Thanks for the awesome tips all. I used to be a really bad singer, all passion but no clue. I am better now halfway from beginner to intermediate -depending on the song.

Anyway just wanted to say thanks.

I can always sing better when i'm singing to a cd, and even when i want to sing like the cd when playing with my band it still sounds ****. Any tips?

[size=5]Singing 101[/size]
[size=3]Lesson 3: Staying in Key, Falsetto Singing, and Harmonizing[/size]

Hey everyone :wave:

Sorry I haven't been continuing my lessons but I've been real busy as of late with exams. Today has been the first day I've been able to just sit around and do nothing; so I thought I might as well type out another lesson.

[size=4]Visualizing the note: My own method for "being on key" [/size]

Just a warning: this is a little unconventional, and may or may not work for some people; I created this technique a few years ago when I had problems just staying on key.

As a begginer, a lot of singing; is in your mind. I think the hardest part is learning to accept the way your voice sounds, and comming to terms with that. Once you do that, you can start improving. Thus, It is important to visualise; really think about the sound of the note you are singing before you sing it. I find the best way to do this is by focusing (imagining) a small dot on my forehead, and from that dot is where all the sound comes from. The higher I go up the higher on my forehead I stress, the lower I sing the lower on my forehead I stress. I found this usefull because melody is something that is untangeable, and by doing this it was a good way of fooling myself into gaining confidence because it felt like singing was just a matter of training muscles in my forehead.

[size=4]Singing in Falsetto:[/size]

Falsetto is your "weaker", "higher", or "girly" voice. A lot of male singers try to get by without using their falsetto, this is insane; when used and trained properly and used in conjunction falsetto singing brings range and variety to your singing. Strengthening your falsetto ALSO develops your scream; thus if you want to learn to scream well, learn to falsetto sing! (for screaming tips check out the: "screaming... some pointers thread" I wrote)

[size=4]How to do it:[/size]

Have you ever impersonated a women or drag queen before? You liked it didn't you? :naughty: Guess what? Now you have an excuse to let out all your homosexual tendancies like never before. That voice, thats really soft and high, that is your falsetto voice. I know at first it may seem like it sounds like crap, but seriously falsetto voice can sound ALMOST as strong and powerfull as full voice when its pushed.

[size=4]Facial positions:[/size]
In falsetto, the tone is ALL in your face and in your neck. Thus it is critical that you have proper positioning down:

- cheekbones up
- mouth open as horizontally as possible
- drop your jaw vertically but not all the way (I know a its tradition to drop your jaw all the way down, but trust me; new techniques have been discovered that prove this won't allow you to get the best sound
- you face should look something like the Joker in Batman (to a less extreme of course :lol: )

#1 don't be afraid to sound like a complete idiot (because you will for a while)
#2 take a deep breath, expanding your diaphram
#3 PUSH from the top of your throat as opposed to in your stomach
#4 Your upper jaw should be slighted more forward than your bottom jaw, almost like you are going to bite something (like a cat)

[size=4]Exercises:[/size]

Find the highest possible falsetto note you can sing, and just practise belting out those notes. A really good song for this is "I believe in a thing called love" by The Darkness. I know it might not be the greatest song ever, but it is something that most people could sing if they really practised. (i.e. I can do it and I am a baritone, its probably not possible for a bass to sing it though)

Falsetto singing just like regular singing needs exercises, practise the exercises we learned in previous lessons but using your falsetto voice.

[size=4]Harmonizing:[/size]

A lot of people have trouble singing, hearing and differentiating harmonies in vocals. This is because to be able to harmonize you have to first be able to sing in key, however the great thing about it is you don't have to be the best singer in the world to harmonize.

For myself, I have never been a fan of learning other people's harmonies. I mean who cares? Why waste your time driving yourself mad trying to hear the two exact notes that the singers are harmonizing. Wouldn't it be a lot better to just make up your own harmonies to what he's singing?

Formally the easiest way to go about making a harmony is to just sing corresponding chord notes in the key the person is singing in.

ie. If I sing an A ===> You will sing an E

For those who are a little musically challenged. On the 5th and 6th string of a guitar if I sing:

A-----
E---5-

you sing

A---7-
E----- (its just singing different notes in a power chord)

(Note: Harmonizing is NOT just singing the same not the next octave up; although that does sound better sometimes anyway :p.)

Sometimes it is difficult not to both just sing the same note: for the guitar or bass player in the band who is probably harmonizing I sugguest maybe wearing earplugs, (so you don't get thrown off and you can hear yourself better) until you get better at it.

This is such a BORING way to harmonize, and it never sounds that great anyway. The best way to make up harmonies is just to strum the same chord patern as in your songs, and spontaneously come up with lower or higher melodies that are in key with the chords. This way when you cover a song, you don't sound exactly like the freakin band you're covering and you can make it sound original.

If you need anything explained clearer, or are just plain confused about a technique... :D just ask I.

