hey guys.. im just new here..! is there anyone here write songs that melody comes first before the lyrics? can anyone teach me a technique? please.. but i got a standard vocalizing.!

This Works Great
 

[QUOTE=Rocket_Science;8862171]I am trying to improve my singing--specifically my pitch. Does anyone know of any videos or preferably something interactive, like software that can help?[/QUOTE]

Hey this product looks to be what your looking for, and anyone else who wants some help singing, take a look at this, really helped me get the hang of the basics haha :)

Good Luck :)
Dave

http://3b96b2fhtl-0srbiu8knzavwec.hop.clickbank.net/

[QUOTE=romgsom;17426624]So I'm the vocalist of my band and I feel like if I wanna get to the next level from pretty decent to a good solid vocalist I need to improve my overall tone. My range is my strength, but sometimes I can sound just like I'm talking in different pitches. Is there something I can do to help with this, besides practice and repetition?[/QUOTE]

You really have to put emotion into singing. The two most important parts of being a singer are pitch and emotion, if you have those two, you can fool anyone into thinking you're a good singer, no matter how big your range is. So if you have the pitch, emotion AND technique, thats what makes a good singer into a great singer. So work on rasp techniques, certain amounts of breathiness, and just sing along to songs.

[QUOTE=iskabal;17592266]hey guys.. im just new here..! is there anyone here write songs that melody comes first before the lyrics? can anyone teach me a technique? please.. but i got a standard vocalizing.![/QUOTE]

I sometimes get the melody and then after write lyrics. Thats literally all you do. It takes more time creating unique interesting lyrics, but it can be worth it. The other way around with writing lyrics first will take more time writing the melody.

Each way has its plusses and minuses.

Thanks man, I've been working and hopefully I can get the hang of it soon

Singing Help with Emotion
 

[QUOTE=kidthatplaysguitar91;17721121]You really have to put emotion into singing.[/QUOTE]

Agree with this opinion. I think what make singing great is that it can connect between he or she with the audience. If you really put emotion into the scene, you can make something magnificent on the stage.

hey i hope you can take some time to check out my friend at

http://www.myspace.com/aliavery

she's a great singer (many of our friends say so) but is a bit shy about showing off her work. it'd be great if you can listen to her songs and lemme know what you think! (which might lead to a confidence boost for her?)

pinch your throat, dont know what it means but rody walker told me to do it

[QUOTE=iskabal;17592266]hey guys.. im just new here..! is there anyone here write songs that melody comes first before the lyrics? can anyone teach me a technique? please.. but i got a standard vocalizing.![/QUOTE]

I'm new here as well, and for me the melody always comes first...I suppose it's because I would probably classify myself as a musician first and a songwriter secondly. On the rare occasion that I do come across a good lyric to flesh out into a song...it's almost always the hook or chorus.

I have more than one question really in regards to singing but I thought it would be wise to give a little insight into my history as a musician; I actually do, and always have liked a variety of music from Chopin to Dizzee Rascal to Trivium. However I was trained to play piano in a classical style from the age of 9 or 10 (I'm 18 now). I consider myself a good pianist and am doing grade 8this wednesday, actually. I am an equally good percussionist (play tuned percussion as well as drums).

However the problem is that I have not really learnt how to LISTEN. I have always [I]read [/I] music and being a pianist, I do not need to hear how the notes should sound before playing them as you would do on a trumpet, for example. My knowledge of music theory is pretty solid and I know about dominant 7ths, diminished 7ths chords, etc and modes but have difficulty recognising these (not when played in isolation but in the context of music). I recently picked up the jazz piano book by Mark Levine and it is an excellent book, however improvisation is a little difficult if you can't play what you can hear in your head on the keyboard. So this was why I decided to practice sight singing; http://www.lightandmatter.com/sight/sight.pdf (this site is an invaluable source if you have similar difficulties to myself).

I notice that the original poster doesn't seem to post here anymore but perhaps there are some other local experts. Due to my increased interest in jazz over the past year or so I thought it would be an excellent idea to learn how to sing properly and maybe even scat. Since I have decided to sight-sing melodies, I thought it was perhaps worthwhile to learn the proper technique. I have been reading around, getting information about breathing into the diaphragm, etc. One particularly useful tip was about the tongue gagging the back of the throat; practice saying the 'ng' in sing and see if you can feel the tongue on the back of the throat. The tip of the tongue is in the correct position (touching the teeth) but the tongue should not be gagging you. Practice saying 'ng' then 'aah' (with the tongue in the same position, touching the teeth/bottom gum line). THe 'aah' is the correct tongue positioning. Well I have hear that one should sing in solfege but when I do this I find it difficult to keep my tonguein the right place. Should one try not to emphasise the consonants? Also it is hard to keep the mouth wide enough (to fit two fingers in vertically) when repeatedly singing consonants. Consonants seem to be a lot of trouble when singing but if I am to sing in solfege or learn to sing in scat, it seems inevitable. Yawning also seems to push my tongue back and cause the gagging effect (I have heard that one should 'yawn' while singing to produce more resonance and to make the sound produced brighter/sharper). Should you actually make a very slight yawn while singing or should you just open the mouth very wide? I often find that trying to visualise this makes me begin to actually yawn which is not necessarily a good thing. Also when breathing into the diaphragm, should the belly only come out a little bit or is it supposed to be a major thing? I don't have a very big belly as it happens so its a bit hard to visualise. I also try to sing along with the piano but I have a very soft voice which is hard to hear over the piano (I do not try to force it or anything but would like to know a little more about resonance and what you need to do to feel vibrations over the piano). If you learn how to sing very clearly is it still possible to sing quietly? It is just there are occasions I do not want to be heard like when it is night and don't want to wake everyone up.

