Singing 101
 

Ok post tips for singing and how to improve, or give sites.

stickied

Thanks Scarred4lLife....
Don't be shy rock singers...
I am still glad to help & giving away lots of free tips & advise.....

Jay

I'm a rock singer
give me help and advice

Um yeah...whenever I try to sing, its always as if Im holding back or something. But when I try to just let go, my singing just turns into screaming. Is there some way to kind of get more power from your voice without just shouting? :confused: merci in advance.

[QUOTE=King_Karl]I'm a rock singer
give me help and advice[/QUOTE]

Hey King Karl..
We have a few threads started on general advice with vocal care & some technique...
I need to know more about your style of singing & what you hope to accomplish...where your at now & where you want to get to in singing....
I need more info from you....
Take Care

Jay

[QUOTE=Scarred4Life]Um yeah...whenever I try to sing, its always as if Im holding back or something. But when I try to just let go, my singing just turns into screaming. Is there some way to kind of get more power from your voice without just shouting? :confused: merci in advance.[/QUOTE]

Hey Scarred4Life......
Your holding back because of our natural tendencies to feel awkward & funny about putting everything out there ...
Singing is 50% mechanical & 50% mental....
You need to work on your control, diaphram support & yes ,they are many ways to get more power...
Some vocal exercises & try going about 1/2 volume...going from your speaking voice to your loudest singing voice..
Singing actually is controlled shouting..you just have to learn how to smooth things out...
There are also many dynamics to sing (loud to soft, whisper Voice with more air) so, lot's to work on..
I will try to post some beginning voice exercises in a day or so...
Take Care

Jay

[QUOTE=JayLink]Hey King Karl..
We have a few threads started on general advice with vocal care & some technique...
I need to know more about your style of singing & what you hope to accomplish...where your at now & where you want to get to in singing....
I need more info from you....
Take Care

Jay[/QUOTE]

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:

[size=5]Singing 101:[/size]

[size=4]Intro:[/size]

I will be going over the basics of vocal technique, it is important that you understand the simple concepts of music theory such the names of scales and notes. When I refer to a note, I refer to its root note and its octave. For example C3 would mean the note C in the third octave, in this lesson we will consider C3 to be middle C.

About me:

I’m 20 a male, and I am trained in jazz, pop, rock and metal singing. I started singing when I was 15 and have taken lessons for about 3 years. I have studied jazz vocal at University for a year as well. Over the next few weeks I will post extensive lessons on several singing topics, hopefully this will help anyone trying to improve their voice.

[size=4]Natural Skill vs Perseverance[/size]

It is true that some people are just naturally very good singers. They can adlib melodies and be on key right on the spot. Don’t worry though, just because you are not naturally a good singer doesn’t mean you can become a decent singer, it just means you have to work about 100 times harder than they do. I am not exaggerating to the least bit, you really do have to work your butt off. Very few people are actually tone deaf, and yes its true that they are “hopeless� as far as singing, but don’t worry I’m sure you aren’t one of those people :) Singing is just like anything in life, to be great you have to work.

[size=4]Finding your singing range:[/size]

Your singing range is simply the lowest to the highest note you can sing. (this can or may not include falsetto depending on the style of singing you). Most males are usually Baritones; this range starts at about F#2. Personally I can’t sing an F#2 I am more comfortable at G#2 or if I have to a G. If you can sing lower than F#2 you are probably a Bass. If your range starts at about B2 or C3 you are probably a tenor. Most people’s ranges (full voice, not falsetto) are about 1.5 – 2.5 octaves. If your range is less than this it generally means your voice underdeveloped and needs some work (don’t give up yet, you can do it). When I started singing I had a singing range of about 1.5 octaves, now I can sing about 2.3, so yes it is possible to increase your range!

[size=4]Lesson 1: Breathing[/size]

Breathing:

Before we start to run, we should learn how to crawl right? Well for singers breathing is the FOUNDATION of our voices. If you are constantly out of breath you are going to sound horrible, end of story. Breathing strengthening exercises are arguably THE most important for beginning singers. The higher the note is up in your range the more breath that note will take to sing. Thus to be a versatile singer it is important to strengthen your lungs to avoid constantly taking breaths between words or sentences.

