Singing tips.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Enjoi
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Enjoi

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Been browsing the forums, seen a lot of people asking about singing and why they don't sound good. I'm not sure you realise how much there is to singing, there is an absolute shit load to take in, other trained vocalists will vouch for this.

Don't get shocked when you hear yourself for the first time. What you hear when you sing and what others hear is completely different, this is due to the resonance in your head. You'll get used to your voice after a while :)
So here's some pointers, from me, to you about singing and how you can improve :)


Vocal Compression
COMPRESSION, COMPRESSION, COMPRESSION! No, not a compressor. Compression. Do your vocals sound weak and airy? Or maybe your lower notes sound strong, and as you go higher in your vocal range you simply sound...bad.

Vocal compression is the amount of air that passes your vocal chords. Compressing the chords will create a stronger tone, it wont be so airy. As you ascend in your vocal range you need to compress your vocal chords to keep your tone even.


Vocal Registers
Chest voice, head voice, mix voice. Ever tried to sing along to songs and wonder how the hell they sing so high and strong? This is called using your head voice. When you first sing in your head voice, it will be weak and you'll probably give up and search for other answers as to how bands can sing so high and strong. DO NOT, do this, the head voice is meant to be weak and first, USE IT. It will get stronger in time and practise and you'll be belting out notes you didn't even know you had ;)

Mix voice is the E, F, F# notes (For most people) above middle C on a piano (Octave higher for females). You voice will probably crack and sound really bad around these notes. It's very important you don't pull your chest voice and push really hard to hit these notes, you will strain your voice. Mastering your mix voice is very hard, you will need to learn how to bring your head voice down so you can sing more comfortably in the mix.



Resonance
RESONANCE! This is extremely important, wondering why you're sounding nasally? Or just sounding...bland. Experiment with resonance, try directing the sound more towards the roof of your mouth, or maybe try the opposite and try resonate will your whole mouth for a big tone, while your at it, compress this big tone and see how powerful you can get it!



Larynx Position
Larynx position, put your fingers on your throat (where the larynx is). Now sing a song, notice when you go higher the larynx raises? Or maybe it doesn't (If so, you're lucky this is very hard to do if you're just starting to learn how to sing).
A higher larynx will give you a higher tone, and not a very good one at that, it will sound pinched and forced and it will strain your vocal chords.
A really low larynx will make you sound a bit like you're in the opera, so you want to keep it neutral, a bit of movement is ok, as long as your tone is consistent.

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So I've just hit you with a lot of info. It's a lot to take in, don't worry. I do realise I haven't actually taught you how to improve all of these. What I recommend you do is look up these things on youtube. Singing success is a great youtube channel and has taught me a hell of a lot. Learn vocal warm-ups and practice them at least 3 times a week.


Experimenting is the key, if it hurts, STOP. Singing is not like muscle building, the vocal chords DO NOT repair them selves for stronger notes, this is proven.

I recommend you look up, compression, vocal fry, larynx position, resonance, head voice and vocal warm-ups on youtube. Try and find videos by Singing Success.


I will add to this post and show you some good youtube videos that have helped me :)



I hope this helps you =)
 
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Yeah...I just like to rock.

lol. I'm not going to disagree with anything you typed. But I do take issue with what seems to be an increasingly popular misconception about vocalists...namely, that virtually anybody can sing well given the proper training. What most people end up disliking about their voice is actually not the timbre or the strength, but the inability to sing on key. It can be helped...but it can't be fixed.

I can't play drums. Not just because I haven't learned...I have sincerely tried. I just can't do it, and at 41, I'm not trying anymore. When I need a drummer, I go get a drummer. Some people need to learn when it's time to go get a singer.
 
chrisharris said:
I do take issue with what seems to be an increasingly popular misconception about vocalists...namely, that virtually anybody can sing well given the proper training.
Click to expand...
With some exceptions {like my mate Chandra}, I think most people can sing, reasonably within tune with enough practice. Whether they can sing "well" is another matter !
I honestly believe that most human beings are lazy singers, primarilly because there's no reason for us not to be. Relatively few people sing for a living or sing in situations that actively require some quality singing {churches, choirs, workshops, amateur dramatics, whatever}. So what's the point of the great mass of humanity training and practicing ? There is little, really.
 
grimtraveller said:
With some exceptions {like my mate Chandra}, I think most people can sing, reasonably within tune with enough practice. Whether they can sing "well" is another matter !
I honestly believe that most human beings are lazy singers, primarilly because there's no reason for us not to be. Relatively few people sing for a living or sing in situations that actively require some quality singing {churches, choirs, workshops, amateur dramatics, whatever}. So what's the point of the great mass of humanity training and practicing ? There is little, really.
Click to expand...

I think I agree with all of that too. My vocal training helped me the most when I was singing several nights a week, for several hours per night. Learning how to relax and let a song come out of you much like talking is a really useful skill when it comes to longevity.
 
I know it's time for me to get a singer but hell thats no fun :)
 
Yeah I agree with most of those points. Some people just...haven't got it, and can't hold a note and/or can't stay in key. There's a lot of ear training programs out there to help with this though.

I do believe everyone can learn to sing though, if they put in the effort. It's a about confidence too, there's a big difference between singing, and singing with confidence.
 
Other tips for improving your singing are: drink water, improve your physical fitness, improve your lung capacity, get plenty of sleep . . . and do lots of practice.

