singers-advice please?

buggie10

I've been told that I would have a really cool singing voice if I could just stay on key. (I'm a girl with a pretty low voice. I tried out for a concert choir once and was told I'm a tenor). So is there anyway to practice singing and learn to stay on key? I can't afford any lessons or anything. It seems like more and more people have been making this comment so now I'm kind of like maybe this is something I can do that I never thought of before you know? I think it is worth exploring but I really don't know the first step. Any suggestions?

exhausted

all i can really say is sing along with stuff you know and like and that is in your range. pay attention to what you're doing with it and try to hear yourself.

pitch problems seem to be primarily a matter of being able to hear yourself.

but i really don't know how to sing. i kinda fake it.

Pacomc79

Originally posted by buggie10
I've been told that I would have a really cool singing voice if I could just stay on key. (I'm a girl with a pretty low voice. I tried out for a concert choir once and was told I'm a tenor). So is there anyway to practice singing and learn to stay on key? I can't afford any lessons or anything. It seems like more and more people have been making this comment so now I'm kind of like maybe this is something I can do that I never thought of before you know? I think it is worth exploring but I really don't know the first step. Any suggestions?

You need to be able to hear yourself as well as the correct pitch. I suggest joining a church choir. It's free instruction and you'll hear the organ giving you the proper pitch. There's traditionally an open policy with no audition. You probably have decent relative pitch you just need a little help and a choir will help you develop that skill because you will be singing in a section with others around you singing the same part. If you sound low or high (flat or sharp) adjust yourself to the proper pitch.

buggie10

hahahaha good idea but then you have to go to church!

Originally posted by Pacomc79
You need to be able to hear yourself as well as the correct pitch. I suggest joining a church choir. It's free instruction and you'll hear the organ giving you the proper pitch. There's traditionally an open policy with no audition. You probably have decent relative pitch you just need a little help and a choir will help you develop that skill because you will be singing in a section with others around you singing the same part. If you sound low or high (flat or sharp) adjust yourself to the proper pitch.

afarid

well when you sing in key with your fav song you will feel a funny vibration in your neck. That is a sign that you are singing in key.Having a perfect is the first step everything after that is piece of cake. Anyone can sing believe me anyone. If you are really serious about it i suggest you take some lessons. just a few to begin with. And be carefull about the teacher you choose do not choose an a hole who does not understand, becuase it happened to me when i started taking lessons.
Remeber a talent is a terrible thing to waste. If you want to sing go ahead.
good luck.
check out
ultimatevoicetraining.com

justam

I think the people who sing with the best intonation are those that have a good memory for sound. They can hear the right pitch in their imagination and they have the ability to make their voices match that sound they hear.
(I don't think it's as easy as folks in this thread are making it sound, or everyone would do it!!)

Some people are born with very good sense of pitch some people aren't.
Since it's related to hearing accurately, I'm not sure you can really just WILL yourself to get better at it, especially without help...

mccreadyisgod

Community choirs are similar to church choirs, but avoid the whole church part of the deal. You could see if there's one in your area.

You could always join a punk band and work on it, punk singers are never really any good...

goto_l

The usual problem with pitch is people trying to sound like someone else. It usually occurs at the higher notes. Just sing in your own voice always. It takes time to get used to. But you'll know it when you do it. When singing along with something, block out the other singer if you can, or try harmonizing.

buggie10

yeah I know what you're talking about, which is exactly what I can't do. I'm not sure if I can't remember it or if I can't replicate it, but it's lost somewhere in there.

thanks for the advice people. the other problem I have is that I'll start singing and inevitably, as soon as I start to get into it my voice just cracks. very frustrating.

and one last question. say you're singing a song you know pretty well, and there's high notes but you have a low voice. Do you sing the high notes or do you sing lower? I can never seem to make that decision.

Originally posted by justam
I think the people who sing with the best intonation are those that have a good memory for sound. They can hear the right pitch in their imagination and they have the ability to make their voices match that sound they hear.
(I don't think it's as easy as folks in this thread are making it sound, or everyone would do it!!)

Some people are born with very good sense of pitch some people aren't.
Since it's related to hearing accurately, I'm not sure you can really just WILL yourself to get better at it, especially without help...

goto_l

Sing to comfort not tone. Pitch will be there. Just stay in your comfort zone until you learn to use your voice. Also try not singing really loud at first. Guitarist have the same problem, they like to crank it up before they know what they are doing. Add volume slowly

House53

Well, it is good advice to have your own voice. That took me a while.

I learned to sing by singing along with music... (read Mr. Vedder) and I have a tendency to come off and sound like him. Now, I sing with my natural voice, and my friends still describe my bands songs as: " how it would sound if Pearl Jam played ______."

I still do the Vedder thing on purpose for Black and other classic PJ stuff, but I really do try to sing with my own voice 95% of the time now.

I just have a baritone with the same sort of range.

So, it isn't bad to try to sing along with music... you have a full band and you can exercise your voice... the more you sing the better it will get... it will open up more and allow you to relax.

my $0.02.

In my other thread I pointed out that my band is playing 39 songs tonight... I am singing 38 of them... I hope I can talk next week.

who's_pearljam?

A choir is a good idea if you have one around.
If you are seriously considering singing, if you can scrounge up enough for a couple of singing lesson, you should learn to sing from the diaphram and not the throat. That also helps you stay in key. It's easy to blow out your voice if you sing from the throat. Hard to explain, but a couple hours with a voice coach can lead you towards the right way to project.

Enjoy!