already Gone/I do not hook up/Because Of You-Kelly Clarkson, Valentine-Martina McBride, Please don’t leave me-Pink, Battlefield/Tattoo-Jordin Sparks and etc. I of course sings male song as well from Phil Collins, Josh Groban, Westlife, Rascal Flatts, Bon Jovi, Jose Mari Chan and etc. If given an opportunity to sing in public I may not want to sing the female song indeed though I felt I could do it at home. Please comment for me. Thks a million. By the way I am on my 2nd month of your lesson. I never felt this good before Per. Regards from Martin Lee.

I’ve now realised that the reason for this was that I had no follow through. I was swinging my arm fast from behind, then slowing to a stop just at the point I let go of the ball (the point where the arm should be moving the fastest – logically).

This has come a little to late for me to help the England cricket team in its current predicament, but is nevertheless a great piece of insight which (as the post suggests) translates across multiple areas.

Your last post about Fear and challenging oneself is really great though.

I realized there were loads of things I was not doing because I was slightly frightened.

I mean very simple things like asking people for help and advice, writing to people to promote my band…

I have now made it a habit to challenge myself daily and I am getting amazing results.
Everyone seems to be answering my emails and phone calls. Venues are offering us gigs. We got offered a music licensing deal by someone we had just added on twitter…

Hopefully things will keep on moving in this way as long as I keep on challenging myself. I intend to do so, that is for sure.

Your course has been very helpful for my singing and life.

Thank you

Another area in which it has helped me is with my tabla. Tabla is an indian percussion instrument. Before Per, I used to try too hard to get the proper sound and this resulted in my fingers, wrist, arm, shoulders to tensing up. And when this happens, you limit yourself from doing many things that are possible. Being aware of this tensing up has allowed me to start relaxing these areas and has opened me up to not only more speed, but a freer sense of playing. Improvisation is ~95% of indian music (and frankly a big part of any music from around the world). Being able to be free has allowed me to do things on the spot while performing infront of others! I now have a closer realization of what it means to have the music flow through oneself.

Aside from helping me make huge leaps this semester in voice class (did I say HUGE leaps!), I have also found your techniques help me sound more professional when I give presentations or, more recently, when I call potential employers to set up an job interview. They really do make all the difference!

Thank you SO much!
Sherry

They say dance is all about ‘letting go’ and that’s true, but paradoxically “pop and lock” moves and bizarre, stylishly jerky movements cannot be performed whatsoever by someone with high body tension. The same concepts that apply to dance apply to singing, drawing (as other commenters mentioned) and practically any other skill with a physical component (which, really, is any skill).

Much of learning to “learn” (learning HOW to get better at things quickly), which I feel is one of the most important skills we can build in life, can be distilled to Per’s concepts regarding relaxation in his coaching. It’s really been wonderful to see the things I believe about skill-building laid out clearly and reinforced.

Here are a couple examples from my life of how I apply this concept:

Singing: Muscular relaxation and sliding do it well for me.

Drawing: Freehand scribbles, fast, relaxed circles, figure eights, anything as long as the movement is powerful and feels energetically “in tune” with your hand.

Piano: Using gravity drops is a good way to practice complete relaxation but maintenance of the necessary control. So much of piano pedagogy is completely wrong. One would learn better from Per’s singing lessons philosophically (which have little directly to do with piano) than say the “Alfred Series” which I went through and I’m sure has turned an entire generation of kids off the instrument. You can practice piano on a desk or in the air and build an incredibly fluid technique if you know which muscles to utilize and how the motions should “feel” (really good!).

Guitar: Same as with piano, it’s all about wrist and hand relaxation, and by extension full-body relaxation, as we know.

Dancing: I do rotations and similar exercises. The wave in various permutations is one of my best moves. It’s about allowing your body to move itself with every tiny little muscle that burns to be utilized but is often constricted.

I’m positive that these concepts can be applied to intellectual pursuits effectively as well, I’ve just not quite figured out how best to do so. I do know that interest and creativity keep the mind limber, and that the discomforts of a tense body can act as a barrier.

Also, I don’t mean to imply that I’m any sort of guru at relaxation. It has been a journey of discovery for me as I’m sure it is for most.