John Oxley Singing - NaturalSinging.co.uk

** This should be the flash music player **

There are two early recordings below (Star of the County Down and Mattinata) of John singing live 50 years ago hence the quality, and two recordings of him singing the songs “I Will Give My Love An Apple” and “O Waly Waly” unaccompanied, using only a hand-held tape recorder in his studio this August 2008.

When you listen to “I Will Give My Love An Apple” and “O Waly Waly” pay close attention to John's breathing and breath control. John is now 85 and still singing today and this is an example of how your voice can last you a lifetime with the right singing method, a method that you too can learn.

The singing demonstration can be started by operating the controls on the music player to the left.

If you don't see the flash music player you can download flash for your browser here - flash music player.

Star of the County Down: is an old Irish ballad and the song is sung from the point of view of a young man who chances to meet a charming lady referred to as the "star of the County Down". From a brief encounter the young mans infatuation grows until, by the end of the ballad, he imagines proposing to her.

Mattinata: Ruggero Leoncavallo (1857-1919) wrote this popular Italian song "Mattinata" ("In the Morning"). Its pleasant sound is well suited to many occasions.

I Will Give My Love An Apple: An ancient riddle song that dates back to the 15th century. An early form, 'My Sister Sent Me from over the Sea,' seems to have been a dancing song.

O Waly Waly: Also known as "The Water Is Wide" is thought to be an English or Scottish folk song that has been sung since the 1600s and has seen considerable popularity through to the 21st century.

Tone Deafness: This is a demonstration of singing in pitch. The term tone deafness doesn't mean you can not sing. It is a term normally used to try and explain why a person is having trouble finding the pitch of a musical note. But as the singer demonstrates if you know what to listen for when you are on or off pitch then this might go a long way in helping you improve your musical ear.

At Natural Singing we call this a 'Faulty Ear' and in preparation to helping your ear develop, all you need do is play a musical note within your singing range, and first try and hum the note in pitch and then gradually open your mouth to a sound of 'Ah' or 'Cee'. Listen to the singing demonstration again if you need to and try and identify if you can hear the pitch differences.