Want to start singing

The first thing you need to do is learn to breathe properly. Most people breathe in by expanding their chest. It is not natural (look at a baby, a cat, or a dog). Also singing while chest breathing tenses your larynx which can lead to vocal chord nodules (gives you that gravel voice like Stevie Nicks). To remove the nodules requires an operation and with that operation there is a chance that you will never sing again.

When you inhale, your diaphragm should go down resulting in your abdomen expanding, NOT your ribs. (If you don't know where your diaphragm is located, google it.)

The second thing is to relax your throat when singing. For the same reason, avoidance of nodules. Even if you like Stevie Nicks and the other gravel voiced singers, you don't want nodules.

After you master the above to avoid hurting yourself, then start working on your sound.

Insights and incites by Notes

A sure way to tell if you're directing too much sound into your nose is simply to pinch your nose while singing. Ideally, the pinch should have little or no effect on your tone. If your sound changes drastically when you pinch your nose, yeah, you're too nasal.

If so, practice using the nose-pinch to get a sense of what it feels like to project sound out of your mouth.

Caveat: Having a nasal-sounding voice is not the same thing as singing into your nose. I think we'd all agree that Willie Nelson has a nasal tone to his voice, but he does not sing into his nose. The kind of nasality that is genuine trouble for vocalists is the sound we all get when we get a cold--that muffled, unnatural nasality that comes from stuffed sinuses.

Thanks for all the helpful hints. I'll try to post something so that you have a good idea, or in the Hear Hear beginners forums there is some videos of my trying to sing and play at the same time. But I've been practicing a bit of singing, so I'll post something a bit different.

Thanks again!

"the Hear Hear beginners forums"???

I'm not sure what this is. I googled the phrase (and tried "hear here" as well), but nothing came up.

Never mind--I found it. DUH!!! :oops:

LOL :lol:

While I don't have anything to post until Thursday night, I've been practice a bit with the tips that you all have given me, and all I have to say at the moment, is that it feels very very different. But I do notice a big difference....at least I think that I do.

Thanks again for the tips!

Okay, so here's a cover of Home by Blake Shelton. I tried using the tips that were given and this is the rusty results.

Thanks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mDLmd_xFmk

Hey there,
First of all, I enjoyed your version of that song... its not a song I actually like but you did a good job.

Your voice didn't sound nasally to me, but if your having problems with that you can try and either sing with a low larynx (by singing like yogi bear) or try and open your soft palate when you sing (by focusing on that 'yawn' feeling).

IMO your voice is a little bit flat at parts, you should try and sing scales and try and improve your higher registers. It will feel silly at first but just record yourself, and try and concentrate on firstly hitting the correct notes, after that you can add power and tone to it.

But the hardest part is always listening to it yourself, so well done on doing that :D.

Nath

Good stuff! I too enjoyed our performance. You did drift off of some notes, so I would second Nath's sugestion that you work on some scales.

However, the primary problem seems to be breath control. You appear to be singing from your throat, and this produces notes that are unstable, both in pitch and in volume. If you develop some breath control, your vocals will improve quickly, IMO. The idea is to use breath to stabilize, even out, support, etc., your notes. Think of COMPRESSON (in the sense of the audio effect)--good breath technique compresses your sound, and this reduces wavering and provides a stable tone.

A few lessons would help enormously, if you can swing it. But in any case please carry on! You can certainly sing.

Good stuff! I too enjoyed our performance. You did drift off of some notes, so I would second Nath's sugestion that you work on some scales.

However, the primary problem seems to be breath control. You appear to be singing from your throat, and this produces notes that are unstable, both in pitch and in volume. If you develop some breath control, your vocals will improve quickly, IMO. The idea is to use breath to stabilize, even out, support, etc., your notes. Think of COMPRESSON (in the sense of the audio effect)--good breath technique compresses your sound, and this reduces wavering and provides a stable tone.

A few lessons would help enormously, if you can swing it. But in any case please carry on! You can certainly sing.

+1 to all of that :D
Nath

thanks everyone! I'll definaatley try some scales. and when i get back from my vacation post something else. that soft pallet thing is difficult for me at the moment, maybe I'm doing it wrong. any rate thank you again.

thanks everyone! I'll definaatley try some scales. and when i get back from my vacation post something else. that soft pallet thing is difficult for me at the moment, maybe I'm doing it wrong. any rate thank you again.

I found it really hard at first too... but what i used to do is get a small mirror, sing a note and then open my mouth wide whilst keeping the note sustained. If you look to the back and see your throat closed off by the soft palate then experiment with adjusting it (using that 'yawny' feeling (not very scientific but I don't know how else to describe it)) and record the different tones you make, I think you'll be surprised with what kind of sounds you can achieve by different placements of it :D.

Keep us posted, and keep on singing :D

Nath

Can I take a look of your performance video you have recorded? :o

I wouldn't really call it a "performance" LOL. It's more just me sitting there playing guitar and attempting to sing. But if you click on the link that was earlier in this post it should send you to youtube and a video of me doing a bad cover of "Home" by Blake Shelton, there is also a cover of his "Ol' Red" as well....again...badly. But let me know what you think either way. Thanks for taking a look, and any tips are greatly appreciated.

That's what's so great about this forum, no matter how bad you are there is always encouragement and never any discouragment. Thanks!!