Singing 101

[Merkaba]

http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219911

[Phototropic]

Alright I have saved the lessons onto my pc and I'm just wondering, is it possible to get good without having lessons? I've read over them and am going to try them as soon as possible but I can't afford proper lessons... :confused: please answer...I have lots of songs but I can't sing and I think once I can I'll be sorted

[j0s1ah]

lessons help, but u can get good without them! the magic word:
practice.

[Phototropic]

Orite thanks :)
Do you think it would be worth buying a book off Amazon...they seem to have a selection...any recommendations?

[j0s1ah]

i was looking into it. you might as well try them, they are usually like $10-$20. pretty cheap.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0316441791/ref=lpr_g_1/002-2838565-1889601?v=glance&s=books
http://www.getsigned.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=SNGSTRBK
http://www.vocalrelease.com/
http://www.getsigned.com/page/GMM/PROD/ROCKSINGBK

[Merkaba]

all you need is alot of practice, preferably where you cant be judged while youre doing things that arent always "good singing"

[joas]

I just wanted to say that this is a really great forum topic, hopefully some people will really benefit from this (like me :D )

[j0s1ah]

I just wanted to say that this is a really great forum topic, hopefully some people will really benefit from this (like me :D )
many have. and many will.

[j0s1ah]

i just had another lesson today. and my teacher said my singing range was 1 octave and 7 notes. (1 note short of 2 octaves)
i was stoked, i didn't think it was that big.
lessons are cool, i can tell i am better.
i was j/w what are some of your ranges?

btw, i am not sure what note i start/finish on, but i'll find out later.

[j0s1ah]

how 'bout i bump this sticky. or i could make a new thread....nah.

[italic zero]

2 octaves and a bit. I can hit a G# once in a blue moon, my practical cut off is around F. I can sing down to an Eb.

[poormorris]

I just checked mine, I can get down about D2 and up around G4/G# if I'm lucky. So a little more than 2 octaves. :thumb:

[CrazyConductor]

I really love to play Lead guitar, But I really want to get into singing, Im 15, And Im attempting to sing like Thrash metal, I think my voice is sorta Snake(voivod)/Maynard esque, but im only 15, Probably not gonna be that way forever. Id just like some pointers on making myself sound better live and whatnot. Ive been playing guitar for a while, and from what ive been told I am good... If that helps any? Thank you in advance.

[j0s1ah]

check out merkaba's help hotline.
actually, i think he compiled the merkaba bible, it should be out soon.

[session9]

I'd like to know how Chris Cornell hit the high notes he did in the Utramega OK album. I've read that he used a "mixed falsetto", but I don't know what that is. Is there anyone out there who can help?

[CrazyConductor]

Wow... If you can sing anywhere REMOTLEY like Chris Cornell, You are a god, Chris Cornell is like the best singer on the planet in my opinion, Id like to know if the song everlong is all Falsetto, Im really new to this singing stuff :confused:

[Merkaba]

I have most of Chris down pat(especially in audioslave), along with maynard, chino and Chad from mudvayne. Chris just sings with alot more range than the others. Chris seems to be just one of those naturals, but for us laymen, its really a matter of technique. once you learn to isolate, and learn proper breath support, you can pretty much do what you like. but you do have ultimate limitations especially with tone and range, just by the size of your throat and cords and whatnot. However it takes a long time to find out what that limit is. like years.

Im gonna eventually get around to posting some songs. i have a few samples and instruction up in the hotline. i can do Sweet Euphoria and Preaching the End of the World by Chris, on acoustic. Im just not a really good guitar player. I'm planning on doing maybe an acapella array, some black days and Limo wreck, maybe something else.

I havent really heard much from that OK album. i just had to rebuy Badmotorfinger (is it better than Badmotorfinger??)last weak cause i lost my last one. i love Superunknown, and listen to like suicide 'bout everyday. He does use alot of mixed voice for higher stuff, especially scream type stuff. you just cant blow alot of air behind a high head voice note to get decent rasp without the cords opening up anyways so you might as well do it properly to minimize fatigue. However he does use alot of pure head voice and not as much pure falsetto as i believe people think.

Check out the Voice help hotline.

[Merkaba]

Wow... If you can sing anywhere REMOTLEY like Chris Cornell, You are a god, Chris Cornell is like the best singer on the planet in my opinion, Id like to know if the song everlong is all Falsetto, Im really new to this singing stuff :confused:

**** i love that song. Reminded me of it. now i gotta get it. Does anyone have it on mp3???

yea, from memory it does sound like a low falsetto technique for the verses, i think the chorus is more of a mix.

[rems]

I started out last year singing and playing guitar (just barre chords). Anyway, the first time I recorded myself was on a cheap Radio Shack Cassette recorder with built-in mike. When I hit the playback button you could have hit me with a twoXbyXfour! Was this me????? I restrained myself from throwing the guitar out the window and quitting.....

Using a digital recorder and tube/condenser mike helped out, but I was severely out of tune. I could tell it was bad when I listened to the recording , but couldn't really tell as I was singing.

After much searching and reading, I finally bumped into Carry-A-Tune software. It gives you run time feedback as you practice scales, and has three levels of challange each allowing you to be off key less and less. The program also scores your results.The changes in my singing were almost overnight. After 3 months I can sing higher (I'm a baritone), stronger with less strain. I'm also using the program to enter in lessons from Seth Riggs book, then I can see how I'm progressing as the program tells me when I'm off key. At first I was scoring less then 50 as a beginner. Now, I'm scoring 100 almost always as a beginner, and above 90 always as an intermediate. The Expert level I'm mostly around a 75.

Beginner allows a full step away, intermediate half as much, and expert 1/8 as much.

The program has a step-by-step singing tutorial thats fun and effective. Even has animated characters as your teacher (the talking mike)

My singing is on key most of the time now....we'll see a year from now.

The new version out shortly will allow you to import Midi. I create my own music with a program called "Play Music" entry level notation software. And this program is an excellant way to learn about music. You save your score as a midi file, then import it into CAT and you can monitor how well you stay in tune with your own tune.

[Merkaba]

sounds very cool and interesting. i would be even more interesting if you stick around, since this is your first post. that way we might know that youre not just secretely advertising. hehe. if you are, its a **** good job though! heh

[j0s1ah]

lol. yeah maybe i will check that out....is it free?
also, what bands has chris been in besides audioslave and soundgarden?

[session9]

I have most of Chris down pat(especially in audioslave),


Yeah, I can nail that stuff, even with my lack of experience and knowledge; I think he's pretty much blown out his voice by now. Listen to "Louder Than Love", "Ultramega OK" or the EP "Screaming Life" for some serious stuff...if you can handle some of those songs without breaking a sweat I'll be well impressed.

I havent really heard much from that OK album.
Well I don't know what album the song "Beyond The Wheel" is on, I think it's Ultramega OK, but try and get hold of that song, that'll give you an idea of what I'm talking about. (I think his voice actually lost some of it's range by the time he did Badmotorfinger, so you can imagine how good the vocals are on that album!)

i just had to rebuy Badmotorfinger (is it better than Badmotorfinger??) last weak cause i lost my last one.

I'd say songwriting-wise it's not as good, but the instrumental performances are probably slightly worse, but the vocals are better.

i love Superunknown, and listen to like suicide 'bout everyday. He does use alot of mixed voice for higher stuff, especially scream type stuff. you just cant blow alot of air behind a high head voice note to get decent rasp without the cords opening up anyways so you might as well do it properly to minimize fatigue. However he does use alot of pure head voice and not as much pure falsetto as i believe people think.


I think he uses mixed voice a lot, he's just clever about it. I've heard the early demos on the Sub Pop compilation called "Deep Six", back when Soundgarden were just starting out...his voice was, putting it bluntly, nothing special back then. If you hear the same song done on the "Screaming Life" EP, it sounds about a hundred times better. I don't know what he did to improve his technique so much between that recording and the next, but I'd sure like to!

Check out the Voice help hotline.

Will do....

[rems]

sounds very cool and interesting. i would be even more interesting if you stick around, since this is your first post. that way we might know that youre not just secretely advertising. hehe. if you are, its a **** good job though! heh

I really like the program, and there are things about it I don't like as well, but they are minor. The bottom line is the program really helped me out...
I paid $80 for it off their web site. The notation program was $50
Hmmmm, maybe I should charge THEM for plugging it!

[Merkaba]

Thanks session 9.
and hey, rems came back! :lol:

yea, maybe you should get a little cut!

[CrazyConductor]

Chris Cornell sang most lead in Temple Of The Dog, Except the song Hunger Strike (Eddie Vedder)

[CrazyConductor]

He sang Backup on that song though, You can hear him, clear as day

[j0s1ah]

Chris Cornell sang most lead in Temple Of The Dog, Except the song Hunger Strike (Eddie Vedder)
gotcha, ty.

[Merkaba]

God , the man is just a genius on guitar though. i dont understand how someone can just move through the progression he does sometimes. I mean, i know there are alot of comparable players out there, but i dont know them because im not really a guitar playing officianado. Im partial to his work because it has so many elements and styles in any given song.

Sweet Euphoria just sounds like the sun is rising to me and youre just waking up. not because he hints to it in his lyrics, but the music is like a soundtrack to the feeling he's talking about.

...sigh..

[j0s1ah]

you inspired me to download that song. i have never heard it before.

[j0s1ah]

is it buy audioslave or chris cornell? or what?

[Merkaba]

chris cornell...solo album 2000 i think, Euphoria Morning

just listened to it at the local airport watching planes , then i came back and played it. Im starting to use a pick now, i never use them and its not easy for me, haha. but after i though about it, i need it to play that song like he plays it.

Im sure you'll hear it and be like , thats not too much. But its just the feel, i dont know. The man just does it for me.

Like suicide acoustic is good too, and preaching the end of the world, sweet sunshower.

he wrote most of the stuff for Soundgarden too, which i think is an ego thing related to why they split up, if im not mistaken :wave:

[CrazyConductor]

I believe that Kim Thayil Put some of his tracks on the Probot album (Speaking of soundgarden Gutarists), He was a really good guitarist, Very original... Now that were on the Topic, Anyone like the Singing on the Probot Album /em loved it Especially Snake from Voivod... Kick *** Track

[j0s1ah]

i couldn't find that sweet euphoria song, but i downloaded about 7 other songs by him. they are good. :)

[Merkaba]

IM sure its out there. IM always recording myself playing it, maybe i'll send you my version if i ever get around to recording it again.

[CrazyConductor]

Did you know that Chris Cornell originally played drums and Sang for soundgarden... That bastard...

[j0s1ah]

IM sure its out there. IM always recording myself playing it, maybe i'll send you my version if i ever get around to recording it again.
aite cool.

[session9]

If you like that song merkaba-1, you'll probably like the one he did called "Sunshower". It's on the soundtrack to the movie "Singles", but I'm sure you can pick it up somewhere. I think it's as good an acoustic ballad as "Sweet Euphoria" is, if not better, and it has the same kind of feel.

[Merkaba]

Did you know that Chris Cornell originally played drums and Sang for soundgarden... That bastard...

yep, said he didnt like the whole singing and playing drums thing. too **** much going on

[Merkaba]

If you like that song merkaba-1, you'll probably like the one he did called "Sunshower". It's on the soundtrack to the movie "Singles", but I'm sure you can pick it up somewhere. I think it's as good an acoustic ballad as "Sweet Euphoria" is, if not better, and it has the same kind of feel.

dark as roses, and fine as sand
I feel your healing and your sting again
cuts like anguish or, recollections
of better days, gooooone by
but its allllright
when youre all in pain
and you feeeel the rain coooome down
oh its alright
when you find your waaay and you seeee it disappearrrr
its alri-e-yight
though your garden's grey, i know all your graces
some day will flower in another world....another worrrld
in the sweet sunshooowwwwerrrrrrr
:thumb:

can you play it by the way?

[session9]

can you play it by the way?

Yup, I use cornell's solo stuff (and some soundgarden) to warm up the old vocal chords and fingers. Mailman is my usual choice of SG song, and Sunshower is the Solo song. I sometimes do Like a Stone as well.