Exercise 1:

1) Look around the house, find the following items:
– a stopwatch
– the heaviest hardcover book you can find (The fifth Harry Potter book is great for this)
– a CD player, headphones and your favourite CD (optional)

2) Lie down on your back, with your hands at your side.
3) Place the book in your stomach
4) Inhale SLOWLY, but instead of sucking in your stomach make you stomach EXPAND out.
5) Exhale SLOWLY, this time less your stomach shrink back to its normal state.
6) Repeat.

It feels different from normal breathing doesn’t it? It is because when you normally breathe you contract your stomach. All your life you have been breathing incorrectly, from now on, this is the only way you will breathe.

I only suggested the CD player because this can get very boring, but if you are listening your favourite music time can pass by quickly.

If you are inhaling every:

- 20 seconds (needs improvement)
- 30 seconds (fair)
- 45 seconds (good)
- minute (very good)
- one and a half minutes (excellent)
- two minutes (wow)

I myself have got lazy with this I used to be able to only need to breathe every one and a half minutes but now it is probably something in between 45 seconds to a minute.

Exercise 2:

Can you count?

Count slowly, make sure you enunciate every syllable VERY clearly, to the point its almost ridiculous. This is important, as a singer you want to be able to sing every possible sound in the human language.

Count as much as far as you can without taking a breath (without killing yourself).

A good goal would be to be able to count to 65-70.

Exercise 3:
Atonal Scales:

We are not singing yet, we are simply just practise saying these words clearly and loudly in a manner that does not strain your voice. When you breathe, make sure when you do have to breathe you do it in the exact same way we did it in our first exercise, from the diaphragm (expanding your stomach). Make sure that when you SPEAK these exercises they are also coming from that same place you breathe. For simplicity, I spelt everything phonetically.

1. Daah De Dee Doh, Daah De Dee Doh, Daah De Dee Doh Du
2. May Mee Mah Moe Moo, May Mee Mah Moe Moo, May Mee Mah Moe Moo
3. Ah Eh Eee O Eww, Ah Eh Eee O Eww, Ah Eh Eee O Eww
4. Doh Ray Me Fa Soul Fa Me Ray Doh
5. Day Dee Dah Doe Doo, Day Dee Dah Doe Doo, Day Dee Dah Doe Doo
6. Doh Me Soul Me Doh, Doh Me Soul Me Doh, Doh Me Soul Me Doh
7. Create your own variations.


Exercise 4:

Speaking and Proper Singing Form:

Ok so we’ve learned to crawl, now maybe we can take our first real baby steps.

Lets go over proper form:

1) Stand up straight
2) Shoulders back
3) Head straight ahead (or maybe slightly a little down, stylistic reasons)
4) Cheekbones up (to the point, that it looks like you are the joker and are making a stupid grin on your face).
5) Be CONFIDENT (very important)

Ok here are so weird ones:

6) Stand on your tip toes
7) Make your arms into a slightly broken ring above your head, every time you say a syllable make your hands come together.

The last two are only for practising purposes, these will help you feel your chest open up and will allow you to sing from your diaphram easier. If you already understand how to sing from your diaphram than these are not that necessary, but are still helpful. Now that you have learned this form make sure you apply it to all the exercises you have learned today.

Speaking:

Simple enough, we are going to talk. Make sure you use, all the techniques you have learned (breathing, form, etc.)

If you have to breathe at any point, make sure it is done so in a manner that doesn’t break-up individual words.

Practise this phrase:

[b]The lemon tree is very pretty, and the lemon flower sweet. But the fruit of the poor lemon, is impossible to eat.[/b]

Create your own phrase, the best is to use lyrics from songs, or your own songs. Keep your breathing consistent; make sure you breathe in the exact same parts every time.

If you are getting bored, just talking and feel you are ready, you can practise singing a note (keep it monotone for now), when you say these sentences or lyrics.

I hope this was useful; check back for new lessons, in the near future.

Sliver

Sliver ur my hero!

Wow, great lessons sliver, kudos. :thumb:

thanks sliver...i can sing but it helps with the exercises.

Question: I have a co-lead singer in my band who can't sing nearly as good as me but thinks he can. He refuses to take lessons because he feels they will ruin his "natural style." How do you get a stubborn as* to do his duty to the band and take the lessons?

