Does anyone have any tips on singing?

:heh: I think I might be good, but I haven't really tried to do to much.

The thing I like the least are the song that sometimes make your voice sound weird or are weird to begin with.

Do not cough or go "Ahem" and try to get out phlem! It scratches the vocal organs, and phlem keeps things nice and moist. Just get used to the feeling. But if its really bad, try eating somthing or swallowing it ;)

And find your pitch range, do some scales on the piano and see if you can keep up with it. After a while you should find your vocal range. After that, dont try to over do it and not sing too low or high, or you may hurt yourself.

And the most important tip..SIT STRAIGHT OR STAND UP!

Its hard to give tips when I haven't heard you sing. ^^;

Here are some general things:

-Keep your throat open. If you don't you'll go nasely.
-Vowels are important :)
-Don't forget ending consonants. If needed add dipthongs.
-Breath with your whole lung. Your stomach should expand, and your shoulders should not rise.
-Never sing louder than lovely.

Make sure to pronounce the consonants, they provide the diction. Use your diaphram as support, fill that up and then fill the lungs. Push the air from the diaphram, through the lungs, and then out.

how do you keep your throat open? O_O"

anywayz, does anyone have any singing warm up tips? or even to train self to sing louder with more ease..? or being able to reach higher notes.. or.... anything XD

and whats a dipthong?

Dipthong:

Let's say at the very end of a piece you sing the word "heard." Normally, when you sing the word you add an "ih" sound to the end of the "d" to make it sound like a d. Technically, you're singing heard-ih.

It really hard to explain when there's no sound. :heh:

Keeping the throat open is like keeping the soft pallet open. Here's another example of when it'd be best if you had an audio example.

Singing lu or oo softly on each note of the scale is a fairly popular and good warm-up. You can also try some breathing excercises.

Also, don't stretch your neck when you try to sing the extremes (low or high), as it again stretches your vocal chords and makes it harder to sing.

Wow, this is so helpful! :)

Anyways, I've always found it useful to drop your jaw, but not force it open; just let it drop so it still feels fairly normal. ^_^

If you lift your head just a little bit (not too much), your airway will be wider; I think that's what opening your throat is.

oooh.. i think i understand the dipthong... its not really an "ih" but its like, just that extra "ih" type of sound at the end ya?

breathing exercises? :heh: anyone able to teach it? or its too hard to be taught here?

#1. Breath in through the nose. Blow a steady stream of air, like you're cooling soup. Go for as long as possible. Repeat.

#2. Breath in through the nose. Exhale suddenly and shortly as if blowing out birthday candles. As you repeat increase the number of candles.

That's the best I can do.

oooh thanx sondagger!
ill try that this saturday before band prac... =D

These are some very basic singing tips, and are not advanced technique.

Make sure not to lock your knees, but keep your body in alignment, stand up straight, and DO NOT rest on your spine. Put your feet approximately beneath your shoulders (shoulder length apart). Remember, your body is an instrument, and any problems or kinks anywhere cause problems.
Always warm up before you sing.
Make sure to OPEN YOUR MOUTH when you sing, even if you are Oo-ing, you should have the inside of your mouth open, with the soft part at the back of your throat (the soft palette) up. Make sure your tongue is relaxed, and when in a resting position (when you aren't saying words), it should touch your front bottom teeth.
Make sure that your larynx is relaxed, so that you do not strain your voice. To do this, position your fingers on your larynx (the adam's apple in your throat) and breath in on a k (kaw) sound, then do a simple five-tone scale down. When you breath in, your larynx should move down into a relaxed position, and when you sing, it should stay there.
Remember that breathing is key. You should always make sure that you breath from your diaphragm, and breath out from your lower abdominal muscles. To know more about why this is important, look up some key words such as Thoracic Cavity, Diaphragm, Abdominal Cavity, and Abdominal Muscles. When you sing, make sure that you pull from your lower Abdominal muscles! An exercise to make sure you are using your air correctly is: First, buzz your lips while humming a five tone scale first down, then up, making sure not to stop the buzzing at any time. Second, after you do finish going up on your five tone scale, go down once more, this time on an Ah sound. This makes sure you are keeping a strong, steady flow of air. If your lips stop buzzing in the middle of the scales, you are not using your air properly.
You MAY cough, but you MAY NOT clear your throat *ahem*. After all, coughing is a reflex and can't always be controlled.If you want any other advice on specifics, just ask.

One other thing to do with illness: Sore throat DOES NOT affect your ability to sing, as long as you keep yourself hydrated. If you are congested, this may affect resonance in your nose, and so you may sound much more "nasal" (though really it's quite the opposite). You do not, however, need to abstain from singing unless your phlegm is clearly green (not to be confused with clear green). I know it's gross, but if your phlegm is green it means that the infection is in or around your larynx, and so you should consider abstaining from singing until it has subsided.

Edit: Sorry for double posting, but I got tired of adding to the old post every time something popped into my head.

Thanks everyone, I can start to sing proper now. Oh, and thanks in advance to anyone who's got more great tips.

One other thing to do with illness: Sore throat DOES NOT affect your ability to sing

yeah! WOW! i always thought it does... but yesterday after watching australian idol i realised that.. yeah... sore throats doesnst affect it
because this person, she was singing pretty cool.. and like... after she was done her voice was all spazzed and even the judges said that she did an excellent job for having a sore throat... and like... i dont think people wouldv known she had a sore throat if no one mentioned it...
anywayz...