Also is it necessary to learn the singing techniques just to learn how to sing in tune, thus developing a sense of pitch? Don't get me wrong I would very much like to learn how to sing and especially learn how to scat; when taking a piano solo or vibes solo or something in jazz band it would be really cool to scat along just to show off and amuse everyone else a little. I would need to learn how to be able to hear the pitches I am to play before they are played however and also be able to develop resonance so that I am actually heard.

The other thing is when sight-singing, how do you know if you are in tune without using the guidance of an instrument? It is very difficult.

Does anyone know of any good singing or scatting courses over the summer holiday. Or maybe a jazz improvisation course? This being in Birmingham, UK.

Thanks a lot.

Oh yes, by the way, does anyone know what the technical name is for the screaming in metal? Vocal distortion?

The technical name for screaming in metal is, "having the hardest boner." I hope this helps.

i just strained my voice during rehersals a couple of days ago and its still painfully sore, what should i do? i sing in a death metal band and i do mostly grows and high pitched shrieks, all exhales

take a break, drink a lot of water and eat a lot of fruit, stay away from dairy, caffeine, and alcohol during this time frame

dont sing or scream until you have no pain

then work on your technique and dont forget to warm up

i seriously was in such horrific pain for a few days, getting better though, great advicest too man, cheers!

Ya dood. I been skrimmy skrammin for 6 years, I KNOW DIS SHI. :p

[QUOTE=witchxrapist;17894343]The technical name for screaming in metal is, "having the hardest boner." I hope this helps.[/QUOTE]

:rolleyes: Not really and yet you were kind enough to help the other person. Thanks, I guess.

Does anyone have links to good, free singing instructional sites??

When I scream or growl, I'm not hurting my voice and I can go on for quite some time, but when I sing, especially when heading into falsetto, I tend to hurt my voice and my throat starts to produce so much mucus I can't scream properly afterwards. What am I doing wrong? I did a vocal warmup before I started.

Help With Singing
 

[QUOTE=Rocket_Science;8862171]I am trying to improve my singing--specifically my pitch. Does anyone know of any videos or preferably something interactive, like software that can help?[/QUOTE]

I bet you have a great voice!
I say that because often when people have even a little difficulty with pitch, they feel that they do not have a "good singing voice". [B]Well in order to improve your pitch, you have to train your ear. This will improve the relationship between what you hear and what you sing.
Start by singing vocal exercises that challenge you to repeat small (1-3) combinations of notes and work your way up to more difficult combinations (scales & scale variations). CDs would be a good idea because you can listen to them as often as you like and repeat the exercises as often as you like.
Make sure that the exercises are enjoyable so that you will be motivated to practice improving your "Relative Pitch" more often.

Good luck
Eve Soto

FREE Vocal EXERCISE
http://www.readytosing.net/

Help With Pitch
 

I bet you have a great voice!
I say that because often when people have even a little difficulty with pitch, they feel that they do not have a "good singing voice". [B]Well in order to improve your pitch, you have to train your ear. This will improve the relationship between what you hear and what you sing.
Start by singing vocal exercises that challenge you to repeat small (1-3) combinations of notes and work your way up to more difficult combinations (scales & scale variations). CDs would be a good idea because you can listen to them as often as you like and repeat the exercises as often as you like.
Make sure that the exercises are enjoyable so that you will be motivated to practice improving your "Relative Pitch" more often.

Good luck
Eve Soto

FREE Vocal EXERCISE
http://www.readytosing.net/[/QUOTE]

Sing Without Straining
 

[QUOTE=Nikkolae;17897824]i just strained my voice during rehersals a couple of days ago and its still painfully sore, what should i do? i sing in a death metal band and i do mostly grows and high pitched shrieks, all exhales[/QUOTE]

Hope your Voice is better now.
Practice singing your high notes by letting the air come out of your mouth FIRST. This will keep you from closing your throat, blocking air and thus, straining your voice.

Good luck
Eve Soto

FREE Vocal EXERCISE
http://www.readytosing.net/

Ready To Sing Voice Lessons & Vocal Exercise CDS/Downloads
 

[QUOTE=hiddengirl;17033475]Im a vocalist, and Im trying to improve my voice. Anyone know of any sites which may help?

