Learning to sing well

pisces7378

pisces7378

New member
Can anyone tell me what is a usual or popular method for people to "learn to sing" without taking $30,000 worth of lessons and learning how to sing "The Marriage of Figaro" when you want to learn how to sing "White Wedding" by Billy Idol. (Ok so I hate Billy Idol) but anyway you get my point.

I can sing... as in, I can meet the pitches and tones ok, but my voice is thin and weak. It wavers and drifts. I have no concrete methods of practice other then just on the edge of my bed with a guitar everyday. Have any of you guys read a book that gave you some GOOD advice that you could recommend to me? I'll do "faggy little voice training excersizes" and sing Doh Ray Me Fah Soh Lah Dee Doh 24 hours a day if I thought it would thicken up my feeble voice.

Please, only seriuous suggestions. (saying that pretty much GUARANTEES that people are going to goof on me.)

Thanks guys,

Mike
 
Drink Red Bull.......mmmmm-yummy...it gives you wings.

I'm half-joking, but I guess I was born gifted, so I can't really offer any advice for a better technique. :p

Isaiah
 
You want advice. You got it.

You know all those cd's, tapes, or albums you got. Put em on. Crack em. The belt out the vocals right along with the artists. Put your gut into it. In fact, YOU get into it. You might look like a moron but it works in the long run.

Then, when you start getting more comfortable, start singing harmonies with the albums. Dont double the vocal, but sing a harmony with it. The main line. The chorus. All of it.
 
If you are mostly interested in singing "rock" and you are not real concerned about "true technique" - then I agree, sing to your CD collection - practise makes perfect, etc. etc.

Since you feel your voice is "thin" you need to learn to sing from your abdomin, rather than singing from your throat

There are various books and tapes/CD's available that explain how to use the various parts of the body to get better sound, and yes the tapes/CD's do provide "faggy little voice exercises".
Check out your local library or book stores.

By the way, voice lessons aren't any more costly than guitar lessons, etc. (maybe $15-$20 per half hour). Perhaps a few months lessons (less than a $300 investment) can give you the tools to work on technique.

For what it's worth, I took voice lessons after singing "rock" for years (many people said I had a good voice - in a Joe Cocker/Rod Stewart kinda way) I feel I improve my singing alot - at very least I don't blow out my throat after singing 10 songs.
 
And I will concur with Mike.

Mike, dont think that I was downplaying the need and purpose of vocal lessons. It just didnt look like he was too enthused with taking part in them.

I did take about 5 or 6 lessons, which turned out to be all I needed. It is more about strengthening your vocals than anything else so I will also recommend taking a view voice lessons to help you.

Or, just take the previous suggestion and blast away with some cd's. It really depends on what you want to put into it.
 
well, this looks like as good a place as any to ask this question...in another thread I saw comment comment about "engaging support" when singing...what does that mean?
 
pisces, there are many ways to skin the "vocal" cat.
Here are three;
1) "Set Your Voice Free", by Roger Love (book/exercise CD)
2) "Secrets of Singing", by Jeffrey Allen (book/excercise CD)
3) Call (800) 876-SING to find your local barbershop chapter
for acapella singing. (great way to improve your voice!)
It's important to have the opportunity to sing with singers of greater skill
level than yourself so you develop your ear, and vocal coordination.
Ever notice how many great pop singers come from a church soloist or
gospel quartet background-it works!
 
hux, read those books I recommended and they'll answer your question
"the right way", because the true answer involves actually doing it.
I should have mentioned that yearly dues for barbershop chapters run
under $200/yr, much cheaper than lessons. If you're a rocker just think
of joining one for training purposes, including melody/harmony singing.
 
Hey man,
I am with you on the singing thing. My voice was generally thin and weak. It didn't project well and my notes wavered quite a bit.

I made a conscious effort to make my voice better about 1 1/2 months ago. I decided to start practicing every day... at least 5-10 minutes a day. It is important to do it every day simply because developing your voice is like lifting weights (almost).

Some things that I do to practice:

Grab an acoustic guitar and just start singing notes with it. Run some scales, sing harmonies with scales (3rds/6ths mostly) Play some chords and hold notes over them. Really try to project your voice and hold the notes as long as you can. This will help your breath control. Sing as low and as high as you can. This will show your range. I can sing comfortably from low F# to around high F# right now (3 octaves).


