First singing lesson

lucylespian · May 2008

HAd my first singing lesson yesterday.
Pretty nerve-racking at first, having to demonstarte how complete crap I am, but luckily I seem to have found an excellent teacher, and soon i was working through some exercises and really enjoyed myself.
I'm looking forward to beign able to bring songs more to life by having a workable vocal to tell the story.
It's already got me reading a playing melody to accompany myself.
Anyone else doing vocal lessons or considering it ?
I thought I might blog my progress here so anyone else thinking about it can see how it goes.
I took some PJ stuff to give her an idea of what I want to achieve, so should be working on some PJ soon.

Anon · May 2008

Much to learn have you. I'm sure you've been shown lot's of relaxing techniques. fun, fun fun. i started out when i was real young. My first vocal coach was also our choral conductor and she was ruthless and evil

i loved it though. Stick at it, there's lots to learn but you see the improvements fast yes?, and that's the incentive to keep going.

Good luck with it and keep us up to speed!

lucylespian · May 2008

Thanks for the encouragement, yoda !!
Not young am I, though old.
Trying to sing With or Without You tonight, and peaking out at E or maybe F# if I'm lucky and need an A.
Anybody got an A to spare ?? Damn Bono !!!
Weird how I've played stuff for years without caring what notes I was hitting, but now I need to know and can suddenly read music.
I actually think this miracle woman has removed my learning block against that.

Anon · May 2008

lucylespian wrote:

Weird how I've played stuff for years without caring what notes I was hitting, but now I need to know and can suddenly read music.
I actually think this miracle woman has removed my learning block against that.

Oh i know exactly what you are saying. Tons of people think music is difficult to read, but it's so not. It's actually the simplest written language there is. Obviously learning as a kid was easier, because you're just open to more things and not fearful of anything if that makes sense. Once you get the basics down, it get so much easier.

The fact you already know guitar well is a huge bonus, because you already know what the note sounds like and you can just relate that to the paper you are reading.

kudos to you!

keeponrockin · May 2008

lucylespian wrote:

Thanks for the encouragement, yoda !!
Not young am I, though old.
Trying to sing With or Without You tonight, and peaking out at E or maybe F# if I'm lucky and need an A.
Anybody got an A to spare ?? Damn Bono !!!
Weird how I've played stuff for years without caring what notes I was hitting, but now I need to know and can suddenly read music.
I actually think this miracle woman has removed my learning block against that.

I peak at a D! Anyone got an E, F, G and A to spare!

Mike_Muse_Rage · May 2008

Wow, you guys are making me feel a lot better about my voice! I could always sing an A before I had a single lesson but my pitch would waver quite a bit. I can now comfortably hit an A# and at home (i.e. out of lessons) hit a B. My voice has a horrible tone to it though, so I would never be suited to singing a song on my own; backing vocals only. Because my voice sounds so crappy I'm way too scared to sing in front of anyone, whether I can hit the notes or not.

Novawind · May 2008

I'm in the same boat with most of you. Never had a vocal lesson, my voice is too bassy and wavers too much to ever hope to do anything but backing vocals.

I'll probably take vocal lessons eventually, it's on my list of things to do along with learning saxophone.

lucylespian · May 2008

Pj_Gurl wrote:

Oh i know exactly what you are saying. Tons of people think music is difficult to read, but it's so not. It's actually the simplest written language there is. Obviously learning as a kid was easier, because you're just open to more things and not fearful of anything if that makes sense. Once you get the basics down, it get so much easier.

The fact you already know guitar well is a huge bonus, because you already know what the note sounds like and you can just relate that to the paper you are reading.

kudos to you!

My problem wiht reading music is complex and long-standing. I've learnt a bunch of times, but it was always a struggle, and I could not retain it. I can read rhythm, time sigs, key sigs etc, but when it cam e to reading the notes, I was Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit and painfuly slow. Now I am reading melodies easily. Playing the vocal melody in open position and singing along is really helping me with my voice pitch but also teaching me so much about what is happening on my guitar.

There is another round of Weekend Warriors starting soon, and they have actually got a decent song list this time, including Betterman, so I'm going along to that as well, so I may be onstage soon.
I get a huge boost of enthusiasm form all the guys here who are out playing live, so keep talking about it everyone.

Jeanie · May 2008

This is excellent news!

lucylespian · May 2008

Jeanie wrote:

This is excellent news!

Thanks Jeans.

Hey, long tmie no hear, and you are up to 15 000 posts too.
Just who have you been so chatty with to get there ??

