How about a SINGER'S FORUM?

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Haven't been on in a while because I've been singing! Finally finished our new project. As for equipment, the studio we recorded at had great mics I have no idea what brand. Seems like they said they were Rode. But I'm not sure. They use a 24 track Alesis hard drive recorder and do all the mastering on computer using Nuendo and Wavelab. They had a huge Mackie board along with a Yamaha digital mixer. The have a mic modeler that has autotune on it. Out of the ten songs we recorded there was only one place on one song that two guys went flat. Using Wavelab we zeroed in on the flat spots (basically one word) and corrected the pitch. As for using autotune alot, I am totally against it. If I couldn't sing I wouldn't want to need some kind of gadget doing it for me, I'd just take up an instrument. With autotune we will probably have more Milli Vanillis out there. FAKE.
 
I'm all for autotune though if otherwise the singing will cause me
to develop EAR nodes!

O.K. Come on...
Admit it!
Who's been using autotune?
(we promise to give a fair trial before your execution)

Chris
 
What do you singers out there think about this? Does the human voice need rest? In my humble opinion a person can sing hard (not out of range) for approx. 4 days before a rest is needed. In my experience of singing gospel music I have always been better on the 2nd and 3rd day than I am on the 1st day. I have talked to some people that refuse to talk the day before a gig to rest their voice. Even though I believe the human voice is some what like an athlete who cycles their workouts to avoid overtraining. I don't think the voice needs rest before a performance. What do you think?
 
With proper sleep and good technique-including warming up,
"rest" requirements should be minimal.
"Good technique", however, is a BIG assumption!

Chris
 
I totally agree. This is precisely where a singer with no technique (or a self-developed technique...) differs from a singer with a technique like the Bel Canto technique. With Bel Canto, the voice actually gets stronger over a night/week/tour, etc. rather than getting weaker or tired.

Chris
 
Bel Canto Question

OK all this talk about "inhaling the voice" got my curiosty piqued. So I gave it a try. Talk about rough sounding (when I wasn't choking) Either I am not understanding the concept or you guys are crazy.

Are you saying that this technique involves the production of sound while taking a breath. It seems to me that this is contrary to human physiology. In a normal relaxed state, when you take a breath, your vocal folds should open up and "Move out of the way" to remove any obstruction from your throat. By bringing the vocal folds together to produce sound aren't you in effect closing off your air-flow? This will lead to earlier fatigue - not greater endurance.

I know I must be mis-understanding something.

--Chris
 
Holy crow.... it seems like half of us singers are all named Chris somehow.....

Yeah, the inhaling of the voice is all an elaborate hoax just to make you feel like a total ass for trying it :D No, really, I AM serious about it. Here's the deal....

It is important to know where and how to inhale the voice. You CAN NOT inhale the voice into the lungs, and expect the vocal cords to vibrate properly as the air passes backwards through them. You're right... that would be contrary to human physiology.

The voice gets inhaled from outside the mouth (obviously...), deflects off of the hard palate (for power and projection), and UP into the sinus cavities (for resonance). As the in-coming air passes over (NOT THROUGH) the vocal cords, there is a change in air pressure, which draws the air from the lungs upwards, and hence, through the vocal cords. (in much the same way a car can drive past a piece of paper, and by means of air pressure, drags the piece of paper along with it for a short distance) The air coming up from the lungs passing through the vocal cords is what makes the sound. The difference is that the air is not pushed up and out from the lungs with the diaphragm muscles (though the diaphragm is important), but rather drawn out of the lungs by air passing over the vocal cords.

This results in two upward streams of air (one from the mouth heading up into the sinus cavities and one up from the lungs and through the vocal cords). These two streams of air meet in the sinus cavities. When two rivers meet, you will get a whirlpool at the point of intersection. The same happens when two streams of air meet. In the case of Bel Canto singing, this "whirlpool of air" occurs in the sinus cavities, resulting in a rich resonance.

Because air is not being forcefully pushed out of the lungs, there is no strain on the vocal cords (providing you're doing a number of other things right, like lifting the throat, etc.), and therefore no fatigue of the voice.

Chris
 
sorry for the addendum....

Oh, yeah.... I recognize that this sounds all very bizarre. The only way to really learn this technique is with a qualfied teacher who uses the same technique him/herself. They are VERY hard to find!! Brian Vollmer, the lead singer of Helix teaches the technique, and has a student who comes up (to his home in Ontario) from the south-western United States. A person I went to school with spent six months in Italy (the "home" of Bel Canto), and could not find a teacher who taught it. He returned to Ontario to study with my teacher, Edward Johnson. (a former tenor with the Met Opera in NYC)

Also consider that there are a number of "interpretations" of what is involved in the Bel Canto technique. Many people who claim to use it do not practice the inhalation of the voice.

With the inhalation (while I'm at it...), the two streams of air that combine and resonate in the sinus cavities have to escape the body somehow. The air passes from the sinuses through the nose, though because the tone has already been achieved, there is no nasal quality to the tone.

Chris
 
Holy "Chris Cross" Batman!

Nice explanation Chris T.

My coach gave me the "verdict" on my voice (lyric baritone BTW).