Hmm, seeing that there is so many singers here, i should make an approach for a song and piano duet/solo. prolly suck, but im not the worst poet lol.

hi! about singing, u should try and reach higher notes/ lower notes, when ur doing scales, try and push urself, but don't do it too often. A similar thing if theres a song u really want 2 singing but it is too high or low, keep trying 2 reach it, and slowly and steadily, ur range will improve. And when performing, unless your dancing or singing rock, your feet should be together, it looks better. The whole straight back, etc are true. It is always harder to sing with a slouch. Also, perform more and improve ur confidence. Confidence makes a performance look hEAPS better! Another mistake a lot of people make is the 'glottal attack', it's when you try and reach high notes and u force ur voice too much and get that 'gh' thing. it's bad for the vocal chords. Also, that 'er' thing Britney spears does is NOT GOOD! especcially for the vocal chords. Try and keep that to the very minimum. Train urself to remove it completely.

NO. Your feet should NOT be together when you are singing UNLESS it is because it is part of your dance, because it creates tension in your body. Some teachers teach that you should put your feet together just for looks (especially middle school teachers), but this is not a good thing!

Ummm... I heard myself singing, and I simply SUCK. How can I improve? :unsure:

MARLON!!! You're alive!!! Just follow the tips I used above, and ask someone you know that is in choir to show you some of their basic excercises.

Ummm... I heard myself singing, and I simply SUCK. How can I improve? :unsure:
Always warm up before you sing or try to sing. The one you'll do in choir are: ooh, aah, ma, mama made me mash my m&ms. Do them in 5 notes. Low, higher, higher, higher, higher, lower, lower, lower, low. Always practice. Feet slightly apart. Hands on your side. Stand/Sit up straight. Watch out when you're suppose to stop and when you're suppose to repeat a verse. Find other people in choir. I might be able to give you some of the choir songs. Oh yeah, and the things I said is what you do in Soprano choir.

Anybody else have something to add? I also need help cuz my family says i have a super bad voice but everybody in my school thats heard me sing says i have a good voice.

Are there any questions that you have from what I wrote? I can give you some more detailed info if you ask me specifics.

ummmmmmmmmm im just asking for more singing tips

You guys do realize that not everyone has an angel-like soprano voice? I'm not saying some of you can't sing, because you can. What you need to do is find your vocal range, and learn to love your voice. Don't think you suck just because someone tells you you suck, or you think someone sings better than you.

There's not much, I think, you can do to "improve" your voice. Find your style. You may have an opera voice, or a raspy blues voice.

The only real tip I can give, is if you're singing a long note, but its err... bland... add vibrato or some dynamics. Make the music interesting.

You guys do realize that not everyone has an angel-like soprano voice? I'm not saying some of you can't sing, because you can. What you need to do is find your vocal range, and learn to love your voice. Don't think you suck just because someone tells you you suck, or you think someone sings better than you.

There's not much, I think, you can do to "improve" your voice. Find your style. You may have an opera voice, or a raspy blues voice.

The only real tip I can give, is if you're singing a long note, but its err... bland... add vibrato or some dynamics. Make the music interesting.
uhhhhhhhh..... wats raspy blues?

She's reffering to blues vocals, I think, which tend to be rather raspy.

Marlon, if you are going to try to define something, perhaps you should NOT use the same words that you are trying to define.

so wat is raspy blues?

Marlon, if you are going to try to define something, perhaps you should NOT use the same words that you are trying to define.

:sweat: I thought she didn't understand how she used it.

weirdo<_<

anybody know what raspy blues mean?

It means that the vocals are raspy (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=raspy), and are used in blues (A style of music evolved from southern African-American secular songs and usually distinguished by a syncopated 4/4 rhythm, flatted thirds and sevenths, a 12-bar structure, and lyrics in a three-line stanza in which the second line repeats the first).

Does that help? :heh:

It means that the vocals are raspy (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=raspy), and are used in blues (A style of music evolved from southern African-American secular songs and usually distinguished by a syncopated 4/4 rhythm, flatted thirds and sevenths, a 12-bar structure, and lyrics in a three-line stanza in which the second line repeats the first).

Does that help? :heh:
uhhhhhh...........no

What are you asking for, woman?! @_@

It means that the vocals are raspy (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=raspy), and are used in blues (A style of music evolved from southern African-American secular songs and usually distinguished by a syncopated 4/4 rhythm, flatted thirds and sevenths, a 12-bar structure, and lyrics in a three-line stanza in which the second line repeats the first).

Does that help? :heh:

That should sum it up in one definition.

I wish I could think of an example. That guy who sings "What a wonderful World" is a good example of a raspy singer. Damn, what is his name?

Louis Armstrong.

Trying to think....Tom Waits also has a pretty raspy voice on some of his songs, especially on "Rain Dogs" and "Swordfish Trombones"

Um, if ya can't reach a high note very well or somethin' then point/stick your finger straight up in the air and that should help.
I'd advise you not to do this in public. People might think your mad...

dont try to reach notes way out of your singing capacity. it'll spare you from damaging your throat and humiliation.

dont try to reach notes way out of your singing capacity. it'll spare you from damaging your throat and humiliation.

I learned that the hard way. :blink:

Um, hate to to say this (and I don't say it to be offensive) but Y.R.P FFX-2, pointing your finger in the air to try and hit a high note will do absolutely nothing for it...^.^;

But it's a good indication by chior directors to someone to tell them that they're flat! XD *does motions of her chior director with the >_<;; face while making pointing-up motion* XD

And really, if you can't sing it, you can't sing it. Your vocal chords are muscles that need to be streched gradually by warming-up and practice just like ANY muscle.

