Ask the vocal coach
If you have any questions about singing or performance ask your question here and your on line vocal coach will get back to you with the answer
Filed under: gossip on August 14th, 2007
If you have any questions about singing or performance ask your question here and your on line vocal coach will get back to you with the answer
Filed under: gossip on August 14th, 2007
Question
I don’t know what’s wrong.?
I sing falsetto (because that’s the best i can sing) , (I’m a guy with a naturally deep speaking voice) but i can only keep my best voice for about one song then its harder to keep it and keeps diminishing, i also get the feeling like something is in my throat that i have to clear but never clears
I don’t know if I’m explaining it correctly, but im’ staying on the question to (edit) add details if you have a question or need me to clarify if I can
Coach’s Answer:
The reason that your voice diminishes is partly because of the voice being supported (breathing from the diaphragm) and pulling up from the pelvic floor/perineum. this is especially useful for singing at the high end of the range. have a look at http://www.learn-to-sing.com and there is a fuller explanation of all the technique free with an animation on how to breathe correctly, if you want a set of good exercises to increase your range and improve you knowledge of what you are doing with vocal examples you can get the CD from them for a small price, its worth it, You should really start looking at your technique if you are experiencing pain and could do long term damage if you keep singing like that. its great fun learning though and hearing the improvements. Keep it up eh!
i’ve bin singing in front of friends and some people i don’t know that well and they all r8 me about 7 {leona lewis is 10} and they say i could be really good if i was taught so is there anyway i could educate myself
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker on Yahoo “answers”
A vocal coach is the best advice, although if you want to start on your own or give yourself a headstart before to go fir singing lessons which can be expensive, have a look at learn-to-sing.com ignore the front page as it is still being built but the site is aimed at people like you who have a natural talent but need a bit of understanding of what you are doing technically and also offers a CD with exercises and scales used by professionals. the site has an online tutor too who will answer any questions . BUT one important tip!!!! if it hurts, STOP singing should use muscles but never to the point that you are in pain. scales are designed to warm up your voice and push you boundries so that your effective singing range becomes greater with continued practice. Leona is a local girl to me and I know she practices her scales just like all good singers should. It wont be long before you are a 10, keep up the good work and don’t lose your vision.
Hi
I sing soprano, I would like to know how can I sing songs with high key notes and still not harm my throat?
Hi Sybul, The way to sing high in your range without damaging the throat is to lift the soft palate and lower the larynx whilst passing air through the note, we naturally do this when we yawn except the air is going the wrong way for singing , but try making yourself yawn so that you are aware of that feeling and then replicate it singing softly at first, smile at the same time this will lift the muscles in the face which help position the jaw correctly for the higher range and opens the resonators in the mask of the face.
Let me know how you get on and please feel free to ask any further questions.
Best regards
Coach
I would like to learn Tenor and Bass. I would also like to learn to read a little bit of music. Are there any DVDs or programs that can teach you that. I’ve learned to sing tenor and bass on some songs, but would love to be able to sing any song on those two voices. I also sing soprano - the normal voice that a song leader uses (I think that’s what it’s called). Anyway, the problem is that all of that I’ve learned by hearing, that’s why I’d like to learn to read a little bit of music so I can be able to read the music and sing instead of relying on me having to learn the song by “ear.” Any helps out there? Thanks in advance!
Hi, thanks for your mail, usually the type of voice you are most likely to sing are those which suit your vocal range, if you have a high voice natuarally you would be more likely a Tenor or a lower voice would be a Baritone and even lower is the Bass all are explaing on our “my range” page. If you are able to sing from Bass to Tenor you are lucky thats a big range you should look after your voice and exercise it regularly and safely. Learning to read music is always a good thing and there are many learn manuscript books and web pages out there, we offer a CD tuition and exercises with examples and guidance as you learn. it has great breathing exercises and scales for you to practice
You will be able to understand your voice more as you get used to the exercises and learn a good technique. Hope that helps, keep in touch
Coach
i am a beginner and i sing tenor, i would like to develop my singing skills, any idea on how should i practice. And also, mostly after i sang, i used to hurt my throat, how can you fix me? thanks..
How should i warm up my voice before any show?
