The Climb Rehearsal (singing)

Hallelujah rehearsal (singing)

So In this post, I will be taking you on a journey through my rehearsal stages of Hallelujah by Alexandra Burke for my recital. For this song, I will be putting my trumpet to one side as I will singing.

Hallelujah Lyrics

I heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the lord
But you don't really care for music, do ya?
Well, it goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing hallelujah

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Well, your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya
She tied you to her kitchen chair
She broke your throne and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the hallelujah

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Well, maybe there's a God above
But all I've ever learned from love
Was how to shoot somebody who'd out drew ya
And it's not a cry that you hear at night
It's not someone who's seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Hallelujah
Hallelujah

This song is well known for featuring in the popular animated movie Shrek, and plays during the part when Shrek hands over Fiona to Lord Farquard and walks home drowning his sorrows. The original singer of hallelujah was sung by a Leonard Cohen, many artists, however, made covers of this song including Jeff Buckley, Alison Crowe and Rufus Wainwright, however, the cover that I will be singing is the cover by Alexandra Burke who sang this song for the final in the X Factor. For me this song is a challenging as I am a beginner at singing and this song includes a mixture of vocal techniques such as powerful and less powerful vocals as well as head voice, vibrato, sustain notes and also a key change this means I will need to work really hard if I am going to perform this song for my recital.

Example of the actual song

Week 4 of Hallelujah

This week I will be concentrating on verse one of this song. First, I will listen to the song over and over again. I will then move on to singing the first verse with Alexandra so I can get the pitching of the notes and also make sure I am singing in time with her.I will do this a couple of times each day before moving on to singing through, the song with a karaoke to help with the lyrics and when I should come in, Getting used to singing the song without the help of Alexandra.

Before I attempt to sing this song I am first going to listen to the first verse a couple of times so that I now what the verse sounds like and also what vocal techniques are included in this verse that I will need to learn.

 Before I start to rehearse this song the first thing I need to do is to warm up my vocal for this I will revisit my warm up post.

Now that I am warmed up and ready to go let's get started,

From listening to the first verse I have found that the first verse is quite slow and a bit dull when it comes to vocal techniques and has quite a simple rhythm and range. So I think the only thing I need to do for this verse is to just to sing it over and over and over again with Alexandra to make sure I am matching her pitch and also singing at the same time as her. I will then attempt the song with just the karaoke so I can get used to singing the verse on my own. Also by using a karaoke it is helping me to learn the lyrics as well.

Video of me singing the first verse of Hallelujah with Alexandra, 

Video of me singing the first verse with Karaoke,

From these videos I have found that I need to work on making sure, I am pitching the notes correctly and also singing in time with the backing as I was a bit out where there is a break between the word "music" and "do ya" and also I need to hold the notes on a bit longer at the end of each phrase and so this is what I will be concentrating on  making sure I have got it before moving onto the chorus. I will do this by revisiting the lines and listening to the actual song a couple of time so I know when the lyrics are sung I will also sing the verse with the karaoke over and over again until I am confident with when the vocals come in.

Week 5 of rehearsal

Okay, so the aims for this week will be to learn the chorus to Hallelujah and make sure I can perform it without the help of Alexandra. This week I will also learn the second verse and also be able to perform it without singing along to the actual song. 

Let's begin with the chorus,

listening  to the chorus it sounds simple as it is just simply hallelujah repeated," great this section is simple" however singing it isn't  as easy as I thought.

The chorus is made up of four Hallelujahs, the first three Hallelujahs are sung with the same rhythm and pitch however when it came to the fourth Hallelujah I found that this hallelujah included a low note that was out of my voice range and so I decided to research and watch a video in how to achieve singing low pitched noted without the voice sounding croaky and I found this video,

Video of rehearsing low notes,

Know it is time to put the techniques I have learned into action by singing the whole chorus with the backing adding in the low-pitched note,

Video of me rehearsing the chorus, 

From watching this video back I think the chorus went pretty well and I hit the low note accurately to a good standard you could hear a little crockery ness in my voice near the end of the word. But by revisiting it each day and rehearsing this shouldn't be a problem. 

So now let's move on to the next verse,

Before trying to learn the next verse I am first going to listen to Alexandra Burke singing it first so I know how the verse should sound. 

