Hey fellas, I've been practicing singing in earnest for the past 5 months and this is what I have realized.
Click on the link below- this is a clip of the goo goo dolls, singing iris. pay attention to johnny singing the chorus- when he sings "when everything MEANT to be broken"- as much as it is obviously singing, it sounds to me like he's TALKING LOUD.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jWC_Myk_oIE
The next link will show a clip of Freddie Mercury doing some crazy, incredible stuff. A big jaw dropper. Again, it sounds like he's talking loud. Like shouting.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=4FNoIDgNE6o
In the link below(you gotta click play for this one) you'll see bon jovi screaming his head off like there was no tomorrow singing "living on a prayer." It's probably true that, from that much screaming at the extremely high notes, he ended up damaging his vocal chords. When you see other clips of living on a prayer, he doesn't sing the high parts of the chorus.
http://blog.naver.com/cecil80?Redirect=Log&logNo=90004451166&vid=1000183872
Whether or not the way in which these guys sing is healthy for the vocal chords is not what I'm concerned with. Artists and athletes always run the risk of injury when they perform. That's a given. That's why they take care of themselves.
My point is, in order to develop a style akin to these kinds of rock vocalists who use a lot of POWER, it requires a rather intense training method. The thing is- when I was taking classical voice lessons, I was taught to never strain my voice to reach higher notes, for it would damage my vocal chords. However, as I get more and more into singing rock, I see how different the training process is. I get the feeling that in order to produce a powerful sound, especially in the higher register, I think of trying to talk loud.
And in order to achieve this- to be able to sing with power, you gotta somehow through trial and error, find that feeling, sensation where there's nothing blocking your sound from flowing. I do believe that, to fully extend your range to the greatest possible extent (maximizing what you're genetically endowed with) there's no way around some straining, or singing in a key a bit outside your comfort zone. In time, with practice- when singing in that key becomes comfortable and natural you can take move the capo up one fret and work your way up- this is a great gradual way to extend one's range. It's been working for me. I personally like the way the guys I mentioned above, sing. That's the kind of style I'm working on for now. And after a session of practice, I end up having to take a day or two off to let my voice recover. (sometimes 3 days) And with that rest, my voice in the next practice session, feels stronger- a phenomenon which seems very similar to lifting weights and working out. For this kind of style of singing, proper rest is key and it can do wonders.
Too bad, when these guys go on long tours and have back to back concerts day after day, their voices don't get much rest. I heard Bon jovi was getting steroid shots to complete their tour back then.
Anyway I believe you don't really know your range until you've seriously worked on it for at least a year.
Or who knows what you can accomplish in 2, 3 years? Hopefully my neighbors won't complain till then.
I just felt like getting some thoughts off my chest.
Debate away!
ive really loved your topic man....im a beginner in singin but im much into rock and im finding some thoughts conflicting like u....can u tell me more about developing the range,im struggling with that...how can i increase range in rock style?
" Take what you can from your dreams and make them real as anything " - Dave Matthews.
ive really loved your topic man....im a beginner in singin but im much into rock and im finding some thoughts conflicting like u....can u tell me more about developing the range,im struggling with that...how can i increase range in rock style?
Simple. like I mentioned above, for a given song you want to work on- find the key in which you're totally comfortable singing. Now, when you practice, raise the key a half step. Get used to it. It should take some time. When you get completely comfortable with that, take the capo up a fret. And so forth. As you can see, range is increased GRADUALLY. Just like guitar playing- which doesn't improve overnight. It's just like lifting. When i first benched, i barely had control of the bar. I was wobbling the bar and it was hard enough balancing it. Gradually increased the weight little by little and in 2 years I was benching 225. Anyways, hope this helps.
