How to not sing like doo doo?

[djhead]

I am sure I've mentioned this before, but not I have had it. My singer is too retarded to sing, so I thought I would try to. I can hit the notes, but i sound WAAAAAAYYYYY to nasal. I can't afford vocal lessons, so i thought I would ask the sinngers here how they go about not sounding like ass?

[brandrum]

I saw an instructional book put out by M.I.T the other day...it includes a C.D....I believe it was $20.00...maybe something like that can help...I don't know.

[ido1957]

Good singing takes practice as you probably already know.

It also helps to get some vocal coaching. You could buy a singing lessons CD from here for a good price and save lots of $$ on lessons....

www.singingvoicelessons.com

[andyhix]

Tilt your head back a bit, and jut your jaw out slightly. And try not to sing through your nose. Oh, yeah, and the practice and lessons and all that other BS.

[philboyd studge]

I don't know, in looking back I sounded like an ass for at least ten years before figuring anything out. Poor audiences. Oh well.

[djhead]

I have found I have much better tone and timbre when i am singing at speaking volume. To hit certain notes at higher volumes, i almost have to yell like Mike Ness from Social Distortion. Is there any practicality or reason behind this?

[Monkey Allen]

I really wish I could sing.

[up-fiddler]

Originally Posted by Monkey Allen

I really wish I could sing.

So does Bob Dylan. Oh, and ask Willie Nelson about the nasal thing.

Seriously, take what you have for a voice and work with it. We'd all like to have that great vox but, just like body parts, we are all different. I think that if you stay on pitch and develop a style of your own that's more important than everything else. After that, the people who don't like you can jump in the lake. Get as good as you can and accept your voice and work it into your music in an interesting way. Record something and throw it online for advice might be another path to follow. Good luck.

[ido1957]

Originally Posted by up-fiddler

So does Bob Dylan. Oh, and ask Willie Nelson about the nasal thing.

Seriously, take what you have for a voice and work with it. We'd all like to have that great vox but, just like body parts, we are all different. I think that if you stay on pitch and develop a style of your own that's more important than everything else. After that, the people who don't like you can jump in the lake. Get as good as you can and accept your voice and work it into your music in an interesting way. Record something and throw it online for advice might be another path to follow. Good luck.

+1 for the above

[Monkey Allen]

Originally Posted by up-fiddler

So does Bob Dylan. Oh, and ask Willie Nelson about the nasal thing.

Seriously, take what you have for a voice and work with it. We'd all like to have that great vox but, just like body parts, we are all different. I think that if you stay on pitch and develop a style of your own that's more important than everything else. After that, the people who don't like you can jump in the lake. Get as good as you can and accept your voice and work it into your music in an interesting way. Record something and throw it online for advice might be another path to follow. Good luck.

Very true. Bob Dylan and Willie are great singers. My voice comes off as high, thin and whiney. Add that to the usual fright of hearing your own voice on tape...and it isn't pretty.

But yeah...it's a bit like golf. It's just not something I practice a hell of a lot.

I live in a damn unit so it's hard for me to practice singing and harmonica. I guess if I really wanted to learn I wouldn't let that stop me.

[peritus]

Originally Posted by djhead

I am sure I've mentioned this before, but not I have had it. My singer is too retarded to sing, so I thought I would try to. I can hit the notes, but i sound WAAAAAAYYYYY to nasal. I can't afford vocal lessons, so i thought I would ask the sinngers here how they go about not sounding like ass?

If it's any consolation, practiced four days with this site:

(http://www.vocalist.org.uk/vocal_scales.html)

And let's just say.. I can actually hit the notes without all the nasal sound, also without mental effort...Not that I'm billy bad ass.. I do notice an improvement though...

It's pretty cool so far...

Good luck...

[andyhix]

Originally Posted by peritus

Not that I'm billy bad ass.. ...

Joey Blue Skies, is that you?

[WOB]

Born in the US, we all have the american Nasel ,twangy sounds against us.

I fell the best way to hear yourself , is to put on some earphones and listen... You sound diferently inside your head than people hear you outside. (The mic will help you hear yourself out there)

When you Cough you naturaly do that with an open throut... thats what you want when you sing.

Some singers use a fake diolect (Randy NewMann /Leon Russel) to avoid the nasel sounds.

An England English diolect works well (Beatals/Stones/David Boie)

The Afro American way dosnt pronounce those sounds at all.

I'm still worken on it.
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...?bandID=536248

[sikter]

The strange thing is that Europeans people are trying SOOOO hard to that NASAL pronunciation just to sound "American".
I am working on translation of our songs and we'll make English versions of them. The first one we experimented with turned out badly.
I used one who "can" a little English but can't sing. (Second song on My music-link)
We are exited to hear how our other song will sound in English.

Anyway, some countries like Sweden, Norway, Denmark etc. produce almost all of their music with lyrics in English. The other stuff has no chance to reach the chart list. I dislike that kind of behaviour but the trend is to strong and there is nothing I can do about it.
I think every people should express their own culture and be proud of it. I like what Eros Ramazoti and Gipsy Kings do. Latino songs in my opinion sound badly in English.
I prefer it in Spanish. I really don’t need to understand every word it says.
See you!

[djhead]

Originally Posted by WOB

When you Cough you naturaly do that with an open throut... thats what you want when you sing.

I tried that last night. Sounded a little better.