This verse begins with the lines "well your faith was strong but you needed proof" The first two lines of this verse is exactly the same as the first verse however at the end of the third line she changes the way she sings "ya" instead of sustaining the note she instead decides to use a descending movement while singing the same word. and so I decided to concentrate on this section to make sure I was pitch each note correctly and also to make sure I was singing it smoothly without including a breath half way through the phrase.

Video of me rehearsing singing a descending rhythm using the word "ya" 


Know I can sing the third line of Hallelujah reasonably well, it is time to move on,
The fourth line of verse two changes from a quiet soft sound too loud and powerful as this is where we first hear Alexandra's head voice. In order to sing loud and powerful I first need to know how to sing from my diaphragm, and not from the throat we also need to now when we need to breathe in order to keep your vocals powerful as if you run out of breath you lose the power from your voice. In order to learn how to breathe correctly when singing and also to sing using the diaphragm, I decided to ask YouTube where I found this really detailed videos where it demonstrates step by step how to sing from the diaphragm and also how to breath probably during singing. These videos really helped me understand the need to sing from the diaphragm and also how to use the techniques I have learned and put it into the song.

How to sing and breath from the Diaphragm,

Me rehearsing singing from the Diaphragm,



Know I am confident on how to sing from the diaphragm I will make sure I will revisit this exercise every day so that my singing from my Diaphragm sounds more natural and not airy.

Now that I know how and feel more confident singing this song it is time to sing the verse all the way through with Alexandra over and over again to make sure I am singing in the right pitch and also singing the same rhythm as Alexandra. Then I will sing the song again but this time using the karaoke I will sing it with just the karaoke a couple of times until I am confident in singing this verse.

Video of me singing the whole second verse with Alexandra, 



Video of me singing the second verse with just the karaoke, 


From these videos it is clear that there is still some work I need to do when it comes to correct breathing as you can hear where I am running out of breath of the power of the song is lost I will do this by revisiting the breathing exercise each day and also sing the verse over and over again to get used to where I should breath.

Know I have learned how to sing over half of the song it is now time to put all I have learned together using just the karaoke,

Video of what I have learned so far, 


I am really proud of the progress I have made so far the first two verses and the chorus are sounding really good all I need to do now is to learn the rest of the song and also I need to make sure I keep revisiting the first two verses so I don't forget what I have learned as it is  kept fresh in my head it will also improve the quality of my voice as I will get used to the way I need to sing it and also help the vocal techniques sound more natural and crisp.

Week 6  of rehearsal 

This week I will be learning the rest of the song this includes the second chorus and also the last verse. For me, the last verse is the hardest verse as not only does the verse change key but also requires me to sing at a slightly higher range than the rest of the song meaning pitching the notes may prove to be difficult and will have to be something I work on.Also this week I will learn the second chorus as once again the last Hallelujah changes this time instead of going low it is sung the octave higher.

Before I begin my rehearsal I am first going to warm up my vocals,

Second chorus,
As like the previous chorus, this one is made up of four Hallelujahs and just like before the first three is sung with the same rhythm and power however when It comes to the fourth Hallelujah it changes once again but this time instead of going low It goes the octave higher and so this will have to be something I work on. I will also research how to hit higher notes without my vocals sounding breathe or strained
When researching I found this video,

By using the technique and exercises they gave me in this video and keep practising them over and over again I already feel like my vocal range has changed and also feel I can sing higher notes with less strain even though the high note still sound a bit breathy the crisp natural sound will come with practise my voice just needs to get use to the change. 

After hours of practising high notes I now think I am confident enough to attempt the second chorus I will first sing it with Alexandra then with just the karaoke.

Singing the second chorus with Alexandra,

Singing second chorus with karaoke,


Okay so as this verse it completely different to any other verse and is the hardest I think the best way to tackle this verse is to listen to the actual song verse and then sing the verse with the actual song over and over again and then when I get to a section I am stuck on I will just rewind the song back and do that section again. By doing it this way I am constantly listening to the changes in the song making it easier to pitch the notes.

Me singing the last verse of Hallelujah with Alexandra. 

Me singing without with just karaoke.


