[lolmerule]

OK so i just started singing while im playing im getting through American Pie by Donmclean and i get the timing and all that right and i can play the song pretty easily but i am a terrible singer any1 got any tips on how i can learn to sing better. I dont want lessons or anything i just want to sound half decent when i sing. Any help would be appreciated

[Captain_Trips]

http://www.guitarzon...showtopic=73281

[rickc]

Just find a key that works for you, and then relax and enjoy it. Vocal s don't need to be technically that good, so long as they convey, in a believable way, the sentiments behind the song. Think of Dylan, Lou Reed, John Lydon etc. Not the best of singers, but superb vocalists.
Believe in what you are trying to convey with your voice, or, if you don't believe in it, then write some songs for yourself, and then you will believe in them.
Good luck with it anyway !

[ninjato]

I dont want lessons or anything..................

Well, there's not much I can offer with that attitude. 3 years of academic chorale/vocal/ear training has done wonders for my pitch recognition, intionation and breathing that is associated w/ singing.

and i get the timing and all that right and i can play the song pretty easily

Can you do it to a metronome or by "feel" in a quasi amateurish effort.

My recommendation is to learn SOLFEGE to a tempo. There is a DVD on learning to sing. I will find out what the title is when I get home from work and update this thread for you.

[fenderguitarfreak]

OK so i just started singing while im playing im getting through American Pie by Donmclean and i get the timing and all that right and i can play the song pretty easily but i am a terrible singer any1 got any tips on how i can learn to sing better. I dont want lessons or anything i just want to sound half decent when i sing. Any help would be appreciated

you either have it or you dont and if youre that horrible then the only thing that could possible help you is lessons. What you could do maybe....Ive never tried this, Im just making it up at the top of my head....is listen to songs and try and pitch your voice and make it sound as close as you can to the singer that is singing the song. If you can immitate songs really well then youll do just fine when you are doing a cover song. just work on it.

[ninjato]

you either have it or you dont and if youre that horrible then the only thing that could possible help you is lessons. What you could do maybe....Ive never tried this, Im just making it up at the top of my head....is listen to songs and try and pitch your voice and make it sound as close as you can to the singer that is singing the song. If you can immitate songs really well then youll do just fine when you are doing a cover song. just work on it.

You can really damage your voice doing that if the singer you are trying to emmulate is not singing in your key.

That's like me trying to sing Alison Krauss songs in her voice.....yeah right Nothing can subsitute finding YOUR own voice.

This post has been edited by ninjato: 17 September 2006 - 02:10 PM

[Graeme! Yes, Graeme!]

Think about how you started on guitar. When you first start playing, you learn to do basic, simple things before moving onto more complicated things. Singing and playing at the same time is a new skill, so start simple and basic.

Start with songs with very easy melodies and just a few chords. If you want you can start with things like nurdery rhymes and children's songs. They're generally easy to sing and don't have many chords. Sure, you might feel like a fool trying to sing them, but just use the basic stuff as a stepping stone to get onto bigger and better things.

With the simple songs, just stick to a basic strumming pattern, even if it's just a stead four strum beat at first. As you get used to things you can build up to more complicated rhythms.

As for the singing itself, there are a few things to try to remember. Treat your voice like a muscle - take care of it. Try to warm up a bit before getting into some heavy singing by going through a few scales and arpeggios. Stretch as well, opening up the lungs helps. A good stretch to do a few times before singing:

Lock your fingers together, then extend your arms out to straight so that your palms are facing away from you, with fingers still locked together. Slowly raise your arms up from in front of you to above your head and then as far back as you can go while keeping your arms straight. This really helps to open out the chest a bit.

Also, try to make sure you have some water around when you're singing to help keep things lubricated. Really cold water is a bad idea, it has the reverse effect to stretching and warming up, and it's going to lead to you having a sore throat.

[ibanez6]

It never stopped Dylan.

[builtmyownbass]

Play a major scale up you guitar and try to hum each note (pick something that is easily in your range).
Once you have mastered that, write some simple medodies and hum to them.
Once you have masterd that, find the medolies of songs you want to sing and start singing the words.
Once you have mastered that... actually, you should already know how to sing by now (if you have successfully completed the above levels)

Its wierd because I'm telling you this and I am barely at the first stage myself. I seem to know how to do things, even though I haven't done them yet.
But this procedure is the best I can recommend. Good luck

[ninjato]

It never stopped Dylan.

It sure kept me from listening to any Dylan though.

[Will_Wood]

It never stopped Dylan.

It sure kept me from listening to any Dylan though.

You've certainly missed out.

[lolmerule]

thnx i think im getting a bit better at least my girlfriend thinks i am but im not sure if thats an accurae assesment

[ninjato]

Will_Wood, on Sep 18 2006, 11:02 PM, said:

It sure kept me from listening to any Dylan though.

You've certainly missed out.
[/quote]

Nope.......didn't miss a thing.