I sing from men's tenor to mezzo-soprano and trust me, you learn that streching your vocal chords and working through until you can hit your maximum pitch helps, A LOT. XD

And if your voice cracks and it hurts, stop. That means it bad...I don't know why some people don't understand that. O_o;

Um, hate to to say this (and I don't say it to be offensive) but Y.R.P FFX-2, pointing your finger in the air to try and hit a high note will do absolutely nothing for it...^.^;
Actually, it DOES help. It distracts you from how high the note is. Our choir director actually prefered having us bend our knees, but that works to.

so that's why some singers point and bend their knees at the same time. double the singing power, yeah! XD

Ooh. Interesting. ^.^

Its also because when your arms arnt off to your sides, your lungs can expand more.

~

Some good warmups are doing scales in diffrent sounds (laa's, blah's, yo's) I know it sounds funny, but it helps alot more then trying to get the phlem out. Also, never try to get rid of phlem, it only scars your pipes.

Scars? What if it feels like you have to?

Dont anyways. It keeps everything moist and lubed up.

Well...one good way to clear out your throat is by stretching your neck upwards (carefully) and then swallowing. Just singing doesn't necessarily work to clear the phlegm out of your throat. Also, it's not like a vocal sin to cough if you need to! I wish everyone would get rid of that dogma.

Thanks.

Phew, thats a relief.

But deathraider, you can't point your finger up or bend your knees greatly during a performance. o_O; It's too much of a distraction, and if your in a chior, your suppost to be in a group and be unison, in all ways. If you're singing solo and someone is judging you, they'll take off points because they assume you need "guides" or "helpers" to keep you on pitch in stead of just having it down (if it's a cappella or using your ears along with piano depending on the situation).

And if you become distracted from how high a certain note is...wouldn't it throw you off even more??

I mean, if you can't hit the high note or the note that you are suppost to be singing either you're not supporting your sound well enough or it's our of your vocal range.

And keeping your arms to the side is not bad, putting them behind your back or clasping them in front of you is bad because that straches or pushes in your lungs. You are suppost to be satnding up straight, arms at your sides and you're suppost to be breathing from your diaphram to make sure you get the full potential of your singing.

The pointing would be good for exercises (both my directors do a lot of stuff like that with us) but not when you're actually singing/at a performance...

Lol, I didnt mean like once you cough you cant sing, I just mean ossesive abuse of coughing to clear your throat isnt good.

Well, you're right that you probably shouldn't use that method while preforming. It really only works very well while practicing and warming up, to help you better learn how to hit those high notes without distraction. The whole point is more to make your whole body less tense by making you think about a physical and easily tangible action instead of anticipating pain or discomfort because of how high the note is, and it also physically helps you to open up. If you feel other methods work better, you can use them, but not ALL things vocal are set in stone.

Once more, you do NOT breath FROM your diaphragm, you breath from your crossed lower abdominal muscles. You can, however breath TO your diaghpragm.

BTW, is there anyone who indulges in obsessive coughing?

On the breathing of the daiphragm and lungs, yes, you are right deathraider. I was VERY tired when I wrote what I said earlier, I should elaborated and rephrased that better XD;;;

And if your body is tense while you are singing high, isn't that a bad thing?? O_o;; And if you anticipate pain from the next note your singing then that's really bad because that means you're going to sing out of your range. But, eh, whatever...

I don't indulge in the coughing ^.^;; I've had an asthma attack while singing at a rehersal though X_x;; then my knees locked up because I started to panic and I hit the floor pretty quick.

I felt so embarassed u_u;;;;

But anyway XD;;...

Yes, if your body is tense when you sing a high note, it is a VERY bad thing. I'm sorry if I was being too critical earlier. If you ARE tense, singing a high note can be somewhat uncomfortable, but if you aren't, then it is SO much smoother and much more comfortable. THAT is all I was trying to get at, was that distracting yourself generally makes your muscles less stressed and tense from anticipation, and from letting the high note freak you out, which I sometimes have a problem with when singing.

That's a funny story, though. I, too, have athsma, but I've never had an athsma attack except when I run or when I'm sick.

Once again, I'm really sorry if I was too critical earlier. Sometimes I get that way.

I got an athsma attack when cleaning my room 2 days ago X_X

Hey deathraider, since you know so much about singing, my sister has a question for you. Like, what about if you're singing a high note that you can sing but you need to hold it for like 4 beats and you can't hold it that long what do you do?

You need to learn to exhail air at a steady and low rate while singing, thats the only way. And if that isnt enough, just push, its hard but who cares.

And if all fails, just take a quick breath. No one cares as long as you did good. Trust me, NO one cares. I was watching a rendition of Send in the Clowns at Carnage Hall and the singer (forgot who) had to take about 5 breaths for the final note, but no one cared.

Deathraider - No problems ^-^ I didn't think you were being critical at all.

Vincent - If your sister sings in a chior they use staggered breathing, say she's a Soprano II and she singing a REALLY long note, if the others around her are singing (which they should be O_o;) she can take a quick breath in while maintaing the same mouth shape she had before.

If she has a solo, then she needs to learn when the breath points(yes, I call them that because I'm too lazy to use technical stuff...) are in the song (those large commas over the staff, or just regular commas after lyrics). Those are best times for large breaths.