[j0s1ah]

let's call this thread 'chris cornell'

[Merkaba]

Yup, I use cornell's solo stuff (and some soundgarden) to warm up the old vocal chords and fingers. Mailman is my usual choice of SG song, and Sunshower is the Solo song. I sometimes do Like a Stone as well.
yep, usually i might warm up(vocals) with Cant change me, preaching the end of the world, sweet euphoria, I am the highway, Pillow of bones helps get my upper range warmed up more. I love the album so much i usually just use it as part of my warm up, every day, as i am about to do in a few minutes. Oh, like suicide is another of my favorites. tried to play it on acoustic but it doesnt sound the same as his cause i think he overdubs his acoustic version.

[We6Will6Rise6]

Ahoy. Im kinda seeking advice, i think. I have my own band, and I am the vocalist. Ive screamed before to hatebreed at a talent show, everyone said i sounded like jamey jasta, but i dunno, but i think we are going to aim to sound like a.f.i. or the used or somewhere around that. When i was screaming, i got short of breathe often. i start to feel dizzy and stuff. Does anybody have any advice or any ways they can help??
Thanks,
ColtNess

(oh, my band's name is LastChance.)

[j0s1ah]

merk, i found that sweet euphoria song, it's great. i know what u mean when u say 'it does it for me' lol. everlong acoustic 'does it for me'
:thumb:

[H4Z4RD0US]

what if i want a deep voice like...james hettfield or something, how can i practice that, my normal talking tone is pretty deep

[Merkaba]

what if i want a deep voice like...james hettfield or something, how can i practice that, my normal talking tone is pretty deep
????

uh, practice singing deep, with all the other stuff i usually mention. YOur voice may or may not be able to sound like someone elses. its yours

[redblksg]

hey, I'm a singer for a band in my neighberhood. I sing alright, I take lessons and I'm doing fine. The problem is that I can't scream. I would like to sing like the bands Silverstein, and matchbook romance, or somewhere around there, but My screaming doesn't sound catchy. are there any tips for that. thanks

[btoto]

^well, the whole topic is about it..........you could at least see the other pages, you know...

[j0s1ah]

warming down:
my vocal teacher says start from a high note and slide down to a lower note.
do you all do this when you warm down...err...cool down?
lol, what else?

[Merkaba]

^ well, thats what i have in all of my posts! well, the ones that im "un-lazy" enough to write it out for the umpteenth time instead of just saying warm down. hehe

[j0s1ah]

lol, i never caught that. ty.
he tells me that it gets your voice back to talking level or something. lol.
he also has me warm down doing rolling the tongue (like a snake) from a high note to a low note...just in case you are were wondering how j0s1ah (joe) warms down.

[appreciate_it]

Hey jay and silver.

I've got a question.
(first of all) i've been singing since i was a young) im 15 now but i personally feell i was a lot better when i was young. I was always complimented on how good i was etc and even got a solo at syndey's Opera House. (sorry thats my boasting finished)

As i've got older i've still stayed a singer and don't want to give up music at school cause i love it etc and still get good singing marks but not better. i can sing around 3.5-4 octaves. and i can do around 6 notes in my Falsetto. im probably just a (forgot the word starts with S, the one above bass) and normally get my better marks when singing either James Hetfield or Andy Kliedis (RHCP, Metallica)
My question, why can i personally not sing as well as i used to. i used to hit every note, and now it's kinda ehhh! I've been taught how to breathe and my diction is fine, it's just some notes i find hard... Will it get worse as i get older? Thanks...

[Merkaba]

well how old are you now?
and your range and ability will diminish a bit as you get older. especially way older. kinda depends on your workload. it could get better. especially if you have done anything to help it diminish, i.e. drinking, smoking, long bouts of coughing, etc. hard vocals and incorrect singing will help you lose ability as well.

baritone is the one above bass, then theres tenor, soprano is the highest for females.

[j0s1ah]

voice varies with age. i tink.
my voice teacher says i am a tenor now, which is weird, i have a very low speaking voice, and i am 6"4, 205 pounds.
;)

[appreciate_it]

Drinkin diminishes your voice? So all the crap about makin your voice better is crap!? im not sayin i drunk so my voice got better, but i thought that it made it stronger?
Ah! im 15 by the way.

[Merkaba]

well can you explain how it would make it stronger?
Alcohol by its very nature is a drying agent. by the time your body deals with it it has to get extra water from other areas and one of, if not the first place, it goes is your throat area. Dry cords equals less stamina and more likely hood of doing some degree of damage. I've never heard anything about alcohol making the voice better.

and i just covered this a bit in another post. but if youre fifteen youre more than likely still going through puberty. so you larynx has been getting bigger. this has a direct impact on your range. so if you cant reach the same notes then this may be part of the reason why. Its like trying to get a high pitch out of tuba. and vice versa, you cant get a bass tone out of a flute. the airway is just too small/large. in generally smaller larynxes can get higher notes. bigger ones get more bassy range. Keep visiting your upper head voice, properly. you have to work it to grow it. but dont strain.

[j0s1ah]

i think he meant, it gives your voice a quick fix when it is feeling low...right?

[Merkaba]

^ never heard that either. but i could see how people might say that. the same with a quick smoke to help heat up the area. sometimes i think this is true, but the risks and damage outweigh any advantages conceivable.
Of course, alcohol can subdue your nerves and mental..which may help ease a little tension.

[j0s1ah]

yeah, u said what i thought/meant.

[sliver]

hey guys, just posting some of my bands stuff :D hopefully you guys like it.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/4/stilllifetorontomusic.htm

[imbay]

i have a Billie Joe Armstrong - joel madden kind of voice.
but my problem is that i can't get a highier note..
not high enough..

what can i do?

[Merkaba]

^ you could be closing your throat off, hence not getting proper air flow for a good vibration. or you might just be unable to pull the cords tight enough to get a higher pitch. If youre trying to work on your range....well thats tricky. but im planning on posting something about that soon. warm up and practic high notes in your head voice, dont over push. range is greatly limited by the size of your larynx. if its big youre not gonna ever be able to get too high....well...it will just be very very difficult. shall i say

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

hey, iv been trying to work out the "sing with your larynx low" thing and i can do it but its kinda hard to pronounce the words right. Is there any excercises you can do for that....or am i just a strange,strange man?

[Merkaba]

isolation...

but the larynx is gonna move a bit...the key is to keep it relaxed. But in general you wann feel like youre trying to swallow an apple.

[sliver]

Hey jay and silver.

I've got a question.
(first of all) i've been singing since i was a young) im 15 now but i personally feell i was a lot better when i was young. I was always complimented on how good i was etc and even got a solo at syndey's Opera House. (sorry thats my boasting finished)

As i've got older i've still stayed a singer and don't want to give up music at school cause i love it etc and still get good singing marks but not better. i can sing around 3.5-4 octaves. and i can do around 6 notes in my Falsetto. im probably just a (forgot the word starts with S, the one above bass) and normally get my better marks when singing either James Hetfield or Andy Kliedis (RHCP, Metallica)
My question, why can i personally not sing as well as i used to. i used to hit every note, and now it's kinda ehhh! I've been taught how to breathe and my diction is fine, it's just some notes i find hard... Will it get worse as i get older? Thanks...

I think a lot of how good you sound is in a persons ego...

If when you were younger you were always told you had a really good voice, you would probably then be convinced you were an amazing superstar (whether you really were or not). But honestly think about it, who wants to hear a little kid sing? :lol: I suppose its ok for cute lullaby's or church songs... but other than that?

You don't really loose range as you grow older, your range changes and you can sing lower notes, and can't sing some of the higher ones you could before. I don't see this as a bad thing at all... all of my favourite singers are baritone singers.

I sugguest instead of killing yourself to hit notes you can't hit, to practise on notes that are more comfortable in your range. Try and find exactly what your range is... for example my full voice range runs from

G#2 (C3 being middle C) to A4. (With falsetto it runs to about E5).

Know yourself... know your limitations and do practise exercises to keep your voice and ear in good tone.

[Knoxvillelives]

Yo fellow rock men and women.
My band started doing some Oasis stuff last month and they asked me to sing 'Don't Look Back In Anger'. I can sing and play guitar and everything, but this song bugs the hell out of me.
I can do the verses alright, but when it comes to the 'SOOOOOO Sally can wait' I sort have to hurt myself to do it, it sounds great, but then I have to do it again, 'SOOOOUUUULLLL' and my voice breaks a little, as in starts to croak, then when it comes 'Don't Look Back in Anger' my voice hearts like fook and I have to shout it. Apparently it sounds OK, but I'm really not comfortable with doing it for an audience.
Any tips on how I can stop this happening.

[Knoxvillelives]

Also, I can sing in key, but how do I find the exact octave that the singer I'm trying to replicate is. For example of Don't Look Back In Anger, I'm sure I'm too high, higher than Noel anyway.

[Merkaba]

youre speaking kinda in a paradox. if youre having trouble reaching a high note yet youre sure youre singing higher...then youre probably singing the wronig note. the typical male voice wont cover more than 3.5 octaves and some four. if youre off by an octave...you can still be in key. otherwise drop it down an octave so you dont have to kill yourself.

[sliver]

Also, I can sing in key, but how do I find the exact octave that the singer I'm trying to replicate is. For example of Don't Look Back In Anger, I'm sure I'm too high, higher than Noel anyway.

I seriously doubt you're singing the octave up on these notes... and by seriously doubt I mean there is no way you are; unless you are doing them in falsetto. I think he is singing a high G or G# in this part... and to sing the octave up is notes in the soprano register. Most likely you're singing a higher harmony or you're not singing in key. Why not tape yourself singing the song and then listen to the song itself and see if you are singing the same note?

If you are having problems singing the song just tune your guitar a 1/2 step, or a full step down. Or just sing a lower harmony of the note instead... singing the octave down would take away from the song.

ps. I'm pretty sure on the first few pages of this thread I gave a lesson on how to sing a harmony.

[Rookie]

I think I'm a bass barritone but I don't have that muich bass in my voice, I just sing lower.
I sing a little bit of backups in my band but the number is increasing cause I'm learning to sing backups by myself and on this forum, and last show we played I even got some nice compliments about it.
Another thing I want to learn is scream, I haven't seen it around this thread before so for once (maybe not once but what the heck :p) and for all: I'd like a Barritone scream (if you know what I mean, not the real Poison The Well or Reggie and the full effect scream, but more like Thrice and the few screams that Brand New uses (like in sic transit gloria glory fades).
If someone can give me a few pointers on this or a link to an existing post that I missed I'll be grateful :)

Rookie

[Rookie]

nvm, I found the thread :)

[btoto]

sorry, for a stupid question, but when Bruce Dickinson used to sing very high notes, was it his falsetto or a god-given female voice. I mean, it doesn't really sound like falsetto

thanks

[Merkaba]

got a link to a sample?

[btoto]

Wait I'll get links to some Iron Maiden songs in a few minutes

[btoto]

http://delit.net/music/ticket.phtml/8hkhfh1a8hka7hkaja8hcafa8aaa7hcaaabaaachzazapayakh 8a/Iron%20Maiden%20-%2002%20-%20Children%20of%20the%20****ed.mp3

http://delit.net/music/ticket.phtml/fjaj8jxffjaf6jafcffjjf8fffkf6jafffufkfjjpfpfzfvf6f 8f/Iron%20Maiden%20-%2001%20-%20Aces%20High.mp3


The first is Children Of The ****rd (Listen to the chorus)

Second is Aces High (Listen to the end of song where he screams Aces haa hiiiiiiigh)

[Merkaba]

those links take me to the home page. ....???

[btoto]

$hit..........I don't know what's wrong........they work for me

[Knoxvillelives]

I seriously doubt you're singing the octave up on these notes... and by seriously doubt I mean there is no way you are; unless you are doing them in falsetto. I think he is singing a high G or G# in this part... and to sing the octave up is notes in the soprano register. Most likely you're singing a higher harmony or you're not singing in key. Why not tape yourself singing the song and then listen to the song itself and see if you are singing the same note?

