Tools of the Trade

♫ Midi Files:

Midi stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, (M.I.D.I.)

Midi's can be extremely helpful in training a singer to be able to sing to a variety of musical styles and arrangements.

Most singers learn songs by listening to a singer they like on the radio. They sing a long and soon feel that that they KNOW the song. But in truth, they only know THAT version of the song that they heard on the radio.  And yes! They can go to the Karaoke store and find THAT specific version (MP3) to sing to with their Karaoke Machine, but they cannot sing that song with a "live" band unless it is played exactly like the original.

Midi files teach a singer how to hear the song in different ways and learn it totally no matter what is going on underneath the melody line.

And Hear This, Singers!! If you plan to be a Pro, or just sing like one, and truly express what inside of YOU, You MUST learn to listen to the music. Staring at a screen in the Karaoke Club will simply not do that for you.

Here is a comparison between a Midi File and an MP3.

MIDI FILES MP3 FILES Midi files are not recordings but digital representations of instruments. Therefore, a Midi File can be altered in terms of instrument usage, pitch, speed, and can be cut to a specific length. An MP3 file is a recording without the voice. It cannot be altered unless you have specific software that will change the pitch or speed, but if there are background voices included in the recording they cannot be removed. Midi files may not have good sound quality, and if the computer sound card is not top of the line, they could sound tinny. MP3's have great sound. Midi's are usually original versions of a song and not necessarily the same as the song that was recorded by the original artist. MP3's most often are duplications of the original artist's recording, minus the voice of course. A Midi cannot be played on any CD player, (unless it is converted to a .wav file), but only on a computer using a media player that will play it. For example, the Real Player plays a Midi, but the MusicMatch Player does not. MP3's may be played on any CD player or Karaoke Machine. PLEASE NOTE! Before requesting a song, please check on our alternate site site to see if it is available. This could be a great way to save yourself some money. Frequently the files are free. Occasionally the song can't be found there. If I have to do an exhaustive search to find your requested song, or change and existing version to better suit your voice and style, the charge for that is $3.00 per song. Still a bargain compared to Bandtrax.com or Midi-Hits.com

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♫ Ordering MP3 Backing Tracks

• We are now Affiliates of Karaoke Version, an instant download site that allows you to change the key before you purchase.
   

• Tracks vary in price according to whether you desire a track with lyrics that display on a screen or not.
   

• Many of the tracks also have a vocal guide if desired.

• CLICK HERE FOR THE BACKING TRACKS PAGE

• YES! WE STILL OFFER LEAD SHEETS AND FAKE BOOKS!! (see below)

♫ Lead Sheets:

For a singer who wishes to ultimately sing with a "live band", lead sheets are a necessary tool! Especially keyboardists and guitar players do not want to negotiate through sheet music, which is really nothing more than some other person's interpretation of the how the song should be played.

A Lead Sheet, which consists of chord symbols, the melody line and often the lyrics, allow the singer and the accompanying musician, whether on keyboard, guitar, or vibe, interpret the song their own way...together.

Here is an example of a lead sheet:

♫ Fake Books:

A Fake Book is merely a collection of Lead Sheets like the one displayed above. Some fake books contain over 500 songs, others a little less, but without having to show the piano part, you can fit hundreds of songs into a fake book.
 

If You are a working professional, or want to be one, Sing Your Life has a great offer for you 

We have obtained 12 Fake Books containing more than 5000 songs of all genres, including:
Jazz
Broadway & Movies
Country
Latin
Pop
International Music
and more...
 

All of the 12 Volumes of music are contained on one CD and ready for download and printing.

There is even a Master Index of every single song with the specific volumes each song can be found in.

You can search by composer, title, genre, artist, or alphabetically.
 

Lyrics, melody notes, chord symbols, rehearsal markings, metronome and breath markings are also included on many of the song sheets. And there are drum licks, keyboard voicings, substitution chords and solos you can practice and master.
 

It took me years to create my portfolio of music...of all the songs I sing on gigs... with the words and notes and correct chords. In the early days before computers, we had to create our lead sheets on music paper manually. Each song could take hours.
 

But now you can own over 5000 songs in lead sheet format on a single CD, and choose which songs to copy into your gig book!