Singing

LastMantra

I've been told I have an OK singing voice but when I listen to it it makes me cringe hard. I always end up (semi)subconsciously burying it in the mix. Don't think I could do it in front of a crowd 

Good for your health too, I believe. 

thecolourbox

LastMantra said:

I've been told I have an OK singing voice but when I listen to it it makes me cringe hard. I always end up (semi)subconsciously burying it in the mix. Don't think I could do it in front of a crowd 

Good for your health too, I believe. 

Doing it well is good for your health, but doing it with less than optimal technique I think can be pretty bad for you - which backs up the various calls for some lessons. If I sing for more than about half an hour, my voice just dies and I have an awful frontal headache.

It's worth learning a few steps to avoid these issues

LastMantra

thecolourbox said:

LastMantra said:

I've been told I have an OK singing voice but when I listen to it it makes me cringe hard. I always end up (semi)subconsciously burying it in the mix. Don't think I could do it in front of a crowd 

Good for your health too, I believe. 

Doing it well is good for your health, but doing it with less than optimal technique I think can be pretty bad for you - which backs up the various calls for some lessons. If I sing for more than about half an hour, my voice just dies and I have an awful frontal headache.

It's worth learning a few steps to avoid these issues

 I'm sure you're right there, but tbf I think you'd need to be going some to cause any real damage? Some styles will be worse than others.

Certainly if it's something that you're intending on doing a lot it won't do any harm to get some pointers. Definitely if it's causing pain and discomfort. 


(not a Dr    ) 


Edit; plus there's plenty professional singers that use a "less than optimal technique"   often it's that that makes them interesting. 

Lewy

thecolourbox said:

Lewy said:

thecolourbox said:

Lewy said:

I've been working on singing a fair bit over the last year. I decided to buy the Ken Tamplin course. It's certainly not cheap and he is quite a cheeseball but the quality of the information is incredible and so far I'm belting around a high B when I was topping out at F#-ish before.

As in, the B above middle C? Blimey! People tend to say I have a fairly high voice but B or C above Middle C I'm having to do my "breathe in slightly fake high voice" thing.

Yes - assuming we're talking about the B on 7th fret of the high E string. I definitely have to chuck some air at it - I'm working on being more comfortable up there. 

Impressive stuff man, good going!

Thanks I'm shooting for the C! 

fretmeister

Lewy said:

fretmeister said:

Lewy said:

I've been working on singing a fair bit over the last year. I decided to buy the Ken Tamplin course. It's certainly not cheap and he is quite a cheeseball but the quality of the information is incredible and so far I'm belting around a high B when I was topping out at F#-ish before.

I looked at that but the youtube vids really did my head in - not the content, just him!  

I am now reconsidering if it is that good.

He's marginally less of a "character" in the actual course material - I've actually started to warm to him a bit.

Just don't listen to any of his original material

I made that mistake already!  

Did you do the initial course or pony up for all 3?

WiresDreamDisasters

No singing regardless of style should cause you pain. If you're hurting your throat then you're most likely pushing too much air.

Lewy

fretmeister said:

Lewy said:

fretmeister said:

Lewy said:

I've been working on singing a fair bit over the last year. I decided to buy the Ken Tamplin course. It's certainly not cheap and he is quite a cheeseball but the quality of the information is incredible and so far I'm belting around a high B when I was topping out at F#-ish before.

I looked at that but the youtube vids really did my head in - not the content, just him!  

I am now reconsidering if it is that good.

He's marginally less of a "character" in the actual course material - I've actually started to warm to him a bit.

Just don't listen to any of his original material

I made that mistake already!  

Did you do the initial course or pony up for all 3?

I bought the middle "Course plus Pro Packs" bundle. Still working my way through the first couple of volumes. There's a lot of stuff!

Sambostar

We are who we are and have the tone that we have. I'm now always trying to get a few songs down twice a week, we ditched the female vocalist and got the whole (Lowly) covers band singing in harmony, at least before the lockdown and it's ace and the peer pressure was bringing us on.  Still a source or surprise and eternal frustration, still no further to understanding anything about the instrument but love it, everyone sings in their head anyway to work stuff out.  Now got the possibility of introducing the step daughter's new fella to open mics, which I am quite relishing in terms of entertainment value to be honest, if everything opens up again.  Ha.  He reminds me of me, so we'll probably start out with Wandering Star or some country shit that they're into.  Have thought about taking a few lessons with a classically trained soprano just to understand the basics behind it, but breathing and standing up straight, I've surprised myself with what I can do. None of that is achievable hunched over with a bottle in front of a computer, have to be at a rehearsal or at a gig, maybe Townes Van Zandt or Warren Zevon, but nobody knows who they are eh.  My Neil Diamond though eh....surprised how many girls love him and seen so many of his concerts and their mums, as males, we've really got this expectation of singing lark all wrong.  

Sambostar

Yeah, done won't get fooled again live and that surprised me how high I got, can do a SRV, Jimi Hendrix, a few Zevon numbers, a few Zandt, a few Hothouse Flowers but anything, just about anything normal, my voice is just too low and thins out.  I'd love to be Colin Hayes or Tom Keifer but I have to power through to get the first octave, forget the second. ha. Can do a Mike Patton low, better even like RV, or a low fuller than Charlie Daniels but found my sweet spot with Sweet Caroline, I am I said or Come to America.  lol.  In all honesty, I'm just shit, but the thing is I'm in tune, it gets harder the more you push it, but ultimately, it reminds the other guitarist how to sing and he's more chesty higher than me so it all ends well.  I do what suits me and vice versa.  The local guy/band booked for our party in July is ace.  I was impressed enough when I saw 5 SM58's in a case, let alone heard his voice on the ACDC numbers.  I am never going to be that, but I don't care.  I like doing what I do.  It's everyone else's expectations and ears that need readjusting, not my voice. Canned Heat, Going Up Country, not really singing, that's what you get when you do a high naturally low baritone, yeah you can do it, but honestly?  I've found lower voices are harder to cut through the mix though and you do have to turn them up.  No one can polish a turd, but there is a lot of money in shit.

