ok, I've got a question about singing at gigs. I tend to fall flat for some reason when I can't hear myself, and we've tried using an old PA as a couple of floor moniters which works alright (but for some reason we couldn't use an output to link the two PAs so I had to use two mics, which looked sort of awkward), and I've tried using ear plugs (which sometimes throws off my tone a little bit). Eventually I really want to get wireless earbuds, but they cost a whole lot of money everywhere I've looked. Do you have any suggestions?

alot of people go flat from having tension in the throat. youre pulling the cords in proper relation to the notes you know you need, but the tension in the throat offsets the note by adding extra tension to the cords. its like playing your guitar string with a higher or lower bridge. you can make all the fingerings the same but the notes will still be off from outside influences. However it could just be simple hearing.

I have to stress the isolation exercises again. The truth is that you shouldnt need a monitor or need to hear yourself. it should be a feeling youre really after. It really is the truth. and its why some people can't sing as well with an earplug or with an earbud. But it is easier of course with hearing yourself but its ultimately like a crutch. practice singing your songs acappella this is just priceless to me and is like a pharmacopia cure all ...and practice isolation(voicehelp hotline sticky). your cords are your instrument. Theres no way around learning scales on a piano. no way around learning how to play your cords with no help. ya know.

thanks dude

no problemo....I also recommend practicing opera style classic singing. It really gives you the feel of how to pronounce the vowels and helps you keep an open throat. At least play around with it when you get a chance. do some of your songs in a classical acappella style when you can. It really helps. be sure not to squeeze the throat.

Hey Merk thanks again.

I didn't sing much for last two days so to get rid of that pain. For 2 last days I did only your isolation exercises and eee's and stuff like that. So today I tried to sing a bit and I didn't have so much pain as before.........still I didn't sing as much as before only for 30-40 minutes........I did have some kind of irriating thing in my throat but it wasn't as painful as before. So, for a week, I'll try to do more exercises rather that singing.

And also, sorry for a noob question, but what is acapella? :)

Also, 2 more things I forgot:

1) Today I had a thing in my throat I don't even know what it is. No, it's not pain. It's like a little ball there and I can neither swallow nor spit. It doesn't hurt but feels really strange. Although my mom said it's not a ball it just seems so. She said you might have got cold. But it does not hurt, it's strange because I've never had it before (P.S: it's not mucuous)

2) My teacher said it's too early to define my range (only 2 lessons) but it's definite that I start from bass to tenor (somewhere in the middle (higher that baritone if I'm not wrong)). A very good range on low and tenor notes she said. Though, according to her, my falsetto sucks.

Thanks for reading :)

merk - a random question - do you have software/time to record 6 cubes?

I havn't looked through all of your posts or threads..but can singing well be taught? I know some people are naraurally good singers, but can that be taught and aquired at a later age? Skills go into singing, but do you only get better to a certian point? Or could you start as someone who can hardly sing and become a pretty decent singer? Sorry if you have somthing like this, havn't read them all..YET!

[QUOTE=shadedlife]merk - a random question - do you have software/time to record 6 cubes?[/QUOTE]

nah...i havent gotten anything yet. Plus i have some bugs..that **** Internet Explorer exploit thing was making my dialup internet surfing horrible. I might just wing it and try to download something tonight. I'm thinking about rebooting my whole comp. I'll see. But i havent forgot. I should have something really soon. cool that you ask!

[QUOTE=btoto]Also, 2 more things I forgot:

1) Today I had a thing in my throat I don't even know what it is. No, it's not pain. It's like a little ball there and I can neither swallow nor spit. It doesn't hurt but feels really strange. Although my mom said it's not a ball it just seems so. She said you might have got cold. But it does not hurt, it's strange because I've never had it before (P.S: it's not mucuous)

2) My teacher said it's too early to define my range (only 2 lessons) but it's definite that I start from bass to tenor (somewhere in the middle (higher that baritone if I'm not wrong)). A very good range on low and tenor notes she said. Though, according to her, my falsetto sucks.

Thanks for reading :)[/QUOTE]

Acappella means without music. just you.

I have no idea what the "ball" is. Do you mean you couldnt swallow it or spit it out, or that it made you unable to swallow or spit? because you wrote it as the latter. good luck with that.

Dont worry, your falsetto will get better with time.