If you are having problems singing the song just tune your guitar a 1/2 step, or a full step down. Or just sing a lower harmony of the note instead... singing the octave down would take away from the song.

ps. I'm pretty sure on the first few pages of this thread I gave a lesson on how to sing a harmony.

Ah, I did tape myself and it sounded right, pretty much perfect if I do say so myself, I guess I was just surprised how hard it was to get that 'Soooo!' note, I mean I can, but you have to hit about three times in 15 seconds and I can't do that, effectively anyway.
Looks like that songs out of the set list then.
Thanks guys

[Merkaba]

when do you have to do the song?

if you can hit the note but cant hit it in succession, you should keep doing it so that you can build enough strength and be able to hit that type of note later and be able to hit similar notes later.

[sliver]

Ah, I did tape myself and it sounded right, pretty much perfect if I do say so myself, I guess I was just surprised how hard it was to get that 'Soooo!' note, I mean I can, but you have to hit about three times in 15 seconds and I can't do that, effectively anyway.
Looks like that songs out of the set list then.
Thanks guys


Dude did you not read the post: you don't have to sing the high note all the time! You can do a lower harmony 2/3 of the time, and then save the high notes for the end.

Or you can push yourself and practise doing the high note more, don't just give up! That's lame :thumb:

[Merkaba]

anyone got a link to this song, i wanna see what all the fuss is about. hehe

[Knoxvillelives]

What?! You haven't heard Don't Look back In Anger???!
OMG! I would strongly advise you go out and buy an oasis album, 'Definitely Maybe' or 'Morning Glory'
Seriously, you'll thank me.

[Knoxvillelives]

Dude did you not read the post: you don't have to sing the high note all the time! You can do a lower harmony 2/3 of the time, and then save the high notes for the end.

Or you can push yourself and practise doing the high note more, don't just give up! That's lame :thumb:

Dude, I practised it for like an hour, singing the last line of the verse and belting it out, jesus I didn't speak for a few days.
The problem with me is, I have to sing high-ish to sound good or I just end up talking, so I HAVE to sing the high note in the chorus.
Or did I misread you again?

But I DID try tuning my guitar down a step and that worked alot better. Thanks

[IheartSP]

i just listened to myself recorded and i sound nothing close to pitch on my guitar, but it does in real life, why is this?

Also, how long would you say it takes to become a "decent" singer? I have played guitar for a year and 3 months and consider myself pretty good. Is it possible to do this with singing?

Also again, i thought i had a pretty good ear. I can tab a lot of things out on guitar on my own, but i cant hear myself sing apparently.

[Merkaba]

What?! You haven't heard Don't Look back In Anger???!
OMG! I would strongly advise you go out and buy an oasis album, 'Definitely Maybe' or 'Morning Glory'
Seriously, you'll thank me.
I guess not. I had the single to wonderwall...the tape..and on the back was this song about "i wanna talk tonight....until the morning light.." i really like that song. Thats pretty much all i know about them.

[Merkaba]

i just listened to myself recorded and i sound nothing close to pitch on my guitar, but it does in real life, why is this?

Also, how long would you say it takes to become a "decent" singer? I have played guitar for a year and 3 months and consider myself pretty good. Is it possible to do this with singing?

Also again, i thought i had a pretty good ear. I can tab a lot of things out on guitar on my own, but i cant hear myself sing apparently.

well if you have a bad ear, its gonna take time. YOu can definitely progress though. but you will have to have a practice place where you can open up and not be afraid of judgment by others. practice singing acapellla, and just sing along with scales on your guitar a note at a time. learn proper techniques, you can start in the voichelp hotline and around this forum. you can always get lessons too. depends on what your goals are. But like i said before, i think everyone can become a decent singer. its just proper technique which isnt hard, but may be hiding and blocked by a life of bad habits in breathing and talking.

[Special Brew]

Well I am wanting to learn to scream well, low and high pitched, I and see now that I must learn to sing decently before I can do the rasping thing. Well I have a chromatic tuner for my guitar and it has a button I can bush that will sound a C tone and it will go up through the notes and there sharps until it reaches 1 octave up. I have been goin through these notes trying to match my voice to it, in fact I was doing it just a second ago. Would this help my voice or cause anything bad? I notice that my voice waves a bit, and not in the good way.. what do I do to stop this? Also I seem to start losing breath as I go higher and my voice seems a bit more strained when I try to go higher, plus my heart starts beating faster as if I have been doing push-ups or something, not real fast just a little faster and hard. Tell me if I am doing anything wrong or something I can add to this practice to help. Thanks Merkaba!

Btw, I just decovered something weird, if I eat a bowl of Ramen noodle soup(10 cent per pack at wal-mart), I can sing a bit better afterwards. I have been going through the voice excerise above all day and I sound better after eating soup. :lol:

[Merkaba]

Go read my voicehelp hotline and read up on the isolation stuff.
you should never have to say the word strain when describing your vocal technique. And if youre running out of breath for higher notes youre using incorrect breathing. Work on "coming from the gut" as we all say. i have lots of hints for this in various posts. i dont have enough time right now to delve deep into it. The isolation stuff helps alot, and you need to pay attention so that you can feel when you go from head voice to falsetto. Plus youre pushing too hard if your heart rate is affected. Regardless of what style or face your doing. singing or screaming should be comfortable. you have to learn to relax the throat so you can seperate it from your cords. and you dont have to go up in force and push as you go up in pitch which most people do when starting off. the cords get thinner as you go up in pitch, so they need less force. Be sure to read the isolation thread.

[Joe_Pettibone]

whenever I sing any song I always end up unknowingly imitating the vocalist/singer in whatever song I sing.. and seeing as I'm not them. it sounds awful.. any suggestions?

[Merkaba]

acapella

[JuicyFruitGuy]

I'm having trouble singing some songs because they are too high

I am a Bass, since I can sing the Low E on a guitar... i can sing up to around a D 2 octives higher, but then my voices struggles, and I have to scream the notes up to about G, where I can go no higher without singing in falsetto.

Is there an exercise or anything that will help me sing the high notes?
For example, I can sing Karma Police from Radiohead comfortably, but in a song like Maroon 5 - This Love, for the chorus I have to sing it an octive lower and it sounds pretty bad.

Thanks in advance

[Knoxvillelives]

Is it a good idea to imitate a singer? The lead singer in my band has his own voice and sings it the same on most of our songs but I tend to copy the original singer, havent had much of a chance to develop my own,.
Like we did 'Cigarettes and Alchohol' (we're not Oasis obsessed btw) and I sang as Liam and everyone said it sounded great and everyone complimented me on it, and we did Immigrant Song and I tried to imitate Plant (impossible btw) and everyone said I shud try and do it my own way on that song, but I can't seem to find an inbetween.
What shud I do?

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

have u got any other advice on lowering your larynx.
Iv tryed the yawn singing way but i cant pronounce words right an it doesnt sound very good.
then if i do it normally my larynx/adams apple(whatever it is) stays in the same position or goes up a little bit but it does not feel like it restricting me.
Should i keep trying to lower it??If i should can you give me any other tips please??

Thanks

[Merkaba]

I'm having trouble singing some songs because they are too high

I am a Bass, since I can sing the Low E on a guitar... i can sing up to around a D 2 octives higher, but then my voices struggles, and I have to scream the notes up to about G, where I can go no higher without singing in falsetto.

Is there an exercise or anything that will help me sing the high notes?
For example, I can sing Karma Police from Radiohead comfortably, but in a song like Maroon 5 - This Love, for the chorus I have to sing it an octive lower and it sounds pretty bad.

Thanks in advance
well the thing about range is that its slow to grow. Well usually. You just have to work your upper range alot. work the limits of it. which means you need time to miss alot of notes and make bad sounds. The cords have to be able to stretch and thin out more while still holding enough to close. You might not be able to stretch them anymore or you might. This is something you have to work with and find out. You can do alot of loud Hah's. Like hard. as in 100% remember to relax and be sure youre all the way warmed up. And go up in range and continue i go all the way up to my highest falsetto. But i dont do this that often. maybe once a week. Be sure not just go for push but make sure you making the vowel sound. the h's should sandwich the sound and the air that makes the H is the resistance that works the cords and the muscles, but be sure to get the ahh sound out and tight. this shouldnt be held , but should be a quick "HAH!" , just long enough to get the tone. not a haaaaah or a haaaaaaaaaaaah. get it. hehe.

Enter at your own risk, especially if you dont know if you have good technique. If you tend to get hoarse alot after a show or after working your voice then you might have bad technique. Whatever you do it should always be comfortable, with no strain or tenseness. pay attention to anything irregular that you feel. of course if you feel any pain, stop. Dont forget to warm down especially if youre doing anything pushing your range.

btw, singing the low e on a guitar doesnt make you a bass. the normal guitar is considered optimal for baritone, if I'm not mistaken. And what you mention about your range pretty much puts you in the baritone area, although theres a few sub ranges and all this stuff. I dont really worry about all that, as it was all created for classical music ages ago.

Do you mean youre singing Maroon 5 a key lower? an octave lower would be way too different. If not, try to lower the key...to D if it is in E. etc. keep us posted. We're always here to help.

:thumb:

[Merkaba]

Is it a good idea to imitate a singer? The lead singer in my band has his own voice and sings it the same on most of our songs but I tend to copy the original singer, havent had much of a chance to develop my own,.
Like we did 'Cigarettes and Alchohol' (we're not Oasis obsessed btw) and I sang as Liam and everyone said it sounded great and everyone complimented me on it, and we did Immigrant Song and I tried to imitate Plant (impossible btw) and everyone said I shud try and do it my own way on that song, but I can't seem to find an inbetween.
What shud I do?

Well its natural to imitate. Its how i learned to sing. The thing is you might find yourself trying things youre not ready for yet, or tensing and whatnot to achieve a certain sound that a close mic and studio ambience makes sound natural. The more you imitate various artists and styles, the more you will find an in between. and of course, singing acapella will help you. :cool:

[Merkaba]

have u got any other advice on lowering your larynx.
Iv tryed the yawn singing way but i cant pronounce words right an it doesnt sound very good.
then if i do it normally my larynx/adams apple(whatever it is) stays in the same position or goes up a little bit but it does not feel like it restricting me.
Should i keep trying to lower it??If i should can you give me any other tips please??

Thanks
Its good, cause it means youre actually trying. Yea i need to clarify this more. I'm speaking realtive when i say low. relative to a high tense larynx. you can take the mid point between the yawn and the swallow larynx positions and try not to rise up much past this midway point. You still will rise some, just dont let it be a squeeze or as high as the swallow. You sound like youre on top of things. dont worry.

Cold beef, cold beef...hamburgerrrrrrr.....ham bur gerrrrrrrrrr

[Joe_Pettibone]

..when I say I end up imitating them. I mean. I always end up unwillingly putting on a bad fake accent when I sing any song by a band. with the music on or not I always end up sounding like a bad impersonator.

[JuicyFruitGuy]

Thanks Merkaba :thumb:

You mentioned something about if your voice gets hoarse, you have bad technique. Sometimes when I sing a lot of songs, like when I'm 3/4 through a set of songs (say about 10 songs, 45 mins of singing) , my voice gets hoarse when I'm singing in the middle lower notes... it only sounds clear when I'm singing the high notes.

I'm guessing it's beacuse of those notes from E to G that I have to yell/scream... after time, they tire me out. Is there a way to imrpove bad technique, or is it just something you have to deal with if you have it?

Thanks Again

[Merkaba]

Thanks Merkaba :thumb:

You mentioned something about if your voice gets hoarse, you have bad technique. Sometimes when I sing a lot of songs, like when I'm 3/4 through a set of songs (say about 10 songs, 45 mins of singing) , my voice gets hoarse when I'm singing in the middle lower notes... it only sounds clear when I'm singing the high notes.

I'm guessing it's beacuse of those notes from E to G that I have to yell/scream... after time, they tire me out. Is there a way to imrpove bad technique, or is it just something you have to deal with if you have it?