Crank up your favorite cd's and sing with them. Not only sing with them... try to emulate it as best you can. Change the tone of your voice and the shape of your throat to match their's. Sing with the same intensity. Also, crank up your not-so-favorite cd's or the radio and sing with them..


Another thing to do is to find where your voice breaks (going from chest voice to head-voice/falsetto). Once you find this, sing a lot in that area and try smooth the transition so you can't hear your voice break.. try and blur the line.


or.. Turn off the music and sing with nothing playing. Hear a note in your head and sing it. Sing scales (in tune) with nothing to help you.


Sing in the shower (obviously) sing in the car (obviously).


And finally... Be Loud... I live in a house all by myself so I can do this a lot. Make weird noises.. scream.. project your voice as loud as you can with the least amount of effort. You may look totally insane (believe me.. I'd be in a looney bin if someone were to witness me sometimes haha).



I've been doing all of these for almost 2 months now and there is a very distinct improvement in my breath control, lung capacity, voice projection and note control.

Good luck..
Tim
 
Yep, voice is just like chops in brass. You build up to singing two or three hours at a time, three or four times a week. One of the best ways to do this is to sing in a community choir or light opera company. Believe me, by the time you come off of your final perfomance after being in the chorus of a musical or doing the Messiah straight through for the sixth time (after months of rehearsals), you'll know what it is to have a strong, musical voice.

Then you have to keep it up. I remember taking a year off and then joining one of those audience sing-alongs for the Messiah. I nearly tore my throat out in 10 minutes trying to keep up with what I "remembered" doing the year before. Slowly, slowly you build until you can sing well for sustained periods.

I'm still chafing a bit at your comment about "faggy little voice exercises." My voice teacher -- a big Mormon guy with a doctorate in music, four kids and six grandkids -- would kick your butt for that comment! Voice exercises are a lot of hard, very physical work.

Although some folks are born with better instruments than others, anyone who can discern and match pitch and carry a tune can vastly improve his/her tone, range, endurance and intonation with regular use of time-honored voice exercises and consistent practice.

Best wishes,

Mark H.
 
With all due respect for the well meaning suggestions posted so far,
I felt honor bound to make some further comments;

1) Be careful singing in the car-especially with the windows opened
and/or the stereo loud there's a tendency to sing too loudly,
most risky on high notes, as far as damaging the voice over time.

2) Listen to other singers for style/interpretation, trying to hard to mimic
them can also hurt the voice. (happens to rock stars too!)

3) A good usuable range for pop or rock singing is an octave and a half
in full voice (no falsetto!) or more of SUSTAINABLE notes.

4) Choirs are great for getting your vocal feet wet, after that start getting
into individual part singing, either as a soloist or part of a
vocal duo/trio/quartet etc.-much faster learning curve!

5) After you have a repetoire of songs you sing well in your comfortable
range, start learning to develop a vocal "mix" for high notes.
 
Just to clear it up.

Just to clear the air... I didn't mean "faggy" seriously which is why I put it in quotation marks, to show that I was speaking tongue in cheek. And thanks guys for all this advice, I went to Amazon.com and read a few excerpts from that "Set your Voice Free" book and I ordered it. Thanks a ton guys. This is why I freakin LOVE this website.


Mike
 
OK, you're forgiven. ;-)

I have learned so much in the short time I've been here, and I am grateful to all who participate for their generosity of spirit and willingness to share their experience.

Mark H.
 
I'm a vocalist and here's what I did.

I sung.

You'll never become a good vocalist unless you love to do it. 5-10 minutes a day is nothing.

Find about 10 or so good, versatile vocalists that you like, and mimic them. Sing with intensity, but don't overdo it. If your voice starts to hurt, stop.

A good voice exercise is to sing the lowest note you can possibly sing for 25 seconds. Even when you think you're as low as you can possibly go... go even lower. And do the same with high notes. It'll feel really weird and retarded, but in a few months you'll notice a big improvement.
 
hard to say

I used to have a horrible voice...I've now had strangers tell my friends that I sound great, , but I still hate it.. (hear for yourself at www.mp3.com/ruebarb) - part of it could be your perception...what do your peers say?

One of the first wild things I discovered was my melodies sucked...I'd write these melodies that use a bad portion of my voice, and sing along to songs that I didn't write that I liked and just nail the parts.

It sounds stupid, but I improved my voice by just recapo'ing a lot of songs and trying different keys till I found a good harmony I liked...

