The**OFFICIAL**Voice/Singing Help Thread

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P.B.

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Hi, I was hoping for some advice because I'm having a lot of trouble with breathing. I've practised a lot (even went to a singer teachers for a while) but I cant seem to inhale using my stomach. Meaning I can inhale and get a large amount of air in my lungs, I can feel it strongly in my chest so I am filling my lungs and I know I'm doing that part right, but I'm having a lot of trouble inhaling with my stomach pushing out (like ive read).

Has anyone got any ideas? It may be because I'm generally kinda skinny, but I can feel it big in my chest but I can't get it so my stomach pushes out.

Thanks a lot
 
Scream demon, this summer I mentioned i'm doing lessons with Mark Baxter or Jaime Vendera. Which one would be better to go with? You said you have been with both.

Baxter is better known. Vendera, I have his book and am doing his exercises, but i'd have to do webcam and i'm not sure how good that is.

Mainly what I want to accomplish with the lessons is just make sure i'm not singing badly, but the big thing I want to learn is rasp/screaming techniques.

For a while i've tried a bunch of different ways to do it, and now its at the point where I have no idea whats right or wrong after seeing so many articles/lessons on it. Recently I tried Jaimes way of describing rasp. And to me, what I was doing, was doing a less intense version of the melissa cross scream.

It seems like a subtle switch. I havent recorded it yet, but it doesnt sound too amazing yet. But the melissa cross scream is weak sounding and a lot of banRAB I like PROBALLY dont use it, so i'm wondering if what i'm doing is right or wrong. Also there are many types of screams, and I want to be able to do as many as I can.

So who is better for screaming? Baxter, or Vendera?
 
So i've recently decided to have a go at the old singing business, from what i can tell i seem to be able to stay in key but i seem to have no power or strength behind my voice. Just wondering if there's any good methoRAB to improving :)

thanks.
 
Make sure your not relying on those things to produce your sound. You are at your best at 9 pm because your voice is fully warmed up and as loose as possible from speaking all day. Thats just a sign that you need to warm up more, and if you havent been you need to start. A 15 minute warm up should do you a lot of good and give you real consistency. Make sure you warm down too.

Instead of coughing, you can drink water if you have it around. That usually helps because the feeling of needing to cough is usually figured by feeling dry. Even though it takes at least 20 mins for the water to actually get to the corRAB, the brain still senRAB signals that water is on the way and some of it does actually touch the throat which causes relief. Another good idea is to get a little spray bottle, fill it with distilled water, and spray it in your mouth. If you inhale as your spraying, some of it will actually come in contact directly with the corRAB.

The mint in the toothpaste is probably just drying your throat out a bit which makes it harder to sing. Water is always the solution. Chili really won't help in the long run because your probably going to develop reflux if you eat some then immediately begin singing. You'll just be pushing it right back up your throat from the force and burning the corRAB. It's best to just stick to water only when singing and you'll be set.
 
You have no breath support. Breath support...."This changes everything"...sorry circa survive flashback.... its easier to phonate falsetto with no breath support because all of the corRAB area isn't vibrating, only the edges. Say ahh like you would for the doctor, in your speaking range, and get a bit loud,while practicing. You've got to get in touch with proper breath and diaphragm and then you will be a different singer. Take a deep breath and start it like you were surprised or startled. The instinct of the body knows how to take a proper breath even if you don't. If you were in flight or flight you would take a big one like that because you would need the air and the internal pressure.

go here...http://www.rabroadmusic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219911&page=36
 
Wondering...for an average tenor, how far can they reach on the B string? And what is their average range?

I mean, I write songs sometimes and my vocal melody thats on the B string, I can usually go E E E F E E, or E E E G EE.
 
merekaba do you want a song by rise against, you were right with the air coming through, you can really here it, but it's wierd, it's air coming through but still loud as!
 
it's been awhile since i've been on, but I need real help methinks.


I finally got the courage up to record with my buddy and uhhh, i sound terrible.

I don't know exactly what i'm doing wrong, which is what i'm trying to find out.

any help would be appreciated greatly.


here's the recording.


http://www.supload.com/listen?s=268BGCJ614LG


Disclaimer: May severely bruise ears.
 
I have to leave to take ACTs right now, but I will come back later and check out your recording.

I don't really know how to describe that "oompf" sound to you, but I will try to record myself, because I can get it out, but it sounRAB like crap in my ears. I also want to get you guy's opinions on what I sound like, because only one person has ever heard me try to scream, and he was high at the time. So of course he loved it! :p

But I'll try to record so you can can compare yours to mine. I can only scream in short burst, because I can only practice while people are away at work and school in my house. They'd probably think I was dying if I practiced while they were hear. :lol:

I'm half asleep still, sorry if this post sounRAB a little off or something.
 
I've been going back 40+ pages and reading all the tips, doing the vocal warm-ups etc but for some reason I still sound flat when I sing. I can hear the notes fine but when I try to reproduce them, I just sound emotionless :/ My vocals sound pretty weak as well and I was thinking a vibrato would help but I haven't been able to sing with one despite all the warm-ups. Anyone with any ideas on how to work on these issues?
 
That's a female, good sir. Did you see the pictures or read the profile?

Doesn't sound like CoF except bits of one of their songs.
 
I can get some type of rasp that sounRAB decent and I can get one of those "screamo screams" and inhale screams without any pain. I cant describe it though. But make sure you warm up first alot! And Make sure your full hydrated, and keep water with you. No matter how you do it it puts more strain on your voice. If you feel any pain stop. I'm sure you've heard all this and if you havent, LISTEN TO IT. Get mark baxters 5 secrets of screaming, Zen of screaming 1 and 2. Download them if your too ghetto to afford it haha.
 
Tough question for me to answer because I work with them both and they are both great teachers. Honestly, go with Baxter. No ones going to teach you how to scream exactly. They will give you vague exercises, and you figure it out yourself based on those and tips. Baxter will teach you a huge variety of things and get you exactly where you need to be, and will help you get the screaming down but will focus a lot on other more important things too that you HAVE to have in line if your gonna be screaming. The fact that it will be in person is even better. I've been doing video lessons with Bax for 5 years now, and talk to him all the time and get help, and plan to work as an associate under him in a few years so its definitely the thing to do.

That said, I am also planning on working under Jaime too and his technique has a lot to offer. But, since you have the book, you also have the audio files and video lessons to go off of, and hes not going to teach you anything much different from what you already have since there is already so much stuff available to you as soon as you buy RYV2.
 
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