Thanks Again
Well i dont know what type of music youre doing. But regardless, i think you should be able to make it past 45 minutes. But i dont want to sound all "holier than thou". You might need to turn your mic up so you dont have to scream as hard. Remember you lose tone and volume if you push too hard. And the mic should be your friend. YOu have an acoustic insturment here that youre trying to amplify. You wouldnt strum your acoustic extra hard if the soundguy had your line turned down too low would you? So dont worry about the ego loss of having to turn the mic up, if need be.

And technique wise, its all the stuff i talk about here. Check out the voichelp hotline post in the stickies if you havent already. You gotta keep the throat relaxed and sepereated form the cords. If you have it, you should want to deal with it so you can improve. Its not like its something you cant get over. Bad technique can be made into better and good technique.

[punkrawkerwazzaa]

hey,im 14 and i broked my voice and it sounds very deep usally my voice was high,so here is the problem,im the guitarist/singer of my band and usally i get shy wen singing alone cus of my deep voice(i sound abit like tim armstrong(rancid))i do sound like him and i cant hit the high notes cus wen i try to sing them my voice straight away changes into a totally 'different voice'......help me out.....im singing rock,punk rock....

[Rats]

stop smoking weed and get voice lessons and check out merkaba's posts

[Dilligent]

Hey, this thread is awesome, been a great help so far.
I'm an 18 year old guitarist and i like to do some singing, mainly because my musics teacher at school told me i'm good at it, and my friends tell me too.
So far, learning any music theory or whatever wasn't a problem (except for maybe modes, but thats a different story), so... singing shouldn't be that hard to learn to a point where it's semi-usable ;)

I feel kinda comfortable about my voice, but there is this one thing that i really miss and just have to learn!

How do i do vibratos? It just sounds dull to let a note float like that...
It seems so easy when you see other singers do it (you woudlnt notice if you wouldn't look for it). I've got a few things recorded, i hope Soundclick will put this stuff online as soon as possible, maybe you can check it out and tell me if i have any other problems?

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/8/dilligentsmusic.htm

It says so, but just in case:
You bassist/Drummers out there, don't get offended, i'm using these synth drum/bass-lines because i simplydont have the equipment or the drummer/bassist, and i need the lines to keep the rythm myself ;)

Dilligent

[Merkaba]

Hey, this thread is awesome, been a great help so far.
I'm an 18 year old guitarist and i like to do some singing, mainly because my musics teacher at school told me i'm good at it, and my friends tell me too.
So far, learning any music theory or whatever wasn't a problem (except for maybe modes, but thats a different story), so... singing shouldn't be that hard to learn to a point where it's semi-usable ;)

I feel kinda comfortable about my voice, but there is this one thing that i really miss and just have to learn!

How do i do vibratos? It just sounds dull to let a note float like that...
It seems so easy when you see other singers do it (you woudlnt notice if you wouldn't look for it). I've got a few things recorded, i hope Soundclick will put this stuff online as soon as possible, maybe you can check it out and tell me if i have any other problems?

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/8/dilligentsmusic.htm

It says so, but just in case:
You bassist/Drummers out there, don't get offended, i'm using these synth drum/bass-lines because i simplydont have the equipment or the drummer/bassist, and i need the lines to keep the rythm myself ;)

Dilligent
Its gonna be hard for you to get vibratos. Cause you have no breath support.
you need to find it and you'll wonder what you've been doing. You should check out my voicehelp hotline, a live no effects sound can maybe help you hear it better.

Try taking a good breath so your stomach bellows out, and pretend that youre on the toilette. and youre gonna squeeze out one....so slowly start to exhale and grunt slowly but dont make it raspy...just Unnnnnnnnnnnnn. you should be able to hold this note for at least thirty seconds with a deep breath. work to get the feel beind the cords. Like youre going to cough, but not cough. its that type of pressure you shoudl feel...(though not as much of course) this is the direct diaphragm to cord connection you wont. You should feel resistance behind the cords. work to find that. When youre singing youre letting alot of air go by. This is cool in certain spots of a song for a soft feel, but not all the time. BUt i guarantee you that you dont seem to keep enough air do you? i can hear it myself. YOure in mid range. your cords shouldnt be opening up much.

THis is probably the main reason why you cant get a vibrato going. With a good amount of pressure it will feel natural. the fluctuation it takes to vibrato helps vent the extra pressure. From what you have here, you will be able to have probably a hundred percent better sound when you learn breath support. its the hardest thing to try to describe with words and is very tricky to get without confusing people as to pressure and too much and what to feel. read up on it and keep experimenting til you find it. You'll thank yourself.

[Rats]

Is proper breath support the only way to achieve a vibrato? I can do a vibrato very easily and pretty naturally now, but I'm not sure if I'm using proper breath support.

[Merkaba]

Well the more support you have the easier it is to do anything vocally. I mean you can do them if youre not supporting with the diaphragm. But if youre not it will be reflected in the sound along with everything else. So if youre singing a 4 out of 10, then your vibrato will be a 4 out of ten.

[punkemohardcorekid]

people like mark hoppus can go way into higher notes, but i stay low... when i try to go mid-range tp med-high, unpleasant sounds come out.. are there excercises that help with that or something? :confused:

[evil ernie]

Got a question.

I'm singin for my metal band and we had a nice little gig last friday. We had a nice stage with big lights and stuff, and a smoke machine as well. I had quite a hard time singing and I think the smoke has something to do with it. My throat was dry and I couldn't hit the high notes I usually can sing. Maybe I just had a bad day though.
Has any of you ever experienced the same problems?

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

iv never had any experience but iv heard that smoke machines do play around with your voice a bit.

[deneefau]

Gday all,
As you might have guessed I'm a bit of a n00b to this forum, but I will do my best to fit in.
I have a friend who recently took up singing lessons where he is singing stuff like "Under the Bridge" by RHCP. I can tell that the lessons have made a big difference to his singing and it inspired me. I've been trying to improve my singing for quite a while and although I'm not that great, I have no trouble with pitch (probably from my musical background). My main problem is that I lack the strength in my voice and after reading many of the posts here it seems that my breathing is the problem.
I asked my mate what he thought was the main problem, and he said that I just had to have confidence and put some strength behind my voice. He said that once he got over the embarrasment of actually singing, he found it easy to not only hit the notes, but get plenty of strength behind his voice. He suggested that I try to sing loud in order to get strength behind the notes, and through this my voice would naturally strengthen. Could someone comment on this for me?
Also, I have recorded myself singing quite a few times, and I know that there are things I need to work on, and I have noticed that my singing voice sounds very similar to my speaking voice unless I deliberately try to imitate the singer in the song I am listening to. Any comments on this?

Thanks :)

[Andrew^gillis]

i never really had the urge to sing before until i started playing guitar,now my problem is i find it hard to play and sing at the same time.When i start singing i start slowing down on the guitar and its just a big mess.Does anyone have any tips for playing guitar and singing at the same time?

[evil ernie]

i never really had the urge to sing before until i started playing guitar,now my problem is i find it hard to play and sing at the same time.When i start singing i start slowing down on the guitar and its just a big mess.Does anyone have any tips for playing guitar and singing at the same time?

Make sure you know your guitar parts extremely well so you don't have to think about it and you can focus on the vocals. The rest is all about practice. I never though I could sing Megadeth's Holy Wars while playing the guitar parts, but with a couple hours of practice I am now able to.

[NOViCE]

Hey everyone!

I've allways loved to sing, but not untill recently I've had the guts to sing, when I'm with friends, home alone or whatever, aloud. I know my singing is nothing more than average, but I really want to be a good singer and advance from where I am. Hehe, it has taken me a full evening to through this thread and now it's my turn to get a few question in.
1. Since I listen to a lot of rock(everything from Dream Theater and Symphony X to Mötley Crüe and Mr. Big) I have to bend and manipulate my voice. Is this very damaging?
2. How important is it to warm up properly?
3. What do you guys think about Russell Allen's technique(or skills, dunno what to call it)? He's got one of the most impressive vocalcords I've ever heard.
4. For some reason I seldom nail vibratos. Sometimes there right on the spot, sometimes there just ins't any vibrato at all*emarassed* and sometimes I nail it with perfection(novice-scale-perfection that is). Why is this? I'm not even sure how I'm supposed to execute a vibrato. How? HOW?

Thanks. (sorry about grammar, vocabulary or any other mistake) I'm from Norway ****it...

[KJSchultz]

see...its weird. I'm in choir, and i like, barally sing at all. But when I'm at home alone, i will sing my lungs out...why is this?

[The Spliggity Splot]

Cuz you're shy...

[DrunkenPirate]

I seriously cant sing, infact i dont think i can sing a whole octave... but can i learn?

[IRunForFun]

i need to learn how to scream :)

[italic zero]

Hmmm... I need some help with my falsetto. I have a range of about F-C with it, but I have a few problems.

1. I have to use a whole lot of breath to sing falsetto at all. I think I'm even going to have to get a windscreen to actually be able to record with it. I have support and everything, but it just takes it right out of me.

2. I find it very difficult to shape the sound of my falsetto as I can with my full voice. I can change the tone with my mouth, but not very much at all.

3. My lower falsetto is very, very weak and easily scared away. It will die if I'm the least bit nervous or dehydrated, and can get ugly even if I'm neither; I have very little power on my lower falsetto.

Help?

[Burningwater]

Alright, I know I'm not gonna be as good as Maynard right away...but I've heard him hold some really long screams ( like 20 seconds ) and I can barely muster enough breath for one of his 9 second ones. Is it that I'm not breathing properly(I've been on a swim team most of my life so I guess I've got decent lung capacity) or just not breathing deep enough or just not doing the screams right?

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

iv noticed that you should be able to scream for a pretty long while unless your screaming with incorrect technique by just pushing as had as you can.......ofcourse your not gonna be able to if thats how u scream.......so i suggest u lear how to do it with proper technique an then it would be easier

[Burningwater]

You know, its funny...I ask these questions and 5 minutes later I try to do what I can't do, and I can do them with no effort at all. 13 seconds took absolutely no effort at all, now I gotta try that 20 second one from Judith...

[Merkaba]

see...its weird. I'm in choir, and i like, barally sing at all. But when I'm at home alone, i will sing my lungs out...why is this?
emotional tension.

I cant sing in my bedroom cause i know i have upstairs and downstairs neighbors. Even if i think they are not home, the chance that they are still home makes me hold back and causes tension. cause i dont want to bother anyone with loudness.
its easier in your case because youre talking about two of the same arenas. YOure supposed to sing while in chorus and if youre at home alone then of course youre extra relaxed.

[Merkaba]

Hmmm... I need some help with my falsetto. I have a range of about F-C with it, but I have a few problems.

1. I have to use a whole lot of breath to sing falsetto at all. I think I'm even going to have to get a windscreen to actually be able to record with it. I have support and everything, but it just takes it right out of me.

2. I find it very difficult to shape the sound of my falsetto as I can with my full voice. I can change the tone with my mouth, but not very much at all.

3. My lower falsetto is very, very weak and easily scared away. It will die if I'm the least bit nervous or dehydrated, and can get ugly even if I'm neither; I have very little power on my lower falsetto.

Help?
got a sample?

Falsetto should be easier to shape and move.
I'm willing to bet youre not pressurized the cords first with the diaphgragm and youre just shooting air right out. Try to feel like youre about to sing it in head, just let the cords open up. THey will unless you strain to try to hit a high head that you cant, this is a bad practice anyways.

[Merkaba]

Alright, I know I'm not gonna be as good as Maynard right away...but I've heard him hold some really long screams ( like 20 seconds ) and I can barely muster enough breath for one of his 9 second ones. Is it that I'm not breathing properly(I've been on a swim team most of my life so I guess I've got decent lung capacity) or just not breathing deep enough or just not doing the screams right?