[QUOTE=Eitri Is Berserk]I havn't looked through all of your posts or threads..but can singing well be taught? I know some people are naraurally good singers, but can that be taught and aquired at a later age? Skills go into singing, but do you only get better to a certian point? Or could you start as someone who can hardly sing and become a pretty decent singer? Sorry if you have somthing like this, havn't read them all..YET![/QUOTE]

i think that anyone can be taught well enough to be at a level where one is able to record a decent album. Now that might take alot of time, and it might not be the type of album you like. but im saying that anyone can be taught to sing to a very decent level. It might not be Bono or Plant. but everyone can sing. I think most of it is thinking too much. I reiterate that , to simplify, there are only six vowels your cords make. ay, ee, I, oh, uu, and ahh. (some sounds are mixes of one or more). The rest are consanants which are interruptions in the vowel sounds. If you think about it, it makes it simpler. the big keys are learning proper breath support, and learning to keep the throat open and relaxed while you make the vowels and shape them with the consanants.

So whatever category you fall in, trust that you can get better.

[QUOTE=Merkaba-1]Acappella means without music. just you.

I have no idea what the "ball" is. Do you mean you couldnt swallow it or spit it out, or that it made you unable to swallow or spit? because you wrote it as the latter. good luck with that.

Dont worry, your falsetto will get better with time.[/QUOTE]

Oh I do sing Acapella often :thumb:

Nevermind that "ball". It's gone already. But anyway. I meant I couldn't spit out or swallow that ball.................not food.

Thanks. I have 3rd lesson in 2 days............hmmmm can't wait :wave:

alright man, i'll be waitin :)

That balls just your cords a little swollen up; it gives a feeling of gum or something stuck in your throat. Happens to me after I push to hard

[QUOTE=Screamin_Demon_Auz]That balls just your cords a little swollen up; it gives a feeling of gum or something stuck in your throat. Happens to me after I push to hard[/QUOTE]

Exactly ! You explained it much better. Thanks a lot :wave:

If youre getting anything like that, youre not doing yourself any favors technique wise. and at least be sure to warm down alot if you ever get anything like that going on in your throat. It couldve been the back of your throat, due to the extra air irritating the throat. You should be able to tell if its on your cords or no because singing or humming will be affected. or your voice.

Last 2 days I had that irritating thing again. And I did lots of warmdowns. As soon as I start singing it comes again. I'm already fed up with it. Didn't know it would be so.

I guess that's all. I'm giving up singing.

Thanks for everything, Merk. I'll keep posting :)

you should post a sample.

dont give up....pansie! lol

or go see the ear, nose and throat doctor

I don't trust doctors here. They'll write all illnesses to me just to charge more money and make me spend hundreds on medicine.

1. What kind of music should I post? I mean, what do you want me to sing?

2. How to post?

a request for someone knowledgable in singing (mx glossary)
 

I have noticed alot of singing related terms that are very unfamiliar to me, and probably many other people new to singing.

some examples: glisses, falsetto, solfeggio, head voice, etc..

Would someone mind pointing me to a resource where I can learn exactly what all these things are? Or better yet, someone well versed (merkaba-1, silver :wave: ) in these things can create a thread explaining all this terminology. Merkaba-1 and Silver (and some other, sorry I forgot you) have done a pretty fine job of doing this, and I find myself learning alot here, but there is still certain terminology I don't know what to make of...

thanks!

I am noticing that when I get to a certain point on some vowells (specifically ee and i) my voice starts cracking and I can't really produce the notes without getting some nasty gravelly tone.

Like if I am running through a C major scale vocally I will get something like. (keep in mind when I say clean I am saying the notes are comming out perfectly, as I am recording this stuff and they are perfectly on key)

C (ee - clean) D ( ee - clean) E (ee - clean) F ( ee - clean) G ( ee - starts breaking up a little bit, like I can't find the note, but still get it) A ( ee - can't find the note, voice breaking up like hell) etc

does anyone know why this is happening?

It only happens when I go up the scale, when I just start on an A, I hear myself harmonizing with it perfectly, I am thinking I might actually be harmonizing a 5th below, instead of hitting the note and this might be why it sounds in tune, but it is not actually an A I am hitting.

Is this a product of faulty breath control (to much or to little air going over my vocal chords)?

