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Curbing progress (NONE)


forgivendays

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It's been around one month and my curbing range hasn't increased at all. Jonpall helped me a lot in finding curbing. I've been practicing but it's just not happening. Actually today was the first time I reach G# on an I (as in sit). It sounds really horrible. I really don't know what I'm doing wrong. I can sing an I or EE on an E4 quite comfortably but after a few repetitions it gets really difficult and sounds terrible.

Here are some things I tried. The I and EE vowels are my attempts at curbing.

http://www.box.net/shared/t8id3g8foy

I'm feeling really down right now. If I can't last one song thats choruses has a bunch of E vowels on E4s, then how am I supposed to sing G4s and stuff.

Would appreciate any help.

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Sounded like poor breath support and not 100% correct vowels. In some places you DID do it correctly. But in others it sounded like you were actually not singing the I curbing vowel at all, but rather Eh in stay or egg or A as in man. Whenever you start wobbling all over, it's best to go back to simple scales, single notes, sirens or something very basic to get a centered, free sound going on. Perhaps you could record some more simple stuff like that for us where you cross the passagio?

Also, because you yodeled a bit, you might be too airy and have sub-optimal breath support. I've found that lip bubbles help with that.

Finally, re-read that CVT forum thread where me and other people were helping you with curbing. There, you gradually "got it". You just need to find it again. You DID find it before so I'm sure you can do it. By the way, this happens to me every now and then - I forget how I did certain sounds, especially if I'm experimenting a lot with new sounds and don't take the time to practise what's already working well for me. We'll help you find that sound again and then you'll have to do those exercises every day or every other day. I'm sure it won't be a big problem. Got all that? lol.

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Also, sometimes when singers are approaching the passagio, they start to tense up and fear that high note coming that they mess up. Therefore, in many cases it's helpful to start to practise the high note(s) with very little volume, no "hold" at all, just a "neutral" sound, even a bit dopy one. Ever heard someone do a dopy, light "mum, mum, mum" exercise? That could really help you. Then, you could gradually add a "hold" onto a high, light note like that (in or above your passagio), which should increase your volume from soft to medium with not too much effort. Just make sure you're on a curbing vowel when you do that. Here's an example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0CvItiNMsA

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Hi! I'll record myself when I practice tonight.

I can still sing that Adam Lambert line. Even slightly better than I posted in that other thread. It's still very unusable, difficult, and tiring.

Also, couldn't the yodeling just be because the note is too high for my voice? I'm keeping my solar plexus out, not tightening, and kind of holding my breath.

And I've seen this video before. I can sing the "when a man loves a woman" line easily because it's very high. I think in MLN. That's not curbing is it?

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Also, couldn't the yodeling just be because the note is too high for my voice? I'm keeping my solar plexus out, not tightening, and kind of holding my breath.

And I've seen this video before. I can sing the "when a man loves a woman" line easily because it's very high. I think in MLN. That's not curbing is it?

No, the yodling is NOT because that note is too high for your voice. And that doesn't just apply to you, but for everyone. The yodeling happened because of your sudden change between overdrive and neutral around E4 or so.

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For increased range, you might need to step back a bit. Can you do dopy mum, mum, mums on notes between, say G4 and D5, either in neutral or curbing? Or, if that's tough, even just lip rolls or tongue trills on those notes? Could you record yourself doing that? I suspect several things being your problem. F.ex. general tension, too much air and too high larynx.

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http://www.box.net/shared/8brscpk7sh sorry the first g is a little flat.

d5 http://www.box.net/shared/3ixqkepcsc

This clearly shows how awesome internet helping can be, IMO! :) ...

You see, in your first arpeggio, you were not in curbing but in overdrive (but not in the center of overdrive. Btw. some people think that overdrive has something to do with distortion but that's not true.). Maybe it was because you were trying to be TOO dopy, but that was the Oh vowel from overdrive and that's why you had a tough time keeping the hold (keeping the volume from getting too loud) and you can clearly hear that it's much louder than the following arpeggio. The top note was strained - a G4. Actually, if you'd just attempted to sing that note in overdrive and had had some practise with overdrive, it could have sounded like a cool G4 in overdrive, but you were kind of not centered in either curbing or overdrive and probably clenched your throat a bit.

In your second arpeggio, you were purely in curbing, close to the center of curbing or even right in the center. That was the Uh vowel and your highest note was the male high C or C5! Congratulations, man! You were having problems with just E4, didn't you? You were also "connected" in that arpeggio, meaning that it sounded like one, continous single, powerful voice. It was resonant and powerful, ringy, even with vibrato - you've FOUND the sound, man! It sounded great! So by all means, try to keep doing that.

In your third arpeggio, you were also in curbing with a mixture of the O and Uh vowel, but you went slightly over the top with dopyness so it wasn't as great as your second arpeggio. The highest note was a G4. That is in your passagio, so that's still quite a feat.

In your fourth arpeggio, which was in your second link, the top note was a D5 and all vowels were Uh. Well, there was one pitchy note in the arpeggio. But that was, like your second arpeggio, great!

Now - once you've learned to do the correct vowels and keep the hold from curbing, try SUSTAINING the top note for a couple of seconds and theb say a few random words without pausing. Do that a few times and after that, try to sing some of the words a bit above that pitch and some of them a bit below it. Do you understand? This will teach you to transition from scales (or arpeggios in this case) into songs. Practise a LOT! (but stop as soon as you get tired or hurt your throat.)

:)

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The internet is definitely great help thanks to people like you!

The interesting thing about the second arpeggio was that the note before the C5 was the G4 I strained in the first arpeggio. Anyways, there was a switch in resonance from the G4 to C5. These felt like two different modes. That C5 (and the D5 in fourth arpeggio) felt like compressed or mixed like neutral. Much different from the notes before it.

What I'm really having trouble with are the EE and I vowels in the F4-A4 range (anything higher I just do it in head voice).

Listen to me repeating after Jeff Buckley: http://www.box.net/shared/hrnhelmjhd

"memories" and "rhythm" These are curbing right?

Then there's this neutral-ish thing which feels like the C5 from above except harder to adduct because it's lower: http://www.box.net/shared/v4d68lr9jn

It's on "memories"

Sorry I'm throwing lots of stuff.. I think I've cleared everything now. :)

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