Its your technique more than likely. Not your lung capacity. Im sure youre breathing deep enough. YOu just have to stop up the pressure behind the cords BEFORE you make the sound. If you havent, visit the voicehelp hotline.
Its Hard to describe. It just takes practice learning your self and how much pressure youre capable of using behind a note. The thing is that its not much of a scream, per say. Its just a high note with rasp. But when it comes out it sounds worse than it is due to all the distortions. Once you get it down it just feel like youre kinda gargling the note. If do a light gargle sound you can get a general feel as to where you should feel the rasp. Like i always say. back off first. See if you can get the same sound. Then add more pressure later.
The tank is the diaphragm area, the valve is the cords . dont constrict or tens anything. This puts an imbalanced kink in your air hose, resulting in faulty pressure and possibly blowouts.

[italic zero]

got a sample?

Falsetto should be easier to shape and move.
I'm willing to bet youre not pressurized the cords first with the diaphgragm and youre just shooting air right out. Try to feel like youre about to sing it in head, just let the cords open up. THey will unless you strain to try to hit a high head that you cant, this is a bad practice anyways.

Yeah, sure. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/2/standsformusic.htm

I think I am just shooting the air straight out, I can't really seem to do anything else even with a ton of concious support from my diaphram... :confused:

[Burningwater]

thanks merk

[Merkaba]

Burning..you might should practice taking a good breath and making an sss sound. you should be able to hold a slow one for at least thirty seconds. then turn it into a zzz sound.. work around with that pressure and feel til you can make a regular note...then a hard note...then a scream. it might not be instant but i think it will help with the feel.

[The Spliggity Splot]

I heard somewhere that practicing singing in your head voice for a while makes your voice better...is that true?

[Merkaba]

I heard somewhere that practicing singing in your head voice for a while makes your voice better...is that true?
i would say so if you do it with good technique. anything that practices holding the cords together under pressure results in more strength and stamina.

[Merkaba]

Hmmm... I need some help with my falsetto. I have a range of about F-C with it, but I have a few problems.

1. I have to use a whole lot of breath to sing falsetto at all. I think I'm even going to have to get a windscreen to actually be able to record with it. I have support and everything, but it just takes it right out of me.

2. I find it very difficult to shape the sound of my falsetto as I can with my full voice. I can change the tone with my mouth, but not very much at all.

3. My lower falsetto is very, very weak and easily scared away. It will die if I'm the least bit nervous or dehydrated, and can get ugly even if I'm neither; I have very little power on my lower falsetto.

Help?

??
I dont think this was much in your falsetto range. You can do this stuff with a mid head....you hit a few notes in head it sounded like. I think youre overthinking or is this the wrong link? Now if youre just going for an airy sound, then youre just gonna not have alot pressure or whatnot because thats what gives you the airy sound. You cant really hold an airy note for a long time, ...well...cause its airy. But in this range, i can tell by your voice you can do this is an easy head voice.
?? Im kinda confused here now.

[italic zero]

So am I...

I only did falsetto for a short time at the beginning of the song, it was the only clip I had on hand. Perhaps we have different definitions of falsetto and head voice? I didn't really do any singing in head voice on that recording; it was falsetto at the beginning and chest and middle voice after. Falsetto is, by definition, airy, I believe, though that's not a trait I particularly want to cultivate. I want to be able to produce a strong falsetto with less air, which I think is possible.

By the way, that would be the F above middle C to the C above (first post). There seems to be some lower falsetto marvel, as I'm looking, although a lot of it is countertenor technique. Gah, terminology is so loose between styles.

[poormorris]

question about stomache breathing...

alot of people say "breathe with your stomache and not your chest"

wouldnt it be logical to use both to get max capacity?

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

i think when you use your stomach you are using both

[moaner]

here's a confidance booster for all you singers, me trying to sing "house of the rising sun"

I know the vox are too quiet, didn't realise till after it was uploaded

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/6/moanermusic.htm

[Rats!]

here's a confidance booster for all you singers, me trying to sing "house of the rising sun"

I know the vox are too quiet, didn't realise till after it was uploaded

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/6/moanermusic.htm


you have balls
that blows
rep++

[moaner]

you have balls
that blows
rep++

thanks

I only recorded it to learn how to use audacity.

[ddojo]

hey yeah, im new to singing, and and i was wondering if anyone can tell me what i can do to get better. If theres anything specific i should do, or w/e
http://www.purevolume.com/ivebecome
its not very good haha, and i was a little bit sick when i was recording it but yeah, i just wanna get better
thanks

[Teri Jo]

i have the general problem of being unable to sing. I am ok with a mic but without it i suck. Is that normal? The style i (am trying to) sing is a rock/grunge thing. No need to worry about screaming tho cos i've got that nailed
:smoke:

It sounds like you just need to HEAR yourself. It's why musicians and singers have monitors. We always sound different in our head than "out there"

It also may be that you're trying to get the volume without a mic that you get with one.

Just my humble opinions!!

Teri Jo

[Teri Jo]

question about stomache breathing...

alot of people say "breathe with your stomache and not your chest"

wouldnt it be logical to use both to get max capacity?


The trick is to push the sound out. That's why they tell you to use your "stomach" although what they mean is your diaphram.

Using your chest might get the sound out but you are also stressing your throat more. It also depends what you are singing. Some soft sweet song shouldn't be "power" sung. I'm pretty sure when I sing I'm using my chest too, after all, that's where the air has to get into. But to push the sound OUT I'm using my stomach.

As with anything, the way to get better is to do it over and over and over and over and... you get the idea. I sing all the time, because I love music. But somehow, singing with the radio in the car isn't the same as practicing. I haven't figured out why except, I'm sitting, but I'm sure there are other reasons!

Teri Jo

[LeadSinger327]

Hey Merkaba, don't know if you remember me. I'm the one dude with all the flem problems while singing emo lol...welp i think ive solved it...I do my warm ups all the time and I wrote my own song not trying to copy someone's vocals...kinda gave me a control of the music...like usually in other songs i try to hard to copy the guy, but when i write my own i can handle my own vocals (duh) so it sounds better, lol...and i just wanted you to hear one of my songs. and if you could please tell me if it sounds ok lol..welp thanks for all the help!

The Sound Click website (http://www.soundclick.com/bands/8/startingoverusmusic.htm)

Choose "She's a whore" for my original. And "Last Train Home" to hear me sing some other dude's song lol. Thanks much.

- Cody :D

[Rats!]

Dude your voice isn't bad! You're better than 90% of the people on here because you can actually sing notes and hold them. Try to sing less nasally tho!

[LeadSinger327]

Rats, you are the man. Lol. I wanna go for a muse sound but I can't do my falsetto so well lol. I am 15 so I am still going through voice changes, so that could be a factor. Thanks for the input, appreciate it. Welp seeya fools.

[Def_Leppard_80s_Rock]

Singing is all about how you learn to project air through your nose. Personally, i can either sing like im turning the volume up to ten or sing like im off. In order to sing loudly you have to build your diaphragm and your lungs so you don't die of breath. second of all, try your best to practise cutting your vocal chords abit although it might hurt. you dont want to have a soft voice, you want a rusty but clean go through your throat. when you scream, try to sing like axl rose or sing through your nose and it will help you find out wether you can sing or not.

[robman304]

Hey, I've been singing for 2 or 3 years, and I also play a few instruments that have aided me in the process. At this point I can sing pretty strongly, and when I'm warmed up hit 95% of the notes. People think my voice is good but some very popular comments have been that I'm not making it sound like me, that it's not original, and that it doesn't have "character" or "personal voice." How can you achieve these things? Or do they just come naturally with blending influences, your voice and practice?

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

yes i think it is exactly what you just said.
This is just a thought.

[Metallica6915]

Well, I scream for a hardcore band. Is there anything I could do to improve my screaming?

[UninvitedChaos]

I heard that drinking a little vinager helps you hit the higher/wierder notes is this true?

and i always sing partly out of my nose and i cant stop it, its making me mad because i sound like crap can u help me out?

[Merkaba]

I heard that drinking a little vinager helps you hit the higher/wierder notes is this true?

and i always sing partly out of my nose and i cant stop it, its making me mad because i sound like crap can u help me out?
Why would drinking a fluid help you hit notes?
Gargling it is ok for helping break up mucus because when you gargle a small amount of the mist eventually contacts the cords. Its not a cure all or miracle thing, but part of a bigger regimen i would say.
If youre singing nasally alot, then you might be tensing up your throat. The voichelp hotline has lots of tips for relaxing the throat. You also need to work on understanding when and where your shift from chest to head voice.

[Rats!]

I heard that drinking a little vinager helps you hit the higher/wierder notes is this true?

and i always sing partly out of my nose and i cant stop it, its making me mad because i sound like crap can u help me out?

vinegar?? ****in nasty! thats gotta be bad cuz you throw up after you drink it.

[Merkaba]

Well, I scream for a hardcore band. Is there anything I could do to improve my screaming?
voicehelp hotline sticky

[Merkaba]

vinegar?? ****in nasty! thats gotta be bad cuz you throw up after you drink it.
Its not THAT bad. I drink a tablespoon a day(not for voice reasons)
Good for ya! :thumb:

[Merkaba]

Hey Merkaba, don't know if you remember me. I'm the one dude with all the flem problems while singing emo lol...welp i think ive solved it...I do my warm ups all the time and I wrote my own song not trying to copy someone's vocals...kinda gave me a control of the music...like usually in other songs i try to hard to copy the guy, but when i write my own i can handle my own vocals (duh) so it sounds better, lol...and i just wanted you to hear one of my songs. and if you could please tell me if it sounds ok lol..welp thanks for all the help!

The Sound Click website (http://www.soundclick.com/bands/8/startingoverusmusic.htm)

Choose "She's a whore" for my original. And "Last Train Home" to hear me sing some other dude's song lol. Thanks much.

- Cody :D

I remember you. I'm just now getting around to this post. Its late and i have dial up so i dont feel like the potential time i might have to put into now. I'll check it out soon though! Glad to see youre making progress!

[Rats!]

yo merkaba can you check out my scream samples i posted a while ago: http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5871310&postcount=323 and tell me if they sound like im doin it right?

thanks!

[Metallica6915]

They all kinda sounded the same. It's not like horrible but you could definitly improve.

[Metallica6915]

They all kinda sounded the same. It's not like horrible but you could definitly improve.

[Rats!]

Coo... thanks. I didn't try to make them sound different tho.

[SchismBassist]

I got a question. I would like to know how Josh from Norma Jean ( now in The Chariot) screams. It's so unique and I love it. What exact way would you approach his scream?

[KingEdward5150]

k my favorite singers are by far Bruce dickenson and sebastion bach (skid row)

I actaully have a pretty good range....ive spent a lot of work on smoothing my brakes (humming up and down ur range works really well as a drill)

how do you maintain 'depth' like dickenson or bolton does....like i can sing high enough with out falsetto but i just cant get that tone/depth....

sebastion bach....its not screaming but he does these incredible 'screaches' climaxs at the end of remember yesturday and quicksand......he like screams yet still sings.... like ive heard u kind of whisper but put more air??? im lost...(its not emo screaming or watever modern dayt punk stuff)

[neiltrett]

Ok post tips for singing and how to improve, or give sites.
check out the thread that the guy requests advice on screaming damaging your voice.i tried to give some good advice on throat care and singing from your gut,not your throat...hope it helps! :thumb: neil

[neiltrett]

Hmmmmm Interesting questions DaneCobain. I will try to answer them.
It is pretty sad when your own parents put you down, & call your singing crap. I was lucky. back in the day, both my parents were super supportive, even when I sucked starting out.
I think you parents might have "Issues" with your singing. You might ask them nicely, if they could just stay "Neutral", while you are learning your craft.
You style of music, especially if it's thrash, punk, or death metal, might be difficult for your parents to deal with, but hey, each generation has their own music.

Also, what you heard is NOT true. When your voice breaks & cracks & you go hoarse & feel some pain...that is your vocal chords telling you to "Lay off".There is some damage going on..So rest your voice, take large doses of Vitamin C, & some hot tea with a bit of honey...
& allow your vocal chords to heal...pushing your voice harder, will only result in permanent damage...

Good luck with your parents..I hope they cut you some slack...

Rock on...

