Do You Like (Or Hate) Your Voice?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jack Russell
  • Start date Start date

How do you feel about your singing voice?

  • I love my voice!

    Votes: 95 12.4%

  • My voice is o.k., but could be better.

    Votes: 186 24.2%

  • I have mixed feelings about it.

    Votes: 214 27.9%

  • My voice is not so good, but I live with it.

    Votes: 103 13.4%

  • I hate hearing myself on tape. Sometimes I want to quit.

    Votes: 170 22.1%
  • Total voters
    768
I think that the more I hear my voice, the more I get used to the sound of it. . . It's not just singing voice; most people don't really like the sound of their talking voice either.

I have also been blessed to be a member of the international champion men's chorus (www.aoh.org) , so I've had a good deal of formal training because of that.
 
I think a big factor in how you like your voice is merely confidence. Get comfortable with singing. Sing live with your band, sing songs to yourself at work or sing along with songs in the car. One thing I do in my free time is play electric guitar while singing into another amp (or if you have a PA, even better), and it got me used to being both a singer and a singer/guitarist. Or put on some headphones to hear yourself and play some acoustic guitar. Hell, my vocal abilities/ear have probably improved a lot from playing "Rock Band" with my girlfriend the past few months! The more you sing and the more you hear yourself sing, the better you will be and the better you'll think you are.

And this is coming from a guy who HATES public speaking, and is known as the "quiet guy" even amongst his friends.
 
I'm one of the stuckup few who said they loved their voice. I have been singing since before speaking, and it has been a HUGE part of my entire life growing up, in school, etc.

I started seriously picking at the piano at around 25 or so, very basically, and kept practicing..so now, I can play and sing, and my style is very distinctive, but I like it. A lot of people don't, haha.

My daughter is following in my footsteps. She's got a voice on her that is pretty damn good for a 13 year old. She's also picked up the piano brilliantly for her age (no lessons there either). If anyone's interested, my website is
http://www.myspace.com/kirstinfrosheiser

And, my daughter's song is the first one there, called Goodnight mix 3. I'm on about mix 6 now, lol. But she wrote the song, performed the piano, and sang the entire song...low melody in verses, which I need to bring up, and the chorus and bridge the melody is all her. We share the chorus, but she gets the bridge all to herself. I'm pretty proud of her, and I LOVE HER VOICE TOO!

Hope I didn't come off as stuck on myself. I'm not, I just love to sing, and the sound of my voice is pleasing TO ME. Maybe not to anyone else...I'm not sure.

Kirstin
 
I like my voice and think I'm a good singer (but not great). Someday's I can sing runs and stuff that make me think "wow, that was really good", but then I can't re-create it, which annoys the crap out of me and makes me thing "I wish I was a better singer".

So, to round up, I LOVE to sing and think I'm a decent singer and my voice is quite pleasing, but I wish I had twice the control over my voice that I do have. There are things I just can't do, or can do only once in a blue moon by accident!
 
I think everybody finds it strange to listen to a recording of their own voice. I hated my singing voice and by no means am I a good singer but after a few songs I started to get used to it and to be honest if you continue you actually improve. I now have mixed feelings about my singing voice but getting over not wanting to listen to it was the best thing as now I can be objective when I write a new song. Just need to improve the lyrics. I also find getting others to comment TRUTHFULLY helps but only if you can take the criticism. I let others listen to my songs and they were very truthful but it helped I now sing better but I'm still crap. (You should have heard my early songs) If you love music it shouldn’t matter what you sound like people on sites like this are never going to put you down because you’re a member of something bigger a love of music.

Check them out at my site below and comment if you like I have a very thick skin
 
Man I improve DAILY. Theres 2 words to live by.. Don't Quit
 
Personally, I don't like the timbre of my voice and I'm certainly not a singers singer but I write and record my own stuff so who else am I supposed to sound like. I'm sure Bob Dylan and Neil Young don't like their voices either
 
I can't stand the sound of my own voice, but others all seem to enjoy it... so I generally record all the musical parts myself then bring in someone else to record, mix, and comp my singing before we mesh it all.
 
I have a restraining order against me that says I can't get within 100 feet of a microphone.:(
 
Lol... I love my voice like 10 times more than i did when i posted my last post... Just get your asses on the microphone until you like your voice... just because you sound funny to yourself doesnt mean your funny voice isnt the new voice that somehow everyone loves because its so weird or different...
 
I honestly don't think my voice is all that pleasing (and by that I don't mean the singing aspect but more the slight nasal-ness I have which I'm pretty sure is due to an unset/undiagnosed broken nose from sparring in the back of a wa-ho.. don't ask)

But I've received my share of critisism and compliments, so I've just decided to say fuck it and do what I can with what I have... besides, Axl Rose soloed probably wouldn't be the most pleasing voice I could think of if you know what I mean...
 
My vox suits some music types better than others.. no surprise there, I know!
 
I research proper technique and structure of singing on a daily basis. My living room has my band's "practice" equipment in it (a crappy Crate 900DLX powered mixer and a single 15" with horn speaker; we're working on getting monitors to use instead, along with 2x microphones), so I practice as often as I can (every day).

My research has consistently insinuated that good singing is about learning proper breathing (80% of how to sing properly, as well as safely), but also about learning and then gaining muscle memory of notes, and also finding the range that you are most comfortable in. Your range is important, because that's where the notes will be the most pleasant-sounding.