DOSW · May 2008

Cool stuff, man. I'd love to be able to sing even simple melodies but it just isn't so, haha.

Maybe someday I'll get lessons, but I think I'm beyond hope.

Let us know how you progress!

Jeanie · May 2008

lucylespian wrote:

Thanks Jeans.

Hey, long time no hear, and you are up to 15 000 posts too.
Just who have you been so chatty with to get there ??

So you've decided to give Weekend Warriors another go? That's great!
It does sound like a great idea as long as it's a good crowd, like if the fits not right that can mess with everything. And a great rapport with your singing teacher is crucial I think. So it sounds good luce, all systems are GO!

oh and I have no idea how the post thing added up the way it did, I just looked up one day and there it was.

lucylespian · May 2008

DOSW wrote:

Cool stuff, man. I'd love to be able to sing even simple melodies but it just isn't so, haha. Maybe someday I'll get lessons, but I think I'm beyond hope.

Let us know how you progress!

YOu know, I really thought the same thing.
BY the end of last winter, between work overuse, some relux and cold weather, I could hardly talk, and fell into the habit of whispering.
It was actually a patient who told me she had been through the same thing, and during speech remediation learnt that whispering is one of the worse things you can do to your voice.
I have gone from barely talking, to believing I can learn to sing, even if I don't have the best vocal tone out there.
You are certainly capable of more than you give yourself credit for.
Think about trying some vocal coaching. A good coach will surprise you with what experienced teaching can achieve. Just as you could bang around on an out-of-tune guitar for year a achieve nothing, vs learning to play a song in your first proper guitar lesson.
I am sure you are not beyond hope.
Trust me, if I can do it, anyone can.
Anyone else find themselves given a position of off-stage importance for the school musical ??

lucylespian · May 2008

So, second singing lesson today.
Had lots of fun practising over the last week, playing the vocal melody on guitar, and slowly weaning myself off that to singing without accompiment. Found myself choking up a bit today and not doing as well as I had at practice, until I thought of the White Stripes song, Little Room, and remembered that "when you're in a bigger room, you might just need to remember, how you got started, being in a little room", and that opened things up a bit.
Tried doing a bit of Betterman, worked out how to play and sing it at the same time, just a matter of getting the vocal phrasing right. Tried Come As You Are too, but there is a high G needed, just out of range for me, so I'm not going to try that at the Weeekend Warriors this weekend. I'll stick to Am I ever Going to See Your Face Again, which is basically punk, no talent required.
Anyway, on the lessons, I have increased my range a full tone in both directions over last week and now have some more slightly weird exercises to do to improve my nasal resonance. I also have Clapton's Tears in Heaven to work on, which is a nice song so do.

Jeanie · May 2008

What kind of breathing exercises did they give you lucy?

I find those make a huge difference.

So describe these exercises to improve nasal resonance please, I'm curious!

Good work though! It's amazing what a difference a week can make if you practice correctly.

lucylespian · May 2008

Jeanie wrote:

What kind of breathing exercises did they give you lucy?

I find those make a huge difference.

So describe these exercises to improve nasal resonance please, I'm curious!

Good work though! It's amazing what a difference a week can make if you practice correctly.

Breathing is just singing simple 5 note major scales and arpeggios using the various vowel sounds. I'm pretty used to diaphragmatic breathing from diving and martial arts, so I don't need too much work there. I actually find the lessons incredibly relaxing, and my teacher has such a similar approach to life and stuf as me, which makes it very easy, so I'm not tensing up too much and forgetting to breath.

The nasal resonance exercise goes like this....

Singing a single note, starting on low C

Nnn-Ahh Nnn-Iii Nnn-Ooo Nnn-Ayy Nnn-Eee

then repeat a tone higher, until you get to high C, and your nose is tingling. At the end of this exercise, hold out your begging bowl, and hopefully you will score a few shekels, though you may also be subject to a security check or possibly recieve a five star pass to Gitmo.

then

Ah - lay - loo - yah , all on high C, then go down a tone to B and so on,

(sounds like part of Do the Evolution)

Jeanie · May 2008

lucylespian wrote:

Breathing is just singing simple 5 note major scales and arpeggios using the various vowel sounds. I'm pretty used to diaphragmatic breathing from diving and martial arts, so I don't need too much work there. I actually find the lessons incredibly relaxing, and my teacher has such a similar approach to life and stuf as me, which makes it very easy, so I'm not tensing up too much and forgetting to breath.