Apparently I have a gift for singing. I was in a lot of school plays and stuff, and I was sadly in the choir in year 7. I left because it was teh suk!

Wow that's a great singing guide. I'm gonna start doing that from now on, as my singing voice through the mic completely sucks!

Nice on sliver :thumb:

[QUOTE=sleepy1212]thanks sliver...i can sing but it helps with the exercises.

Question: I have a co-lead singer in my band who can't sing nearly as good as me but thinks he can. He refuses to take lessons because he feels they will ruin his "natural style." How do you get a stubborn as* to do his duty to the band and take the lessons?[/QUOTE]


get him to listen to a recording of himself singing... after he hears how horrible he sounds his confidence will be in the gutter :thumb:

[QUOTE=sliver]get him to listen to a recording of himself singing... after he hears how horrible he sounds his confidence will be in the gutter :thumb:[/QUOTE]

to get it done quickly, just hook him up to a 2 second delay, i give him about 30 seconds before -> :upset:

Excelent lesson Silver! :thumb: But I have a question - when you're talking about breathing properly and the timescale for inhaling, is that you holding your breath or imediatley exhaling?

I've got a question which is probably pretty hard to answer...

I reckon i'm pretty good at singing, my friends reckon I'm okay, and my parents think im crap.

Do you reckon that they say im crap cos they don't like the music i'm singing or because im crap. I admit that i'm crap when i've just got up, or when i've been siging for a while, cause my voice starts to break. They might just say that cos they are sick of me singing cos i sing all the time.

Also I heard somewhere that if you sing a load while your voice is breaking, then it strengthens your vocal chords. Is that true or is that crap as well?

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

*Feels left out cuz JayLink didn't answer his question* :upset:

[QUOTE=Dredg]Excelent lesson Silver! :thumb: But I have a question - when you're talking about breathing properly and the timescale for inhaling, is that you holding your breath or imediatley exhaling?[/QUOTE]

Sorry Dredg, I missed your post...
Good Question...

Two different exercises are the best way...
Inhaling & exhaling without holding is good, try long deep breaths..
And alternate with holding for what is comfortable after a deep breath , breathing in...
Also remember, that the nose is a filter....
In singing we try not to use the nose at all...Focus on breathing in & out of your mouth only, while will give your much more air & increace your lung capacity.

Take Care

Jay

[QUOTE=JayLink]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.[/QUOTE]

I think they might get annoyed because I sing nearly all of the time now, trying to live up to the 'practice makes perfect' saying.

Besides my mom gets annoyed when I play my guitar, so it's probably that she thinks 'children should be seen and not heard'. Thanks for the advice anyway.

Ahh right - I see! I tried your exercise last night - managed 45 secs! Must be a natural :D

can some one post the fach system and give some one who fits in each catagory. i would but i have no clue wtf a tenor, soprano...ect. is.

MALES
Tenor-Sings high because of thinned folds(Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden, Mike Tyson is also a tenor as you can tell by his speaking voice

Baritone-Someone who can sing well in mid-range, not too high, not too low but can still sing both high and low. (Steven Tyler from Aerosmith)

Bass-Someone who can sing extremley low notes with limited top range(Dont really know of any in popular rock music)

Women
Soprano-High female singer(Celiene Dion)
Alto-Lower Female Singer(Courtney Love or Pink)

This is very general, but should explain it well enough

Also for females there is somethng called Contralto I believe. Its basically a lower female oice that is around the same range as a tenor.

thanks scarred4life,
i knew i forgot something

plus there are several different variations for these, but you can find the meanings by doing a search:
lyric baritone
lyric tenor
mezzo-soprano
bass-baritone
countertenor
the list goes on.......

Soprano

- Soubrette
- Lyric Coloratura Soprano
- Dramatic Coloratura Soprano
- Lyric Soprano
- Lirico Spinto Soprano
- Spinto soprano
- Dramatic/Heroic Soprano

Mezzo-Soprano

- Lyric Mezzo-Soprano
- Dramatic Mezzo-Soprano

Contralto

- Dramatic Contralto
- Deep Contralto

Tenor

- Tenore Buffo
- Lyric Tenor
- Spinto Tenor
- Charaktertenor
- Dramatic/Heroic Tenor