Radical Dreamer, you should never "push" a high note, because that can be very damaging to your voice and it usually sounds awful anyway.

age and experiance (musical-artist and choirsinger) tells me that you should push yourself to reach new hights so to speak... ive been doing this for five years and i havent sufferd the slightest injury or strain from it... the only thing I can think of is that sometimes what you gain in high pitch you loose in low pitch.

oh and a few tips: eat an apple, this clears your throught very nicely.

drink some beer... its not the alchohol that does the trick... although it might get you to loosen up..

You man need to "push yourself to new heights," which I always do, but you should not VOCALLY push, or force, your sound. You should always try to sing as easy and lightly as possible when you are trying to reach these new heights. Some people like to envision that they are lifting the sound up from above instead of pushing it from below, because pushing usually makes you sound flat.

Don't sing when you know you physically shouldn't. If your throat is messed up in one way or another, and then you push yourself to sing, then you could severly damage your throat and vocal chords.

Also, stand up when you sing, because it decreases the ability to enunciate and dulls down your voice when you sit! :)

Deathraider - No problems ^-^ I didn't think you were being critical at all.

Vincent - If your sister sings in a chior they use staggered breathing, say she's a Soprano II and she singing a REALLY long note, if the others around her are singing (which they should be O_o;) she can take a quick breath in while maintaing the same mouth shape she had before.

If she has a solo, then she needs to learn when the breath points(yes, I call them that because I'm too lazy to use technical stuff...) are in the song (those large commas over the staff, or just regular commas after lyrics). Those are best times for large breaths.
But they aren't in the music. There's none of those aphostrophe stuff. It just says the lyrics and the staff over the lyrics. Those aphostrophe stuff are only in our band book. They're not in the choir music.

But they aren't in the music. There's none of those aphostrophe stuff. It just says the lyrics and the staff over the lyrics. Those aphostrophe stuff are only in our band book. They're not in the choir music.

Well, here's alittle advice about breathing points- if you can, listen to a recording of the song so you can get a feel where the phrase ends (is it a 4 measure phrase, 8 measure, etc?) and breathe at the end of the phrase. If not, try and bang it out on a piano and see how the phrase ends. Usually, you wanna breathe wherever a phrase ends so it doesn't sound weirdo. Use your own judgment on how to take the phrasing. When singers are doing this, they sometimes say to sing like you're playing an instrument and that's what they mean, I believe...
Hope this helps whoever needs it... and I hope I didn't confuse anyone... ^_~

Kind of getting of the main disscussion here.. but for me, i have a deeper singing voice, well it sounds good only when i have it deeper.. if i make a lyrical piece, should i just put the notes higher another octave?

also, whats the main range for a normal singer for the kind of anime type of singing?

i dont want to go too high, or low.

just a 2 note chord signifying what is "normal" would be nice; thanks

If you have a deeper voice and you know your range, then don't go astray from that. You'll only mess yourself up.

In Anime, whenever a guy is singing, it seems in the Tenor 2 and sometimes Baritone range. If you are deep as in Bass deep, then you'll probably have a tough time finding a good piece from an Anime to sing.

im about the bass cleft, A-C (if its around in tune, anything else, horrible.)

Try some stuff from FLCL. The Pillows is the band you should look for. You may be able to sing some of the stuff down an octave.

Well, here's alittle advice about breathing points- if you can, listen to a recording of the song so you can get a feel where the phrase ends (is it a 4 measure phrase, 8 measure, etc?) and breathe at the end of the phrase. If not, try and bang it out on a piano and see how the phrase ends. Usually, you wanna breathe wherever a phrase ends so it doesn't sound weirdo. Use your own judgment on how to take the phrasing. When singers are doing this, they sometimes say to sing like you're playing an instrument and that's what they mean, I believe...
Hope this helps whoever needs it... and I hope I didn't confuse anyone... ^_~
I did that and we always practice this song in Chorus practice every week cuz like we're gonna perform in a concert, but like I can't take in a fast enough breath cuz like the note that I can't do is in the middle of the phrase.

It sounds like your problem is not WHEN you breath, but HOW you breath. Make sure that you are breathing, even if a shorter breath, to your diaphragm. This will ensure that you will have enough breath to last for a maximal amount of time.

General tips, don't know if they've been said, although the first one was said in the post just above, lol.
- Breathe from the diaphragm. This means you get the maximum amount of air you can in your lungs, and you're able to control it better. Same goes for wind players. To do this, try to think of filling your lungs from the very bottom. Or take a deep breath, and lift your chest as you breathe in, but not your shoulders.
- Practice by standing up, and bending at the waist, so your head and arms are hanging down. And sing like that. It sounds silly, but it helps with breathing. Try walking around as you do it too. It's kind of fun too, haha.
- Always warm up, and practise a little bit quite often, rather than a long practice session less frequently.

But they aren't in the music. There's none of those aphostrophe stuff. It just says the lyrics and the staff over the lyrics. Those aphostrophe stuff are only in our band book. They're not in the choir music.

What choir music are you reading? Most choral music DOES have the apostrophes showing where to breath.

Yeah... That's weird... :huh:

Try some stuff from FLCL. The Pillows is the band you should look for. You may be able to sing some of the stuff down an octave.


Alright. ive always like the pillows' music in FLCL. its like the perfect modern sound to me.

Hey, just wondering, does anyone have any tips for screamo vocals? :sweat:

What's screamo?

Don't do it. That is all. lol

I just think it's not worth the damage to your voice.