Jay
i agree.dont push your voice before its had chance to develop properly :o

[neiltrett]

i have the general problem of being unable to sing. I am ok with a mic but without it i suck. Is that normal? The style i (am trying to) sing is a rock/grunge thing. No need to worry about screaming tho cos i've got that nailed
:smoke:
hey there!just browsing and caught this thread....if you think you suck with no mic its probably because you havent spent enough time actually developing your voice,so you lack confidence...if you are comfortable with your voice with no mic,you will find that you can really surprise yourself with how good you sound through a mic.this is the thing:if you lack confidence you will always sound weak.lose yourself in the vocal.i mean completely lose yourself in the sound of your own voice.its a big help to block out everything around you and get into a sort of meditatve state.this will help you be less shy when you sing.i can not stress how important the self confidence thing is.and remember:you will probably always sound better to yourself when you can hide behind a wall of reverb and expensive p.a. gear.the important thing is to sound good in the shower,bus stop,wherever...good luck!

[neiltrett]

i have the general problem of being unable to sing. I am ok with a mic but without it i suck. Is that normal? The style i (am trying to) sing is a rock/grunge thing. No need to worry about screaming tho cos i've got that nailed
:smoke:
hey there!just browsing and caught this thread....if you think you suck with no mic its probably because you havent spent enough time actually developing your voice,so you lack confidence...if you are comfortable with your voice with no mic,you will find that you can really surprise yourself with how good you sound through a mic.this is the thing:if you lack confidence you will always sound weak.lose yourself in the vocal.i mean completely lose yourself in the sound of your own voice.its a big help to block out everything around you and get into a sort of meditatve state.this will help you be less shy when you sing.i can not stress how important the self confidence thing is.and remember:you will probably always sound better to yourself when you can hide behind a wall of reverb and expensive p.a. gear.the important thing is to sound good in the shower,bus stop,wherever...good luck! :thumb:

[Rats]

Thanks for the comments. Can you try to put spaces after periods and commas? Thanks again.

[neiltrett]

Got a question.

I'm singin for my metal band and we had a nice little gig last friday. We had a nice stage with big lights and stuff, and a smoke machine as well. I had quite a hard time singing and I think the smoke has something to do with it. My throat was dry and I couldn't hit the high notes I usually can sing. Maybe I just had a bad day though.
Has any of you ever experienced the same problems?
its bad enough doing gigs in a barroom full of cigarette smoke,add a smoke machine and yes,you are in for trouble.the key to singing well,after all is breathing.so,if you have a lungful of smoke all night,for sure its gonna take its toll...

[neiltrett]

Singing is all about how you learn to project air through your nose. Personally, i can either sing like im turning the volume up to ten or sing like im off. In order to sing loudly you have to build your diaphragm and your lungs so you don't die of breath. second of all, try your best to practise cutting your vocal chords abit although it might hurt. you dont want to have a soft voice, you want a rusty but clean go through your throat. when you scream, try to sing like axl rose or sing through your nose and it will help you find out wether you can sing or not.
?????sing through your nose??maybe if ya wanna sound like some sort of nasal country singer...

[Phototropic]

Hey I just ordered the book, 'singing for dummies' as my band are starting to go somewhere with the music and we need a singer so me and the other guitarist are learning

Anybody bought this book?!

[Screamin_Demon_Auz]

I got the book for Christmas and im reading it now. It actually covers quite a bit and I think it'll help. The CD has exercises on it that are pretty good too. I suggest you read it all the way through from beginning to end, and do all the exercises when it says to since your a beginner. The books good for the basics, but I suggest that you get a vocal trainer eventually, for maybe even just a few lessons to at least get some good personalized warm up and warm down exercises. It'll save your voice, and make it possible to sing even on your worst days with colds, flu, bronchitis, whatever it is except for laryngitis. Good luck

[Phototropic]

Why thank you :)

Cant wait to get it now

Why cant everyone be as friendly and helpful :p

Cheers :D

[deadlikeme222]

dude so u scream with ur throat NOT with your gut??? cuz i know plenty of people who scream with their throat. HELP

[Phototropic]

I'm nervous enough as it is about singing and today my mother went and told my auntie :angry:

Who'l probs blab to everyone else

Why the f u ck like!?

:upset: *put off*

Singing for dummies is complicated

I think I need to go to a teacher

[Screamin_Demon_Auz]

deadinlove,
singing for dummies really isnt that complicated after you start to learn some of the terms. The best thing for you to do is go straight to the CD and just work on the exercises, and read the comments in the book on each exercise. It tells you what your supposed to be feeling while you do the exercises.

[Phototropic]

deadinlove,
singing for dummies really isnt that complicated after you start to learn some of the terms. The best thing for you to do is go straight to the CD and just work on the exercises, and read the comments in the book on each exercise. It tells you what your supposed to be feeling while you do the exercises.

oh thanks man :)

I was hoping you'd reply

Everyones going out now so I'll go start :p

:thumb:

[Screamin_Demon_Auz]

No problem,
start on Chapter 11 with the CD, its the chapter I believe that goes track by track with the CD

[Merkaba]

I'm nervous enough as it is about singing and today my mother went and told my auntie :angry:

Who'l probs blab to everyone else

Why the f u ck like!?

:upset: *put off*

Singing for dummies is complicated

I think I need to go to a teacher
fvck em...hold on to the feelings and let it drive you to be better, and you can write a good song about it all. I've been through it too...sux.

[Merkaba]

dude so u scream with ur throat NOT with your gut??? cuz i know plenty of people who scream with their throat. HELP
Actually its both but people just generally say the gut because you need to be brining the pressure from the gut. if you dont you will attempt to find the extra pressure that you need for the sound and affects by closing your throat off to let the pressure build behind the cords. This can lead to exponentially shorter work time, quicker fatigue, which equals less work done for the cords and muscles, and a higher chance of damage. But screaming with rasp is technically still using the throat because youre pushing extra air out past the cords onto the back of the throat. Its such a slight thing that i think I'm going to start referring to it as leaving the throat in the way. Because you just relax and you dont squeeze it down.

to sum up, you come from the gut, you activate the cords to get the tone you want with optimal balance, then after all that is down, then you work on getting it to sound distorted.

[Phototropic]

fvck em...hold on to the feelings and let it drive you to be better, and you can write a good song about it all. I've been through it too...sux.

Cheers Merkaba :) :D

[benfan]

i have a specific question i would like to be answered please. im a begginer singer, and have started singing with my band, but i want to be able to sing like my heros (hetfield, zakk wylde, ect) but when i try i cant get that gruff growl kind of thing. as i said im a begginer and cant really afford lessons at this moment in time, so any advice will be appreciated :thumb:

[Merkaba]

Cheers Merkaba :) :D
:chug:

[barclay]

Yea I havent been able to start trying your execrises yet, but besides my desire to be the greatest guitarist ever (no joke, though i know there is no greatest ever) I would love to be able to sing.....I have been told i am tone deaf.....and i really started to believe it when i started playing guitar and i couldnt tune my own guitar.....My favorite singer is James Heitfield from Metallica, and i still try and match my voice to his all the time

Man, I am the exact same way.

[fuel4fire]

hey, does anyone know of a bass singing blues? i would like to know because i am a bass and i would like to sing blues but i have never heard a bass in blues before

[Merkaba]

hey, does anyone know of a bass singing blues? i would like to know because i am a bass and i would like to sing blues but i have never heard a bass in blues before
Well do it. It would be more original. If youre worth a shlt.

[Samick]

i got 2 question.
1. who makes a cheap vocal processor and were can i get one.
2. were can i get a vocal warm up track and do u really need one.

[Screamin_Demon_Auz]

1.Alesis Picoverb Processer is Approx. $80, Digitech Voco300 I believe its called is around $200. Alesis 3630 Compressor/Gate/Limiter is $100. Check them out

2.Look on GETSIGNED.COM for the two MP3s of Mark Baxters. Theres a warm up one and SECRETS OF SCREAMING

[Samick]

thanx :wave:

[guitarro777]

Yeah i'd like to know what type of voice does Cedric Bixler Zavala of the mars volta have? I'd say, tenor. I can sing and hit some of the notes he hits (but not as in tune or as strong, as I am new to singing, it'll take a while for me to sing like him) so I'd just like to know. Also, how do I know when I'm singing falsetto. I guess i'm a baritone, cause I can sing f#2 but my range is like almost 3 octaves! Do I have a high range or am I counting falsetto in this too? When do the notes you sing transition from your "normal" range into falsetto? Thanks guys.

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

can u just download the mp3s or do u have to buy them?

[Merkaba]

Yeah i'd like to know what type of voice does Cedric Bixler Zavala of the mars volta have? I'd say, tenor. I can sing and hit some of the notes he hits (but not as in tune or as strong, as I am new to singing, it'll take a while for me to sing like him) so I'd just like to know. Also, how do I know when I'm singing falsetto. I guess i'm a baritone, cause I can sing f#2 but my range is like almost 3 octaves! Do I have a high range or am I counting falsetto in this too? When do the notes you sing transition from your "normal" range into falsetto? Thanks guys.
I like ced and mars and atdi's stuff.
Well i think its nearly impossible to tell from his work. As far as trying to find out where one lays in the Fach system its kinda a stickie area.

Its a system based on projection and resonance that was needed in the older operas and stuff in theatres. Its more or less based on where the voice breaks between registers and one has to really know where their true voice ends and falsetto starts or begins to start and whether or not youre trying to tense up to alter it. The voice back in those days needed to carry and resonance helped. You get resonance by having the tension all the way throught the cords uniformly...aka true voice. Once the cords start to lose this they dont vibrate as well and the tones dont reach to the back of the audience. Dont quote me on this but if you can hit the a or b above middle c in your normal voice, comfortably,....... then you might want to consider looking into tenorhood...again, dont quote me.

Today in rock we have so much falsetto and mixed voice that it just doesnt make that much of a difference. I think alot of people want to be or know the exception. Tenors are way more rare than baritones and people want to be a tenor or reach higher notes just because. its more about working with the instrument you have. Youre just not gonna get a good sounding treble out of a 16 inch woofer no matter how good you are. A tight baritone is way better than a sloppy tenor. Plus i know from experience that a good smokey baritone sound can raise the hairs on a girls neck if you can swoon,hehe... :naughty: I'm just addressing this issue in general because alot of people always ask about whats your range, whats my range, what am I , etc. Today it doesnt matter unless your doing classical music. Although, technically it does help to do music based on your voice....technically. But who does that?

I can do all of Ced's stuff dead on, at least what i've heard, but I'm not a tenor. Freeze without an answer, free from all the shame....Good stuff!

[Rats]

Is there any special technique used for runs? Those runs that Usher does on his new song are pretty ****ing awesome... at one part he goes like 2 octaves down and then back up. I can't even do a 4 note run. Am I supposed to be doing them the same way I usually sing, or are they a totally different technique?

[Eminence]

Hey guys I have a questions

Over the past 6 months (im nearly 18) my falsetto has gone weird (i dont use it often) when I try and go into the falsetto range it might hold a falsetto note for a sec, but then it sounds raspy or drops out of falsetto, then maybe back into falsetto

or sometimes i try and go falsetto but NO notes come out, just the sound of me breathing out

I dont smoke
Dont Drink alcohol or coffee

thanks alot

[EcolliJK]

Quick question:
anyone got some chest-voice range expanding exercises for me?