[sezchuan]

thnx i think im getting a bit better at least my girlfriend thinks i am but im not sure if thats an accurae assesment

It is good that you are getting better.
But as someone alluded to earlier the voice is actually a muscle. In fact to sing well requires great skill and coordination of alot of muscles. Some people can do it naturally but the rest of us have to learn. If you are serious about improving your voice then you need lessons. If you take the haphazard approach that just singing scales etc... this will improve your ear and perhaps your voice a little bit but more than likely you still won't be any good. Also doing it on your own you are much more likely to damage your voice.

[girlwithacross]

sing scales... join a choir... practice breathing... relax... and enjoy. practice heaps, without straining your voice, and take lessons. if you really want to sing well, you need lessons.


strengthen your lungs by breathing in 80%, holding it for as long as you can, then breathing out slowly.

work on your breathing by lighting a candle, holding it 7cm's from your mouth, and singing a scale. when you can do that without making the flame flicker, your breathing is just about controlled enough.

pronounciation - sing the maori vowels with exagerated facials. (aaah, ehhh, EEEE, ohhhh, ooooh)

lie on your back for 5 mins a day, tightening your TA's, and abs, holding tem taught as possible, and then releasing, and repeating.

singing's anarobic excersize, so you'll need to work out like you would any other sport.

sing along to a piano scale, up and down, till you can hit all the notes without hearing the piano.

Goodluck!

[ninjato]

thnx i think im getting a bit better at least my girlfriend thinks i am but im not sure if thats an accurae assesment

It is good that you are getting better.
But as someone alluded to earlier the voice is actually a muscle. In fact to sing well requires great skill and coordination of alot of muscles. Some people can do it naturally but the rest of us have to learn. If you are serious about improving your voice then you need lessons. If you take the haphazard approach that just singing scales etc... this will improve your ear and perhaps your voice a little bit but more than likely you still won't be any good. Also doing it on your own you are much more likely to damage your voice.

\
Vocal cords are not muscles but rather ligaments. THis means that once damaged and scarred, there's almost no hope in recovering the original voice.

Take care, and be careful. Good luck. Always sing within your range. Find your own voice and not imitate unless the person you are imitating sings in your key.


I can sing just about any Elton John tune without straining, switch to Pink Floyd or Led Zep and I have to sing a little higher and I can only do one or two tunes like that beofre I stop and take a break.

The problem arises when people aren't even aware they are straining and the next morning they can't talk.

[Bad.Seamstress]

Well, as has already been said, find a key you're comfortable with. Sing in your key, and when you sit straighter air has easier passage through the trechea (sp). That might help quite a bit. If you want to expand your vocal range, push your limits. The more you do that, the more comfortable you'll become with new pitches. Good luck man.

[sezchuan]

thnx i think im getting a bit better at least my girlfriend thinks i am but im not sure if thats an accurae assesment

It is good that you are getting better.
But as someone alluded to earlier the voice is actually a muscle. In fact to sing well requires great skill and coordination of alot of muscles. Some people can do it naturally but the rest of us have to learn. If you are serious about improving your voice then you need lessons. If you take the haphazard approach that just singing scales etc... this will improve your ear and perhaps your voice a little bit but more than likely you still won't be any good. Also doing it on your own you are much more likely to damage your voice.

\
Vocal cords are not muscles but rather ligaments. THis means that once damaged and scarred, there's almost no hope in recovering the original voice.

Take care, and be careful. Good luck. Always sing within your range. Find your own voice and not imitate unless the person you are imitating sings in your key.


I can sing just about any Elton John tune without straining, switch to Pink Floyd or Led Zep and I have to sing a little higher and I can only do one or two tunes like that beofre I stop and take a break.

The problem arises when people aren't even aware they are straining and the next morning they can't talk.

Vocal cords are not ligaments. Ligaments join bone to bone or cartliage, tendons join muscle to bone. The actual vocal cord is 50% muscle (vocalis muscle). On top of that is the lamina propria which is the part that vibrates. Actually it is a muscosal wave of the two chords touching together. It is not ligament as ligaments would not be able to vibrate so would make no sound. Yes if it is scarred the voice will be permanently changed as scar tissue does not stretch which is absolutely esstential to using the voice especially changing the pitch. Uncontrolled singing or talking, shouting especially at loud volumes repeated will most likely cause nodules or another patholgy of the fold.

Learning good techinique is essential if you want to sing professionally as most people will constrict their false cords when singing which increases the impact of the true vocal cords and is much more likely to damage them.

Sorry to get technical but its the only way I could describe that they aren't ligaments.

[Gavin~K]

OK so i just started singing while im playing im getting through American Pie by Donmclean and i get the timing and all that right and i can play the song pretty easily but i am a terrible singer any1 got any tips on how i can learn to sing better. I dont want lessons or anything i just want to sound half decent when i sing. Any help would be appreciated

Thats what lessons are for. Take a few. you only need like 3 months and you'll be half decent. finding a decent vocal coach is a must.

You can buy DVD's and books but you really need that one on one interaction. that way your coach can give you feedback on what you are doing wrong and what you need to do. He will basically program you to sing. you can sing. you just need some help finding your voice.

Good luck and have fun at it.