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS THREAD IS DYING!!!!!!!!! :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

What choir music are you reading? Most choral music DOES have the apostrophes showing where to breath.
Sometimes my flute music doesn't have that. My teacher just tells me to breath where neccessary. Um...BTW...They are called breath marks...XD

I know. I was talking about VOCAL choir, but oh well. I take it back, though.

My first post! :heh:

From my experience, one of the most basic things to singing is actually feeling the music itself. (Yes, this is more spiritual than anything, but it works.) If you listen to a piece, (say, a pop song), one of the first thing that catches people's ears is the rythym. Knowing that locks in the lyrics, and knowing the tones to hit can come after listening to the piece a lot.

As far as the actual style goes, I've noticed that their are two paths that vocalists take. Either they learn pop first, or they learn classical/choral etc. first. From my experiences, singing pop first can ruin your ability to sing in a choir (unles you are truly musically attuned, I guess.) because the inflections in the voice in pop music are generally less free, (though some people try to make it sound different), and is stuck to however the original artist performed it.
Baroque music is good for beginning vocalists (IMO) because it has easy cadences recognized in modern Western music and predictable progressions.

And don't scream. I've done that before singing Bohemian Rhapsody all the way through (yes, even the high notes) and it hurt like hell if I didn't do it correctly. The best way to handle a "screaming" solo is, when you sing a high note, any distraction (like tucking your butt in, pointing to the ceiling, or whatever) is usually beneficial, because singers tend to wimp out on higher notes. It's not just the technique, but the confidence to do it. If you feel like crap one day, you probably won't be able to sing very high. If you are pumped from a really good rehearsal, play the scales and see how high you can go.

:sweat: Whew. So much to write, but I hope this helped.

Let's see. When you sing the high notes, sing it lightly. When you are about to sing, do not eat any dairy products cuz I forgot why but just don't do it. Do not lock your knees or else you're gonna faint (did I say this 1 already? I don't feel like checking). Ummmm, try to warm up everyday (I dunno where the hell that came from). If you have a piano and you're not quite sure if your singing the right note, play that note on the piano to check.

Damn! I can't believe I forgot the rest.

Yay! I did Bohemian Rhapsody last year for my Men's Ensemble Tryout AND played it! Haha, I'm da bomb! Just kidding, sorry about my ego trip.

Let's see. When you sing the high notes, sing it lightly. When you are about to sing, do not eat any dairy products cuz I forgot why but just don't do it. Do not lock your knees or else you're gonna faint (did I say this 1 already? I don't feel like checking). Ummmm, try to warm up everyday (I dunno where the hell that came from). If you have a piano and you're not quite sure if your singing the right note, play that note on the piano to check.

Damn! I can't believe I forgot the rest.

Dairy coats the throat, mimicing phlegm, and that's why you don't want to drink, eat or otherwise consume dairy before singing.
(Though just for kicks before a concert, I drink a glass of milk. :heh: )

And as far as high notes go, I think that singing it lightly is not always the option. I can hit very high notes (disturbing!) but not lightly. I think the general idea is not to push or force the sound. If it's just not there, don't try to hit it.

yeah, im vocalist in a metal band, not like death metal, Nu metal/hard rock is the more appropriate term. any tips. oh and dont say"dont do it" that doesnt help. be constructive damnit!

oh, and i cant sing high. at all. i go from a medium low-medium range, in fact i have a very small range :cry:

Sorry, I don't not like metal, I just don't think Screamo is good for your voice. BTW, MusikGeek, why were you trying to scream during Bohemian Rhapsody, anyway?

o its not very screamo, just hard rock, sry for any misunderstanding

i meant like the newer system of a down stuff, particularly hypnotize

Sorry, I don't not like metal, I just don't think Screamo is good for your voice. BTW, MusikGeek, why were you trying to scream during Bohemian Rhapsody, anyway?

Hitting the B Flat during "For Meeeeeee!" part can be a strain sometimes. :heh:

that's why some sing it as mehh, with 'e' sounding as 'e' in the word "egg".

thanks, but i think ill figure it out on my own, if i have to play around with the octaves and such, i will, as long as i keep up with my band, and still sound good

These are very helpful tips. thanks everyone

Vocal ranges improve, right? My goal is about half an octave to an octave higher than I am able to without cracking/hurting now. I dunno, I think I can hit some of those notes, but there are just certain notes for songs that I love and I really want to sing them in the right octave so it harmonizes correctly with my partner, but I can't yet. It's not impossible, right? I'm willing to work and work for it, every day forever, if it'll happen.

I'm guessing it'll work, because I remember trying to sing some pretty high notes a while ago, and my voice cracking and stuff. Such as the last chorus in AFI's "This Time Imperfect." Now I can sing it comfortably.

If you're a guy, I'd suggest AFI's "Girl's Not Grey" and "This Time Imperfect." Also, you can try out Led Zeppelin - most of their songs have really high notes. I would recommend songs like "Communication Breakdown." Oh, and also you can try some The Mars Volta songs. "The Widow" might be useful, for example. ;)

I am singing in a "Boys to Men Demonstration Choir" which will be conducted by Henry Leck at the actuall performance (He is supposedly a very famous Choir Conducter but I never heard of him until I got into this choir) and I need some singing tips.

In of the songs I have to sing in the highest Saprano section taking advantage of my falsetto, which is, er...Not very easy for me. (I normally sing Bass O_o...) I'm not very good in my falsetto and I am having extreme difficulty reaching some of the very high notes.

