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Singing Advice?

Discussion in 'Entertainment and Technology' started by Invidia, Jun 27, 2015.

  1. Invidia

    Invidia Guest

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    Hi, singers of EC!

    ehm, so I just had some questions about singing.

    Quick introduction: I'm biologically male (the horror...) and I have a pretty decent vocal range of about 200-1500 Hz. Complete amateur with no singing lessons. Mostly sing rock, some pop and yeah, that's mostly it.

    Question 1. When I sing higher than about 800-1000 Hz, I find it more difficult to keep it clean. Advice?

    Question 2. I tend to overshoot the songs I sing and sing too high. I find it physically more straining to sing at lower pitches. Any advice on how I can improve with that, or is it just practice?

    Question 3. I have a lot of vibrato in my voice when I sing. It's mostly "small vibrato", like quick fluctuations. I find it difficult to have a steady vibrato sometimes. Advice?

    thanks!
     
  2. Par

    Par
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    Firstly, I don't normally work in Hz so I have no idea how high you're singing.

    1) If you're straining to reach a note, it will sound forced and less pure. Try and open up the back of your throat as much as you can - a good way to do that is to pretend to yawn before you sing. As a general rule, the higher a note is the more you should try to relax.
    If the notes are just too high, you might need to switch to falsetto voice. As my singing teacher says, don't be afraid of using it. It does take practise to get your falsetto as accurate pitch-wise and overuse can be bad for your throat - if you find you're singing an entire song in falsetto you may need to sing it lower.

    2) If you're talking about singing in the wrong octave then this is a problem that most biologically male singers have after their voice breaks - it's just practise and working out how each octave feels when you sing it.
    If you're talking about missing the pitch, again, it's practise. If you sing with other people, listen to them and try to match your voice with theirs. If you're singing solo try and listen to the other instruments, generally if you miss the pitch you'll be able to hear that it doesn't sound right.

    3) I know nothing abut vibrato, sorry

    I hope this helps, if you have any more questions or if I've misunderstood anything feel free to ask :slight_smile:
     
  3. Invidia

    Invidia Guest

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    okay, ehm "Let It Go", in the very end, peaks at about 1200.
    Yeah I were kinda straining, like I really have to give it my all to hit the highest note.
    I'll try opening up my throat! thanks!

    I was talkig about pitch :slight_smile: okay, I'll practice! Singing solo, so yeah :slight_smile: I'm able to hear I'm too high, I just find it hard to sing low well.

    thanks for all the help, Par! :slight_smile:
     
  4. guitar

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    Make sure your larynx (Adams apple) is open. Put your finger on your Adams apple and sing an "Awwww" then try "Eeeee" you'll feel your Adams apple pull up to constrict air to make the Eeee sound. They key to a fuller tone partly due to singing in a relaxed operatic style ("awww") with as open a larynx as possible.
     
  5. Invidia

    Invidia Guest

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    so... the "awwww" mode is the way to go? :slight_smile:
     
  6. Argentwing

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    If you have to strain, you're doing it wrong. You have a few different vocal registers, namely the "chest" voice that you use for talking, the "head" voice which sounds airy and comparatively feminine, and the "mix" voice, which uses both and generally sounds the best for the tenor range.

    Why they are named as such is because that's where you get the most resonance. Lower notes you should feel in your chest, high notes in your head, and middle notes in the... middle XD or more accurately a bit of both areas. Combined with relaxing your vocal chords (much easier said than done) and a few other techniques I don't know well enough to condense into a forum post*, few songs should ever be beyond your ability. :slight_smile:

    *There is one I've seen advocated that involves "zipping up" your vocal chords, essentially making them function like those of a smaller, higher-voiced person. It feels a lot like the first motion your throat makes when you swallow. I don't think I've perfected it but I'm better than I used to be hehe. You can also use falsetto but it lacks the strength and clarity of other styles. I learned about it here, a few pages in. Unfortunately the CDs for the full program are harder to get, but it's a start.
     
    #6 Argentwing, Jun 27, 2015
    Last edited: Jun 27, 2015
  7. Invidia

    Invidia Guest

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    Thank you!

    I do sing high from my head, and low from my chest I guess, and middle from both ^_^