Taking up singing as a personal hobby. Looking to enjoy more songs.

Virgil_Leads_You

Hello, H/A,
I've always loved singing, but lately I've felt disappointment when I cannot achieve the notes of other singers.
It's especially jarring when I find that I don't know how to approach making a song work with my voice.

I don't have expectations of becoming or matching a star, but I'd really like to approach singing in a smarter way.
There isn't any coaches/vocal majors in my area, so I was wondering if anyone had insight on resources that I could pursue?

I'm starting to feel that just singing a good deal without guidance, hasn't improved what I can achieve with my voice. Is there a smarter way of going about it, or should I just keep on and/or accept that there won't be improvement? I really dislike when my voice breaks every 10 seconds into a song when applying any amount of volume or power.

However it shakes out, it's all cool. Hit me up with that sweet knowledge and wisdom.

Inquisitor77

Local community colleges are actually really good for this kind of thing. There are often "Introduction to Singing" or "Beginner's Choir" that you can join, and signing up for classes potentially also grants you access to practice rooms where you can sing your heart out without disturbing other people. You not only get solid instruction, but you also get to practice singing in groups and in front of others. Even if you don't plan on being a superstar, it's a nice way to develop public speaking/performing skills.

WiseManTobes

Singing in the car. sounds like a duh given, but seriously, no one can hear when your voice cracks, and trying those notes you can't hit, is the only way you will ever hit them.

You will bypass those cracks, it just takes some time, try singing voice , tempo and pitches you don't normally try also, give your practicing a range, and you will teach yourself tricks your voice can do for the songs you truly want to sing

Mad Jazz

Also keep in mind that you might just have a narrow range. You can expand it a little through practice, but if you don't have the equipment to sing way low or way high it might not happen for you, and you can still be a perfectly good singer. Billie Holiday had a famously small range, and you won't catch anyone saying she wasn't a phenomenal vocalist.

Virgil_Leads_You

Thanks for the encouragement and advice guys. I appreciate it.
I have equipment for singing low, but I was one of those 1st soprano divas before my voice changed, so I get pretty frustrated.

Jeedan

Mad Jazz wrote: »

Also keep in mind that you might just have a narrow range. You can expand it a little through practice, but if you don't have the equipment to sing way low or way high it might not happen for you, and you can still be a perfectly good singer. Billie Holiday had a famously small range, and you won't catch anyone saying she wasn't a phenomenal vocalist.

Disagree with this, there isn't actually that much variation in the human voice as far as the ranges its capable of. Not to say that there aren't some people who take to singing like a duck to water but by and large things like register breaks happen in more or less the same places in everyone.

Classically people are sorted into baritone, tenor ect but much pop music is people singing outside of what might classically be considered their "proper" range.

Constrictor

I sing karaoke frequently. For testing songs out before I do them live, I have a home setup. I plug in my laptop to external speakers and I have a small soundboard to which I connect my microphone. The soundboard/mixer output goes to my television (the speakers are very nice on the TV).

I search for karaoke versions of songs on youtube and play them to sing over. If there's no karaoke version on youtube I just sing over the original track with vocals.

Practice makes perfect. Certain singers/vocals might come easier for you.

Rhapsody

If possible, you can always try tuning a song that's outside of your range to a different key. This is a lot easier if you're singing along to yourself playing a guitar or with someone who can make that adjustment live as opposed to a prerecorded track, of course. Or being creative with dropping to a lower (or higher) octave when the notes get just too far away from your base.

Finding a good voice teacher who you could work with would be ideal, but I know you mentioned that there aren't any near you. There's a lot of basic things that can help though, that you probably don't need a coach for, such as focusing on your breathing, humming, warming up, etc. I can try to elaborate on these later tonight once I'm home from work.

Virgil_Leads_You

cool cool cool. I've definitely increased the amount of karaoke type singing in my life. It's also cool to know I can probably work through my barriers. I'd sorta would like to know how to approach more of the problems I run into. Say, if I can't bridge a change in notes, should I repetitively attempt the verse over and over again, and work it like a muscle, or will this just enhance my ability to make that paticular screech at will? I run into a lot of specific basic questions that are probably covered in a textbook or a series. Anyone have a suggestion on a good companion/guide I could turn to, and study, as I go on my journey. I appreciate the input.

Rhapsody

Generally speaking, it's just like any other skill: practicing helps, and practicing well helps prevent bad habits from developing. I have some general feedback I can offer, but I'd like to preface that I'm by no means a professional nor a wealth of experience teaching voice.

Screeching can mean some of a few things are happening:
* You just don't have enough breath to get you through the run. The majority of bad sounds you'll make come from a lack of air to serve as a foundation for your note. Look up how to breathe with your diaphragm. This is an important but hard to learn technique because, at least for me, it's based on feel.
* Something that helped me a lot, especially with multiple pitch changes, is to slow down and internalize the order and sound of each pitch. Identify each note in a run that you're having trouble with, hum each note, do the whole run slowly at a hum, then sing a vowel through it, then add the words and speed it up.
* A mental exercise that's worked well for me is that while I'm singing, I focus on the upcoming notes I have a beat or two ahead of where I am, and not so much on the current one. Might be worth a try.
* It's possible you're straining your voice or outside of your range, but if you feel comfortable in the range you're in, that's not likely the case.


It's kind of hard to know in this instance what to focus on without hearing what's going on. If you want to send me a PM (or post here) a recording of yourself and what song you're working on, I can try to offer some more directed insight.

WiseManTobes

Trying to come at a note from a different end of the pitch can help too sometimes. Like let's say it's a low to high note that hits the screech, try finding a note higher than you can hit then wane down into the one you want. You can break through most screeches, but sometimes they get worse before they get better,

( and sometimes you are trying to duplicate a microphone trick or a post production thing, listen to a live version of that song sometimes and you suddenly feel way better when even the artist can't hit that note without machines)

Sometimes don't even worry about the pitch itself, and just find a harmony, lots of songs work just fine with a section at a different register as long as it's one that harmonizes with the original.

One last thing, tho not sure if it relates to anything, love the voice you have, I grew up with a really mellow melodic voice, and I hated it for a long time, I wanted to sing punk and metal when I was a kid, and spent years trying to ruin it with cigarettes and whatnot to get a rumble in it, now I just regret the damage done , and still can't even sing a rumble, just hurt my melodies in the end rofl

Kharnastus

Get weekly private voice lesson instruction if you are serious about it. Your local university/college/comunity college should have a vocal music department. Alternately public/private school music teachers tend to like extra money. Methodical consistant practice will have you singing better in no time. Find someone that you get along with too.
Oh, as far as I have found, music isn't really something you learn from a book. At least not without someone to guide you through the excercises and offer critic and advice. Even if you are reasonably remote town there will still be an elementary school teacher willing to teach you.