So i've recently decided to have a go at the old singing business, from what i can tell i seem to be able to stay in key but i seem to have no power or strength behind my voice. Just wondering if there's any good methods to improving :)

thanks.

[QUOTE=Eleventeen;13663267]I think Toaster understands the whole gut usage thing.[/QUOTE]

True but if your higher end is losing power many times its due to pinching the passageway and reconcentrating on the diaphragm and not the throat it may help.

[QUOTE=crag;13664311]So i've recently decided to have a go at the old singing business, from what i can tell i seem to be able to stay in key but i seem to have no power or strength behind my voice. Just wondering if there's any good methods to improving :)

thanks.[/QUOTE]
first page of this thread.

[QUOTE=Merkaba;13664821]True but if your higher end is losing power many times its due to pinching the passageway and reconcentrating on the diaphragm and not the throat it may help.[/QUOTE]

Well.. I'm pushing hard from the diaphragm, and I have a decent range but it's not that I'm straining, it's that the notes sound whiny and thin. I'll post a clip if I get a chance.

Dont push so hard. hehe. Seriously

If you post a sample, gliss it up from a lower head not you have control over.

[QUOTE]it's not that I'm straining, it's that the notes sound whiny and thin[/QUOTE]
This is most often a side effect of straining. Try as hard as you can to keep your larynx down when you sing high notes, and don't get louder as you go up to them.

Screaming help needed, sorry guys lol.

So my voice feels wrecked at the moment.. im an idiot, I was pushing today (adrenaline).. doing the high pitch gutteral sounding stuff, like im gargling, which I think killed it.. and sounds **** anyway. The lower pitch growling stuff I got on lock down, and can add a bit of rasp here and there. I can sing in tune and have a good range etc, so im not really a newb for that.

The problem is the metalcore screaming, which is the screaming I really want to do (As I Lay Dying, Bullet For My Valentine etc).. It normally sounds up ending like death metal instead because I cant hear my screams and I just push like an idiot..
I cant really get that sound, unless I do it quickly (like Atreyu).. I cant get those good long/powerful screams, and if I do.. they arent loud at all.. just air.

Yesterday I warmed up my voice with ZOS DVD.. which helped my normal singing a lot and gave me quite a bit of range on the screaming im aiming for, without having to push.. Then it just went downhill.. nearly losing my voice at the end, woke up today with a throat infection (yes.. im an idiot for singing today) but I dont think thats the reason (cold bug going round).

When I turn the volume up on amp loads, it sounds pretty good without having to sound loud and my friend brought in a boss distortion pedal today which was fun (cheatt ;p). But normally, just cant get a good pitch. Somethings wrong.

So the question is.. what am I doing wrong and how can I go about getting these Hardcore/Metalcore screams. Got a gig coming up in a couple months!

Any help will be great, thanks a lot guys.

[QUOTE=La Revolucion;13685213]This is most often a side effect of straining. Try as hard as you can to keep your larynx down when you sing high notes, and don't get louder as you go up to them.[/QUOTE]

Oh. Haha, well, I'm definitely doing that. Maybe I am straining, it's not like I'm pushing harder but it feels like something in my throat is rising.. advice appreciated.

No problem. As you do exercises or just sing songs, an easy way to train your larynx to stay down is to add a slight "dumb" feel to the way you say the words, like how you would when you impersonate Yogi Bear or someone with a deep voice who isn't smart. If you don't understand what I mean, I could post a clip or something.

could u make a real rasp thread and edit it into ur sticky? the one in ur sticky isn't real.

[QUOTE=hectiK;13685841]Screaming help needed, sorry guys lol.

So my voice feels wrecked at the moment.. im an idiot, I was pushing today (adrenaline).. doing the high pitch gutteral sounding stuff, like im gargling, which I think killed it.. and sounds **** anyway. The lower pitch growling stuff I got on lock down, and can add a bit of rasp here and there. I can sing in tune and have a good range etc, so im not really a newb for that.

The problem is the metalcore screaming, which is the screaming I really want to do (As I Lay Dying, Bullet For My Valentine etc).. It normally sounds up ending like death metal instead because I cant hear my screams and I just push like an idiot..
I cant really get that sound, unless I do it quickly (like Atreyu).. I cant get those good long/powerful screams, and if I do.. they arent loud at all.. just air.

Yesterday I warmed up my voice with ZOS DVD.. which helped my normal singing a lot and gave me quite a bit of range on the screaming im aiming for, without having to push.. Then it just went downhill.. nearly losing my voice at the end, woke up today with a throat infection (yes.. im an idiot for singing today) but I dont think thats the reason (cold bug going round).

When I turn the volume up on amp loads, it sounds pretty good without having to sound loud and my friend brought in a boss distortion pedal today which was fun (cheatt ;p). But normally, just cant get a good pitch. Somethings wrong.