How high up the scale are you when you start to break? pretty high? or mid ? and are you saying that if you start on that same note first that you can hit it? if so it could be you not having enough fleixibility to keep the cords in shape after coming from another shape, especially if its higher because the cords are thinner and theres less surface area for them to connect and form the shape for that vowel. And with practice there will be realizations of certain pressure changes you might need to make for you best sound. E's are the only vowel that makes the cords come completely closed as part of the vibratory pattern. So dont over push on e's. be sure youre relaxing the throat as well and not squeezing it as you go up in pitch thinking that these muslce contractions are part of the cord contractions. this is very very very common and could explain why you can start off on the note but not rise up to it. keep us posted.

[QUOTE=Merkaba-1]How high up the scale are you when you start to break? pretty high? or mid ? and are you saying that if you start on that same note first that you can hit it? if so it could be you not having enough fleixibility to keep the cords in shape after coming from another shape, especially if its higher because the cords are thinner and theres less surface area for them to connect and form the shape for that vowel. And with practice there will be realizations of certain pressure changes you might need to make for you best sound. E's are the only vowel that makes the cords come completely closed as part of the vibratory pattern. So dont over push on e's. be sure youre relaxing the throat as well and not squeezing it as you go up in pitch thinking that these muslce contractions are part of the cord contractions. this is very very very common and could explain why you can start off on the note but not rise up to it. keep us posted.[/QUOTE]

dude this totally makes sense

I think I am trying too hard to push the sound out when I go up the scale. As I find myself searching for the note that fits, I notice that I generally try to put more effort into it for these specific vowels.

Yes, when I start on the note I can hit it, but not when I build up to it through the scale.

I can't even get a full octave with the EE, and I , but with other ones, like O, I can cleanly get out an 1.5 octaves up. So yes, I am pretty high up the scale when the notes start to break.. Like starting on low C, I can only get up to about G without breaking up and getting off tone.

BTW, as reference tones I am starting at the lowest C on my keyboard, which is a 64 key.

I am already noticing changes in my range through trial and error. For instance, a couple of days ago I couldn't get to a full octave doing the O, but yesterday I realized I might have been exerting to much air, so I calmed down a little bit, filled up my lungs, and tried pushing from my stomach slowly. I was then able to hit 1.5 octaves up!

So I think alot of this will come to me through trial and error, as I find the right amount of air to produce the notes.

luckily I am able to tell when I am on key and off, and that is being a big help. :thumb:

yea, the higher you go, the thinner the cords, so less pressure is needed. practice doing glisses. Up and down. Start your lowest note and just slide up to your highest even through falseto. But try to keep the cords together for as long as you can before you go into falsetto. This helps you strenghten a little bit, but keeps you in touch with your break where you go from head to falsetto. Because you can get away with more push in falsetto but in head it can fatigue the edges of the cords.

So yea keep practicing and listen to your voice and pay attention to the feel as much as the sound. This is where you really can learn what to do with the cords. The feel and pressures of the notes. Technically you should be able to make any vowel at the same pitch . So do upward glisses and downward glisses. do them with each vowel and be SURE that you can do them without changing volume as you go up. This is very important. as it helps you learn isolation. you should be able to make it in a smooth slide with no interruption or loss of quality. It will take a shift in feel and pressure as you go to falsetto and coming down from falsetto. When doing a downward gliss, start in your highest falsetto and come down to your lowest chest. Work to keep it clean as you come from falsetto to head. And remember to relax everything as do it. Remember the cords are horizontal so youre actually pulling them across your throat, not up. this can help you keep your larynx low. I still use this visualization to help me alot.

[QUOTE=Merkaba-1]yea, the higher you go, the thinner the cords, so less pressure is needed. practice doing glisses. Up and down. Start your lowest note and just slide up to your highest even through falseto. But try to keep the cords together for as long as you can before you go into falsetto. This helps you strenghten a little bit, but keeps you in touch with your break where you go from head to falsetto. Because you can get away with more push in falsetto but in head it can fatigue the edges of the cords.