[EcolliJK]

here a simple vocal warm-up thingy
online+downloadable
http://www.bobmarks.com/warmup.html

[Merkaba]

Quick question:
anyone got some chest-voice range expanding exercises for me?
Chest voice? Not really something you can look into expanding. Youre gonna break into head at your "god given" bridge area whether you like it or not. And trying to do otherwise increases the chance for tension. hell it is tension. Other than keeping the larynx down there's really not much to do to expand chest. Trying to sing a head note with chest voice isnt a good practice.

http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=286232

[Merkaba]

Hey guys I have a questions

Over the past 6 months (im nearly 18) my falsetto has gone weird (i dont use it often) when I try and go into the falsetto range it might hold a falsetto note for a sec, but then it sounds raspy or drops out of falsetto, then maybe back into falsetto

or sometimes i try and go falsetto but NO notes come out, just the sound of me breathing out

I dont smoke
Dont Drink alcohol or coffee

thanks alot
incorrect technique and/or puberty related....
http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=286232

[guitarro777]

So Merkaba, When I sing, the notes are out of tune. Does it take a while to develope your voice so you can sing notes perfect? I can hear and I know when I'm not in tune, and I can hear the note but I just can't match my intonation with that of the piano or the guitar ( I play guitar so usualy it's on my guitar.) My friend told me to sing scales (he's not a good singer, he's learning too, but his mom is an awesome singer, so he gets tips from her) but my intonation is way off. So i guess the jist of my question is: is not getting the notes in tune a muscianship/ear problem, or a "voice-box/vocal chords not yet developed" problem?

Perhaps I should post a recording of me singing (God help us all!) so u can see what the problem might be?

[Merkaba]

Guitarro...

Some times people miss notes by having tension in the larynx area so that the cords dont exactly get the intended amount of pull or stretch for the note your brain has in mind. That combined with too much or too little air can help miss notes as well. But in general...youre probably just inconsitent with your ear. If youre thinking too much about the notes or melodies youre trying to sing it will throw you off because you'll tense up as well. I would say just relax and dont think about the notes as much. Its hard to do if people are around. And of course practicing scales is a fundamental and that can always help. I like to just make up my own runs and scats along with my favorite songs. Try adding extra lyrics in spaces or solos ..that really helpe me. And singing acapella is good too. I guarantee if you get alone by yourself with noone around you will grow twice as fast.

[rockster_steph]

Hey, I'm only the backup singer/lead guitarist in our band but I need some tips on singing to be able to help improve my friend/lead singer too, she's good, but with the music we play she has a hard time catching on

[Merkaba]

Hey, I'm only the backup singer/lead guitarist in our band but I need some tips on singing to be able to help improve my friend/lead singer too, she's good, but with the music we play she has a hard time catching on
http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219911

[Twentybelow]

I've been doing backup vocals for my band for a few months now and i've been reading all these posts and stuff and its been a lot of help, i know im not that good, but im getting lessons soon. The only thing is, i have a lisp and i get really shy when i do the backup vocals. :upset: I honestly think i'd do better and be able to learn more if i didnt have a lisp. Does anybody know if theres anything i can do about it?
-Anthony

[airborne50caliber]

does the lisp show through in your singing as well? if it does, you could build it into your singing to achieve some nice effects!

[Merkaba]

Lots of people lose speach impediments when they start singing especially with a good teacher. I'm sure it will help!

[Twentybelow]

My friends say it goes away when i sing, but when i record myself doing some acoustic songs i hear it and i hate it, but maybe its just me and my low self-esteem. I'll get through it. Thanks a lot, you guys are really helpful. On some message boards and stuff people can be really mean and stuff, but you guys are really really nice. Thanks again :-)

[Screamin_Demon_Auz]

Two of my favorite rock singers (PAUL STANLEY of KISS and Steve Whiteman of KIX) have lisps and it really doesnt matter. They make up for it by being great vocalist's and you can too for that matter

[Merkaba]

Yea for some reason this forum usually is pretty cool. Now if you go in the pit its like no holds barred in there. Some threads are just typical. LIke Rock and metal..of course there's gonna be a lot of mochismo. Probably wont find any in piano...etc, etc. hehe.

Yea many teachers tell you to kinda exaggerate words so that all of the word is sung. This can help too.

[Screamin_Demon_Auz]

Heres something I found in SINGING FOR DUMMIES

"If you have problems with a lisp, make sure that your S is made with the tip of the tongue against the roof of your mouth (not your teeth) while the sides of your tongue are touching your teeth. If you S sounds too similar to a leaky tire, you need to release the grip on the tip of your tongue. Practice saying the word PIZZA. Hesitate on the first part of the Z (the t sound moves into sah). Release the air slowly to feel and hear the S. Take some time and hold out the S sound to feel the movement of the airflow."

Don't know how much that'll help but its the only thing i've ever seen on the subject in my books

[Merkaba]

I suggest you just practice s's ...but i suggest you do it normally but with the teeth clenched shut. It will help train the tongue and you can eventually work a new habit into its placement for a clean sound. I dont know..try both ways and see what helps for you.

[Jovianknight]

I was going post a thread about singing, but I saw this thread...

Anyway, I have the vocal range that I want. I have no problems there... but what can I do to get a purer sounding voice? I have a airy, breathy voice, and I want to get a pure voice. For example, like Jeff Buckley, Muse, Radiohead, Coldplay, Keane, etc...

Any tips?

[Rats]

I was going post a thread about singing, but I saw this thread...

Anyway, I have the vocal range that I want. I have no problems there... but what can I do to get a purer sounding voice? I have a airy, breathy voice, and I want to get a pure voice. For example, like Jeff Buckley, Muse, Radiohead, Coldplay, Keane, etc...

Any tips?


Can you post a sample of your voice? Maybe sing something by one of those artists.

[Merkaba]

I was going post a thread about singing, but I saw this thread...

Anyway, I have the vocal range that I want. I have no problems there... but what can I do to get a purer sounding voice? I have a airy, breathy voice, and I want to get a pure voice. For example, like Jeff Buckley, Muse, Radiohead, Coldplay, Keane, etc...

Any tips?

I would recommend making sure youre using proper technique and breath support. And do vocal workouts so that your strength level will be more than adequate. Like, if you can only benchpress 200 pounds then it will be hard to to 190 a lot. But if you can bench 400, you can do 190 a hell of a lot better. Thats why so many screamers can sing well. You have to be able to close up the cords tight around the air. When you sing there is nothing constant. The cords are actually basically pooting....or poofing air like 200 hundred or so times a second open and close and open and close etc. So if you have flexible and strong cords they can do this tighter which leads to better tone, clarity, less breathiness, more stamina, etc. ...

[Walrus Gumboot]

What kind of style did John Lennon have? My sister said I kinda sound like a female version of him, (not bad) maybe I just sing from my throat

[Nick Morzov]

I was going post a thread about singing, but I saw this thread...

Anyway, I have the vocal range that I want. I have no problems there... but what can I do to get a purer sounding voice? I have a airy, breathy voice, and I want to get a pure voice. For example, like Jeff Buckley, Muse, Radiohead, Coldplay, Keane, etc...

Any tips?

here's some advice on how to make a more gut sounding voice and make it less airy:

sit up straight (or stand)
put your hand on you stomach and tense up your ab muscles
that's what you should be doing when you sing the way you're asking to
also pay attention to the air passing through your nose it might add to the breathy sound you're getting

all in all sing out of your gut and not your chest... it's almost like thowing up the notes :)

[Rats]

here's some advice on how to make a more gut sounding voice and make it less airy:

sit up straight (or stand)
put your hand on you stomach and tense up your ab muscles
that's what you should be doing when you sing the way you're asking to
also pay attention to the air passing through your nose it might add to the breathy sound you're getting

all in all sing out of your gut and not your chest... it's almost like thowing up the notes :)

sup bitch

[Nick Morzov]

sup bitch

dude check out the metallica thread. i said lars sucks and all hell broke loose :lol:

[Merkaba]

What kind of style did John Lennon have? My sister said I kinda sound like a female version of him, (not bad) maybe I just sing from my throat
I cant really remember what he sounds like. But does it matter? Style wise...

if youre singing from your throat then you can definitely get better.

[Merkaba]

here's some advice on how to make a more gut sounding voice and make it less airy:

sit up straight (or stand)
put your hand on you stomach and tense up your ab muscles
that's what you should be doing when you sing the way you're asking to
also pay attention to the air passing through your nose it might add to the breathy sound you're getting

all in all sing out of your gut and not your chest... it's almost like thowing up the notes :)
I was gonna refute this post but its pretty accurate. The only thing is to make sure you dont squeeze your abs like youre crunching. You should kinda think about them coming up and in not just tensing. But yes, its kinda like throwing up notes.

[uninvitedm]

Hi, I'm not sure if I'm breathing properly. I'm trying lying on the floor, book on my stomach and breathing in to push it up but I can't tell if I'm doing it right or just breathing in (the wrong way) and pushing my stomach out myself without realising (if that makes sense). Like sometimes I'll still be taking some air in when my stomach seems to be outward as much as it can manage. Is there any clear way to tell if you're doing the breathing correctly, or any advice?

Thanks
Mike

[Merkaba]

...book on your stomach....RELAX and just take a slow deep breath. The book should move first before your chest rises. RELAX! and just breath. Some people just draw their stomachs in when they take deep breaths and you dont want to do that and if you relax you wont. Dont over think this stuff.

[darksoul0013]

i just tried out for a metal band yesterday and today my throat and all that is hurting like hell....they want me to do a really deep scream...i did it and it didnt hurt but when i would do other screams like higher pitch ones it made my throat hurt...i know im not doing stuff right....oh and that deep scream i cant do it constantly..i will do it once and then try to do it again and i cant...so like i said its not consistant....i dont know if its because i havent been in a band for awhile and my cords are out of shape...i am really serious about this...oh and i also heard that gargling helps strengthen your cords...i also heard you use vinegar...everyone on here seems cool and seems like they want to help...and help is what i need..thanks

[Screamin_Demon_Auz]

Gargling is not going to strengthen your cords at all. The only time gargling helps your voice is when you gargle warm salt water to bring up mucus when your sick and have too much coating your throat.

[you want romance?]

ok now i'm cutting a long storie short to ask for a few really needed tips here...see, i'm recording with my band in two weeks and i have a small problem that might become a big embaresing problem...i ****ing **** myself when i'm standing in front of the anti pop filter and the mic...like i get all tense, my chest feels like it's compresed, same as live...an dit's really hard to sing properly!!!! how can i do to get a little more confidente?! and yeah also, i think my voice is still braking so that's maybe where this second problem comes from...sometimes when i sing with my band, my voice suddenly goes like IIIIi really loud and extremly high pitched for like half a second and it burns my throat something awfull!!! what the **** is happening!? and yeah after like 2 hours of singing sometimes i get really tired and can hardly talk...i must b doing something wrong no? last thing, what kind of singer (alto, mezzo...) is the funeral for a friend singer? go check him out www.purevolume.com/funeralforafriend
thanx in advance

[barclay]

Hey, I was wondering if there was a way to become a good singer. I really like singing and when I sing along with music I think I sound okay but I have recorded myself singing and I just sound like I'm talking, not singing and it sounds like crap. Just wondering if anyone can help me out. Thanks.

[Screamin_Demon_Auz]

you want romance? ,
check out this article....



"Approaching the Studio"
(. . . and how to leave with something worth while)
by Mark Baxter

Sooner or later you’ll have to go in there, and sooner or later you’ll have to come out.
For some, the studio is a haven for creation. The controlled environment provides a cocoon for exploring a song. People who love to record, though, are usually reluctant to release their creations into the hostile acoustics of the real world. Instead, their songs remain a work-in-progress as they claim a quest for perfection. This is not the greatest way to move a career forward. For the rest of us, the studio is a vacuum. Not only does it suck the cash from our wallets, it drains our music of its energy. It’s frustrating when that beer-soaked, sweaty stage vibe you’ve become known for never makes it on tape. Obviously, we can’t hold the studio responsible (although many do); a studio is just a room full of equipment. The problem lies within. As soon as the red light comes on we try too hard or become self-conscious. Overcoming this anxiety, can be as simple as adjusting your prospective going in.

Singing on stage is different than singing in a studio, just like acting on Broadway is not the same as acting in a movie. However, singers have to work in both forums while actors normally focus on one. Treating the studio like a live gig is a typical error in approach. No one cares if a vocal was recorded in one pass, yet lots of singers feel embarrassed when they require multiple takes. What matters is the end result. Like a movie, the singing you hear on CD’s is really a quilt of the best phrases seamlessly sewn together. It’s not cheating; it takes stamina and a mental focus to maintain vocal continuity for several hours. In other words, chops. This doesn’t have to result in a sterile recording. Even after many rehearsals, actors often screw up their lines when shooting a film. Sometimes the mistakes work better than the original idea. It takes a good director to know when to wrap a scene.