So the question is.. what am I doing wrong and how can I go about getting these Hardcore/Metalcore screams. Got a gig coming up in a couple months!

Any help will be great, thanks a lot guys.[/QUOTE]

Come on dude, you perfectly describe what youre doing wrong.

All I can tell you is what I always say:
Warm up, warm down afterwards
Singing notes in normal operatic voice will teach you proper breath support, isolation, and larynx placement. The larynx is key because if you allow it to rise up, as it normally would especially when singing high and tense and full of adrenaline it will be detrimental! This bascially concentrates the air pressure and you over blow which creates heat and dryness....to a mucus membrane. A no no. Then comes swelling, then comes your post. It may sound "gay" butnormal singin is the best thing for someone who wants to scream all the time. As you go up in pitch you actuall need to back off in pus because the cords are pulled thinner. But who does this? Watch rockers sing and watch them go harder when they go higher because they are equating high notes and that tension on the cords with high and hard tension everywhere else which is a no no. This is what we mean by isolation. Being able to know the feel of moving the cords for pitch without moving anything else.

If you have a "throat" infection whatever that is, be careful. You can have a cold and a sore throat and be relatively ok for vocals. If your voice is hoarse or if you feel like you have laryngitis then read a book. Meanwhile eat lots of fresh foods and get plenty of non alcoholic non caffeinated liquid. Im telling ya If youre anything like me you dont like having a screwed up voice. I'd rather do a little of the less than enjoyable stuff like warming up and warming down(which doesnt have to be alot) and a few exercises so that i can do the enjoyable stuff everyday. Of course with me i like everything from opera to heavy metal. If you've never tried opera you might surprise yourself once you start resonating notes and hearing AND feeling your notes. Its almost like a massage.

There is no proper way to scream. But there are ways that will make it less stressful on your system. Even if I've said otherwise in the past, this is what I was meaning.

a watda dadada!
 

now, everyone's favorite thing to do is listen to some random kid sing songs they dont know right? right.

well, im here to help y'all out...
here i am singing Bad Religion's 'Hooray For Me' [url]http://media.putfile.com/Hooray-for-Me[/url]
and Pavement's 'Here'
[url]http://media.putfile.com/Here-97[/url]

i have absolutely no clue what im doing, so i just kinda wing it. Any help is appreciated if you'sall would be so nice as to point me in a direction of what i should do/look into/pratice....

thanks

I dunno if you guys can help me out...my choir concert is next week and right now my voice is too screwed up to sing properly. I have to constantly clear my throat and days where I can sing my regular (healthy) range are few and far between. It's been like this for about a month now.

I've looked into stuff that's bad for your singing voice and I think I'm smoking too much, drinking too much, and also drinking too much coffee. I also read that clearing your throat is also bad which I do constantly because of smoking.

So here's the thing, is there anything I can do to reverse all this bad stuff I've done to my voice by next weeks concert? Like I could not smoke or drink etc but would my voice be back to normal by next week? Because it's been screwed up for weeks.

Don't quit smoking and drinking until after the concert. Major changes will happen once you quit and you'll more than likely develop a cold once you quit smoking (body's natural defense to clearn itself of toxins). After that, then you should quit both.

For now, hum simple 3 or 5 tone scales throughout your range to keep the cords active. Drink about a gallon of water a day AT LEAST. To bring up your excess mucous, gargle warm salt water. Clear your throat as little as possible because that causes the cords to slam together and swell (which is one of the reasons you cant sing properly).

Basically just vocalize different exercises, drink pleanty of water, and you should be set.

[QUOTE=Toaster;13669075]Well.. I'm pushing hard from the diaphragm, and I have a decent range but it's not that I'm straining, it's that the notes sound whiny and thin. I'll post a clip if I get a chance.[/QUOTE]



If its getting thin then maybe your going into falsetto? Keep the adams apple down. Also you dont have to use much air to sing so pushing hard is bad! I think my teacher said something like if you push hard enough it closes off the cords or something like that? Also you probally wont last as long if your pushing too hard :thumb:

can someone pleas tell me how to get a george from alexisonfire scream??? plaeassse??...

Basically the way you scream like anyone else. Just go through the exercises on the first page.

ok cool

Hi everyone, I'm new and I'm looking for some good practices for treatment of vocal nodules. I went to an ENT and was told I have a nodule on my vocal chord. Since then I've tried taking it easy, but I think I could take it easier and am going to work on that. I've also been downing tons of Ricola cough drops and Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat Tea and of course lots of water.

I told my ENT that I had a few shows coming up and he didn't mention canceling them or anything like that. I actually played a show the same day I was diagnosed with the nodule. So he didn't act like it was a big deal, but most of the stuff I read on the internet is very much about heavy rest and vocal therapy.