Sliver

[QUOTE] drop your jaw vertically but not all the way (I know a its tradition to drop your jaw all the way down, but trust me; new techniques have been discovered that prove this won't allow you to get the best sound
[/QUOTE]

It's not so much dropping your jaw all the way down, it's relaxing your jaw. Keeping your jaw tense 3/4 of the way open won't do you any good.

[QUOTE=italic zero]It's not so much dropping your jaw all the way down, it's relaxing your jaw. Keeping your jaw tense 3/4 of the way open won't do you any good.[/QUOTE]

I'm not really sure the why's; all I know is from my newer teachers techniques and from my own experiance when you drop your jaw A LOT, you loose this nice crisp clean tone of your voice that is from your diaphram and it puts more strain on your throat.

To your point about relaxing; sometimes tense is a good thing; being tight and in proper form can give you range you never thought you could get before. Being relaxed is necessary for singing lower, or singing mellow styles of music like jazz or funk. Unfortunately a side effect of sometimes tensing your jaw is your whole body up can get really tensed up =) when you do this you're going to tire yourself out REALLY fast, and it doesn't help your singing at all.

Just try it, unless you make a concious effort not to do it, when you tense your face your whole body will tense up.

Hey people, :wave:
As you can probably tell I am a complete noobie to this board but hopefully I will 'fit in' and can help out where ever I can.
I have been searching for a vocal help site for rock singers for sooo long and I am really impressed with how all of you guys (and girls) help each other out, you don't find that on alot of boards cause everyone is normally rippin everyone elses musical interest...so its a welcome change :). Also a big thanks to Silver, your lessons have been really helpful for me.
Keep it up guys and I hope to chat to you soon :thumb:

Vocal exercises for Acting are awesome for your voice, and physical warmups (Alexander technique, etc.) work wonders for concerts. I discovered this after returning home from closing night of a show and sitting down with my acoustic. Check it out, though. Who knows... maybe you'll become interested in Acting!

how do learn what notes to sing when your harmonizing. do u just have to have a good ear or do u just do what sounds right. i dont really understand this concept.

[QUOTE=athedrivein213]how do learn what notes to sing when your harmonizing. do u just have to have a good ear or do u just do what sounds right. i dont really understand this concept.[/QUOTE]

I explained basic harmonies in my thread, all it is; is singing notes that correspond with each other on a scale (like a guitar chord). If you don't know how to play an instrument you can either learn one or you'll have to learn how to do it by ear.

does singing along with songs help any because thats what i usually do. I have been doing that alot lately to get down playing guitar and singing at the same time

[QUOTE]Find the highest possible falsetto note you can sing, and just practise belting out those notes. A really good song for this is "I believe in a thing called love" by The Darkness. I know it might not be the greatest song ever, but it is something that most people could sing if they really practised. (i.e. I can do it and I am a baritone, its probably not possible for a bass to sing it though)[/QUOTE]

I find singing Jeff Buckley has [B]greatly[/B] improved my falsetto voice, especially the very high, long sustained note near the end of 'Grace'. :thumb:

[QUOTE=athedrivein213]does singing along with songs help any because thats what i usually do. I have been doing that alot lately to get down playing guitar and singing at the same time[/QUOTE]


this will not help you improve, sing with some sort of instrument so you can tell how often you sing out of key.

im ok at singing and i can sing scales easily BUT when i sing songs i go off key relatively easily .lets assume i really really suck and im a begginer where should i start?? I really want to start from the beggining and work my way up

[QUOTE=fluffhead]im ok at singing and i can sing scales easily BUT when i sing songs i go off key relatively easily .lets assume i really really suck and im a begginer where should i start?? I really want to start from the beggining and work my way up[/QUOTE]

Are you sure you're singing the scales correctly? I've always found it the other way around... my advice to you is to break the songs apart. Because if you think about it songs are only long variations of scale.

Break apart your songs into 10 notes each part... once you can sing one part perfectly add on another part (ad infinitum) until you can sing the whole song.

that sucks pretty hardcore that you parents think your singing sucks.
My parents have been pretty suppportive about me singing. When my band did our first CD my mum suggested that I get lessons, she said I should start lessons, coz i sounded great live but not as good on Cd, said I sounded Flat (as in dead, she wouldn't have a clue what flat realy means) anyway, I got pretty offended and thought that she was putting me down, but in the end I went to lessons, and its the best thing I've ever done, and now, i sound better recorded than I do, in stinky, smoky, discustung, horrible, drunki filled Bars! hey i guess its better than working at Mc donalds

Sliver,
any other techniques you have of working on songs. My coach has given me some great suggestions, but I still feel overwhelmed sometimes with songs because it feels like it's just too hard focus and get them done well. I like to be able to systematically break everything down so that it's much easier to work on any problems at all, but need some more methods for some of my more harder songs to sing like Dokken's Dream Warriors and songs that are all over the place like that.

my problem is that 1) although my singing voice sounds high.. i cant reach the pitch of some singers.. such as dustin of thrice. and when at its highest it sounds like utter waily ****.