I have to hit a high G (The one directly above the top line in the treble cleff) and when I try to do so, my throat seems to close off and I cannot seem to hit the high note. I tried singing with my diaphragm and not my throat but still, it is simply two or three notes too high for me. Is there any effective exercises to increase my falsetto range and keep my throat from closing up? Thanks a ton! :)

BlazingDragon, I'm not really sure on how to help you on that part. Maybe singing scaled exercises up as high as your voice can go, and as low as you can go might help open up your throat a little. Also breathing exercises help too. There might be some good tips online somewhere to help you with this kinda thing. One song I've always wondered about is THE BAND's "I Shall Be Released." The lead singer sings so high that it makes me wonder how he really does it. I've always thought that singing falsetto and not too loud was something that helped him hit the higher notes. It's also helped me within my singing too.
Best of luck in your singing.

THE BAND - I Shall Be Released
http://www.napster.com/player/tracks/10252289

I am also a Bass in choir, although lately I'm more of a Baritone...but you probably won't be able to get it that much higher before your performance. It takes a lot of time to extend your range, and I don't think expansion of your range is limitless. One thing that you need to do, and something that I happen to be very bad at myself, is relax the muscles around your vocal chords as much as possible. That could help you quite a bit.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the advice. :)

I think something that has been helping me is simply singing regularly. I haven't sung since school got out a little over two months ago and I was a little rusty. I'm still having difficulty but no as much as before.

I think the only range my voice can't go is down. I can sing anything high, but can't really sing low, like in the Cradle of Filth song "Nymtamine" I can't sing the bit that starts with "Cold was my soul, Untold was the pain" but can get WAY higher than the girl's voice. Meh...

That can be improved by doing exercises that go down, and try to sing more 'brightly,' making the sound come forward into your mouth instead of in your chest. It's hard to explain, and even harder to do, but if you can figure it out, that should help. Be happy that you have a tenor voice, though, because tenors are the ones that become lead singers.

I was a Tenor but became a Bass. I want to be Tenor again!

a good breathing exercise is to blow on a candle to make the flame point diagonally away from you steadily without blowing it out.

Okay, I went through all of the pages to see what's been said and what hasn't. Here are a few techniques I noticed hadn't been shared.

1. When singing on an "Ah", it can help to stick your pointer finger in your mouth (without touching anything) This makes you raise your soft palate in the back of your mouth and lower the back of your tongue.

2. Earlier in the thread, someone mentioned bending down at the waist and dangling your arms while you sing (picture a rag doll). You can also lie flat on your back with your hand lightly on your stomach. If you're not into lying down, you can also sing with your back(shoulders) against the wall, feet shoulder's length apart. The technique that works best for you is generally different from person to person.

3. A good warm up I know that can help you to find your vocal range and is fun to practice with is a vocalization either on an "ah" vowel with the finger technique mentioned above in #1 or saying the words: "I love to sing" making sure your vowels are attended to. The vocalization is basically a so-do-so-mi-do ( G - high C - G - E - low C) on an octave. You move up the pitch each time by a half step. (I.E. from the C chord to a C# and so on.) It can help to raise your range slightly when practiced constantly.

4. Another good warm up is a vocalization on an "Ah" Starting on the So, you go down to Do on a quarter note beat, then (without repeating Do) go up to So and back down to Do on an eighth note beat. Make sure you do not slur the "Ah"'s, they should be separated, but not Stacatto.( In other words, don't make them feel dotted, they should feel smooth, but not be connected.) If you're confused about what I mean with So and Do, the notes for a C chord are: G - F - E - D - C - D - E - F - G - F - E -D - C. Like the last warm up, you progress a half step each time.

5. A Good warm up for your vowels is to run through them all on one pitch. ( "Eh" (Aye) "Ee" "Ah" "Oh" "Oo" in that order.) Moving up a half step each time you run through them.

When forming the "Eh" vowel, put a pointer finger on either corner of your mouth and form a sort of 'Fish mouth'. For the "Ee" put your fingers in an Ok sign and pretend you're pulling a string out of your head in an arch. For the "Ah" vowel, you can use the finger technique mentioned in #3, or you can pretend you're holding a ball on the top with your fingers together (except the thumb of course) and slowly bring it up a little bit. For the "Oh" vowel, use your pointer finger to form a circular motion in front of, but not touching, your mouth. Or, if you prefer, put your hands softly on either side of your face so your palms are touching your cheeks. For "Oo" pretend you're pulling a long piece of gum out of your mouth. It's good to keep in mind that when you're doing vowels such as "Oo" or "Oh" you should pretend you have a tennis ball or an orange in your mouth to keep a nice wide space.

You should be able to hear overtones (It should sound like someone's singing a higher pitch, even though you're all on the same pitch.) when this is done in a group; I'm not sure if you can hear them with just one person.

6. If you find you're going flat on a note, pointing your pointer finger in the air and moving your hand upwards (I'd start about as low as my neck) can help to raise it and keep you on pitch. Part of the reason you might be going flat is fatigue.

7. A good way to make sure you're standing up tall with your shoulders back is to put your hands out to your sides (You should form a T) and slowly drop them back to your sides without moving your shoulders.

8. It's a good idea to stretch when you're warming up. Touch your toes (without bending your knees), stretch up like you just got out of bed, and another thing to do to get tension out of your shoulders is to tilt your head to one side, and with your hand on that side, softly, barely pull on your head so you stretch out that muscle. You should feel a sort of aching like feeling there if you're really tense, but it shouldn't hurt that badly. Repeat on the other side.

