[magasanguis]

So I just bought Rock Band for the PS2. I know, I'm awesome.
I'm pretty good at guitar/bass, and I'm playing medium on drums.
Now, I'm in desperate need of some tips for vocals.

See, I'm not a singer. I have no natural talent for singing. (Although my dad thinks otherwise.) My friends know I can't sing. When I told all of them I got the game, they all said, "I'd like to see you sing."

My goal is not to sound pitiful when they come over. I'm getting better at hitting the notes, but I'm having a few issues. For one, I have a rather low range for a teenage girl, and it's not a very broad range, either. Plus I'm using my throat muscles to sing. I've been told to sing using the diaphragm, but I don't know HOW to do that.

Any tips?

[Brian37]

watch American Idol......

[Lenny]

Wish I could help you but when I sing it is like a canine convention at my house. They come from miles away driven by that wolf gene to help another in distress...

But I'm sure this profound community has its share of this wonderfull gift..

Lenny

[salukigirl]

watch how you breathe. lay on your back and take in a deep breath. does you stomach or your chest move up and down? if its your stomach than youre not truly breathing correctly.

try this: as youre taking in a breath, tighten your abdominals. this will force you to breath with your diaphragm which is not how most people breath. imagine taking an ice cream scooper to your torso and carving out a piece of your abs. then when youre tightening them focus on pushing your belly button upwards. it sounds weird but follow it step by step. and singing with your diaphragm wont do anything if you dont have a good voice.

are you tone deaf? when i was about 5 i had horrible vocal cords. there are pictures of them with tears etc... all over. so i had to go to a speech therapist. they blew into a pitch pipe and i had to match that tone exactly with either singing the letter e or o. and i had to hold that note as long as i can. if youre really interested in learning then go out and get a pitch pipe and practice daily. if youre tone deaf this wont do anything though.

i never took singing lessons. i guess i just have the natural talent part. but i practice a lot. i sing constantly. and when i find a song that im not perfect at, i listen over and over until i get it down pat. hope this helps.

[magasanguis]

That exercise was interesting, salukigirl. I think I've finally found the diaphragm.

I'm certainly not tone-deaf, thankfully. I play flute and piano. While I'm only slowly developing PERFECT pitch (meaning I could hear a note and tell you what it is), I have excellent RELATIVE pitch (meaning I could hear a chord progression and tell you if it's a fourth, a seventh, et cetera). I can tell if I'm off-key, for the most part, but I can't do anything about it. It's frustrating.

Anyway, I'll practice breathing I guess.

[Cyran0]

mag, kudos for wanting to sing better but remember it's just a game and the most inspirational vocalists don't sing from the diaphragm, they sing from the heart.

Cyran0

[magasanguis]

Yeah, I understand that. My parents have as much fun as I do with this game, because it's the first time they've heard me sing at all. My dad seemed surprised, but immediately saw the opportunity to start coaching me. He told me, "I know it's just a game, and you're just having fun, but if you're gonna sing, then you should SING." He continued to give his advice...

...Then my mom stepped in, and this is where it gets funny. My mom was a singer, but didn't sing much after high school. My dad can't sing, but he was a sound engineer for a band in college. So they both have tips for me. They both get into it, start picking songs for me, and it's a lot of fun.

[salukigirl]

lol i know what perfect pitch is. only like 30 people in the whole world have perfect pitch, and theyre usually autistic. lol. i cant tell you what note it is like a, b or c... but i can match it with my voice. i never studied music. ive played guitar for about 11 years, piano for about 8 or 9 and dabbled in trumpet, drums, and bass. i usually just learn by ear so i dont even know how to read music full haha. i just listen and repeat

[magasanguis]

Well, I envy you, then. I can tell if my voice is off from what I'm hearing, but it's so hard to fix it! Especially since I've been told I have an excellent speaking voice, I feel like I should be able to control my pitch.