2) my voice can only go between a soft singy choir voice to screaming.. like wtf. help is appreicated.. i dont sing at all.. but it wouldnt hurt to become a tad better.

Silver great tips man ! Hats off to you ! Also for the guitarists who want to improve their singin, use the C Major scale (starts on 3rd fret on the A string, if you don't know the C major scale ask and I'll post it) use the vowels first, then go to the 4th fret then 5th etc.. Then try octave jumps (with the vowels) I didn't find out about this by myself so the credit should go to my guitar teacher.

hi i've been singing in my band for over a year now. We're mostly an indie type band w/ a vocal style tt's somewhere between pavement and trail of dead (when they decide to sing). I think i have the right range and the right amount of "whine" to suit our music but i have a lot of problems trying to make my voice more "solid". Another problem i have is amplifying my voice. When i try to sing louder i just invariably end up going falsetto or my voice will crack. But when I sing at home without having to compete w/ the other instruments I sound a lot better. So any tips on 1) making my voice less thin 2) amplifying?

Thanks a lot Silver, this has helped me out a lot. My friend screams and I sing for our band. It used to sound like crap but now there is a lot of improvement. I will be sure to have my friend read the screaming thread you posted a while back. Thanks again. :thumb:

Mike

Hey Silver, quick question - is there such a thing as lower falsetto?

Dredg I can answer that
You actually sing in falsetto starting at about the mid of your chest voice range, but it doesnt sound to good. I would stick to using falsetto for the higher notes

[QUOTE=Screamin_Demon_Auz]Dredg I can answer that
You actually sing in falsetto starting at about the mid of your chest voice range, but it doesnt sound to good. I would stick to using falsetto for the higher notes[/QUOTE]

w...t...f..?

That can't be right. My falsetto craps out completely at the high end of my head voice range. That would just be freakish...

ok so like...no one has answered my question yet

Falsetto is usually used for high notes; that's pretty much the point of it. However, even though I hate opera, there are Countertenors who sing almost completley in falsetto. The sing a small range in chest voice and then they cover what most people cover in chest and head in falsetto, so that they can sound more blended. The lower notes kind of sound like Miss Piggy though...

My vocalist in my band wants to know how to sing kind of punk...

Like he can do it kind of, but it hurts his voice. Is there a way to do it to not damage your voice. We are a ska band so maybe think Keasby Nights Catch 22, and Mustard Plug when he sings that way.

sing like scott stapp
 

is there any possibility to adopt the vocal technique of some deeper-sounding nu-rock-singers that came up in the 90ties like scott stapp or maybe aaron lewis?
are they stressing any muscle more or less strong than other singers or is it simply their natural singing voice that is powerful (in stapp´s case)?

thx

that's just the way stapp's larynx is. it can produce those sounds, it's his natural tone

[QUOTE=MacLoud23]is there any possibility to adopt the vocal technique of some deeper-sounding nu-rock-singers that came up in the 90ties like scott stapp or maybe aaron lewis?
are they stressing any muscle more or less strong than other singers or is it simply their natural singing voice that is powerful (in stapp´s case)?

thx[/QUOTE]

My only advice would be to actualy sit down and LISTEN to the way these singers pronounce words and syllables. Singing technique in all forms of singing is EXACTLY the same; the actual difference between "styles" isn't something you can really teach. Once you learn to sing well, you will find it easy to emulate singers that you listen to a lot. Devlop your own voice first though, then choose a style of singing you like, listen closely to the way these singers in this genre sing, and try to come up with your own interpretation of the style.

You can't however change your range, if you are a baritone, you'll probably stay a baritone, if you're a tenor you'll probably stay a tenor. I think almost all "new" rock singers are baritones--which is a good thing because that is the most common vocal range for most males.

[QUOTE=SillyPuddyonIce]My vocalist in my band wants to know how to sing kind of punk...

Like he can do it kind of, but it hurts his voice. Is there a way to do it to not damage your voice. We are a ska band so maybe think Keasby Nights Catch 22, and Mustard Plug when he sings that way.[/QUOTE]

See above, and read my lessons in the thread.

[QUOTE=Dredg]Hey Silver, quick question - is there such a thing as lower falsetto?[/QUOTE]

My only answer to this is... "I guess so...?" but why would you ever want to use it? As you approach the lower notes of anyone's range, it starts sounding progressively worse and worse. I sometimes sing lower notes softly through my throat instead of my diaphram during calmer parts of songs, its sort of a half falsetto, half full, voice; but thats not really "low falsetto." Unless you're doing a joke band, I don't know why you would ever try use this voice, it sort of sounds like a dragqueen impersonator... it's just annoying and pointless, anytime I hear someone do it; I just want to punch the guy out. :lol: sorry

I have no idea how to sing and now that I've read this I am pretty confident I'm gonna be able to teach myself to an extent. Thanks for the lessons Sliver they're really good.