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Singing in the car

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thematrixiam

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This is actually a great topic idea to post. Thank Rich.

I have come to accept the fact that we all need to singercise in the car from time to time because we are all busy, just as you said. YES, it is not only ok, it actually helps a lot. The more hours you log doing what I call, "singercizing" in the car, the more you will reinforce the motor skills we are training and sing better. Like anything, make sure your doing things properly, even in the car.

There is actually an entire module in the four pillars of singing that talks about "singercizing", what it is, why its important and it gives numerous suggestions on "singercizaing" thing you can do in the car. Here is the link Rich. It can be found in the "Singercizing" module. 

https://thevocaliststudio.com/my-courses/

Scroll down. There is a lot in there about this.

coach

:cool:

 

 

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The main difference is going to be breathing. As long as u can get a decent breath in then you should be ok. A lot of times people tend to sit sort of hunched over in the car and its gonna be hard to sing like that. It actually helps some people be able to feel air pressure building down low in the abdomen where it should be....but then it can be a little difficult if you want to really get a deep breath.

 

Im currently doing almost all of my training in the car on my 30 minute to and from work drive. In a way its more of just a thorough warm up and then I do some singing at work. I was doing extensive sirens at work but ive backed off of some of it because I want to have something left to actually sing with when i get home. Its not ideal if you want to hone in on exact pitches or this and that, but for basic sirens, trills, humming etc, its good.

 

The car is one of the rare places where one can blast away and not worry about being heard or bothering others.

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8 hours ago, JonJon said:

The car is one of the rare places where one can blast away and not worry about being heard or bothering others.

 I just saw one of those stupid news clips about a man being arrested for singing in his car. I did not take the bait and read the article though.

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3 hours ago, MDEW said:

 I just saw one of those stupid news clips about a man being arrested for singing in his car. I did not take the bait and read the article though.

after my 30 min drive to work I am nice and warmed up etc and sometimes I do some loud belting or just loud rock singing. Of course its near shift change time so there are others in the parking lot etc....im always thinking im going to look over and see someone staring at me lol

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3 hours ago, mchlclark said:

Some of my favorite memories singing are in the car on long trips. 2 hrs of Chili peppers and queen, drove my girlfriend so crazy. lol. 

I think as far as posture is concerned, as long as your necks straight it's all good

I bought a headset (headphone/mic combo) just so i could write vocal melodies to songs while relaxing and sitting up in bed. Yep, its really hard to sing because your neck is sort of bent forward, plus its hard to get a FULL breath. Thats what sort of gets me in the car. In the car its no problem to generally get a good breath down in the gut where it should be, but if you really want to get full lungs its sort of hard to get the chest to elevate any because of the posture etc

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7 hours ago, MDEW said:

 I just saw one of those stupid news clips about a man being arrested for singing in his car. I did not take the bait and read the article though.

I pulled over the other day to practice some loud stuff. Cop pulled up behind me after 30 minutes and asked if I needed help. Don't know if he heard my singing or not.

 

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I have told this story several times here, so, sorry to those of you who have read it too often but this is for those struggling.......

My best experience of vocal freedom and range came while driving. After reading one of those questionable vocal method books.....

A song came on the radio whose top note was just a few notes out of range, but the body of the song sat around G4 which is my breaking point.

Using whatever Tip, strange idea or just dumb luck I relaxed into a different feeling in my throat(relaxed is probably the trigger word here) When it came time for the high notes,they were just there with no effort,strain or breaks. Next song was an even higher set of notes.....Again no problem. I started singing to the higher harmonies for the next few songs..... again no problems. Finally an Aretha Franklin song started playing..... Oh boy, a real test......Again no problems....then, her signature high note., now what? I did not reach that note but I did go beyond any note I have ever produced before......Just then my phone rang........I could not get the groove back after the interruption........I hate cell phones..........

Anyway High notes are attainable, and freedom of voice is also.....

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46 minutes ago, MDEW said:

I have told this story several times here, so, sorry to those of you who have read it too often but this is for those struggling.......