9. To make sure you're keeping a constant flow of air, try putting your lips together and blowing air through them. That sort of "bbbbb" noise.

10. Try not to eat Dairy containing foods like cheese or milk products before a performance. It produces extra phlegm(Ah, sp?).

11. It might feel weird, but it's always a good idea when you're performing in a group such as a choir to make sure you over announciate words. Also, make sure you never, unless it is called for, pronounce things like the word handsome like this: hANdsome. It closes off the vowel. Always pronounce such vowels as hAHndsome.

12. Don't forget your Dental D's (The way the d sounds in Dental.) and Timely T's (Same thing with the T.) XD

By the way, you voice tends to sound better in a particular range because that is the range you've practiced most with. It's been used more. With practice, your higher or lower ranges (depends on the person which) can sound better.

Ah, that's all I can think of at the moment. I hope those warm-ups are easy enough to understand. Sorry this is so long. XD

-Breath with your whole lung. Your stomach should expand, and your shoulders should not rise.

I have to question this post earlier in the thread.
O.o I was told by a university choir director, that your shoulders should rise. That, and your sides (eventually, it takes practice) should expand when breathing right for singing.
I'unno. Maybe I misheard her.

Also, for those who sing in their chest voice mostly.
If doing a solo that you find yourself having to switch from your chest voice to your headvoice during a line (I have no way to describe this properly... when there's no break to switch without sounding odd, I think I mean...) do not use your chest voice in the actual performance for that particular line in the song. Keep in your headvoice EVEN in the lower notes (as low as your headvoice can go, buddy!) as you're moving up the staff.
I've found that making the change from chest voice to head voice in the middle of a line can be disasterous. It makes a noticable change in sound and tone quality from one to the other, and if you do this during a solo, for those who might be judging you, or know their music well, will easily be able to pick out that little error. It might be common sense to some (if not don't worry. I didn't learn this little lesson until recently. I'm a ditz xD ), but I figured this would be a good point to make for someone trying out for a solo that switched from their range, to a higher one that required an unused headvoice.

However, there are times when you can also ask the director if the song is appropriate for some improvisation in the notes, and in which case, you can change them around (so long as it still fits the accompanyment somewhat) so it's in your range. I know a girl who did that with her own solo, and it sounded beautiful compared to the original. Nothing like making a piece your own. ;3

And it seems to me that no one's mentioned this. O.o;; which is odd.

Have fun. If you don't like what you're singing, you won't put your heart into it. Always put emotion and feeling behind the words you're singing, as if you wrote the piece and want to make even a deaf, or blind person understand the meaning of the song. Show facial expression, and at times, it is appropriate to use your hands to also show expression.

((Also, I'd like to make note to give thanks to Deathraider's earlier post on the first thread about singing while ill. I'm very happy to hear this, since it always seems my luck to become ill right before a concert or recital that requires my vocals.
Also, your other post earlier on, I back fully, from personal bad experiences ranging from clearing throat, to locking knees (o.o your legs collapse beneath you when you do that. . ^^; or at least that's been my eh... experience with it )

It IS possible to use chest voice and head voice at the same time. You should try to balance them while your singing. That's one way to not sound so heavy when you're doing low notes, and one way to not sound so breathy on high notes. However, head voice and falsetto are sometimes confused, while they are not necessarily the same thing. Anyway, try to use your whole voice as much as possible. That's a really hard thing to explain though... Also, as for "breathing with your whole lung," that just sounds silly. Just make sure you breathe low, with your diaphragm. I doubt it's bad for your shoulders to rise, as long as you're breathing from your diaphragm. If your chest expands, and not your stomach, you're doing it wrong. If you have to take a quick breath, you should notice how much longer the air will last with that quick breath if you just breathe low. Just try breathing from your chest and then singing a note for as long as you can without having to take a breath, and then try it breathing low. If you're doing it right, you should be able to keep up the latter much longer.

Have fun. If you don't like what you're singing, you won't put your heart into it. Always put emotion and feeling behind the words you're singing, as if you wrote the piece and want to make even a deaf, or blind person understand the meaning of the song. Show facial expression, and at times, it is appropriate to use your hands to also show expression.
About the putting emotion and feeling: Yea, it kinda makes it easier to remember the words, especially if you're kinda visualizing things that go with the lyrics to the song. But if it's like chorus songs, well then, that'll be hard to do. But as for the other types of songs, it should be kinda easy.

About the putting emotion and feeling: Yea, it kinda makes it easier to remember the words, especially if you're kinda visualizing things that go with the lyrics to the song. But if it's like chorus songs, well then, that'll be hard to do. But as for the other types of songs, it should be kinda easy.

I don't see how it would be hard to do with chorus songs. You do it with just music when you're playing the piano, you emphasize certain notes to put your passion and heart into the song. With choir songs, it's no different. As a choir student, I am required to do it everyday and am more than willing to. A key way to do so is to understand the words as well as the context of the song. It's much easier with choir songs, because then you are telling a story. You could be telling the story of a young maiden to a little child, or you could be telling the story of how a country fell. Either way, you express it in both your face as well as with your tone and volume among other things. Those little words at the top of pieces that say "Playful, mournful, energetic, etc." aren't for nothing, they're there to help you better understand the story you're telling the listener.