[Cyanide-Depende]

i sound like danni filth minus the earpiercing sqeual, which can be useful, except when I want to actually sing something.... then I can only do opera type shit and that doesnmt work in rock/industrial, but i have to tilt my head back alittle and sing into the sky or I sound like a mouse in a dying cat.


also, forget about EVERYTHING around you, go where ever the "song is" and just let feeling lead your voice. i know it sounds cheesy but it works.

-C$

[Dogman]

Listen to me sing....you will feel much better about yourself..........


I make Lemmy sound like Povorati.........

[djhead]

is that link in your sig for your chunes? Beezer T Pudwhacker? If it is, you were right, i DO feel better

[Dogman]

Originally Posted by djhead

is that link in your sig for your chunes? Beezer T Pudwhacker? If it is, you were right, i DO feel better

The really good shit is here

It's more Death Metal than anything....

[timmerman]

All the things people apply to improve their guitarskills can be used to improve and strenthen your voice as well:

Warm-up exercises

Just making sounds with your voice

Some basic breathing excercises

Sing scales [just play along with some of your guitarplaying]

Try to stand up as much as you can when you work on your singing, you will be naturally inclined to do so anyway, as your voice will project-and sound so much better.

Now most of the above is "work" and most of us dislike work eh? Yes that includes me as well...........

To have fun you could do this:

Play chordsequences on your keys or guitar, or on the bass [eh not chords here, just arpeggiating those thriads...............] and then, start singing melodies over them, just have fun with it, forget about technique and just enjoy.

After a while when you think you only sing rootnotes, then start to play around with the notes, timing and.....................

Before you know if you are 10 years later in your life.................

But seriously try it, it is not hard and just fun, but yep, it takes time and discipline.

Have fun man!!!

[up-fiddler]

Originally Posted by timmerman

All the things people apply to improve their guitarskills can be used to improve and strenthen your voice as well:

Warm-up exercises

Just making sounds with your voice

Some basic breathing excercises

Sing scales [just play along with some of your guitarplaying]

Try to stand up as much as you can when you work on your singing, you will be naturally inclined to do so anyway, as your voice will project-and sound so much better.

Now most of the above is "work" and most of us dislike work eh? Yes that includes me as well...........

To have fun you could do this:

Play chordsequences on your keys or guitar, or on the bass [eh not chords here, just arpeggiating those thriads...............] and then, start singing melodies over them, just have fun with it, forget about technique and just enjoy.

After a while when you think you only sing rootnotes, then start to play around with the notes, timing and.....................

Before you know if you are 10 years later in your life.................

But seriously try it, it is not hard and just fun, but yep, it takes time and discipline.

Have fun man!!!

Great post.

[dgatwood]

Originally Posted by djhead

I have found I have much better tone and timbre when i am singing at speaking volume. To hit certain notes at higher volumes, i almost have to yell like Mike Ness from Social Distortion. Is there any practicality or reason behind this?

You're probably not supporting the sound. Either that or you're singing outside your natural range and need to spend time building your range (and should probably rest your voice, as this could indicate significant vocal fatigue).

A good exercise is to put a heavy book on your stomach and push it up with your diaphragm muscles. As you breathe in, that book should rise. If it doesn't, you aren't breathing correctly.

Another good exercise is to put a piece of paper against the wall at arm's length. Pucker your lips and blow. You should be able to hold the paper against the wall with only your breath. If not, you aren't moving enough air. If necessary, move closer to the wall, but keep practicing until you can do this at three feet or so. Try to keep it up for at least a couple of seconds.

Another exercise: breathe in, taking a deep chest breath (moving your stomach out as you breathe in). Hiss. Try to keep this up as long as you can.

Another exercise is to breathe in, taking a deep chest breath. Once you have breathed in as far as you can, hold your breath for a couple of seconds, then start sipping air. Keep sipping for as long as you can stand it, then breathe out. This will help build long capacity.

Final exercise: breathe in deeply, then sing a single note for as long as you can hold it. Repeat. Try to increase the amount of time you hold the note each time you do this. Try to squeeze that last little bit of breath out.

Do these exercises regularly, and when you sing, be sure you have that same tension in your stomach muscles that you did when you were pushing the book up with your stomach. Basically, you should be pushing your stomach out while you are pulling it in.

[djhead]

You are a masochist All that shit hurts really bad 3 weeks of being smoke free.....

[FALKEN]

1. just project your voice clear across the room

2. find "your" voice. I can't cover ozzy. I can't cover sepultura. I can't cover 50 cent, or james brown. I can do a pretty good jim morrison and possibly some mick jagger. on a good day. I can sort of do fugazi. so I focus on what those guys do that sound good. that's the best advice I can give. don't try to sound like something you're not. find who you CAN do, and do what they do. then; change it to make it yours.

[cephus]

Good stuff here.

I was a terrible singer and I've gotten better. I practiced every day and sang into a tape recorder and forced myself to listen to it. If you want to sing as bad as I did, then you figure it out. I could have given up. I was that bad.

The thing that helped me most was not really about projection or scales or whatever. The way you shape your face affects the sound. I know that sounds retarded. But sometimes I stick my jaw out or try to flare my nostrils a bit to chance the tone OR pitch. If you look at witney houston when she sings, you can see how she is using her whole head as the resonator.

I have to admit, though. My natural singing voice sucks. I sound much better when I am doing an imitation of elvis or something. Like singing under an assumed voice. It's not that I sound like elvis. It's just that when I deliberately sing, it seems to work much better.