As to whether some people just can't sing . . . well, that's true for a small percentage, just as it is true that only a small percentage are exceptionally good. The ability to sing within any given population follows a normal distribution curve. The greater proportion of the population can sing moderately well, and most could sing a lot better with training.
 
gecko zzed said:
improve your physical fitness, improve your lung capacity, .
Click to expand...

Interesting, I notice if I hold my stomach tight (as if before someone was going to punch you in the stomach) and sit/stand up straight, I stay more in pitch. But I also know the throat should be relaxed to get a smooth tone.

Make sense to anyone?
 
Idk about you guys, but I'm always afraid I've got the wrong singing technique and I'll wind up screwing my voice over permanently (optimistic..I know ;)). I guess it's because I've never had lessons and am too busy to take them now. But if a technique doesn't hurt, it's probably ok right?
 
guitaristic said:
Idk about you guys, but I'm always afraid I've got the wrong singing technique and I'll wind up screwing my voice over permanently (optimistic..I know ;)). I guess it's because I've never had lessons and am too busy to take them now. But if a technique doesn't hurt, it's probably ok right?
Click to expand...

Singing is like any other physical activity: playing golf, driving a car, playing tennis. It requires fitness, ability and technique. And just like in, say, golf, you can be a reasonable player without proper training, you may find yourself having developed a technique that hinders further development. At least, if it doesn't hurt, your probably not doing yourself any damage, but it doesn't necessarily mean that you're getting the best out of your voice.

Having said that, I am the last one to preach: no training, poor diet, little exercise, bad habits etc. But then again, I have no aspirations of grandeur.
 
There is a huge difference between being able to hit notes and having an instrument that has quality tone. While most people can possibly hit notes and with some training learn about breath control and "chest voice" vs. "head voice" - that does not make them good singers.

I can sing (in most of the bands I've been in I normally sing maybe 8-10 songs) but I'm not a good singer (may range is limited and in general I simply do not have a pleasing tone).

I hire singers (or barter for studio time) when I need a good vocal on a demo - because I understand and work within my limitations. There are people who can play guitar or play drums - but not well enough to make a quality recording.

I have a cheap battery powered Casio keyboard (that I use for jamming round the campfire) - it can make some piano sounds - but that don't make it a good piano.

When I record - I use piano samples because the Casio does not have good tone and I hire singers because my voice does not have good tone.
 
chrisharris said:
Yeah...I just like to rock.

lol. I'm not going to disagree with anything you typed. But I do take issue with what seems to be an increasingly popular misconception about vocalists...namely, that virtually anybody can sing well given the proper training. What most people end up disliking about their voice is actually not the timbre or the strength, but the inability to sing on key. It can be helped...but it can't be fixed.

I can't play drums. Not just because I haven't learned...I have sincerely tried. I just can't do it, and at 41, I'm not trying anymore. When I need a drummer, I go get a drummer. Some people need to learn when it's time to go get a singer.
Click to expand...

All the training in the world will not help if you're mind and heart aren't committed. It all starts with wanting it bad enough. Not just "wouldn't it be nice if I could..", or "I would like to be able to do this..." Sometimes that's just not good enough. You have to really want it, fully commit yourself, and be ready to persevere through any setback. Then when you go through training, you will be able to reap your rewards.

"Whether you think you can or think you can't...you're right..." - Henry Ford
 
PDP said:
Interesting, I notice if I hold my stomach tight (as if before someone was going to punch you in the stomach) and sit/stand up straight, I stay more in pitch. But I also know the throat should be relaxed to get a smooth tone.

Make sense to anyone?
Click to expand...

Yeah that's bad technique dude. Don't ever tense your stomach when you sing, let it expand.

If something causes you pain vocally...you're doing it wrong, simple as that. Of course there are exceptions of bad days, you might just be getting it a bit off until you warm up.


There's a lot to get your head around in singing. Lots of practise and research is needed to get a voice worth recording. A singing teacher will help cut this research time down a shit load.
 
Good advice enjoi.
yes in many ways you have it or you don't. If you hate your voice than by god experiment with all the stuff in Enjoi's post (it can't make it any worse). It is important to note that your voice is generally better suited to one style of music over another - find it.
 
Thanks for the Tips!
My range isn't the great thing, but if i can do anything to improve those high notes, it will be very welcomed =)
 
When it comes to microphone placement, keep your face one vertical hand's length away from the microphone. Also, keep the gain at a reasonably high amount because if the gain is low, it is very possible to get an inconsistent in & out sound from your voice.
 
Good tips! I've done lots of research on singing tips and you covered some good points.
 
Good tips! My voices doesn't sound confortable, it sounds blank. I've tried very hard, still I can't find a good way to sing well.
 
Here's the best single tip I'd give someone asking how to sing. Be committed to learning the instrument. Don't treat as an afterthought, it really is the thing that can make or break a song. Singing is just like learning any other instrument, it takes time, work, practice and dedication to become excellent. One of the problems is there's been a lot of super successful guitar players over the past decade, people like John Mayer or Dave Matthews who can't sing for their life, but have somehow risen to the top in spite of it, and now people have the illusion that singing doesn't matter. It still does!
Oh man, that reminds me remember the who "jam band" trend that was going in early 2000s. What could possibly be worse than that? "Nu-metal"? Ohhh man what a horrible time for music.
 
I think the best tip for singing is to be confident. And passionate. Always feel the music...the vibe. Let it raise your heart and lungh, the rest is just practice! :)
 
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