Singing Technique

  • Thread starter Thread starter mocharock
  • Start date Start date
Have you tried singing while lieing down?




















































:D
















Sorry, I have a deep loathing for just about every "vocal coach" or "singing instructor" I've ever met. I said "just about," b/c I did finally meet one who I trust enough to let my daughter take lessons from. Personally, I think there is a misplaced emphasis on a "proper" singing technique, and before you tell me I'm full of shit, I've had some coaching in my life, lol.

Actually, I don't think voice lessons are necessarily a bad idea...but I've heard some really cool singers totally derailed by voice training. After a short amount of time, some similar trends start to emerge; things like emphasized vibrato that sounds like a warbling cat, breathing that sounds about as natural as a respirator...it just makes me ill...I wouldn't allow all the life to be sucked out of my daughter's vocal cords by some well intentioned posture nazi, lol.

Anyway, the instructor that got the gig with my daughter was the woman whose first question to my daughter was "What do you listen to? What do you like?" A smattering of public school choir almost ruined her, but she's back on track now. :D

Oh, I usually have to sing for 4 or 5 hours at a stretch, and my personal experience has taught me that in ear monitors are more important to the preservation of a voice than diaphram training...you should never have to yell into a mic in order to hear yourself out of a monitor. Since I started using them, I can sing for 5 hours straight, RIGHT FROM THE OLD THROAT, lol...and still harmonize with the radio on the drive home. :D :D

Finally...the vocal cords are like pectoral muscles... you cannot expect to sing one or two nights a month for 4 or 5 hours at a stretch unless you SING EVERY DAY.

(**DISCLAIMER** - THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED BY MR. HARRIS ARE CORRECT, FOR HIM...NOBODY ELSE - except maybe his daughter ;) ...)

:D

Carry on.
 
This is an excellent thread! I always wondered why my voice kept giving out after about 1.5 hours.
 
Chris;

There is one of two reasons why someone would go to Voice lessons and be
"derailed" as you put it.


1) Anybody who can carry a tune, is an expert in singing.
Many good and bad singers, who have never had a lesson in there life,
think they can give lessons.(like weight loss advice)
Some people who play other instruments well, get such a large ego,
they figure they can give vox lessons too.
Some teachers have had improper lessons them selves, they were not
taught Bel Conte, what good are they ?
Some people give lessons for one reason only, GREED.
Some people just can not teach.


2) Voice lessons NEVER show immediate improvement.
Took me FIVE YEARS to come about.
There is a long period of uncertainty.
Learning singing is completely unlike any thing else,
there is really NOTHING it can be compared to.
When I started lessons, I was already a decent singer.
I wanted to go to lessons because I wanted to be the best singer in the world.
(no such thing)
I was never happy with my voice.
So I went to voice lessons to be more happy with my own sound, how naive I was.

Now what has an already decent singer gained from lessons;
Longer notes, much, much greater range, better tone, better pitch,
more confidence (very important), great flexibility of the voice that
helps when not feeling well and greater stamina.

No one is saying that there are not great untrained singers out there,
but I just know as I know the sky is blue, ANYBODY, will improve
from PROPER singing lessons.


Sean
 
A reasonable "baseline" for pop technique is learning how not to strain
and even damage your voice permanently while staying in tune.

It's perfectly normal for people who get PROPER instruction not to sing as
well for a time, compared to their prior (limited) technique.
Similar to a talented bowler or golfer going back to improve their game.
The body has to "rethink" to become more coordinated again.

Personally am changing from singing high baritone to a warmer full
baritone, and the mental switch is very challenging.
(listening to a lot of Bing/Sinatra/Nat King Cole...)

Chris
 
First of all coaching begins with getting in touch with yourself. If your voice is worn out so quickly then you are doing something wrong.

A coach can tell you to feel where and how your voice is resonating, but you have to do it.

A good coach will respect the character of your voice and the style of music that you want to sing. If they do not find another coach.

It is just as much a mistake however to strive to sound just like some other singer whose work you enjoy. Your voice is not his/hers and your efforts to sound exactly like them are very likely to fail.

All sound originates in the throat, People sometimes find that term 'singing in the throat' very confusing. Ther real goal is to allow your chest, mouth, and nasal passages to resonate the sound and provide overtones.

It is also a lot about breathing and controling your breath. As my choir director is fond of saying 'if you don't breathe you die'.

Most of the basics of good singing can be described and demonstrated quite quickly. After that it is a matter of being constantly reminded of them until you get the hang of doing them without thinking. Most folks get frustrated with vocal coaching because they do not seem to be learning anything new each week.

Lying on your back...well I guess if you posture was poor then lying on your back will force your back and shoulders to be straight, but other than an illustration tool I don't see much use in it. It does remind me of a story I heard about a couple of voice actors trying to do a radio commercial that was supposed to be a couple talking together in bed. They just weren't getting the feeling right so the booth director had them lie down on the floor because you just speak differently lying down.
 
smellyfuzz said:
YOU KNOW I DO NOT EVEN KNOW HOW TO RESPOND.

Sorry for the rant, but everyone has bad uniformed advice on how to lose weight, save money, own a business, eating & sleeping disorders, mental health, and how to sing.

It wouldn't bother me so much if everyone were not to swallow it hook line and sinker.
Everyone does of course because it always is some kind of quick fix.

Singing can not be learned over night.

AND GUESS WHAT, almost everyone can get some kind of voice improvement from Lessons, but that is not the answer that anyone wants to hear, they would rather take some kind of magic advice or worse, just assume they will never be able to sing better and hope that it is good enough.
Click to expand...

