Beginner looking for feedback on his voice!

[Johnspark]

Hey guys and girls!

I'm an amateur, never been to a coach or anything like that - please tell me what I should and should not do!

Check out the recording here:

Thanks in advance!

[Guest]

Actually there was something about that I liked. It was different than the original and it was kind of ...hmmm...haunting? I'm not sure of the arrangement as it seemed down and sad and I'm not sure that is the message conveyed by the original or the lyrics. But I would have liked it even more if I never heard the original. But on its own I thought it was good in some way.

I can see where some may want to correct your technique but for me, I am hesitant because I'd like to hear other songs from you. The reason being, I think you might possibly have a certain personal style to your voice and to me that is a good thing. maybe it shouldn't be changed. So I suppose any real critique then would depend on your goals as a singer.

Something I did notice though is that at times it wasn't uniform in the melody. Toward the middle to 3/4 point where you have a couple of higher notes, it was a little bit of a mismatch, I thought. maybe some slight stretching. You could work on that.

Your tone was good. Like I said, sort of your own style.

Keep at it and let's hear some other stuff. :)

[Johnspark]

Thanks a lot for the feedback - means very much to me!

About the arrangement I didn't try to make it that sad, but I guess it wasn't a bad thing after all that it sort of took a detour from the original!

I really haven't thought too much about my goals as a singer yet, but I think I'm interested in developing a good/better technique on how to use my voice so that I could further express myself through singing.

I guess I'm trying to build a good awareness on my own voice, so I know what I should correct and what I should do different.

I'll be sure to record something a bit different the next time

Again - thanks a lot for your comment, made me smile:) Going to work on the bits you mention about the stretching.

[Guest]

I really haven't thought too much about my goals as a singer yet, but I think I'm interested in developing a good/better technique on how to use my voice so that I could further express myself through singing.

Here's my opinion but remember, it's just that, an opinion. Sometimes just hearing one song doesn't say much. While there would be evidence of tone and control, or some singing ability it wouldn't showcase everything obviously. Maybe you can't hold long notes and lack support for that, maybe you have a hard time with legato. Maybe you can't workout certain vowels, maybe you get stuck at certain notes and on and on. But again, these are common issues that one would have to know for themselves first before seeking advice on how to fix them. Again, that would depend on your goals.

So in essence, someone could already sing very well and normally sings pop. Then they decide they want to sing metal. Now, with that goal in mind they find they are having a hard time hitting some of the high notes and adding some thickness to it, maybe combining head and chest. See, that is something "they" as a singer decided they want to learn right? There is always room to improve, you just have to decide how much; which in my opinion should be open ended.

Maybe you'd like to learn opera or classical...then you need to seek out those techniques. It's more than just singing a song and asking what you should and should not do. You're singing. If you like what you hear then do it. If you want to improve more then keep learning. Get a coach/teacher. Purchase some books, buy a course, study the forums, use the search function. And ask for specific techniques in your questions. Not "what should I do" but "How do I do..."

:)

[Johnspark]

That makes a lot of sense, again, thanks:) Will do some "soulsearching" as to finding my goals!

[Guest]

I'm sure that when you're singing you come across issues that you wonder how you might overcome. Maybe you run out of air/breath at certain points. Maybe you can get a certain note most times but can't if it is on a certain vowel. Maybe you can't control the pitch on a lower note. These are the things only you would know and then the next step is to ask questions (and research) how to fix them. Overall knowledge never hurts so just because you don't plan on singing classical music (for example) doesn't mean it can't be helpful to learn some of the techniques. Same works vice versa.

Stick around here and you will learn almost by default. Read, and ask questions of things you don't understand.

Find some exercises (CD's, youtube, Vocal Technique section here) and practice them. But don't just run through them for the sake of getting through them. "Practice" them with a purpose. Whatever the purpose of the exercise is...ie. resonance, vowel placement, flexibility, arpeggio, legato, slides whatever.

But you say you've been teaching yourself so maybe you already do these things. I'm not insinuating you're not :)

[ronws]

Your high notes are too much in your throat. Let the higher notes get into your head. You don't sing with the throat, you sing with the head. What I hear is that on the high notes, you are raising the larynx too much. Some movement is okay. But too much can make it sound strained. It sounded like you were on pitch but letting the note get in the head would make it a little brighter.

[Pete Mickelson]

Listening to your audio, I was wondering if you'd ever tried working with HearFones? They let you hear yourself as a listener would, and often folks who practice with them automatically sing more like what they want. <www.hearfones.com> The little book that comes with them gives a lot of good ideas to try.