The nasal resonance exercise goes like this....

Singing a single note, starting on low C

Nnn-Ahh Nnn-Iii Nnn-Ooo Nnn-Ayy Nnn-Eee

then repeat a tone higher, until you get to high C, and your nose is tingling. At the end of this exercise, hold out your begging bowl, and hopefully you will score a few shekels, though you may also be subject to a security check or possibly recieve a five star pass to Gitmo.

then

Ah - lay - loo - yah , all on high C, then go down a tone to B and so on,

(sounds like part of Do the Evolution)

Yup! That sounds familiar! We used to have to do them crazy games in Voice classes at Uni. I found the first few weeks very confronting because I felt like a complete tool!

All of us running around making funny noises! It reminded me of the Knights of Nee!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e2kaQqxmQ0

My singer teacher used to get me to this diaphragm and breathing exercise while I was walking. Breathing in through the nose, filling up the diaphragm and holding for 4 steps as I walked and then exhaling slowly for another 4 steps. The more I did it the more steps holding in the air.

Anyway, it all sounds great Lucy. A good teacher, some one you relate to is so important. And if you're finding it relaxing must be all them endorphins and extra blood flow!

Keep us updated. I'm busting to hear how Weekend Warriors goes.

justam · May 2008

I get to listen to a lot of singing, and I've been learning to distinguish between the sounds that can be made with different shapes inside the mouth.

Like whether the soft palette is up or not, whether the space in the mouth is focused or not, prepared or not, whether the tongue is forward or not, whether the mask is buzzing...it's so interesting!

lucylespian · May 2008

Jeanie wrote:

Yup! That sounds familiar! We used to have to do them crazy games in Voice classes at Uni. I found the first few weeks very confronting because I felt like a complete tool! All of us running around making funny noises! It reminded me of the Knights of Nee!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e2kaQqxmQ0

My singer teacher used to get me to this diaphragm and breathing exercise while I was walking. Breathing in through the nose, filling up the diaphragm and holding for 4 steps as I walked and then exhaling slowly for another 4 steps. The more I did it the more steps holding in the air.

Anyway, it all sounds great Lucy. A good teacher, some one you relate to is so important. And if you're finding it relaxing must be all them endorphins and extra blood flow! Keep us updated. I'm busting to hear how Weekend Warriors goes.

Ah, the Knights of Nih, forgot about them.
It was remiding me of someone who couldn't quite make up their mind.
I was feeling a bit like a tool the other night, cos had visitors, and I wanted to practise, but woosed out.
Weekend Warriors in a few hours. I've made a mix disc with a few of the songs, and I'll pound that on the way.
Some songs are a bit more complex than lst time, so I'm sure there will be a few trainwrecks tonight.
Come as You Are is going to be interesting, cos it's recorded in D standard, bu I'll bet they expect it to be played in E, and that'll throw a few people.
With ir Without YOu is on the list too, and there is an octave jump during the chorus, and it'll be interesting to see who has the vocals to pull that off.

Jeanie · May 2008

lucylespian wrote:

Ah, the Knights of Nih, forgot about them.
It was remiding me of someone who couldn't quite make up their mind.
I was feeling a bit like a tool the other night, cos had visitors, and I wanted to practise, but woosed out.
Weekend Warriors in a few hours. I've made a mix disc with a few of the songs, and I'll pound that on the way.
Some songs are a bit more complex than lst time, so I'm sure there will be a few trainwrecks tonight.
Come as You Are is going to be interesting, cos it's recorded in D standard, bu I'll bet they expect it to be played in E, and that'll throw a few people.
With ir Without YOu is on the list too, and there is an octave jump during the chorus, and it'll be interesting to see who has the vocals to pull that off.

Oh I've done that too! Woosed out when it's come time to practice coz there's people around.

Do they give you all this info up front with Weekend Warriors? About the change of octave and stuff? I'd wanna know that before I started I reckon. I recall a truly humiliating night at Karaoke when I discovered they'd put Carly Simon's You're So Vain up into a higher key and I was so used to lower I went to the lower register and pretty much hoped to die there. :rolleyes:

They recorded it too! My brother still asks me if I grew testicles for that song that night!

Anyway, be good to hear how it went Luce.

FinsburyParkCarrots · May 2008

I've never had a singing lesson, but I'd love to drop my range lower, not push it higher. Every wuss wants to be Jeff Buckley. I'd love to be that dude out of the Ink Spots. Hell, my balls are big enough.

First singing lesson

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