When recording, a producer plays the role of movie director. It’s his or her job to organize the project before approaching the studio and then to inspire better performances once recording begins. Unfortunately, many bands choose to save money by producing themselves and wind up paying in the end by wasting time on a demo which falls short of their potential. There is a physical connection when you perform and it’s hard to separate the effort from the outcome. A producer provides an invaluable overview. Incidentally, it’s a dependence on the physical side of performing which tends to make people say that your band "sounds" better live. During a gig, your fans witness your effort and that plays heavily in their experience of a song. Recording, though, is like playing a concert for the blind. Without the visual aspect, your music may not have as much impact as you think. It usually takes an outside observer to suggest some changes. If you can’t afford a producer, spread your recording session out over many weeks. Let some time pass by before listening to rough mixes in order to gain a fresh perspective on what you’ve done.

Recording also requires an adjustment in the way you rehearse. It’s amazing how many people enter the studio over-anxious and under prepared. There’s no excuse for a band to engage in momentum killing arguments over a song they’ve been playing for a year. Get it right before the clock starts ticking. Rehearse the recording process, not just the song. Use a four track cassette deck and run through the steps just as you will in the studio. Everyone should know what everyone else is playing. To relieve "red light fever," get into the habit of recording rehearsals. Experience will show that the best performances come once everyone forgets that tape is rolling -- a simple but important point to remember, every time you approach the studio.

I would had just posted the link but it wouldnt work for some reason...

[Merkaba]

i just tried out for a metal band yesterday and today my throat and all that is hurting like hell....they want me to do a really deep scream...i did it and it didnt hurt but when i would do other screams like higher pitch ones it made my throat hurt...i know im not doing stuff right....oh and that deep scream i cant do it constantly..i will do it once and then try to do it again and i cant...so like i said its not consistant....i dont know if its because i havent been in a band for awhile and my cords are out of shape...i am really serious about this...oh and i also heard that gargling helps strengthen your cords...i also heard you use vinegar...everyone on here seems cool and seems like they want to help...and help is what i need..thanks
If youre REALLY serious then you wont mind reading through this informative forum. and be sure to read everything in this thread.... http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219911

You should never have pain ever when doing vocals of any kind. Period. And gargling with vinegar only helps to reduce a bit of the mucus associated with alot of singing or screaming. But no, gargling will not strengthen your cords...why/how would it? The only thing that strengthens the cords and the muscles are the things that strengthen all of the other parts of the body. a thorough warm up so that youre working them and not fatiguing them,Repitition, proper technique, and increasing resitance over time...followed by a warm down. Now go read through that link and realize how much you didnt know when its explained in easily understood ways, and feel excited about how much you will soon know and grow. If you dont get in that band or the next, then it wasnt meant to be, for a reason, so dont fret. It could be your opportunity for you to realize how much you can grow and how much better you can become. Almost to the point to where you feel like the band is trying out for you.

[Merkaba]

ok now i'm cutting a long storie short to ask for a few really needed tips here...see, i'm recording with my band in two weeks and i have a small problem that might become a big embaresing problem...i ****ing **** myself when i'm standing in front of the anti pop filter and the mic...like i get all tense, my chest feels like it's compresed, same as live...an dit's really hard to sing properly!!!! how can i do to get a little more confidente?! and yeah also, i think my voice is still braking so that's maybe where this second problem comes from...sometimes when i sing with my band, my voice suddenly goes like IIIIi really loud and extremly high pitched for like half a second and it burns my throat something awfull!!! what the **** is happening!? and yeah after like 2 hours of singing sometimes i get really tired and can hardly talk...i must b doing something wrong no? last thing, what kind of singer (alto, mezzo...) is the funeral for a friend singer? go check him out www.purevolume.com/funeralforafriend
thanx in advance
First off the link doesnt work. And if its a guy its probably baritone or tenor if its a girl it could alto or soprano....what difference would it make to you? None.

For one...if youre that tense then your voice is gonna break. It goes hand in hand. Tensing also makes you over push which will cause breaks of course. Youre tense because you dont know what youre doing..lets face it. If you knew hands down...then you wouldnt get tense would you? So first find out what youre doing. You need to practice so that youre not trying to sing in the wrong voice which will greatly increase breaks. i.e. know where your falsetto starts. http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219911

[ScorpSath]

When recording singing in a home studio what effects should you use, what else can you do to make it sound better?

[Nick Morzov]

chorus maybe? try things out and use what you like the most :)

[Screamin_Demon_Auz]

ScorpSath,
Reverb is used most often. Flange, chorus, harmonizers, compression, theres all kinds of things. None are really going to improve the actually ability of you to sing, they'll just make your voice sound thicker in some cases. A lot of people use pro tools and autotune which is what all the Britney Spears, Ashlee Simpson type people use who can't really sing in tune. I prefer a vocalist who can actually sing, thats why I respect singers more when they've taken lessons and actually learned how to sing instead of relying on machines to help them do it.

Barclay,
As usual lessons are the only way you'll improve a great deal. I would say just keep singing, but that can usually do more damage than good by using improper technique. Search all over the net for free websites with articles, and get on Ebay or Amazon and get yourself some books on singing technique. Read reviews for yourself and decide what will help you the most. Set up a practice routine and try to keep with it. Always warm up on exercises from books, lessons, or websites. It'll help your stanima, and more importantly it will help improve your singing. Doing exercises are really the only thing that helps a lot with improving your abilities.

[barclay]

Thanks.

[Merkaba]

yea...what auz said

[lloydapalooza]

hi i was just wondering if i could get any tips to strengthen and improve my singing, espeially my falsetto. i would like to strengthen it to be able to scream.

also, can anyone post how to do vibrato? i have no clue how to do it

heres a link to my soundclick
soundclick (http://www.soundclick.com/bands/0/lloydapaloozamusic.htm)

[Rats]

read the thread and merkaba's voice help hotline

[Ronald Reagan]

I've got a question about a singing technique. How does one sing 'scratchy?' A good example, Twist and Shout by the Beatles. It's a clean yet scratchy voice, beautiful.

[Sgt._Joker]

ooo theres a prob with that example of "Twist and Shout", John Lennon had a sore throat at the time, so thats why his voice was so scrachy,

BUT the way i sing scrachy is, after listewning to john lennon and Liam Gallagher from Oasis, i juust imitate them, and after a while the scratchyness comes in,.... although i think my way is **** techniqe course sometimes i get a sore throat.

About that!^

How do i sing my "Rock N Roll" style (John Lennon/Liam Gallagher) technically correct.....

[Rats]

Yeah, I think many times in oldies when the singer had a naturally raspy voice, he was having vocal problems at the time. When my voice was ****ed up it was really easy to sing like that.

[Mr.MIKe]

The singer in our band needs serious help... This thread may have what he need. Thanks guys

[ragingrob]

ok so for all you vocalists out there, me and some guys from mx have decided to play some songs together over the net, recording over each others playing until we finish the song, and we are looking for a singer!anyone willing to give it a go?also i am personaly looking for someone who can sing like the beatles or JET....

[earlypunkguitarist]

im sure somethings very wrong with this every time i sing i have trouble hitting certain notes that are right in the middle of my vocal range. like i can hit the notes above and below it but i cant hit it. its really starting to worry me

[Merkaba]

im sure somethings very wrong with this every time i sing i have trouble hitting certain notes that are right in the middle of my vocal range. like i can hit the notes above and below it but i cant hit it. its really starting to worry me
Is this the middle of your scale including falsetto...the girly notes? If so you might be talking about notes in your bridge from head to falseto. Incorrect technique will make you squeeze your throat in this area. You should practice glisse's up and down...relaxed blank face style. As in my voichelp hotline's isolation thread. http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219911

[barclay]

When I sing it sounds like I'm holding back. That can be from my lack of confidence but is there any other way I can get rid of that and sing full force? Every time I try to sing "stronger" I just sing louder and it sounds bad.

[sk8t1228]

I have a horrible voice. I mean bad. If I were to take singing lessons(Which wouldn't be for a while, because I'm still a bad guitar player :), could I train my voice and at least be tolerable?

Edit: Okay, not THAT bad, it's not good, but...

[Peanutman514]

I have been using the mic from my guitar tuner to see if my vocal notes are in tune? Is this very accurate?

[lloydapalooza]

I have been using the mic from my guitar tuner to see if my vocal notes are in tune? Is this very accurate?

i'm thinking that actually recording yourself singing would be a better way to see if your on pitch because a guitar tuner is meant to read a constant note whereas when you sing a note, the pitch fluctuates unless your a good singer.

sorry that was a long sentence.

[Peanutman514]

Thanks for the reply,

also ive been singing for only a couple of weeks now but my range is from an f2 to a d5. does this mean im a tenor or baritone? And is it normal after practicing the extreme notes for my throat to hurt within 15 or so minutes? And after my throat starts hurting when i hit an f2 or f#2 my throat starts to make a quiet gargling sound almost.

[LleWeLLyN]

Hey. How u guys doing.. I just noticed something.. there are alot more male vocalists... Anyways.. I posted something about my self in another thread and i really don't feel lke goin back to copy paste.. So yeah.. I need help with stayin on key sometimes n merk i think u mentioned sumfingabout a program?????????????????? Cuz theres this one evanescence song that i CANNOT sing.. My immortal.. i hate it so much right now.. but i neeeeeeeeed to sing it WELL!
I don't like them as a band.. i just like her vocals.. I can sing alot of other stuff like Theater of Tragedy, Lullacry, Lacuna coil, two nightwish songs and Within temptations.. n just started towork on strengthening.. and that song is pissing me off!!

[PunkyMcEmo]

play a note on your guitar, and try to match it with your voice. use a tuner if you have to, just to make sure youre on tune. practice that until you can match notes pretty well, and youll be able to do it.


anyways, i have a question. when i sing agressively or scream, i get really lightheaded and dizzy. i can physically do it in most other aspects; my throat doesnt get sore from it and i dont get out of breath. but i get lightheaded. any suggestions?

[LleWeLLyN]

Thanks :)

I think it's cuz when u yell you stress and the blood rushes to your face.. then rushes back out which leads to diziness.. make sure you drink alot of water.. and if you can dissolve some sugar into your water which will give you a boost..

[EatYourFace]

Alright, I just got an account. I need tips for singing, punk style. Not raspy, but melodic. My style of punk is melodic, but not pop MTV punk. Favorite band is Pennywise. Just need some real tips or exercises or anything to help out. People like my songwritting, but I need the voice to back it up. Thanks.

[Light_Fantastic]

Hey EatYourFace....
Singing Punk is more about attitude & personal expression..Whatever your style is, if you snarl, growl, use monotones, it's all good...
Make sure you always exercise your voice before any type of live or studio singing.
Vocal lessons are great to teach you how to sing properly from your diaphram, where you can get more power & punch to the type of melodic punk vocals you want to achieve..
Good luck to you..
Jay

[Merkaba]

If youre getting dizzy youre using incorrect technique and definitely closing off your throat and creating the same pressure you would if you were lifting something. This isnt necessary for vibrating the little folds of flesh in your throat....so much so that it increases your internal pressure to the point of limiting blood to your brain.

Come on llewellyn, i think I could sing my immortal! And no, that was someone else that was mentioning a program. By best advice is to record yourself acapella. Nothing like it. Takes all the sugar coating and crutches away and teaches control immediately. Try it.

Singing into a tuner is challenging but not practical to me.

[EatYourFace]

Haha thanks JayLink, but I don't have the money for lessons. Is there any signs that one can notice to know that he is doing it right? Is there anyway I can "project" my voice or know that I am doing so? Thanks again for help.

[ragingrob]

Hey. How u guys doing.. I just noticed something.. there are alot more male vocalists...


i don't think there are many females on this site lol...

[airborne50caliber]

http://www.voregger.de/images/neumann%20bild.gif

any1 know what model this neumann is?