question about vocal-fatigue

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just a question for those who do some serious singing or might know anyway:

are vocal-exercises (that much) more demanding on your voice than singing songs?

i noticed that i can sing quite a few songs before my voice gets weary - the first one usually doesn't sound THAT good. BUT: after 15 minutes or so of real vocal exercises I can't sing any songs in my critical ranges anymore.

is this normal?
 
HEY SIX,

Excellent questions!

Ok, here is how it plays out…

Quote, “are vocal-exercises (that much) more demanding on your voice than singing songs?”

Yes and No.

They are more demanding in the way of pushing your untrained voice to become more durable.
They are less demanding if a teacher is making sure that your singing is proper.

Quote, “i noticed that i can sing quite a few songs before my voice gets weary - the first one usually doesn't sound THAT good. BUT: after 15 minutes or so of real vocal exercises I can't sing any songs in my critical ranges anymore.

is this normal?”


The question, “is it normal”:

Yes it can be normal to have some vocal fatigue from lessons, especially when starting out. What concerns me however, is what do you mean by “critical range”?

Who is giving you lessons?

Did you question your teacher about your issues?

If you are self-teaching yourself, well all my previous comments are voided, for you are mostly likely just teaching yourself wrong and looking to kill your voice.
 
That's good advice about seeking help from a vocal teacher.

six, if you mean ANY straining ever from singing
in a "critical range" low or high STOP.
For those starting out, just learning to sing in their comfortable range is plenty to deal with.
Especially if you don't have a voice instructor yet.

Two excellent sources for daily practice are;

1) "Sing Like The Stars", by Roger Love
2) "Secrets Of Singing", by Jeffrey Allen

It can take months (or years!) for all the benefits
of daily practice to go into your songs BTW.

Chris
 
If you are self-teaching yourself, well all my previous comments are voided, for you are mostly likely just teaching yourself wrong and looking to kill your voice.
Click to expand...

hey, hey... yes I AM self-teaching BUT no, I don't think I kill my voice because I try not to overdo anything, so
it can be normal to have some vocal fatigue from lessons, especially when starting out
Click to expand...
is more likely to be it.

this sounds as if I just chose the answer that pleases me most. but honestly: I thought about that myself after having read quite a few articles about vocal training.

with "critical range" I meant the passagio, which is known as the weakest point of a voice. I can sing below and above it - approximately around F# below middle C - for hours without problems.
it could also be that after exercises, where I start low, I approach the notes lying in my passagio in the wrong way and I push my chest-voice too far.

and last but not least: I've been experiencing this only in the last few days... and today I realised I caught a cold ;) - so that might be the main reason.

anyway. I'll keep an eye on it and will tell you about any progress (in either good or bad way).

thanks for your answer.
 
six, if your "break" is around F#, that means you fall within one of the tenor sub-divisions.
As you may know, there is a difference between "head voice" and falsetto above F#.

That kind of training, let alone singing for HOURS up there(!),
should be done with a competent singing teacher IMO.
Make sure to have them check your speaking voice too.
Probably 80% of singing problems are caused by poor speech habits.

Chris
 
and last but not least: I've been experiencing this only in the last few days... and today I realised I caught a cold - so that might be the main reason.

A simple cold has been known to knocked me out of top form for up to a month.


and what is a passagio ?
 
passagio is the passage between chest- and head-voice, kind of mixture which is quite hard to achieve.

chris: i think head voice and falsetto are the most confusing terms in the topic of singing, and - to be honest - I've never heard or read a good definition which seperates them clearly.

for me, personally, falsetto is a KIND of head-voice, the 'power-less' (and easily to achieve IMO) style that can be found in those bee-gees-songs and stuff like that.

... and then there's chest- and head-resonance, which is something completely different.

hey, another question: if a way of singing _sounds_ right for normal "to advanced" listeners but it might not be (in the meaning of not healthy for your voice), how could a vocal-teacher know that. I mean, voices sound so different and there's no other indicator than the sound of the voice.

as an example the singer of linkin park. when I hear him I always go like "2 more years, dude, if it's not all artificial". but who knows? maybe he will never have problems (though I don't think so).

an then there's singers like mariah carrey who sound so "healthy and right-technique-d" but lose their voice every other day.

couldn't it be like a "what works with you doesn't have to work with me"-thing? who knows what's best for me?
 
Your question about whether what sounds right is right is a little vague. Not in as much as the way it was asked, but the little implications that surround it. ie... what does "sounds right" mean?

From a purely technical point of view, there is straining going on if ANY of the following apply:

a) it sounds like there is straining (listen to AC/DC)

b) the veins in your neck and/or head pop out (look at Brian Adams or Bruce Springstein)

c) the longer you sing, the more difficult (ie tiring) it gets.

A good teacher will notice any of these things.

Just because something "works" for someone doesn't make it correct - it just means it works for them. Covering the roof with a plastic tarp will "work" for keeping the rain out - for a while.

Chris
 
Pavoratti who spent SIX:) years perfecting his "passagio", is absolutely against using falsetto.
Better safe than sorry IMHO.

Also get "Caruso's Method of Vocal Production",
by P. Mario Marafioti, which is a classic work on understanding what proper use of the voice is like.

Chris

P.S. Mariah is in the minor league compared to
the operatic heavyweights, in terms of
vocal technique.
 
Sorry Chris !

P.S. Mariah is in the minor league compared to
the operatic heavyweights, in terms of
vocal technique.
Click to expand...


I must disagree with this statement.

I think you are confusing style over technique.

I am not in anyway a fan of Mariah, but to my ears, she is doing it all the way right on the money.

Opera does not hold the only key to proper singing.

Being trained by a very good Opera singer, I know this first hand.
 
She always sounds very breathy to me, which is a sign that her throat is not open.

You're right that opera is not the only way. A good technique should be useful, regardless of what style you are singing.

Chris
 
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