Having said that, I have no way of telling if I'm on key or not as I own no musical instrument to help guide me. I may learn the guitar, but the keyboard is looking better every day.

Points to look at when singing:

-Proper Breathing
-Being on-key and hitting notes accurately
-Warming up and Cooling Down your voice (not doing so can be damaging)

This is what I've learned, but as far as being able to actually do it...I'm struggling. I really want some voice training, someone to tell me what needs to happen in my chest, voice box, larynx and etc. to make my sound better, fuller, and healthier. I can't find a good voice trainer for my voice and style, though.

Oh, and what you record on/with can really make a difference. The clearer the recording, the more you will be able to hear and understand about what you might need to do to get a better sound.

Does anyone have any idea as to how smoking cigarettes and other things can effect your voice? I read somewhere that Korn's lead singer as well as other famous/popular/talented singers say that to do some of what they do, smoking has actually been beneficial for them in doing those things. Screaming/yelling/growling was a part of that. Anyone know how to do these things safely?

Pce,

--DC
 
Dark_Cynic87 said:
I research proper technique and structure of singing on a daily basis. My living room has my band's "practice" equipment in it (a crappy Crate 900DLX powered mixer and a single 15" with horn speaker; we're working on getting monitors to use instead, along with 2x microphones), so I practice as often as I can (every day).

My research has consistently insinuated that good singing is about learning proper breathing (80% of how to sing properly, as well as safely), but also about learning and then gaining muscle memory of notes, and also finding the range that you are most comfortable in. Your range is important, because that's where the notes will be the most pleasant-sounding.

Having said that, I have no way of telling if I'm on key or not as I own no musical instrument to help guide me. I may learn the guitar, but the keyboard is looking better every day.

Points to look at when singing:

-Proper Breathing
-Being on-key and hitting notes accurately
-Warming up and Cooling Down your voice (not doing so can be damaging)

This is what I've learned, but as far as being able to actually do it...I'm struggling. I really want some voice training, someone to tell me what needs to happen in my chest, voice box, larynx and etc. to make my sound better, fuller, and healthier. I can't find a good voice trainer for my voice and style, though.

Oh, and what you record on/with can really make a difference. The clearer the recording, the more you will be able to hear and understand about what you might need to do to get a better sound.

Does anyone have any idea as to how smoking cigarettes and other things can effect your voice? I read somewhere that Korn's lead singer as well as other famous/popular/talented singers say that to do some of what they do, smoking has actually been beneficial for them in doing those things. Screaming/yelling/growling was a part of that. Anyone know how to do these things safely?

Pce,

--DC
Click to expand...

There really isn't a way to do it safely. That screaming/yelling/growling sound is the sound of damage. If you insist on performing in this style, the thing I would keep in mind, is to have lots of rest between sets and not over do it during your sets. Many screamers end up developing nodules and have to get surgery. Smoking and drinking are terrible for your vocal chords and can lead to, amongst other things, acid reflux and, trust me, acid on your vocal folds is not a good thing.
 
I think one of the biggest things with liking you voice is finding a type of music where your voice fits. I can do classic art song, opera, 40s and 50s crooners, and some folk, but that's about it. I play around with other forms, sometimes just to be silly, but if I want to really like how I sound I have to stick with what I'm good at.

My stuff is here if anyone is interested in hearing what I sound like

http://www.soundclick.com/michaeldavidhoffman
 
acidrock said:
I have a restraining order against me that says I can't get within 100 feet of a microphone.:(
Click to expand...
It makes me wonder what people did before the widespread advent of recording. I guess they just took peoples' word for it. As a kid I was told I had a good reading and singing voice and persuaded to join a choir. I hadn't ever thought about it. All through my life people have told me I have a good singing voice but I was never happy with it. I always wanted to sound like the vocalists I dug.
But then 2 things happened. Firstly, I noticed a couple of trained pros singing at a wedding and one of them was off key ! I was amazed. It really encouraged me ! Not long after, this alcoholic used to wander into church services and scream and howl and when we'd play music, he'd "sing". It was a racket and a half, but though not pleasing to the ear, his total abandon was actually inspirational and I decided that I was going to find my own voice. Joke is, it was always there ! I'd just spent my life not liking it. So I actively worked on it and now, though I sometimes find that I might waver live or when recording, I kind of like my voice. It's me, no one else on earth sounds like me. Not if they've got any sense !
Interestingly, over the last 15 years, I've sung with lots of people and with only a few exceptions, I think all the vocalists have a 'better' voice than me and I'd rather they sang on my stuff even though they struggle with things I now have less difficulty with. But so what ? It's the voice I have, it works for what I do and others really like it {though why, I don't know !}
 
I can't stay on key for crap. I cringe at hearing my singing recorded. It sounds so good in my head, but during playback it is pure torture to listen to. What's ironic is that I was actually a great singer as a kid. I blame my chronic off-key issues on years of punk rock. :rolleyes: People do think I can rap well, though. Heck, even I think I sound good rapping. At first I thought this was ridiculous, but I've come to embrace this odd "talent" I seem to have. And I can do pretty good Jason Sears-type vocals. But I really suck at singing. I'd need decades of vocal lessons before I sounded good singing. :D
 
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