I kinda went for the Kurt Cobain/Dave Pirner school of vocals. hard on the throat if that's all you do...but I hit the high notes. And for me, if it's not from the soul, it sucks...I have too low and resonant of a speaking voice to sing naturally, but basically, I sang along with CD's in the car non-stop for 3 years...I don't overdo it too badly, and only strain when trying to hit high notes...trying to stay away from Shannon Hoon type vocals...we have to have realistic expectations...some guys will be Meat Loaf, some won't, but even Jeff Tweedy sounds good when he's singing from the heart.

I try to open my mouth as wide as possible when singing, breath (duh) and have to increase my volume to hit the high notes.

BTW, that's how I warm up...singing to CD's in a car on the way to a gig, although I'm sure a scale run and stuff will do just fine in a pinch. Basically, I just kept doing it for 5 years till I didn't hate it so much.

Wish I could be more helpful...I don't understand it...but we're all our own worst critics...as far as mics go...I highly recommend the Rode NTK or NT2 - (the mics I used on the MP3 recordings) - those are great for thin voices.

RB

RB
 
Falsetto

How do I strengthen my falsetto voice? I want to be able to sing along well with songs like Extreme's More than Words. i am a sophmore in high school and I am in chorus. I am going to check into those books that you all mentioned.
Thanks,
Daniel
 
FZ, in the long run it's better NOT to sing in falsetto!
This is not even a IMHO topic, at best continuous falsetto singing tends
to thin the voice. At worst, it can actually damage the voice, despite
what any other singers or teachers tell you. The air passes through the
vocal chords differently than proper singing by using the full voice or a
vocal mix. I learned this from an operatic (dramatic baritone) singer who
was my singing "master". He was discovered by the great Italian tenor
Gigli, and was a protege' of the greatest known operatic baritone of all
time, Tito Ruffo, so he knew his stuff.

I used to sing a lot in falsetto prior to learning this, and he predicted
correctly that if I quit doing it, my entire vocal range would sound fuller.
Although pop and rock genres contain great music and singing,
if you really want to improve your voice, exposure to classical principles
of voice production will help, partly because they are based on the
natural workings of the human voice.
 
Some things a lot of "wanna be" singers either don't know or wont admit to........

Singing requires the use of muscles, and like an athlete they need to not only be trained but kept in peak condition.

The singing voice is an instrument, and without correct tuition and guidance will end up sounding like any other badly played instrument.

It is also essential to "recognise" correct pitch and be prepared to work at attaining that goal of NOT MISSING NOTES.

ChrisO :cool:
 
Hey Mr. Aussie... yeah, the australian Daniel Johns from Silverchair is one of the best singers I've ever heard, and he's the wimpiest, skinniest male singer I've ever seen.

What muscles do you need?
 
Been down this road.....

OK, this is no small matter.

I have been down this road personally, so I can offer some real-world advice.

First of all, don't expect your singing voice to radically improve overnight, nor even in several months. It really and truly does take two to three years to get it together properly.

By getting it together, I mean proper breath support, pitch, tonality, dynamics, pronunciation, style.

Rule #1. Read this FIVE times, because it is Soooooo important. ALWAYS sing stuff that is in your natural range (especially starting out). If you can't do stuff that is EASY for your to hit pitch, don't expect the extremes to sound anywhere near good. Find material that IS IN YOUR RANGE!!! I cannot emphasize how important this is. Just because you REALLY like some rock band with a singer that is a high tenor, do NOT try to sound like him if you are a Baritone. That will not only sound god awful, it will really do bad things to your voice.

Practice, Practic, Practice. Record yourself, and play it back. How things sound in our heads is different than how it sounds in front of us. Remember to practice the RIGHT things though. A wise music teacher I had years ago said "If you aren't practicing the RIGHT things when you practice, you are getting better at doing it WRONG!"

Take a years worth of lessons to get the breathing foundation down. Then learn to articulate and pronounce. The rest will then fall into place naturally.

If you spend enough time learning your "instrument", you will be able to do the things you always wanted.

But be PATIENT!! Trust me on this. It isn't gonna happen over the course of 6 months. You will improve, but you won't get where you REALLY need to be in that time frame.

Find your OWN voice, your OWN style. This is where YOUR voice, in the end, will really shine.

It takes time. Be very, very patient.
 
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