My best guess as to the cause of these nodules is that I recently added a band to my singer songwriter project and we've been practicing a lot more than I was used to. twice a week, 3 hour practices and I was singing the whole time. Since the trip to the ENT I no longer sing at practice. I have shows on the 1st and the 8th of December, but other than that I have no plans to sing other than some warm-ups until middle of January.

I'm looking for any and all advice as to anything I should be doing at this point. I have a vocal therapy appointment on Dec 5th, but I have a show before that and would like some input on how to handle the show(s).

Some info on me...
21 yr old male
range floats around G#-B full voice depending on the day.
you can hear me singing at [url]http://myspace.com/foreverdown[/url] if you're wondering my singing style.
if there's anything I've left out let me know.

Thanks so much for even reading this. --Casey

If you have nodes, you should stop singing in public until you are well. Some vocal teachers recommend [I]no [/I]singing with nodes, while others think that singing in the presence of a good voice teacher is okay. Talking should be kept to a minimum, but don't whisper, as many people strain when they whisper.

You say that you think the reason you got nodes is that you were practicing more often. But the true reason you have nodes is that your technique is bad :( So go out and get a qualified voice teacher ASAP.

If you REALLY feel you must perform, do light warm ups daily until show time. Warm up lightly before the show. Drink tons of water. (The tea and Ricolas aren't going to help.) And do your best to sing with good technique during the show.

Best wishes,
Kristina
[url]http://voicestudio.kristinaseleshanko.com[/url]

Thanks so much for the response Kristina. I know that I don't have the perfect vocal technique, but I have taken voice lessons before and think my regular technique is not the biggest factor in them showing up.

I had a collapsed lung (lots of chest pain) a few weeks ago, and neglected going in for it as I passed it off as gas or something that would go away. So when singing then I probably used my throat too much to compensate for lack of air support.

I was also sick a couple months ago when I think the vocal nodules first started to appear. When I was sick I ignorantly cleared my throat a lot. Sometimes I would clear it super hard trying to cough up phlegm to spit out.

And lastly I think most of my voice misuse comes from too much yelling at shows (in the audience talking to friends) and too much yelling at parties and bars. So I guess all of these factors lead to me changing my technique due to tired chest and vocal chords and made me stress them.

I really would like to play these shows as they've already been promoted and since we are just starting as a band I don't want to get a rep for bailing on shows and such (we already bailed on 2 last month for all of this). We are however going to cut our 6 song set down to 4 songs (less than 20 minutes performing), and I am going to do light vocal warm-ups as you suggested.

I am really rather baffled at the whole situation since my ENT acted like it was no big deal. He knew I had a show that night and a few more coming up. Then everything else I've read on the matter has been don't sing and talk little to none.

Anyway, thanks again for the advice Kristina. Any other advice is much appreciated. --Casey

Casey~

After I posted and signed offline, I thought I shouldn't have been so hard on your vocal technique. As you've pointed out, other factors can come into play. Still, brushing up on your technique with a teacher is a good idea, just to be sure.

Kristina
[url]http://voicestudio.kristinaseleshanko.com[/url]

I live in GA. Its about 50-70 degrees out these days. Is it bad for my voice (given the nodules) to go running in this weather? How about on a treadmill?

Cold doesn't hurt your voice per se. If you try to sing after breathing a lot of cold air, there [I]could [/I]be potential difficulties. So just arrange your schedule accordingly :) The treadmill is fine, too.

Best wishes,
Kristina
[url]http://voicestudio.kristinaseleshanko.com[/url]

My youth leader is helping me to sing, she says I need to work on my pro/anun ciation. Any tips? Also, I think my voice is a tad bit nasaly, can I fix that?

Pronounciation...by which I assume she means saying your words clearly...All that means is using the tip of your tongue and your lips to say your words. I know, I know, that sounds obvious. But try it. Really think about using the tip of your tongue and your lips to form your words. It works.

Nasally singing is often just the product of not dropping your jaw as you sing. So it sounds like you have a lazy mouth :) Don't worry...most of us do!

Try focusing on dropping that jaw and let us know if that helps.

Kristina
[url]http://voicestudio.kristinaseleshanko.com[/url]

[QUOTE=slazareth;13716409]Thanks so much for the response Kristina. I know that I don't have the perfect vocal technique, but I have taken voice lessons before and think my regular technique is not the biggest factor in them showing up.

I had a collapsed lung (lots of chest pain) a few weeks ago, and neglected going in for it as I passed it off as gas or something that would go away. So when singing then I probably used my throat too much to compensate for lack of air support.

I was also sick a couple months ago when I think the vocal nodules first started to appear. When I was sick I ignorantly cleared my throat a lot. Sometimes I would clear it super hard trying to cough up phlegm to spit out.

And lastly I think most of my voice misuse comes from too much yelling at shows (in the audience talking to friends) and too much yelling at parties and bars. So I guess all of these factors lead to me changing my technique due to tired chest and vocal chords and made me stress them.