So yea keep practicing and listen to your voice and pay attention to the feel as much as the sound. This is where you really can learn what to do with the cords. The feel and pressures of the notes. Technically you should be able to make any vowel at the same pitch . So do upward glisses and downward glisses. do them with each vowel and be SURE that you can do them without changing volume as you go up. This is very important. as it helps you learn isolation. you should be able to make it in a smooth slide with no interruption or loss of quality. It will take a shift in feel and pressure as you go to falsetto and coming down from falsetto. When doing a downward gliss, start in your highest falsetto and come down to your lowest chest. Work to keep it clean as you come from falsetto to head. And remember to relax everything as do it. Remember the cords are horizontal so youre actually pulling them across your throat, not up. this can help you keep your larynx low. I still use this visualization to help me alot.[/QUOTE]

I will definetely start doing glisses. I have been reading your other posts, and doing lots of research on singing, and voice in general. I actually realized last night that I need to keep a kind of decrease the pressure as I go in the direction from chest to head voice. I was actually able to get my I and E up a note past a full octave before it started comming apart.

I am still working on designing a very good plan to becomming a great singer. I must thank you again, because alot of the stuff I am using from the plan is comming from your posts

Does coffee have any effect on the vocal cords?

Oh yes. Now its something that might not be readily noticed, and depends on your style. But the caffeine is a diuretic just like alcohol. It makes you lose water. This is part of the reason why people drink it. Especially if you drink it first thing in the morning. Youre already dehydrated so you take in caffeine which makes you lose water. it pretty much offsets the water that makes up the content of the coffee. If youre dehydrated, it makes you feel icky and tired. So then people drink another cup for the pick me up of the caffeine, but once it wears off youre more dehydrated. The first place your body looks for extra water is the throat area. This is why you always hear "if youre thirsty, youre already dehydrated" common saying among athletes. or "if youre thirsty you needed to drink 20 minutes ago. It takes roughly 15 to 20 minutes for water to digest and get circulated to the cords. I mean moderation is a key if you "need" it. But overtime you could probably tell a difference between with and without caffeine. dryer cords leads to quicker irritation and swelling, which leads to quicker loss of range if not other worse things, not to mention quicker and more mucus.
Again, its a little nit picky and may not seem to be really that big a thing. But i have to give my best information that i can. The facts.

Apples are better for in the morning wake me ups.

This question may have already been addressed in which case I missed it, but anyways: My chest voice and falsetto are both pretty solid (need to practice singing from my gut for the lower ranges, but that is easy enough), however, I am having trouble switching between the two without a definite "break". I haven't asked my choir director how to get rid of the break because I just haven't, if that makes any sense. My question then is what exercises can I do to "mesh" my chest voice and falsetto so that I can more easily switch between the two?

Glissando
gliss. start at your lowest note (even if you dont have trouble down low, its a good exercise) and go up in pitch like a siren. one continuous slide at a regular volume. be sure not to affect the volume any as you do this slide. Then start at your highest falsetto and slide down to your lowest chest. Pay attention to the areas where you go from head to falsetto and vice versa. be sure to keep the pressure behind the cords from the gut and be sure you have a relaxed throat. Any tension will interrupt the airflow and stiffen the cords. over time you can find out your own points so you know where to shift to the next voice to have a proper note. Stay in tune with your body so you can feel when the cords naturally want to open up(going to falsetto) and close(coming down into head). YOu should be able to feel the difference. go more on that then sound and you'll do yourself a favor. Also do rising melodies staccato style. with a pause inbetween each note. This way you develop the muscle memory so that you automatically know which voice to use for the pitch youre singing when youre around the break. doing alot of glisses and quick runs on melodies helps you become more flexible so even if you start off in the wrong voice you can slide into the proper one. given that you have enough support behind the cords. (diaphragm). So relax while you do it, dont worry about the sound at first. And dont over push. especially as you get closer to falsetto. Hope this helps some.

2 quick questions


1. how long should one practice for at first? I have been trying to get in 1-3 hours a day. I noticed yesterday that my vocal chord area was feeling a little tender and slightly sore. I have been keeping them in exellent health otherwise, and my warmups are very thorough. Also I have yet to do anything with more than 60% push.

2. I am starting vocal lessons next saturday. Will 2x a month be good? they are expensive, but if it would help much more to do weekly I would do that. Also, my teacher is a female soprano classically trained singer. Will this help me alot in singing rock music, as I am a baritone. I don't know if this is like comparing apples to oranges or what...