Now I think that sounded okay however I did feel the pitching was out and also my voice became croaky near the end. After many attempts at this version of this verse, I am still no further forward than before and so I think it is time to turn this song into my own version meaning I am going to change this verse slightly to fit my vocal range so it isn't putting too much strain on my vocals but will also be powerful and outstanding to the audience.  For this I am going to take the rhythm from the last two lines of the previous verse but bring it up a semi octave.
sounding like this.

 Video of alternative ending




Now all that is left to do is to sing this through with the karaoke to see if it fits with the music.

Last verse of Hallelujah my version,



Okay so I think that worked really well all I have to do is make sure I stay in the right key when singing it but now all I think is left to do is to sing the whole song through altogether and also include the last chorus which is a repeat of the previous chorus.

Finished song








In my next post I will be taking you through my rehearsal journey of my third and final song The Climb By Miley Cyrus 

Hogwarts March on Trumpet

So in this post I will be taking you on a journey through my rehearsal stages of Hogwarts March that I will be playing on my Trumpet.

Hogwarts March

This is a song from the blockbuster film Harry Potter and the goblet if fire the song appears when Hogwarts are welcoming the other schools to the tri-wizards tournament. This song is quite difficult and challenging as it changes tempo and also includes quavers, semiquavers,demi-semi-quavers and slurs as well as a few trills and a range of dynamics including the use of crescendos and 

diminuendos.

Here is an example of the song from the actual film.

Week 1 of Hogwarts March

First, I need to do is warm up for the technique I use to warm up please visit my warm up post.

Okay so for week one I will be learning the first three line of Hogwarts March first without any type of backing meaning I will be putting my sight reading skills to the test then I will do it with the demo to see if the rhythm I am playing is correct I will play it with the demo a couple of times so that I can get use to the tempo of the music and also make sure I am playing the lines at the right time.. so let's begin.

Before I learn to play any of this song the first thing I am going to do is listen to the whole piece of music a couple of times so I know what the song sounds like making it easier for me to learn as I will know whether I am playing it right or wrong as I will Know how the song is meant to sound.

The first Three lines of Hogwarts March looks like this,

So I can get use to the rhythm of what I need to play I am going to play the first three lines at a nice slow tempo a couple of times to start off with, then I will play it at the original tempo before playing it together with the help of the demo. To me, these first three lines look the easiest compared to the rest of the song and are repeated four times throughout the song meaning once I can play these three lines I have learned a good quarter of the song. 

Video of me practising the first three lines of Hogwarts March

Okay so above is a video of me attempting these first three lines however they didn't go as well as I hoped and it is clear that these three lines need a little bit more practice especially when it comes to adding in the slurs and  also need more work on improving my playing range. I will do this by revisiting my warm-up videos and working on playing the higher notes that are needed in this song such as the high F and high G I will do this by playing a low G then going to the octave G and blowing it for as long as I can, I will repeat this technique several times so that my lips can adapt to playing the high note and then I will repeat the exercise with the High F, After that I will have a go at the first three lines again with the demo to see how I have improved.

Below is a video of me playing the first three lines. Before this video,I played these three lines a couple of times each day to make sure I was playing in time to the music. 

Hogwarts March with Demo video,

Well, that is it for week one I am happy with the way everything turned out and what I have learned so far. I have learned to play the first three lines of Hogwarts March to a decent standard for this stage by first playing the lines at a slow tempo then playing it at the original tempo before putting it together with the demo I think this worked really well as I could see what parts needed more practice such as the high notes and also which parts I did well helping me progress as I knew exactly what sections I needed to concentrate on and improve on to help me play the song correctly. 

Week 2  - Hogwarts March

for week two I will be learning the next three lines of Hogwarts March for these I will be using the same technique as I used in week one where I will play the lines by myself without any demo or backing track just so I can get to grips with what these lines entail and how they are played.  Once I am confident with how the lines are played and what it should sound like, then just like the first three lines  I will play the lines with the demo over and over again until I am playing in time to the music.

Below is the next three lines to Hogwarts March,

Okay so just like I did with the first three lines I am first going to play the three line at a nice steady tempo to start with then I will hopefully move on to playing the lines with the demo.