I really would like to play these shows as they've already been promoted and since we are just starting as a band I don't want to get a rep for bailing on shows and such (we already bailed on 2 last month for all of this). We are however going to cut our 6 song set down to 4 songs (less than 20 minutes performing), and I am going to do light vocal warm-ups as you suggested.

I am really rather baffled at the whole situation since my ENT acted like it was no big deal. He knew I had a show that night and a few more coming up. Then everything else I've read on the matter has been don't sing and talk little to none.

Anyway, thanks again for the advice Kristina. Any other advice is much appreciated. --Casey[/QUOTE]

Dude youve got a nice tenor voice, dont screw it up! Kill the ego and look into a vocal rehab coach or find a teacher that know about rehab and prepare to take a week or two off. It happens sometimes but you dont want to get in a situation where your voice is worse or compromised. I agree with Kristina, but I always do because she knows her stuff. I say you should be able to sing three hours whenever you like if your technique is good. With that being said though, some of that technique could be things like tense larynx and overblowing notes both of which will bring you down but both of which are easier to understand and reduce. Use the mic and turn it up if you need to so you can sing a little easier and longer. But I say you need to take some non singing time off and try another doctor's opinion. And yea, no drink will help your cords. Remember they are in the larynx, if any liquid touches them it's called choking! Pure water and a good diet is all you can do really, as far as ingesting go.

Plus a collapsed lung? Bad luck man. I like your music and I sent you an add request, so add me! Read my hotline when you can...Best wishes [url]http://www.sputnikmusic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219911[/url]
Merkabas Voice-Help Hotline - Music & Musician Forums

Thanks Merkaba! Glad you like the tunes and your request for friendship hath been approved.

Heh, I don't think I have an ego. I know I don't sing as best I could to help my voice. I would say time and money play more a part in it than ego. I do plan to look into a voice coach soon though. Our show on the 1st was canceled due to a venue shutting down (I'm kinda happy about that). So other than the show on the 8th I have no intention of singing until the new year. I haven't done any real singing since our show on Nov 10th either. So I've been taking it pretty easy.

I know that liquids and such don't touch the vocal chords, but if my throats feeling kinda sore the tea and ricolas sure do seem to help. Maybe its all mental. Thanks again Merkaba. If we ever come to your town let me know and you're on the guest list ;) (assuming you like free shows).

[QUOTE=slazareth;13742134]Thanks Merkaba! Glad you like the tunes and your request for friendship hath been approved.

Heh, I don't think I have an ego. I know I don't sing as best I could to help my voice. I would say time and money play more a part in it than ego. I do plan to look into a voice coach soon though. Our show on the 1st was canceled due to a venue shutting down (I'm kinda happy about that). So other than the show on the 8th I have no intention of singing until the new year. I haven't done any real singing since our show on Nov 10th either. So I've been taking it pretty easy.

I know that liquids and such don't touch the vocal chords, but if my throats feeling kinda sore the tea and ricolas sure do seem to help. Maybe its all mental. Thanks again Merkaba. If we ever come to your town let me know and you're on the guest list ;) (assuming you like free shows).[/QUOTE]

Oh yea, I didnt mean the ego statement in the usual sense. Its habit for me due to my "spiritual" background. I just mean that you have to balance that "drive" out sometimes with the opposite. Thats why I push normal speech level singing and warming down and rudiments, exercises, etc., because It keeps you balanced, just like stretching does for the working contracting muscles of any other athlete, not just us vocal athletes.

When singing there is an increaed amount of air that shoots through to the back parts of the throat, the soft pallet, etc. Many times this will get dried and irritated due to this, especially in singers that sing alot at high levels like opera, and even moreso, of course, with "rock" and heavier or more pushed types of vocals. So many people lump this all together when describing vocal irritation. This area can be soothed and moistened with the tea and honey and etc. and it does make things feel better, in your mouth and throat, just not the actual cords themselves. I think many times the cords are less affected than many people think, and the sore throat is only due to this type of irritation, and if they warmed up and warmed down more and had a bit better technique they wouldnt be affected at all vocally. Vocal cord pain is right behind the adams apple and usually not something that the average person would want to fool with or push through.

I think youll be alright. I'm in SC. If you end up in Atlanta or Charlotte(myrtle beach SC is way farther) then let me know!

Edit: I see youre in ATL....good one we'll be in touch!

Your throat is sore because it's injured. And when you're singing, sometimes it's best NOT to cover up pain, or you'll just hurt your voice worse. The pain is there are a warning.

Water is important, though, to keep your "parts" hydrated :)

Kristina
[url]http://voicestudio.kristinaseleshanko.com[/url]

P.S. "I agree with Kristina, but I always do because she knows her stuff." Thanks, Merkaba!