Cheers,

Tonii.xo.[/QUOTE]

The Ready To Sing Vocal Exercises are fun and they are effective. Learn vocal techniques, practice them and you will hear your singing improve as you repeat the exercises that are put to music. Easy to follow.
There is a free exercice and you can sample all of the exercises on iTunes

Good Luck
Eve Soto
http://www.readytosing.net/

How To Not sing through your Nose
 

[QUOTE=kdash;15912595]Hi,

I have a question about head voice. When I go into head voice i feel a lot of resonance around my nose area. The problem with this is it is giving me a very nasal sound. So I trying to lower my larynx more to give a deeper sound. But sometimes this just becomes deep and nasaly or i drop out of head voice sometimes.
Any input?

Thanks[/QUOTE]

If you want to avoid singing through your nose, try dropping your jaw (like there is an egg in your throat)
Say "awwwah". This will allow you to make sure that the sound is coming through your mouth and not your nose. Remember, the sound goes where the air goes.
There is an exercise on ReadyToSing Voice lessons and vocal exercises Step 2 called "No Nose" is might help

http://www.readytosing.net/
Good luck
Eve Soto

From screaming to cracking
 

hello!
i have been trying some warm ups to help avoid the "cracking" that occurs when i try to hit the higher notes but i have a problem. i'll do the warm up and the cracking goes away but when i then do a scream the cracking comes back. is there any tips that can help with this? help is greatly appreciated...

yo!
i have the same problem with cracking/voice breaks, but in a different way.
if i sing soflty, i can reach most notes, and that voice break isnt there. Take city and colour's 'coming home' which i can do with relative ease as dallas has a softer voice. The problem is i want to increase volume to get over the instruments in my band, sort of like belting and using my whole range, but my voice has a terrible voice break. It seems as though my head voice and chest voice are completely different and arent connected. any exercises on youtube or advice here that could help?

Plus i want to develop a distinct singing voice can someone tell me all the dimensions for singing that can be altered? ie. resonance, pitch, diction, volume, - what else?

how do i sing good please tell me in 1 post

Okay I really need some help. I got screaming pretty good but those clean vocals I just can't do. I can hit the notes but my voice sounds nasaly. I need more advice than use your diaphram. Thanks!

Your voice gets used to screaming basically. Practise and its a good idea to play drums cause you can scream all you want and no one can hear you.

Here's some tips- they work for me, and I do a mix of melodic singing and screaming as well. I taught myself how to sing, eventually got some training from a few coaches. Here's a list of stuff that helped me- and I'm NOT a good singer. I just stay in my range and write as smart as possible.
[B]Get a keyboard.[/B] For melodic singing, your best bet is to map out every note you sing on the keys. This makes it infinitely easier to write harmonies and see where your sharp or flat.
[B]Don't force your voice.[/B] When you push notes too hard you'll go flat and not even know.
[B]In ear monitors.[/B] Honestly, THE single best thing I ever did that improved my singing was in-ear monitors. Some people have perfect pitch and can naturally sing in key, most of us can't. Once I could hear myself clearly my pitch and annunciations instantly got better. I'm sure a lot of you guys practice in small spaces with a LOUD band, this makes a huge difference. Just being able to practice with it made the shows I didn't use it sound better too.
And definitely do 10-15 minutes of warm-ups. If you go into a show/performance cold you can really hurt yourself. If anyone here plans on singing for a few years you have to take care of your voice.
And for the guys with cracking voices- your either singing way out of your range or your just [I]dehydrated[/I]. I drink as much water the day of a show as possible, and try to limit caffeine. Dry vocal cords will crack, trust me. Embarrassing shit.

I don't know everything about singing, I'm still learning. Everyone is different. These are just things that helped me over the years. If you want to hear my stuff, check out www.myspace.com/rotation Thanks guys!

Kool.

+1 to what thecurseofandy said

constructive criticism
 

check out my youtube?
youtube.com/marieelaurette

i need some good constructive criticism on my voice.
thanks!(:

Letting air come out of your mouth first. That's good.

Hey i m a singer in my band and a good guitarist too but some time my throat become so bad i used so many things to overcome but whenever it spoils my voice i cant sing for week sometime 10 days i m very worried i wonder if anyone could help me??
___________________________________________________
http://www.allmobilebrands.com/1-BlackBerry.html]UnlockedBlackberry

I'm a harsh vocalist.

I think I am good at my highs, but my gutteral lows aren't really effective. Any help?

MopHead..practice. Try dropping your tounge to the back of your throat like your trying to touch that punching bag thing.

You gotta get low to get low, use you gut niggu.

A good exercise for getting in touch with your diaphragm is doing jumping jacks while screaming.

Oh god, the visuals I'm getting. Please make a youtube video doing this. It will go viral. The key is to make it a super serious video on singing techniques. Title it something like "Vocal Exercises part 4: Low End Scream"