Since at least one person here is an opera singer, I thought I'd start a thread on singing technique.
I want to start mixing in "proper" singing with my death metal/black metal style vocals in future to get a bit of variation and maybe fan appeal in there. So any pointers on how to sing normally?
Singing Advice
Moderator: Beowulf
Singing Advice
EBC|Fucking Metal|Artist|Androgynous Sexfiend|Gozer Kvltist|
Listen to my music! http://www.soundclick.com/nihilanth
"America is, now, the most powerful and economically prosperous nation in the country." - Master of Ossus
Listen to my music! http://www.soundclick.com/nihilanth
"America is, now, the most powerful and economically prosperous nation in the country." - Master of Ossus
-
Baron Scarpia
- Jedi Knight
- Posts: 577
- Joined: 2003-04-02 01:04pm
- Location: Portland, OR
- Contact:
Find a voice teacher and take some lessons. It's pretty much impossible to learn anything about proper vocal technique just by reading about it. It's something that is shown to you, and you need to feel it. A good teacher can listen to you and correct as needed.
[/responsible singer]
CONTRADICTING THAT ADVICE NOW:
1. Breathing is the most important aspect of singing. Without breath, you don't have sound. Without proper breath control, you don't have proper sound control. Nine out of ten pitch problems are the result of bad breath technique [Note: that statistic was just made up]. Breath deeply, but not excessively. Feel it in you loins. When you sing, breath out BEFORE making the sound. That way the sound will already be ready to flow out. Try to imagine that you have a steady column of air coming out up your esophogus with a ping-pong ball balanced on top. Gotta keep that ball steady and balanced. This is what many singers call "support," and it helps some to imagine they're about to take a big ol' crap. I don't like such analogies, however, as it tends to make folks tense up their diaphram and core muscles, which isn't good.
2. Relax. First and foremost, relax the jaw and face muscles. Tight facial muscles mean more work and hinder the sound. Regularly loosen up your muscles by repetitive exercises (open and close your jaw over and over, and then move it side to side over and over). You can also massage the muscles with your hands. You should be able to have your jaw just flop open when you're letting out the sound. Also make sure the rest of your body is relaxed. Tension is not good. Stretch before singing, get a neck rub if possible, and don't tense your core muscles (abs/back). Sing floppy.
3. The tongue kills many a vocalist's sound. Keep it flat and out of the way of the air. Many singers keep pressed behind the lower teeth as much as possible.
4. The sound needs to be focused to properly resonate. Imagine you have a beak and that sound is going right to the point of the beak. However, this might induce nasality, so don't go overboard. Remember that the chief resonators are the sinuses, so try to place the sound there. The sound should be as forward in your mouth as possible. If you put your lips together and vibrate them, you'll sort of see where it should be. Another exercise is to plant the tongue on the roof of your mouth and make a "Nnnnnn" sound. Then go straight into a "gaah" sound. The G should be made "glottaly," meaning by the back of the tongue peeling away from the roof of the mouth, NOT a g made at the front of the mouth. Anyway, that little exercise will also put the "aaah" vowel in the right place.
5. Open the back of that throat. Stand in front of a mirror and look into your gaping maw. Watch yourself open your throat so that the uvula pretty much vanished. Now remember that feeling and keep it while singing.
6. Articulating consonants is not the same as when speaking. English speakers in particular tend to be way too harsh on the consonants. Think of how Italians (a language condusive to good singing) speak--they tend to float over the consonants and let the vowels predominate. That's good for singing. Singers can't hear themselves and often overdo the consonants, which cuts off the air flow and thus the sound. The result is a "clipped" and muted voice. You really need a lot of coaching for this, can't just "do it." But, in general, you should be able to articulate any word without your teach touching each other (a teacher of mine once had me put small grapes on each side of my mouth between my molars, making me sing without squishing the grapes). The tongue articulates the consonants, not the teeth/jaw. This takes mucho practice (like, years).
7. Watch out for "Eee" vowel sounds. They constrict the throat opening laterally, which isn't good, and make many a singer go badly nasal. With practice, you can make people think you're singing an "eee" vowel but your mouth and throat are actually doing an "uhh" thing. It's tricky.
8. Get a books of basic vocal scaled and exercised and do them. Particularly work on expanding your range, both up and down. While good technique naturally expands the range, range-stretching exercises are also necessary. If your range is wider, you'll naturally be more comfortable and thus relaxed while singing.
9. Record yourself singing a lot. That's the only way you can tell if what you're doing sounds good.
10. Don't scream, please. It leads to vocal cord polyps and is simply not ever a good thing to do to your voice.
[/responsible singer]
CONTRADICTING THAT ADVICE NOW:
1. Breathing is the most important aspect of singing. Without breath, you don't have sound. Without proper breath control, you don't have proper sound control. Nine out of ten pitch problems are the result of bad breath technique [Note: that statistic was just made up]. Breath deeply, but not excessively. Feel it in you loins. When you sing, breath out BEFORE making the sound. That way the sound will already be ready to flow out. Try to imagine that you have a steady column of air coming out up your esophogus with a ping-pong ball balanced on top. Gotta keep that ball steady and balanced. This is what many singers call "support," and it helps some to imagine they're about to take a big ol' crap. I don't like such analogies, however, as it tends to make folks tense up their diaphram and core muscles, which isn't good.