Video me practising the next three line with no demo

 above is a video of me attempting the next three lines of Hogwarts march I did it at a slow tempo so that I could get to grips the notes and the way it is meant to be played, however when playing these three lines I came across a little problem. I found fitting in all the notes in where there is a semi-quaver quite challenging and so I decided to concentrate on the sections separately so that I could get use to them and learn to play them probably I started by playing the section slowly so that I made sure I was playing all the notes and also to get use to what valves I need to press before playing the section a bit quicker. I played these sections over and over and over again till I was happy with them before playing all three lines togeather again.

Below there are two videos of me attempting the semi-quavers,

Semiquavers video,

Okay so know my problem of semiquavers is no longer the next thing I am going to do is play the three lines over and over again because after all practice makes perfect. 

Okay so know I am confident with playing these three lines it is now time to put it together with the demo. The good thing about playing the lines with the demo is that it gives the chance to make sure you are playing each section correctly and also makes sure you are in time with the music getting you ready for playing the song with just the backing. I will play the lines with the demo a couple of times each day of this week to make sure what I am playing is correct and is in time with the backing. 

Video of me playing the next three lines or lines 4,5 and 6 with the demo.

As lines 7 8 and 9 are a repeat of the first three lines I can put them togeather with the other lines I have learned so far and play with the demo.

The first 9 lines all togeather with the demo

Overall I think I have made really good progress in week 2 I have learned the next three lines of the song and overcome problems that I have come across. I then managed to put all the lines I have learned so far togeather and play them reasonably okay with the demo. There is still some work that needs doing on this section of the song such as I am still having problems fitting in the semi-quavers in time with the demo and so I will need to practice that section again ready in time for next week where I will be moving on to the easiest section of the song. I also need to add in slurs and dynamics into the first section as well but these will be added when I have learned the whole song.  

Week three of Hogwarts March

So in week three I will be moving on to what I think is the easiest part of the song apart from the fact in this section the song changes key from Bb or G minor to G major and so I have to be careful I play the right key signature.  For week three I am going to be learning the last section of the Song first by doing it the same I have learned the other lines to play it at a slow tempo first to get use to it then play at the original speed before putting it togeather with the rest of the song and the demo. 

Below is an image of the last three lines,

As you can see from the image above this section is repeated and then when I get where it says D.S at coda I need to go back to the sign which is location, where I first come it at the start of the song and then play till it says fine and then the song is complete. As you can tell by looking at the image above this section is pretty easy and so shouldn't take me long to get to grips with it meaning this week will mainly be concentration on adding in the slurs and dynamics that help bring the piece to live. 

Video of me practising lines 10 to 14  

Okay so now that I know the whole song it is now time to add in the slurs and the dynamics. For this song the dynamics are easy as it is mainly mf  throughout the song apart from lines 4 5 6 and 9 where  there is a crescendo from p to f  before going back to mf . In the last section where the piece changes key the song is moderately soft at mp. 

Okay so the next thing I need to do to make this song sound professional is to add in the dynamic However before I do this I need to know how to change dynamics on the trumpet and so I researched it where I came a Cross this website http://www.bbtrumpet.com/windplayer.html which told me that for trumpet player changing dynamic depend on how much air you are blowing through, your trumpet, for example, to play a loud note more needs to be blown through the trumpet. It also told me that in order to change dynamics you have to blow from right from the diaphragm in order to get a loud crisp sound to play quietly less air is needed to pass through the trumpet meaning you don't have to blow as hard put you still need to blow from the diaphragm.

Below is a video of me adding dynamics to Hogwarts March

Adding dynamics to the whole song with the demo.

So now all I have to do is to add in slurs these are quite simple for me so I won't have to do much practice, for the slurs as slurs are just playing different notes but instead of tonguing them you join them togeather so you basically blow continuously while playing different notes. In this song, slurs feature mainly in the last section where it changes key and so this is the section I will be concentrating.

Okay so Know I have learned the song it is now time to do the song with just the backing track with no demo and also make sure that I am in time with the backing track as I have been practicing the song step by step with the demo where I should come in and where I stop should be clear but to make sure of this I will do it with the backing track over and over again until I feel I am ready,

Time to play all of the song, with just the backing track lets give it a go,

Okay so there is still some tweaks I need to do before my recital such as making sure I am breathing in the right place and adding dynamics but other then that I feel I am ready for my recital but we will soon see.

All I need to do is to Practise this song at least one every day.

In my next post I will be taking you on a journey through my Halleujah singing rehearsal.