My best experience of vocal freedom and range came while driving. After reading one of those questionable vocal method books.....

A song came on the radio whose top note was just a few notes out of range, but the body of the song sat around G4 which is my breaking point.

Using whatever Tip, strange idea or just dumb luck I relaxed into a different feeling in my throat(relaxed is probably the trigger word here) When it came time for the high notes,they were just there with no effort,strain or breaks. Next song was an even higher set of notes.....Again no problem. I started singing to the higher harmonies for the next few songs..... again no problems. Finally an Aretha Franklin song started playing..... Oh boy, a real test......Again no problems....then, her signature high note., now what? I did not reach that note but I did go beyond any note I have ever produced before......Just then my phone rang........I could not get the groove back after the interruption........I hate cell phones..........

Anyway High notes are attainable, and freedom of voice is also.....

I have similar experiences...some in the car but mostly while actually AT work. With me though its no mystery. Im at work, im relaxed, I can sing as loud as I want while driving my stand up forklift around. But what happens is that of course one can only sing so much per day etc. I get to feeling it and I end up with a tired throat etc and therefore there wont be any singing when I come home etc. Unfortunately I leave most of my best singing in the car or at work.

being at home on my off days youd think would be a no brainer that I could record some great stuff etc, but its such a different vibe. Im here, im relaxing on my off days, sometimes I just wont focus enough to do a nice slow 30 minute warmup, OR I play guitar or do a million other things. If I had a microphone in the car or at work id be set.

 

Another thing that happens is that I have little discoveries at work but they end up being forgotten etc. The other day i was actually nailing this song part which is one of my fave parts ever. Im sure I have posted it before. It goes to an E5 I think. The e5 isnt the hard part...its getting into it and back out of it in the phrase. It sort of goes from a relaxed vibe to a really intense vibe on the high note. The other day I was hitting it great with a certain feeling. IIRC it was having mostly mouth resonance and then for the high part, instead of trying to go "up", I would feel like I was pushing the note straight back into the back of my head. Boom, I was hitting it good.

 

"if im standing in the crowd you know I STIIIILLLLL feel so alone"

 

Thats a phrase I have tried on and off for over a year or so and never got it.   Luckily, I was singing some other phrase today, by the same guy I think lol, and more or less I got into that same feeling again. Having some mouth/chesty resonance and when hitting a higher note, instead of trying to jam up into the soft palate etc, just take the note straight back into the head with compression etc. So hopefully ill be able to lock into that method since it came back to me again.

I think it also has to do with keeping the mouth a bit more closed on some of the higher notes. I was singing some OZZY coming home today and was keeping the mouth pretty closed and had the notes in the back of the head etc and it was like the easiest thing in the world

 

But many things I "discovered" at work have been forgotten lol

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7 hours ago, Gsoul82 said:

I pulled over the other day to practice some loud stuff. Cop pulled up behind me after 30 minutes and asked if I needed help. Don't know if he heard my singing or not.

 

Did you say, “ yes I do. How do you throat shape a narrowed vowel, through the passaggio, whence releasing aspirate /h/ onsets and then maintain a sobbing, tilted cricoid on the descending glissando?”

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I think most people practice on their commute. You have to pay more attenbtion to your posture, but you can do a lot in your car. Most of my students do straw exercises in the car for 10 minutes and then sing along to songs with the four pillars in mind. (the actual pillars, not the course, but maybe that too). For those that have a difficult time with the discipline of setting aside 30 to 45 minutes, I recommend they split up their training into sepaarate exercises throughout the day. Start with the prescribed straw exercise and warmup, then later do formant tuning sirens which I combine with other things (tuning fifths, starting with the high note being just above the bridge; straw, then isolate the top note with Contract & Release or pure head/TA isolation, then Track & Release, then possibly a resistance onset), and then later do just Quack & Release, grit, screams, etc, depending on their needs. Everything is split up into 5 to 10 minute stints. And when they still can't manage tehir time well, I tell them to at least do the straw and tracking. Those two keep the voice in shape, among other great things.

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