singing problems

[rhythmgtr5]

I'm not sure if this is the appropriate forum for this, but I figure that since many of you here are writing songs that you must be able to sing fairly well.

I've been trying to sing for the past 2 months; by this I mean recording covers with just me and an acoustic guitar. I took voice lesson the first semester of this year, and it seemed to help a little, but the problem was that I was taught opera-type music and i want to sing rock. Basically I am getting really frustrated with trying to be able to sing and whenever I play these songs for my friends they tell me how off-pitch I am. Will constant practice make help me to get better? or is it a lost cause if you arent born with it? like I said, I'm getting very frustrated and I feel like giving up.

thanks

[acidrock]

2 MONTHS?

You've got a long way to go baby,
I was terrible twenty years ago but I kept at it and now I'm passable.
Practice,practice,practice record yourself today and then in a couple of months and then a year later,you,ll be better it's just hard to notice the improvement day by day.
My only concrete advice is to try different keys and find the one thats most comfortable for you.Get a capo and move it around the neck on songs you know.
Try songs that are'nt vocally challenging.Do'nt try and sing things that just are'nt in you're range.
Try "talk singing" kind of like George Thorogood and the like.

Just don't quit we all got a little singer in us you just have to find it!
GOOD LUCK!

[Chris Shaeffer]

Yeah, singing is rough- ESPECIALLY if you are trying to do covers. Each singer has his or her own sweet spot in their range and they tend to sound best there. Chances are that you singer you are trying to copy has a very different voice than you. The trick is to find your own sweet spot and work on expanding it both up and down in pitch.

Oh lord, I used to try and sing really high like all my favorite rock singers. Occasionally it would work, but it usually just ended up off pitch and horrible. I can hit those notes every now and then when I need to, but I can't live there. My songs all have to fall in my range for me to be comfortable singing them.

And it took years for me to get to a place where I liked my voice. People were always telling me I sounded like Neil Young. I love his songs but I DON'T like his voice. So I worked on my pitch and people don't tell me I sound like Neil Young anymore.

Singing along with other songs is a great way to exercise your voice and figure out where you are most comfortalbe. Just try not to strain or push too hard. If your throat is getting sore and rough feeling you are pushing too hard and using the wrong muscles. You probably know that from the operatic training. Most rock singers torture their throats so you might not want to sing the same way they do, eh?

Practice is the key- and don't give up. This world needs more people who sing. Drink lots of water while you are practicing too- room temp. water, not iced. Keep that throat happy and it will treat you well.

Take care,
Chris

[Emeric]

"People were always telling me I sounded like Neil Young."

Yeah people tell me that to. I realize now it's just a clever insult!

Keep at it rhythmgtr5. It takes a long time. And depends on the music your into, and that will change as well.

The 'sweet spot' good range thing is so true. It's a drag but sometimes writing or re-writing the songs to fit the ability of your vocals is one of those dreary realities when realizing ones limitations.

"or is it a lost cause if you arent born with it? "

If you have pitch problems, it is most certainly going to be your biggest obstacle. Timing/Rhythm to. Pitch and timing and rhythm, that's all there is. It can be learned, but if you have any or all of those traits before-hand it makes the rest that much easier.

Frustration is part of the process to. Just keep practicing. Seek out other musicians with similiar musical interests and jam. Jamming is essential in the rock learning curve.

[Cyrokk]

Sounds like your problem is basically singing on pitch. Taking ear training courses is a good way to make your ear aware of the intervals you are singing. Once your ear recognizes the interval, it will be in a better position to place your voice correctly.

Singers have a huge advantage over any other musician: They can play their instrument just about anywhere, anytime. And many singers do just that. This is a great habit to get in. Sing in the car, in the shower, hum to yourself while going to the bathroom or standing in line at the DMV.

It is also quite possible to maintain a rough singing voice without damaging your throat. The key is to sing like that in small doses, especially when starting out. Gradually you will develop a strong singing voice in that range and you will learn how far you can take it without doing any serious damage. Trust me on this one. I've been singing with dirt in my voice for years and any change in my speaking voice is unnoticeable.

Cy

[rhythmgtr5]

I would agree that most of my problem is staying in pitch, so I think possibly just singing a lot to songs will help. I've found that if I sing through a microphone and I'm wearing headphones that I can hear myself through it really helps. I've noticed the guys in my school who can sing are always singing, like you mentioned. Singing is probably like guitar playing where one cant expect to be good overnight

Thanks everyone for your advice

[Porter]

My fiance gave me 2 little pieces of advice which applies to everyone!

1. Find the key which your voice sounds the best and sing in that key. Remember you can always change the key of a song to suit the singers voice!

2. Don't try and mimic the voice of the singer of the person who's song you are covering. You are covering it and it's your version, so you sing it yourself (in your own voice).

Personally I have a pitch problem... I like to sing an octave above the range that is best suited for me... why.. because that's where other people sing and I want to sing there. I'm teaching myself to sing in the right octave now and it feels soooo much more comfortable.

Hope it helps,

Porter

[area510studios]

-talk more melodically .its like singing all day and people dont yawn while you are speaking tothem.

-yawning-if you are having trouble projecting try yawning ,notice how much louder and loose your voice flies out.try to apply this to controlling your pitch .bending your notes into key.

-get a guitar tuner(chromatic)sing into it mote buy note as low as you can go up to as high as you can go.find you r crackling weak spot.build those muscles.after you do.your other notes will sound better too.sing into the tuner everyday when SEE that you are flat or sharp(because you cant trust your ears)fix it on the spot.after a few weeks you will see dramatic improvement!then try singing notes into your tuner with out looking see how close you are to perfect pitch.now you are trusting your muscles and the shape of your inner and outer mouthlips and teeth.-

-keep your tongue pressed againstyour bottom teeth.this will help with smoothness.

-singing into a mic? EQ your self so you sound the way you want.too muffled?turn down the bass.to radio like-turn down the mid.feeding back?turn down the highs.only use the mic/amp for you low weak notes volume wise.(talking)when your singing all out.dont sing "to"the mic.sing as if the mic was 15 feet away from you.stand back a bit and let it out.the only way you will fix singing out of key is to attack the problem.let your muscles know that you have come to make changes and they better get with the program.do the same if your singing with out a mic.

-these are rock tips.once you go down the path of rock singing you can never go back.