Rating: 
Summary: Do yourself a favour
Review: After just two days with this book my breathing was freer and my pitch more accurate. Baxter's no-nonsense approach and emphasis on relaxing while singing will make your voice stronger and singing much more enjoyable. The anatomy lessons will put you in touch with exactly what is happening in your throat and increase your power.
Rating:
Summary: The One and Only Resource for Rock Singers
Review: Buy this book! It is the only resource I am aware of that addresses the unique issues faced by rock or pop singers. Baxter has a nice gift for getting his points across clearly. It gives you exercises, techniques, and more, without being "technical". Even deals with such issues as singers who smoke, or just have to sing in smoke-filled rooms. You will enhance your vocal ability and longevity after reading this book, as well as be inspired to reach for the next high note in your singing career.
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Summary: WOW...........................
Review: Finally a book for us non einstein singers easy to understand and right to the point
Rating:
Summary: A necessity for any rock singer.
Review: I read this book 2 years ago and thought it was great. Now I'm just reading it again, and I realise how much more than just "great" that book is. It is a necessity!!! Just get it, NOW!It's not just another book full of scale exercises. This one goes much deeper into yourself, with that overall concept that a singer is both a musician and its instrument, all in one. And it really helps understanding the instrument better: how your body is going to react to what your mental state is, what you eat, what drugs you do... Then it also explains how to get rid of all the muscle activity that comes with singing that you DON'T need. So it kinda goes from the principles that everything is already inside you, you just add to many tensions to it making it difficult. Mark is really good at helping you isolate and focus on the simple muscles you'll need to sing, and develop those while getting rid of everything else you do that prevents your voice from going out unaltered...... Another thing I love with that book is that instead of finding yourself practicing hundreds of various scales exercises, but instead you'll know precisely why you're doing a particular exercise, and what it's developing in your body. That makes the whole exercise much more valuable!!! Get it, read it, and practice. And in two years, read it again. You'll understand how necessary reading material it is for any rock singer.
Rating:
Summary: A necessity for any rock singer.
Review: I read this book 2 years ago and thought it was great. Now I'm just reading it again, and I realise how much more than just "great" that book is. It is a necessity!!! Just get it, NOW! It's not just another book full of scale exercises. This one goes much deeper into yourself, with that overall concept that a singer is both a musician and its instrument, all in one. And it really helps understanding the instrument better: how your body is going to react to what your mental state is, what you eat, what drugs you do... Then it also explains how to get rid of all the muscle activity that comes with singing that you DON'T need. So it kinda goes from the principles that everything is already inside you, you just add to many tensions to it making it difficult. Mark is really good at helping you isolate and focus on the simple muscles you'll need to sing, and develop those while getting rid of everything else you do that prevents your voice from going out unaltered...... Another thing I love with that book is that instead of finding yourself practicing hundreds of various scales exercises, but instead you'll know precisely why you're doing a particular exercise, and what it's developing in your body. That makes the whole exercise much more valuable!!! Get it, read it, and practice. And in two years, read it again. You'll understand how necessary reading material it is for any rock singer.
Rating:
Summary: Physical Therapy for your voice
Review: I studied with Mark for quite a while in Boston. This book contains many of the exercises that I have used to strengthen the proper muscles as well as eliminate the ones that I didn't need to use. With practice you can increase your strength and endurance. The approach is more like physical therapy than studying voice. Mark can show you how to slowly chip away the obstacles to a relaxed and more powerful voice. I lost my copy and I am getting another. I continue to do the excercises regularly.
Rating:
Summary: This is a great book, not reference but very smart
Review: I would say that this book is a vital starting point for any singer. It covers a huge range of topics and delves into important things that most other singing books would ignore, such as diet and psychological attitude towards singing. All techniques and advice is presented in two manners, a detailed explanation of what is going on and a psychological explanation of what you should aim for. It covers and explains all of the main concepts in singing, and would be ideal for anyone just starting. I bought this book because I have read this person's column on www.getsigned.com and becasue he has worked with singers I admire. It is not perfectly written or presented but the content is A plus.
Rating:
Summary: This is a great book, not reference but very smart
Review: I would say that this book is a vital starting point for any singer. It covers a huge range of topics and delves into important things that most other singing books would ignore, such as diet and psychological attitude towards singing. All techniques and advice is presented in two manners, a detailed explanation of what is going on and a psychological explanation of what you should aim for. It covers and explains all of the main concepts in singing, and would be ideal for anyone just starting. I bought this book because I have read this person's column on www.getsigned.com and becasue he has worked with singers I admire. It is not perfectly written or presented but the content is A plus.
Rating:
Summary: Slow but sure
Review: Mark Baxter through this and his other published material has not only changed my singing, but also my life. The problem with people who want to sing better is that they are IMPATIENT... impatience will only make the wrong group of muscles stronger. His approach is simple... in order to learn to sing better you need to vocalize, not sing. You need to vocalize around the sounds that feel loose and free and then challenge yourself a little more... if you crack, DON'T PUSH more air and make yourself hurt... as opposed to control, that is lack of control and nothing else. Mark's approcah isn't classical, and it really isn't about "special" exercises that turn you into a great singer in minutes... they're all about simplicity. Let your voice crack when you vocalize, adjust the air pressure, you might be pushing the air or using too little of it. Find the BALANCE between the amount of air coming from your lungs (and being regulated by your diagphragm) and the amount of resistance your vocal cords are putting up. It's really that simple! We singers make it harder either because we are insecure or underdeveloped. PATIENCE and HARD WORK is what achieving control over the voice takes! It's not about how loud you can blast, it's about how much dynamic control you have over your voice. Do not raise your larynx, you are using muscles that you do NOT need to be using. The idea, ESPECIALLY in rock music is to use THE LEAST amount of muscles it takes! If you're using your neck to control a pitch you're unnecesarily sacrificing your ability to RELEASE your voice. If you don't trust your voice (which you develop through training) it is unlikely that others would. Even if you're pushing it harder than you should, which will limit your abilities more than you could ever imagine. BUY THIS BOOK! I also recommend the Singer's Toolbox. They're both dated and the book has grammar and spelling issues, but the information and insights are INVALUABLE! Also do a search on his 15 minute warm-up routine... I live by it!
Rating:
Summary: The "ONLY" book that makes sense !
Review: Save yourself from years of frustration..Mark's Book covers everything a Rock singer could ask for in adddition to uncovering the myths many of us have been led to believe over the years..Straight-Forward, Honest & Down to earth.
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