2. Relax. First and foremost, relax the jaw and face muscles. Tight facial muscles mean more work and hinder the sound. Regularly loosen up your muscles by repetitive exercises (open and close your jaw over and over, and then move it side to side over and over). You can also massage the muscles with your hands. You should be able to have your jaw just flop open when you're letting out the sound. Also make sure the rest of your body is relaxed. Tension is not good. Stretch before singing, get a neck rub if possible, and don't tense your core muscles (abs/back). Sing floppy.
3. The tongue kills many a vocalist's sound. Keep it flat and out of the way of the air. Many singers keep pressed behind the lower teeth as much as possible.
4. The sound needs to be focused to properly resonate. Imagine you have a beak and that sound is going right to the point of the beak. However, this might induce nasality, so don't go overboard. Remember that the chief resonators are the sinuses, so try to place the sound there. The sound should be as forward in your mouth as possible. If you put your lips together and vibrate them, you'll sort of see where it should be. Another exercise is to plant the tongue on the roof of your mouth and make a "Nnnnnn" sound. Then go straight into a "gaah" sound. The G should be made "glottaly," meaning by the back of the tongue peeling away from the roof of the mouth, NOT a g made at the front of the mouth. Anyway, that little exercise will also put the "aaah" vowel in the right place.
5. Open the back of that throat. Stand in front of a mirror and look into your gaping maw. Watch yourself open your throat so that the uvula pretty much vanished. Now remember that feeling and keep it while singing.
6. Articulating consonants is not the same as when speaking. English speakers in particular tend to be way too harsh on the consonants. Think of how Italians (a language condusive to good singing) speak--they tend to float over the consonants and let the vowels predominate. That's good for singing. Singers can't hear themselves and often overdo the consonants, which cuts off the air flow and thus the sound. The result is a "clipped" and muted voice. You really need a lot of coaching for this, can't just "do it." But, in general, you should be able to articulate any word without your teach touching each other (a teacher of mine once had me put small grapes on each side of my mouth between my molars, making me sing without squishing the grapes). The tongue articulates the consonants, not the teeth/jaw. This takes mucho practice (like, years).
7. Watch out for "Eee" vowel sounds. They constrict the throat opening laterally, which isn't good, and make many a singer go badly nasal. With practice, you can make people think you're singing an "eee" vowel but your mouth and throat are actually doing an "uhh" thing. It's tricky.
8. Get a books of basic vocal scaled and exercised and do them. Particularly work on expanding your range, both up and down. While good technique naturally expands the range, range-stretching exercises are also necessary. If your range is wider, you'll naturally be more comfortable and thus relaxed while singing.
9. Record yourself singing a lot. That's the only way you can tell if what you're doing sounds good.
10. Don't scream, please. It leads to vocal cord polyps and is simply not ever a good thing to do to your voice.
I believe in the Holy Trinity: Bach the Father, Beethoven the Son and Brahms the Holy Ghost.
-
Baron Scarpia
- Jedi Knight
- Posts: 577
- Joined: 2003-04-02 01:04pm
- Location: Portland, OR
- Contact:
No it was great, sorry to not have replied, I've just been busy with the drawing so I tried to refrain till I had some more practise and my response would be less spammy. 
On Friday, I'm going to look into getting on courses to expand my musical ability; a guitar class and singing lessons, as well as perhaps an art class, so I'm sure that'll help things along.
The tongue thing I'm a bit weird on, when I push it against the front teeth, it just acts like an idiot. Some proper vocal coaching will probably fix that, though.
Generally when trying to sing properly, I don't try to pronounce stuff as I would normally, I listen to someone singing in the way I'd like to emulate (Burton C Bell or Corey Taylor, for instance) and just mimic the way they do it, focusing on sounds and syllables rather than the words.
Oh and there's no way I'm giving up the growling, (it's basement grunts a la nile rather than higher pitched slayeresque screams) that's just non-negotiable.
On Friday, I'm going to look into getting on courses to expand my musical ability; a guitar class and singing lessons, as well as perhaps an art class, so I'm sure that'll help things along.
The tongue thing I'm a bit weird on, when I push it against the front teeth, it just acts like an idiot. Some proper vocal coaching will probably fix that, though.
Generally when trying to sing properly, I don't try to pronounce stuff as I would normally, I listen to someone singing in the way I'd like to emulate (Burton C Bell or Corey Taylor, for instance) and just mimic the way they do it, focusing on sounds and syllables rather than the words.
Oh and there's no way I'm giving up the growling, (it's basement grunts a la nile rather than higher pitched slayeresque screams) that's just non-negotiable.
EBC|Fucking Metal|Artist|Androgynous Sexfiend|Gozer Kvltist|
Listen to my music! http://www.soundclick.com/nihilanth
"America is, now, the most powerful and economically prosperous nation in the country." - Master of Ossus
Listen to my music! http://www.soundclick.com/nihilanth
"America is, now, the most powerful and economically prosperous nation in the country." - Master of Ossus