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OneTwoThreeFour?

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Hey everyone!

So on a whim, I started recording. My parents are asleep, and I didn't want to wake them up as I sang this, so it's kind of a whisper/talk kind of thing.

I know it's not even close to good, and as for the pitchiness, that comes under control when I actually get to sing, and not be restricted by my parent's snores. :P

The main concern I have with this song is the phrase...

"There's only one thing, two do, those three words for you"

Obvious straining as you can tell. :( That's where I need the most help!

Don't rip me to shreds!:o

http://www.box.net/shared/ixbpuvy3z1

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I like the tone of your voice, it really suits the music. And I like the song! But as you said it is bit pitchy. I think it would be easier to give you some help if you recorded something where you sang as you normally would and took the time to make a take that you're satisfied with.

But here goes - don't reach up for the high notes - imagine everything at the same "level". This will make you strain less.

Work on adding more twang, and lay off some vocal weight as you go higher up in your range. Pulling up the heavy chestvoice isn't really healthy. As for this song I think you're almost there with the notes, it isn't that strained so just lay off a little more weight and you got it.

The pitchy parts are the ones where you're holding on to a note for a longer period of time. Treat them as you treat the short notes, just hold on to it a bit longer. You obviously can sing on pitch, so don't worry about it.

Is this a cover song or a song of your own? 'cause if it's your own creation - consider rewriting the melody on "three words for you" to make it easier for you to manage it when singing. I know from personal experience that you sometimes write things that's a little too hard for you, and you SO want to be able to sing it. With practice you will get there, but it may take some time and devotion. So in the meantime, rewrite it to an easier melody and devote yourself to vocal excercise until you can sing it as you want to sing it.

Hope it helps!

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Ok i think your doing fine, but why dont you record this song at daytime so you can singout? C

ause thats whats causing you problems, your not supporting the notes enough probably cause your scared of your folks.

Thats why you get pitchy at spots, so singout or try to sing in that quiet tone with more support, singing quiet almost requires more support than the counterpart.

I almost get the feeling that you are abit afraid of your voice :D well done anyways keep up the good work!

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Ok i think your doing fine, but why dont you record this song at daytime so you can singout? C

ause thats whats causing you problems, your not supporting the notes enough probably cause your scared of your folks.

Thats why you get pitchy at spots, so singout or try to sing in that quiet tone with more support, singing quiet almost requires more support than the counterpart.

I almost get the feeling that you are abit afraid of your voice :D well done anyways keep up the good work!

Everybody: If singing softly is an issue, there is a workaround for it. Get a handkerchief, and fold it 3 or 4 times... sing the melody (without the words) with the handkerchief held firmly over your mouth.

Enough air will get through the fabric for you to phonate well, but not much sound will. If the door to the hallway is closed, likely nobody will hear. You can do the same thing without a handkerchief, by singing into your palm, or into the back of your hand, and letting enough air past your lips that your voice works.

FYI, this is a _fabulous_ way to warm up when you are around a bunch of other people, for example, backstage or in a green room. You can sing very strongly this way and have only a little bit of sound come out.

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Thanks for all the responses guys!

Marcus, it's a cover of the Plain White T's 1, 2, 3, 4. What's "vocal weight?"

Jens, haha, yeah, the timidness comes from my parents sleeping next door, I don't think they'd appreciate a rude awakening. Hrm.. I never thought of it like that, that you would need more support singing quietly... I'm taking that into consideration now!

Steven, as always, you astound me with your advice, the handkerchief idea? Ingenious! Hehe, now I can sing at night without my parents raising hell for it! :)

Once again, thanks for the all the help guys, this is why TMV rocks! :)

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Thanks for all the responses guys!

the handkerchief idea? Ingenious! Hehe, now I can sing at night without my parents raising hell for it! :)

Richardtai: Truth be told, I did not originate the idea, I simply passed it along. My friend, Dr. Lloyd Hanson, retired professor of voice from Northern Arizona University, tells the story this way:

"learned this as a warm-up-checking device from Clifton Ware backstage at the Guthrie Theatre when we were both singing with Minnesota Opera. Cliff was singing into his handkerchief and I asked what he was doing. He said it allowed him to sing in full voice without anyone in the theatre hearing him." ... Lloyd Hanson, posting to theVocalist.

In Ware's particular case, he took the handkerchief, folded it in quarters, wrapped it around his index finger, and held the finger horizontally in front of his mouth. Its all the same principle.

Dr. Hanson also uses this method to help singers smooth through the passagio, the 'bridge' in other terminologies.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Marcus, it's a cover of the Plain White T's 1, 2, 3, 4. What's "vocal weight?"

With vocal weight I mean that your voice is bigger in the bottom of your register. If you try to bring all that big voice up to the top it will be very hard work for you. So imagine you're unloading some of that weight as you ascend a scale or singing a song thinning it out more and more as you go up. This way you can stay in chestvoice much longer, and later make a smooth transition into headvoice, the break being less noticable or not noticable at all depending on how much training you put into it. Don't thin it out too much though - you still want to sound chesty. Eventually it will become more like a blend of registers in the area around your break.

Listening to your clip I don't really think you have a problem with bringing too much vocal weight up to the top, but it's just a thing to keep in mind.

Do you do any vocal training on regular basis? Any particular programmes or methods you're training with?

Sorry for the late reply! I have been traveling and been busy with work.

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It's fine Marcus!

I do not have any regular vocal training at all. I can't afford it.

I've got a copy of Singing Success laying in my iPod, untouched - sadly, there's no motivation for it, never to know if I'm fully doing it right or wrong - no instant feedback, y'know?

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello Richardtai,

I heard your song and I loved your voice I would like to hear you

Sing in the daytime, there are some pichiness but I don’t think

That there will be any in the daytime. I loved the background music

Which is that music can you tell me the name of that music.So do

fast upload you song in daytime. Keep it up you rock buddy.

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  • 1 month later...

I think Singing Success is really good, it helps a lot with a smooth high register. I personally believe you should read and listen and watch as much as possible conserning voacal research and methods of training. And then you put together something of your own that suits your needs. But a program like Singing Success is easy to get into since the excercises are all there to just sing along with. A good compliment would probably be Complete Vocal Technique by Cathrine Sadolin since there's a lot of good writing in it about healthy vocal use and breath support. It gives you a good overall perspective of the voice. Where I live you can borrow CVT from the local library, so check that out where you live too!

Try to do some of the SS excercises, a good thing to keep in mind is that it should never hurt to sing. Listen closely to the examples and instructions. When you can afford lessons with a vocal coach I think you should take some, most of the work you do at home when practicing but a coach can set you in the right direction and tell you how to properly do the excercises.

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