Something I disagree on, however, is the need for hands to show emotion. If you need your hands, then you're obviously not doing it right. You should be able to show emotion through your face alone, hand movements, though used quite often, can often make the presentation look silly. At District competition last year, a choir used hand movements and it really took away from the overall effect. I don't think they made it to state. Clapping on the otherhand is okay.

I don't see how it would be hard to do with chorus songs. You do it with just music when you're playing the piano, you emphasize certain notes to put your passion and heart into the song. With choir songs, it's no different. As a choir student, I am required to do it everyday and am more than willing to. A key way to do so is to understand the words as well as the context of the song. It's much easier with choir songs, because then you are telling a story. You could be telling the story of a young maiden to a little child, or you could be telling the story of how a country fell. Either way, you express it in both your face as well as with your tone and volume among other things. Those little words at the top of pieces that say "Playful, mournful, energetic, etc." aren't for nothing, they're there to help you better understand the story you're telling the listener.
I dunno. I've been in choir for at least 4 years now and It's still easier for me to visualize a video of some sort with non-choir songs.

Agreeing with bluebell. I've been in a choir of some sort for.. the past 5 or 6 years, and that includes a choir over the summer.

And I showing hand gestures on solos. x.x; and not the type you're thinking of. I don't mean like you're doing almost... sign language, but just... I don't know how to say it. making a fist, having your hand shake as you sing a line full of raw emotion... that kind of thing. Small things. Not waving your arms around like a monkey. Clapping is good, as well as a whole choir swaying (if done right). I know ours did a gospel and everyone clapped and moved from left to right during the break and ending chorus.

Yea. Once on the Music Festival, there's this one choir that did the gestures, swaying, and clapping. They were really good. It was pure girls, though.

Our choir did this one serious, mellow song where they used hand gestures as a choir. We also did sign language this one time.

we did some hand gestures/sign language i dunno which, when we did Silent Night last year

is there a guide for begginers like me for singing?

if sooo i desperately need for i cant sing and i love to sing!lol

so how can i work myself? and how do i practice?

thanks!

is there a guide for begginers like me for singing?

if sooo i desperately need for i cant sing and i love to sing!lol

so how can i work myself? and how do i practice?

thanks!

There are some great tips through-out this thread. I would just try searching through it. If you have a question about anything (Either you don't know what we're talking about, or you wonder what it's for.) Just ask.

Yea, that's pretty much all you can do, cuz all my life, I've never heard of a guide (besides this thread) for novice singers. if u rly wanna no how 2 sing, and hav the money, then go get urself a voice teacher

I found that hitting higher notes was easier if I did one of two things (depending on the emotion and sound I wanted to achieve):

1: Make an "aw" sound with your throat not your lips, and the higher you get, gradually shape your throat to "oo" and finally "ii". I know it sounds really weird but I find it works, and the actual sound is a lot purer with heaps of resonance.

2: I get a "run up" just before the high note, or in other words, put all my energy into all the notes just before the high one, and then as I hit the high one, I let all the power go, and then it sounds more breathy, which works for a lot of lyrics, paricularly hard ones (diphthongs *shudder*).

Anyways, yeh. That's about all I know

oh, and I have a question of my own - I find that when I put a lot of emotion into the words, imagine the scenario I'm singing about etc. I lose control of my voice (in the bad way, not the Australian/American Idol Touchdown way). I want to convey emotion, but the more I think about what's making the emotion, the less I think about my voice and it all goes messy. Any ideas? Thanks!

I want to convey emotion, but the more I think about what's making the emotion, the less I think about my voice and it all goes messy. Any ideas?

See. That's your problem. Don't think about it - feel it. ;) Of course, just because you're feeling an emotion doesn't you can't focus on your singing. Hopefully this helps.

Could someone help me with singing smoothly. I know about breathing excersies from playing the flute, but for some reason I sing really choppy. I try not to pause any time I'm singing and I didn't realise what I was doing until I listened to a recording of myself.
My voice is really soft and a lot of people say they can't hear me sometimes, so I'm thinking that maybe I start singing too quietly sometimes. Is there a way to improve that too?

Could someone help me with singing smoothly. I know about breathing excersies from playing the flute, but for some reason I sing really choppy. I try not to pause any time I'm singing and I didn't realise what I was doing until I listened to a recording of myself.
My voice is really soft and a lot of people say they can't hear me sometimes, so I'm thinking that maybe I start singing too quietly sometimes. Is there a way to improve that too?

ya sometime i get choppy any tips on this?

thanks!

wow lots of tips here

and im a singer for my christian band so im going to look even closer at these great tips =) :)

I'm not sure what you mean by choppy. I might be able to help you otherwise. If they can't hear you, that probably means you aren't resonating enough, and so your sound isn't carrying. You just need to figure out how to use your breath support in a way that feels completely natural, and then make sure your soft palate (the muscle on the roof of your mouth in the back) is high and arched while you sing.

What my choir teacher taught us, for long notes start by breathing out your nose and mouth lightly at the same time. And also to relax your vocal chords before a performance, gently take your thumb and forefinger and, while lightly singing a comfortable note, move your windpipe side to side, gently mind you.

Does anyone have pointers of singing in harmony with another singer? Not trying to create a full barbershop width here, only two voices that occasionly sing different notes with eachother.

Creating as in composing or creating as in singing an existing song?

I think he means just being able to harmonize on the spot. I am able to do so quite nicely in thirds. They're boring chords though.

Yeah, that would be pretty boring. Sixths and thirds are the best for on the spot, though.