I have heard and used this technique for training. as well as Gargling.
You hum the pitch while gargling....what does that do? well, if you do it wrong-the water comes down, and you choke...it forces you to learn to exhale a constant steady stream of air, instead of trying to "push air" for volume, which can damage the vocal chords....but I'm sure you already know about this training technique.

Here's my take on laying down. If you lay face down, it will force you to work your diaphragm more-which in turn, WILL strengthen it.


Tim
 
The best way to learn how to sing is to stand on your head and put a sock in your mouth.

If this doesn't work, then just ask some one off the street, he'll have some advice.


Sean
 
Tim, it's not really at matter of strengthening the diaphram,
it's a question of coordination development of the voice.
All that stuff about people pushing pianos around with their belly is just nonsense! :)

Chris
 
Oops!
Good advice/bad editing in last post.
("it's not really A matter...)

Chris
 
im a vocal coach, believe

mocharock said:
What is the best way to learn how NOT to sing from the throat? I have had the bad habbit for so long that I have been killing my throat after a long recording session with out getting any good tracks. NO I have not been taking lessions from Monty!
Click to expand...

Take the advice from Timmy....

believe me it's effective.

Because i try once. by the way, im a newby here. i am a vocal coach as well.
 
Folks, dont throw out shoddy advice...the voice is an instrument that can get damaged really quickly.....


you want a good reference??

Jerome Hines-The Four Voices of Man. I am a professional Singer(opera/classical), and was reccomended this book when I was 14(im 28 now). Jerome Hines was a legend. He sang at the Met until the Age of 83, and you couldnt tell his age a bit..he sounded like a 30 year old man. He did Opera, Show Tunes, Ballads, everything...amazing talent. He wrote two books that really challenged the notions of what all these quack voice teachers were trying to impart to their students. He also went through a crisis (Liike you are going through, it sounds like) but quickly overcame it and became the Singer with the most Performances at the met in history. (Dont let the fact that he sang classical/opera/showtunes throw you..good technique is good technique and can be applied to any style)..his other book was called "great singers on great singing"

The notion that breathing makes it all happen is false as well. Try this:
Light a candle. Go about 3 inches from it and begin reading from a book. Watch how the candle flickers. Now, sing a verse of a lullaby or whatever...watch the flame again. Clearly speaking requires more breath than singing....there is no one answer to how to correct the problem...you obviously arent tone deaf(which is the one problem that cannot be overcome)..you just need a good technique. Find a good teacher, read that book I told you about and PRACTICE..youll be amazed at your progress.

http://www.voiceteachers.com/



Three most important warm up principles.

1. Good Posture
2. Proper Breathing
3. Be gentle with your voice and Warm-up before intensive use.

Try the following vocal exercises :


WARM-UPS
When you are going to sing, watch that you are in a position of minimum tension and maximum flexibility with your ears directly over your shoulders, shoulders over your hips. check that you can still see your shoulders out of peripheral vision.

1. GOOD POSTURE - pretend you are a puppet dangling on a single string attached to the top of your head
Be conscious of how you breathe. Deep breathing is essential for safe, healthy, effective voice production. When you breathe in, aim to feel as if you take in air as low down in your body as possible without your shoulders having to rise. Allow stomach muscles to relax outwards as you breathe in.

2. PROPER BREATHING - Begin your singing with exercices that focus on proper breathing. Panting like a dog or holding hands on the diaphram to feel it expanding outward while breathing in deeply are two such exercises.

After that it's time for a gentle vocal warm-up.

3. VOCAL WARM-UP - massage your face, lips, and throat to relax tension. hum an "m" sound gently up and down the voice range to to start the vocal warm-up.

Then, sing a series of round open vowels such as "Mmmeee-Mmmay-Mmmah-Mmmoe-Mmmoo" on one note and then repeating moving up and down the scale.

Check breathing - relax your gut muscles outwards as you take a breath in.




Other vocal health hints

- Be sure you keep your vocal folds moist and well lubricated. You can do this by drinking plenty of liquids throughout the day.

- Keep tea and coffee consumption to a minimum though, as the caffeine in these drinks dries out the vocal folds and can make the voice sound raspy and scratchy. Alcohol is also bad for the voice, as it dehydrates the body and therefore the vocal folds.

- Take time to take a relaxed, deep breath when you need to before you start to sing or speak.



- After speaking for a long time, warm-down by drinking some tepid water. Yawn and then breathe deeply.

- To nurse your voice through a cold or a throat infection, steam it - put some hot water in a basin, lean over it gently with a towel over your head and inhale the steam. Be careful not to scald yourself! For the best results, do this several times a day for approximately 10 minutes at a time.

- Look after your voice. Don't strain it. Eliminate background noise before you try to speak loudly over it. If you have to project your voice, always use breath support.

- Watch that you DO NOT push your voice from the throat. When you speak, your navel should move towards your backbone. If this doesn't happen, you won't get the best from your voice and you may even damage your voice without realising it.


Quote:
Originally Posted by ax2x3m
hi, just wanted to know if anyone cared to share how they warm up their voice to achieve their maximum capacity

just wanted to know if there was i better was since i usually dont do anything before a jamming session and it takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour before i can actually sing my best
 
1) Develop an ear that can distinguish what sounds good and what sounds bad.


2) Continue working on that which sounds good.


3) Stop doing the things that sound bad.



Essentially, you are paying a vocal coach to perform step one for you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top