The good news-It was good enough to consider an operatic career. (est. was 4 or 5 more years serious technical study)

The bad news- It generally needed a minimum of 30+ minutes warming up EACH day, then one hour+ of scales/song study
every day-no exceptions unless seriously ill.
After that it might be ready to tackle the simplest of classical
material!

Chris
 
so are you gonna try it?





heres a new question Who and/or what inspired you to start singing,

For me the who would be Andy Waldeck the what would be the fact that its something i don't have to spend money on and can do anywhere and time (except in a library!)

what about you folk?
 
Well Axis, I was shoved into a school choir at age 12 without much choice, and I got to look up the skirt of the busty blonde alto who sat across from me for the next 6 years! At age 16 I took too much LSD (1000 mcgs or so) and spent about 6 hours with a cheap classical guitar and Mel Bay's "EZ Guitar Method", trying to figure out how to play "Home on the Range". Within 6 months I was playing in a band doing Jefferson Airplane covers, and they gave me money, and got me stoned and laid on a regular basis. It may not be as spiritual as the Bel Canto revelations I've been reading here, but if it ain't inspiration, I don't know what it is! Most of the next two years were spent trying to figure out how to play "Tommy", but that is another story.-Richie
 
I 'spose next they'll want the skin flute forum. Guitars, drums and keyboards, the rest is just a matter of opinion. Bob Dylan kicks ass but I'm sure Lionel Richie or Michael Bolton would disagree.
 
You know, Mojka, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't disagree. One of the things about professionals is that they recognize both talent *and* the results of hard work in others, even when their styles are quite different. Bobby Dylan, in my humble opinion, is one of the greatest lyricists of all time. Lionel Richie is fine composer with the capability for pop, country, and God yes, even Reggae. Michael Bolton has nearly the finest *hair* in the business, and that's gotta count for something. Furthermore, I assure you, the ability to really play that skin flute has produced more money, and more fond memories down through the centuries, than all those superstars put together.-Richie
 
Thanks for asking Axis, however, at age 43 the dreams of standing on the
Met stage have passed me by. There's so much terrific pop material though
to enjoy singing as a hobby is fine for me now.

Chris
 
What Got Me Started Singing

When I was in the third grade, my parents realized that I was way too uncoordinated to do anything athletic, so they got me involved in music.

Over the years, I have been involved in organized music in some form or another with the exception of three years in college (the three worst years of my life) Singing has taken me places I never would have had the chance to go (England, China, Hawii, Japan, North Dakota....). And do things I never would have had a chance to do. (Sing for the queen of Denmark, Sing the National Anthem for a Pro Baseball Game, Sing in a chorus for an audience of 12,000 people.)

I wouldn't trade any of it away. Some of my closest friendships have grown from the people that I have sung with. I even met my wife while singing in a choir.

For me, singing is a central part of life. I would hardly exist without it. It is an outlet that allows me to express the artistic side that is suppressed all day at work. I don't really sing professionsally (OK, the occasional wedding and an acapella group that performs 10 - 12 times a year) But this hobby is much more important than any career I could have.

Singing - for life,
Chris Carlson
 
That's great to hear Chris, good for you.
Isn't funny how people say they're "skiers", "surfers", etc.
Yet saying you're a "singer" has a whole different connotation?

Chris
 
Yep... even telling people that you're a musician often draws a certain wariness in peoples' responses. I remember my great aunt congratulating me, but at the same time telling me that she thought I would have made a great accountant when I told her that I got accepted into the university music program. :(

Oh, well.... it must be REALLY frustrating to tell people that you're a poet....:rolleyes:

What got me into singing??

Kind of a funny story.... I HATED music all through grade school, as my classroom teachers were forced to teach music, though they did not have music backgrounds. They resented teaching it, and made us resent having to take it. We were in grade 8 singing totally lame songs about rabbits and holes...:rolleyes: I heard a recording of myself singing in grade 7 or so, and recognized how horribly out of tune and lifeless my voice was, so I stopped singing entirely.

So... I picked up guitar. One thing led to another, and I started playing in bands, and also started classical guitar study. I started singing only when I absolutely needed to (to get a point across, or when I was being marked on something....), but was miserable at it.

After about 10 or more years of playing in bands, and never finding a singer who was reliable, available, able to sing in tune, able to learn songs in a reasonable amount of time, not suffering from LSD (lead singers' disease...), a "normal" person who had likeable characteristics, had a sense of direction, etc., I became quite frustrated. It was out of this frustration that I finally said, "screw it.... I'll do it...."

After a year or so, I was able to hook up with a highly respected teacher who taught a good friend of mine, another musical acquaintance, and the singer for one of my favourite bands (who is now also an acquantance...). EVERYONE raved about this guy and the technique that he taught. I was lucky enough to get on board, and now quite enjoy it, and my voice improves measurably all the time.

:D

Chris
 
Anyone else NOT named Chris have anything to say?

Seriously, Chris (T!) it's always nice to hear people like yourself
ending up in a positive situation.

Chris
 
I agree with connotations, Chess. If you're a "singer", you're a bum, but if you're a "recording artist", you're golden!-Richie
 
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