Hi Jason, its great that you want to improve your technique, I have a vocal work out CD with instructions and examples to guide you through the learning process. If your throat hurts when you sing you are probably not using your diaphragm to support your breath, shallow breathing often causes singers to place thier notes on the throat, as a rule of thumb, if it hurts STOP!! look at your technique, this may mean taking up lessons if you are serious about improving your voice. A good start would be to use my exercises. Singers can often make a fairly good sound even if they have bad habits, but a bad technique over time always damages the voice it eventually limits the vocal range by reducing the number of notes in the range. Damage to the voice starts with constant sore throats and then pain when singing if this continues unchecked you can develop Nodules or Nodes on the vocal folds, these are small lumps which develop and prevent the vocal folds opening and closing as they should. Take care of your voice, a soft “sigh” starting in the middle of the range going downwards helps to lubricate and soothe the vocal folds, rest your voice until you have no pain, drink pleanty of water and when you have no soreness you should gently beging to exercise your voice starting with breath control and humming, humming helps with your placement,There are many things to think about initally but with constant practice and good exercises they become second nature. Read my sections on Breathing Humming and Support, this will help you to understand your technique a little more and if you would like my workout CD, let me know and I will send you one free of charge. we’ll soon have you singing again
When you are performing in a show, and need to warm up try to find a space where you can be alone, start with breathing exercises, gently move on to Humming, keeping it light and in the mask of the face (see “Mask of the face” and “Focus”) if you are nervous, remember that you are singing because you enjoy it and dont let it stress you out too much, when warming up scales are always good, try not to be too hard on yourself and warm ups do not have to be belted out or very loud, it is a gentle process and you should not force anything. Use your nerves to enhance your performance dont let nerves work against you by gettiing uptight and snappy as some singers do. Think about your lyrics when you begin to sing and remember singing is telling a story, you need to understand your story and tell it to your audience, if you dont beleive it , they wont either. Enjoy your moent and dont forget to breathe! (common mistake)That should give you enough to think about which should take your mind off being nervous. I hope this has helped.
all the best
Coach!
Hi Coach,
My name is Maria Tiimon and 32 years of age. I come from Kiribati country but now living in Syndey. Kiribati is one of the islands in the pacific. It is just about 2 metres above the sea level. It is very vulnerable in regard to climate change, but people there are very friendly, and love to sing using all kinds of local instruments. I grew up in a community that they love singing, dancing and playing the quitar around the fire at night. I love music myself. I never learnt to sing probably but I joined alot of churches choirs and many people told me that I have such a beautiful natural voice and should go into training for singing in a correct way. I always wanted to learn but with so many reasons I just couldn’t do it. I now live in Sydney and very very keen to learn how to sing probaly. Can anyone help me with this.
Hi Maria, thanks for sharing your experiences with us, it sounds like you are a natural, it’s nice to know what you are “natuarally” doing though, ie exactly how the voice works and being aware of your technique. It is also important to warm up and exercise your voice safely. Have a look at the “my voice ” section and read “breathing” & “humming” for a start, look at the animation to check you are dropping the breath on to the diaphragm correctly to maximise your intake of air,which in turn will help you to support the voice making you aware of the pelvic floor and it’s importance in developing a strong vocal technique. I have a complete vocal work out programe of which I am happy to send you via email in batches free of charge as it is not yet available on the site, I only ask that you in return give me your progress feedback after using it for a short time. Send an email to vocalworkout@learn-to-sing.com and I will send the exercises in mp3 format to the return address. There are examples and instructions to help you build and understand your vocal technique.
Thanks for your lovely email
please keep in touch
Coach.
So this has always boggled me…I love to sing, i’m a good singer; a pretty high tenor (not that it has anything to do with singing well) but, i’ve always wanted to be able to get that Paul McCartney “rocker” scream. For example; in Hey Jude at about 4:28 the “YOU KNOW YOU CAN MAKE IT BUT JUDE YOU’RE NOT GONNA BREAK IT”. and basically all of the “Wings Over America” album. Its not studio trickery, the man can really sing like that for a full concert and still be able to sing silky smooth afterwards…and obviously it doesn’t hurt him. sometimes he will substitute a high note with a scream because its easier, and i’d just love to know how to sing in that rocker tone without really doing any damage. No one else can really seem to explain it. Thanks.
Hi there i am a regular at karaoke i love it im pretty good as far as singing ability goes. I have a huge vocal range. My problem stems from the awkard voice transition between low and high pitch change. about 85-90 percent of the time i can transition fine out of the public eye, but i get nervous that i will publicly screw up like the 10-15 percent of the time i do alone which creates aprehension of screwing up which causes me and my voice to falter and therefore screw up usually by being slightly off key off timing (cuz of hesitation) anyways any advice?
Hi Hailey, if you are having trouble with voicing your “Passaggio” it might be a good idea to look at your technique, practice some scales and when you approach the area where your voice changes, ease off slightly and sing in a lighter voice as you travel through in to the higher range, the more you practice in this way the less obvious the transition will be. Also remember to place the voice in the mask of the face (see my voice) and support the breath through the notes, don’t force the voice through this area or you could damage it. Take your time and build up your stamina and vocal range at the same time, let me know if this has helped. Best wishes Coach!