[Cyran0]

I've created/played in a variety of bands over the years and love making music. I also have a degree in/experience recording and producing music (as well as sound design for video games and film).

Unfortunately, even with all of this, I can't offer much more advice as my interest is always rooted in texture and character over technique and precision. Or, to put it another way, I'd rather listen to Iggy Pop or Tom Waits sing over say Mariah Carey. So for me I'd be listening for whether or not your voice is interesting/expressive before I'd listen for technical ability.

Cyran0

I do sing...




badly

[magasanguis]

Well, I got a good tip from my dad today. He told me I was singing through my nose, and he helped me try to fix it by holding my nose when I sang. It helped me realize which notes needed more breath.

Of course, these are rock band songs. So some songs I prefer to sing nasally. Like, Sound Garden's "Black Hole Sun" or Nirvana's "In Bloom." But The Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Maps" is a great one to sing "correctly" so to speak.

@Cyran0 - that's so cool that you're into that. My dream job is to be a sound engineer/producer. It's kind of a hobby of mine to fiddle with sound, either on a synthesizer or my mom's car stereo.

@Rainbowzz - Me too. But unfortunately to those with critical ears, I enjoy it.

[salukigirl]

cyran0 - mariah carey is my idol lol. i have always loved her. i really adore strong female vocalists. i love mary j. blige, mariah carey, keyshia cole, chrisette michele, alicia keys etc... i need to just get over my fear and sing for jason. he begs me all the time but im scared. i guess im more comfortable in front of hundreds of people because i cant pick out a face and dont know msot of them. but just in front of him, if he doesnt like it..... thats a huge ego blow y'know? ive only ever sang for one person once and i was WASTED. lol.

[magasanguis]

My dad was talking to me about singing through the nose, and it reminded me of what you said. He said that people like to sing through their nose because you get the best resonance and feedback that way. But a good singer trusts their pitch, even if they can't hear themselves. Which is why you'll find more egotists than perfectionists in my high school's chorus.

The best singers tend to be comfortable with whatever they're singing. And I'd bet that if you sang to someone who loves you... how could they not like it? And hearing positive things from someone you love does wonders to a person's confidence. I'd say go for it.

[salukigirl]

i dont know.... Im still scared. He just tries to listen in the car when Im singing along lol and then he goes "I heard you singing...." then I get embarassed and turn the music up lol

[cheetah]

I sing in the shower.

[Cyran0]

mag, it can be a challenging field to make a living in. Not a lot of jobs and lots of people trying to get them. That said, it is pretty damned awesome. I'm mostly a filmmaker so most o the sound work I get hired for now is location sound mixing for film and video.

Saluki, I have nothing against Mariah Carey, she's just not a vocalist I'm drawn to.

Here's a video that expresses how I feel about singing extremely well.
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[salukigirl]

who is that? she reminds me of of tori amos was on crack

[Cyran0]

She's Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls. I'm very fond of them. They have a cool site, check it out http://www.dresdendolls.com/

But I don't want to hijack the thread. I just posted the song as it seemed appropriate.

Cyran0

[magasanguis]

I like her voice. I prefer female singers, and I love to hear new and interesting ways they're used. The Dresden Dolls have very good music (love the piano), but it has a little too much of a musical/cabaret feel to me.

[salukigirl]

i guess ive always been drawn to strong, soulfull femal voices. I get goosbumps when I listen to people like whitney houston.

[magasanguis]

No one would know the names of bands/singers I listen to, but I like a big variety of voices, in strange contexts.

But perhaps people have heard of Annie Haslam, of the prog-rock band Renaissance? She is my favorite.

[salukigirl]

nope. i used to listen to a lot of ska. i still love bands like the specials, operation ivy etc... most people don't know who they are though.

[Cyran0]

Are you kidding Saluki, I love ska! I've seen more live ska shows than anything else.

You rock Saluki!

Cyran0

[magasanguis]

Is The English Beat considered ska?