Baritone and Bass-Baritone

- Lyric Baritone
- Kavalierbariton
- Dramatic Baritone
- Bass-Baritone

Bass

- Basso Buffo
- Bass
- Basso profondo

Back in the day they used to castrate boy singers, because it was thought that this preserved their high voice... Castrati they were called... *shiver*

[url]http://www.cix.co.uk/~velluti/cast-what.htm[/url]

Lesson 2: Simple Major Scales
 

[size=4]Some Bad News:[/size]

Well... I got banned :upset:

[size=4]The Good News + an important life lesson:[/size]

Being banned does indeed suck BUT; life goes on (there is no point in [b]bitc[font=2]hing[/b][/font] about it) and so must our lessons :) … the internet is serious business people, let that be a lesson (a lesson within itself?) to all of you out there who think otherwise.

[size=4]Few things before I begin:[/size]

I forgot to mention, I have another thread called “screaming… some pointers�, (it was made from an older account I had, you can probably just find it in the search) it’s a crash course lesson in screaming, however many of the things I discuss in that lesson are similar to the singing techniques that I will be talking about today.

Please keep in mind EVERYTHING we learned last lesson, (breathing, proper form etc) as they are all imperative to practise if you want your voice to start improving. Also start practising in front of a mirror, this is key; since you are being self-taught, only you can find mistakes in your form and can correct yourself. This lesson isn’t going to be as long I am condensing and making it more to the point.

*remember C3 = middle C

[size=3]Note: about major/minor scales:[/size]

When I say major scale, I have to assume that most of you know what I am talking about, (if not go read some theory I am not going to teach you music theory :p). I begin with major scales because they are by nature the easiest scale to hear, and sing by memory. Don’t believe me? Try to sing a minor scale on the spot from memory? It’s not so easy, is it?


[size=4]Lesson 2:

Singing Simple Scale Exercises:[/size]

So last lesson we learned how to breathe and how to speak properly, hopefully everyone has been doing the exercises everyday and now we’re ready to move on to the fun stuff; singing.

Don’t get too excited though, we won’t be singing like Maynard any time soon. Let us start off by practising some simple major scale exercises.

[size=3]Exercise 1:[/size]

Doh – Mi – Soul – Mi – Doh

Hopefully most of you are familiar with at least [b]some[/b] music theory so you know that Doh is the first note in the major scale. I assume most (if not all) of the people reading this are probably males, and since most men are baritones my exercises will be a little more geared toward them.

You’re starting “Doh� note should be around Ab2 (i.e. Doh = Ab2, Mi = C#3, Soul = Fb3… just kidding E3). Do the exercise twice, and then begin going up in semitones; continue this until your starting “Doh� is at least B3 or Ab3. A good goal is to be able to have you starting note as D4 or D#4.

[size=3]Exercise 2:[/size]

The rest of the exercises are pretty much the same except just extended versions of the first exercises.

2) Doh – Re – Mi – Fa – Soul – Fa – Mi – Re – Doh
3) Doh – Re – Mi – Fa – Soul – La – Ti – Doh (and backwards to Doh)
4) Replace these “words� with numbers
5) Replace these “words� with some of the atonal scales we learned last.
6) Use real words or sentences that will fit the patterns.

It is extremely difficult to know if you are on key especially when you are new to singing. I recommend recording yourself on a tape player and getting comfortable with your voice. Once you get comfortable with your own voice, your confidence will greatly improve, and so (funny enough) will your voice J


[size=3]Exercise 3:

Falsetto Singing:[/size]

I am not going to get to into this yet, BUT if you are eager to start developing your falsetto voice try practising these exercises with it (try the octave up instead though).


[size=3]"Hey its that that little voice inside your head; listen to me!".[/size]

READ this list, and constantly ask yourself these questions every time you feel your doing something wrong.

Are you keeping in mind the way you breathe?
Are you breathing in a soft rhythmical manner?
Does your breathing often occur in between words, breaking them apart? (It shouldn’t)
Do you feel out of breath?
Are you practising the exercises from the first week?
Are you practising in front of the mirror?
Are you in key?! Struggle! Struggle! Struggle! to stay in key!
Am I Recording?!
Am I being realistic? (i.e. am I trying to sing notes way out of my range?)

Stay vigilant, and confident in yourself. Every time you practise you are improving; even if YOU or anyone else doesn’t know it, you really are.

Until next lesson,

Sliver