HOW IT WORKS

1. SELECT YOUR SONG FROM ONE OF OUR LAPTOPS OR SONG SELECTION BOOKS.

2. FILL OUT A REQUEST SLIP WITH YOUR NAME, SONG NUMBER & TITLE.

3. BRING ONLY ONE REQUEST SLIP AT A TIME TO MICHAEL. HE HAS A SMALL "PURPLE HANDY, DANDY SLIP HOLDER" THAT WILL BE LOCATED CLOSE TO HIM. PLEASE PLACE YOUR SLIP HERE.

4. YOUR NAME WILL BE PLACED IN ORDER RECEIVED ON THE LIST. (SEE NEXT PAGE FOR EXPLANATION OF OUR ROTATION POLICY).

5. WHEN YOUR NAME IS CALLED, COME TO THE STAGE. HAVE FUN!

6. PLEASE COME TO THE STAGE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. WE HAVE TWO DISK PLAYERS WHICH ALLOWS US TO CUE ONE SELECTION, WHILE THE OTHER IS PLAYING.WHEN WE CALL YOUR NAME, WE NORMALLY WILL HAVE YOUR SONG READY & WAITING FOR YOUR PERFORMANCE. WE ASK YOU PLEASE COME TO THE STAGE PROMPTLY TO ALLOW FOR MAXIMUM PARTICIPATION! WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION!

7. AS WE CAN ONLY SCHEDULE SO MANY SONGS PER HOUR, TOWARDS THE END OF THE EVENING, WE WILL ANNOUNCE THAT WE CAN TAKE NO MORE SIGN UPS (or as Michael says, "we have reached critical mass!")

8. HAVE FUN! BE COURTEOUS! COME BACK OFTEN!!!

MAKING THE MOST OF IT!
MICROPHONE TECHNIQUE

In order to understand how better to use this tool in our performance, it is a good idea to first go over a few basics about the microphone itself. Don't be put off by some of these terms; although they may sound technical they are very easy to understand. generally, there are two types of microphones, omni-directional (those that pick up sound from any direction) & uni-directional (those that pick up sound from a specific area or direction). Virtually every microphone that you will use singing Karaoke, or for that manner, singing in a band or in a live situation, will be uni-directional. This is very important to know. You might already realize, then, that how & where you "point" the microphone is very important to how your voice will be picked up, amplified & projected out of the speakers with the music. It is best to point it directly at your top lip in order to pick up all of the tones that come not only from your throat but also from your nose. Try plugging your nose & singing sometime if you don't believe this. There is a very rich blend of tones that is produced by the throat & nose combination.

You might also see that holding the microphone like an ice cream cone is totally ineffective. It will only pick up what goes over the top of the microphone & although it will pick up some sound, it will lack the rich tones that can only be heard if the microphone is pointed at the source of these tones. As a matter of fact, even if you point it at your mouth, you will find that slightly differing the angles will change your sound. So you must find how you project & become familiar with your specific mic angles.

As you understand the importance of how the microphone should be held, the next most important concept to consider is your individual volume. You may think it is all controlled by the volume level on the amplifier; but it all starts with you. The equipment can only amplify what is put into it. If you have a strong voice I'm sure you have no problem being heard. We'll talk about that shortly. But if you have a soft voice, it is very important that you position the microphone very close to your lip. It is just like a telephone. I don't know anyone that talks into a telephone 4 or 5 inches away. It must be held right up to your head to be used correctly. The same is true with live sound equipment. This is true with very light or breathy parts of songs. You must play the microphone like it is an instrument that picks up your voice - because that is what it is!

Now on the other hand, there are strong vocalists who can shatter a microphone with one note. If you have abundant tone, you need not to worry about being close. If you can fill the room without a microphone, then you can work further away & not lose any tone. It is just as important to be able to play the mic back as notes get louder. There are fewer of us that are exceptionally loud, but volume is individual to each, & some do need to be aware that being too loud on a system can cause the sound to actually break up.

Singing through an amplified system takes time to become familiar with all of the aspects of performance. It is a matter of training your ear to hear what you sound like coming out of the speakers as well as how you generate your singing voice. This is just a beginning to all that can be learned about using a microphone to enjoy your voice.

EXPLANATION OF
OUR ROTATION POLICY

BRING ONE REQUEST SLIP PER PERSON AT A TIME, TO MICHAEL (PLEASE PUT IT IN HIS SMALL "HANDY DANDY PURPLE SLIP HOLDER".)

YOUR SLIP WILL BE PLACED IN ORDER RECEIVED & AFTER YOU SING, YOUR NAME WILL BE PLACED ON THE WRITTEN LIST.

AFTER ALL ORIGINAL SIGN UPS HAVE PERFORMED OR AFTER APPROXIMATELY ONE HOUR PASSES, (WHICHEVER COMES FIRST), WE WILL START ROUND TWO.

OUR ROTATION WILL NOW BE ONE REPEAT SINGER & ONE NEW SINGER. (IF WE GET A LOT OF NEW SINGERS AT ONCE IT MAY CHANGE TO ONE REPEAT SINGER & TWO NEW SINGERS. THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN VERY OFTEN.)

BASICALLY, YOU WILL SING IN THE SAME ORDER AS YOU SANG IN THE PREVIOUS ROUND, EXCEPT MOST OF THE TIME THERE WILL BE A NEW SINGER BEFORE YOU.

CHECK OUT THIS SAMPLE ROTATION LIST:

 

1. MICHAEL 2. ANGELA 3. BOB 4. CARMEN 5. DON 6. ELVIS 7. FRAN 8. GEORGE (ROUND 2) 9. MICHAEL 10. HANK (1ST NEW SINGER) 11. ANGELA 12. IRENE (2ND NEW SINGER) 13. BOB 14. JACK (3RD NEW SINGER) 15. CARMEN

16. KAY (4TH NEW SINGER) 17. DON 18. LINDA (5TH NEW SINGER) 19. ELVIS 20. MACK (6TH NEW SINGER) 21. FRAN 22. NANCY (7TH NEW SINGER) 23. GEORGE (ROUND 3) 24. MICHAEL 25. OPIE (8TH NEW SINGER) 26. HANK 27. PAUL (9TH NEW SINGER) 28. ANGELA 29. ETC., ETC., ETC.