Snags

The low voice in a mix is the bane of my life. Unless everyone explicitly accomodates it you just get constant moans that they can't hear you, but they won't tweak their EQ or playing (for any jam buddies from here, that's an observation from a different context; at the jams no bugger is listening anyway ).

TTony

monquixote said:

I had singing lessons a few years ago to help with BVs.

One of the best things I've done.

Ditto.

I went to the same guy that @monquixote found.  It's amazing what improvement you can achieve by understanding (and applying, and practising) some real basic techniques.

Don't think there's really a substitute for the face-to-face approach either (unfortunately) as you'll get immediate feedback, and you'll get to know the person and they'll understand you  - and what you're wanting to achieve - much better.

Sambostar

I had booked at least three of our band to do face to face lessons, half hour each back to back whilst we were all present, but then lockdown struck.  None of us have any experience with singing.  Everyone was up for it and it made sense as it's amazing how much our band have learnt of their own capabilities, just by peer pressure and being present with each other.  I have particular problems with diction.  I wonder if Scots and privately educated people are better at singing because they are used to pronouncing three or five syllables when us lot, especially with lazy, state school southern accents are used to covering just about cover one or two or just grunting and pointing.  Definitely though, simultaneously playing something, whilst trying to enunciate the diction is a massive distraction when trying to better your singing and definitely keeps you in a rut, hence the need for lessons and practicing disciplined techniques probably I guess.  Suppose I equate it to jumping in at learning tab on the guitar, when you really haven't even got the basic techniques down or listened to the song for days on end to fix it in your head, makes a lot of sense.  So when are face to face lessons opening up again?

mrkb

Snags said:

The low voice in a mix is the bane of my life. Unless everyone explicitly accomodates it you just get constant moans that they can't hear you, but they won't tweak their EQ or playing (for any jam buddies from here, that's an observation from a different context; at the jams no bugger is listening anyway ).

I always assumed you were singing to the whales in a far off ocean, or doing a dodgy Barry White impression, were we meant to be listening?

Sambostar

If you do have a strong low baritone voice try singing Gold by Spandau Ballet, you'll be ace.  Drummer just said he wants to do She's Electric, so I said only if it's in a minor key in a Death Metal style and sung in German.  Off the bat recorded it and sent it on the band chat.  LMFAO.

axisus

I am so disappointed that my voice is utter sh*te. I love bashing out songs on the piano and singing but bloody hell is it an awful sound with no range at all, and I can't always find the right note. My dream would be to roll up to a station piano, whack out some songs and sing along, get people to join in etc. It will never happen.

On a scale of 1 to 10 I'm probably a 2. 

Snags

mrkb said:

Snags said:

The low voice in a mix is the bane of my life. Unless everyone explicitly accomodates it you just get constant moans that they can't hear you, but they won't tweak their EQ or playing (for any jam buddies from here, that's an observation from a different context; at the jams no bugger is listening anyway ).

I always assumed you were singing to the whales in a far off ocean, or doing a dodgy Barry White impression, were we meant to be listening?

I was trying to seduce you darling, subliminally ...

Obviously you weren't meant to be listening at a jam. If people were listening then they'd stop when the drummer did, not 15 bars later.

darthed1981

Snags said:

mrkb said:

Snags said:

The low voice in a mix is the bane of my life. Unless everyone explicitly accomodates it you just get constant moans that they can't hear you, but they won't tweak their EQ or playing (for any jam buddies from here, that's an observation from a different context; at the jams no bugger is listening anyway ).

I always assumed you were singing to the whales in a far off ocean, or doing a dodgy Barry White impression, were we meant to be listening?

I was trying to seduce you darling, subliminally ...

Obviously you weren't meant to be listening at a jam. If people were listening then they'd stop when the drummer did, not 15 bars later.

I don't think we have quite nailed our long musician gazes, where you just know that the rest of the band are going "that solo is quite long enough you can stop now..."

monquixote

axisus said:

I am so disappointed that my voice is utter sh*te. I love bashing out songs on the piano and singing but bloody hell is it an awful sound with no range at all, and I can't always find the right note. My dream would be to roll up to a station piano, whack out some songs and sing along, get people to join in etc. It will never happen.

On a scale of 1 to 10 I'm probably a 2. 

Have some lessons.

Sambostar

axisus said:

I am so disappointed that my voice is utter sh*te. I love bashing out songs on the piano and singing but bloody hell is it an awful sound with no range at all, and I can't always find the right note. My dream would be to roll up to a station piano, whack out some songs and sing along, get people to join in etc. It will never happen.

On a scale of 1 to 10 I'm probably a 2. 

Guarantee you're better than me.  I just don't think the average male voice really lends itself to anything remotely listenable.  You just have to change your goalposts and find something you can do and do well.  Have you tried doing any open mics or anything?  Wandering Star or something?  Small steps. 

Snags

@darthed1981 there's quite often a point where Mark starts to look a bit frantic, and then there are three way bemused looks between me him and Jon, whilst you and Mike resolutely look everywhere other than actually at someone, and @Bridgehouse keeps checking his phone.

It works, it works.