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Hanalei

TMV World Legacy Member
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Everything posted by Hanalei

  1. I have a consistent issue that I definitely need to figure out how to fix... My voice isn't that loud to begin with, but the tone of my voice seems to be in a place where it just disappears into ambient noise. It doesn't carry over it like most other people's voices do. When I am in a loud environment (even just a place like a bar or restaurant with a lot of ambient noise), my voice does not carry at all and I find myself trying to speak louder to compensate. Which, obviously, is not healthy. The bigger problem comes in when I'm trying to SING. Without monitors it's just bad. Even WITH monitors, if the vocals aren't turned up pretty loudly in it, I don't sing as well. I unconsciously try to sing louder (because I can't hear myself well enough) which results in a not-ideal vocal sound, my range disappears, and I end up being a bit pitchy as well. In the moment, I don't particularly feel like I'm tense or straining in any way, although I am very much aware that I can't hit half the notes I usually can and I am aware that I don't sound quite normal. When I listen back, it clearly sounds like I'm trying to be louder, not quite like I'm yelling but in that direction. What is the core issue here, and how might I go about fixing it? I need to be able to hear myself better, and of course having a better monitor setup will help. But I really need to be able to hear my voice over simple ambient noise so that even in a less-than-ideal monitor setup, I can still sing well. And I have no idea what the true problem is that's causing all of this. Help!
  2. Actually I think my tongue touches the back of my bottom teeth making an "s' sound...
  3. I just got Invisalign braces. So now I have a bit of lisp when I talk, and thus, also when I sing. It's mostly only with "s" type sounds - otherwise I sound pretty normal. But when I say/sing anything with an "s" I sound like I have quite a speech impediment. They're Invisalign, which means I can take them out when I eat and brush and such. I figure when I'm playing live gigs I'll take them out since it wouldn't be for that long. But when I'm just practicing singing, or recording, I can't just leave them out for several hours. And I'd still like to be able to talk normally. Does anyone have any tips on getting rid of this lisp, or at least making it less noticeable? I'm a bit self-conscious of it, and I can't record my new songs until I get it under control.
  4. I've played 2 gigs recently outside with a PA setup. I can't hear myself very well at that particular gig, especially on the lower notes. Both times, after about 3 songs, I couldn't really hit low notes anymore. If I can regularly sing comfortably down to a D3, for example, at these gigs I can sing down to maybe G3? And after a few songs, my voice starts sounding and feeling strained and breathy. I think it must be because I strain, even though I try not to, trying to hear myself over my guitar. I don't have IEM's. Maybe that needs to be my next investment. What is causing this? I'm drinking water between every song.
  5. By power, I mean both volume and strength (which I guess is probably only through enough practice).  But now that I realize it's a problem, I think I'm more concerned with volume.  I can't get better if I can't hear myself well enough, right?  I do a lot of guitar so I really need to be able to do both without a mic and headphones.   If I just try to add more air and just "be" louder, it ends up wearing my voice out pretty quickly, and I'm sure that's not healthy.
  6. Well I definitely have volume issues.... today I tried recording myself singing over my guitar while using a pick (when singing I normally use my thumb since it's quieter) and I couldn't hear myself over the guitar at all when I got lower than maybe a C4.  So I ended up not hitting the right notes in my own song.  Ugh.  The higher notes are loud enough to hear over the guitar.
  7.   Yes, that was very kind of him to offer that, and I appreciate it very much!  I'm in between jobs right now but I'd like to take him up on that offer as soon as I have income again.  
  8.   Mostly just overall, just making my voice sound a little stronger.  The only specific things that come to mind that I know need extra work are my high notes and my volume, being louder without straining or sounding like I'm yelling.  Both are slowly improving...   I think I get what you mean by the vowels.  I've very recently noticed that high notes involving an O (like in Carrie Underwood's "Play On") are almost impossible for me to hold more than a couple of seconds (my voice cracks and just disappears), whereas the same note with an A or I vowel are fine.  
  9. This is pretty much what I was looking for.  Not looking for shortcuts of any kind - I guess a better wording might have been "what are the most beneficial exercises".  I am going to be doing a performance of sorts next week and while I'm pretty comfortable with my voice, I just was hoping there were some specific things to work on that are better for strengthening your voice than just the usual practicing and singing songs.  Thank you, all.  
  10. Sorry, I got the impression it was said a bit rudely, but maybe I misinterpreted it.   I did take a few voice lessons a while back, but the only coach near me is $50 an hour and I haven't been able to afford very many of them.  I have an mp3 of her warm-up exercise which I do every day, and I've remembered a lot of the posture and breathing things she taught me, but I feel like I've forgotten a lot of the other things.     I admit I'm an amateur.... I got the "sing songs for 1-2 hours" part, but I'm not totally sure what the rest of your suggestions are, Robert. Can you explain those a little more or show me where I can find examples of that?     I took a break from singing for a few months due to some other things going on and then started up again about a month or 2 ago.  Some days I can hit low notes really well and some days I can hit high notes really well, but I can't seem to do both in the same day.  Haven't been able to figure out why that is.  
  11. I apologize.  I was unaware I needed a photo to ask a question...  I'm not a spam account, I've actually been a member for a while but haven't been on it more than once or twice since the website changed.     Forget it.  I'll just find answers somewhere else. 
  12. What are some of the best ways to improve and strengthen your voice quickly?  Obviously no replacement for time and experience, but just what are some things you can do that will make quicker improvements to your voice?
  13. I have this project that I have to have finished by tomorrow morning, and I'd love to hear your opinions on these tracks, and whether they're good.  I need to pick 2 of them to use, so if you like them, I'd love to hear which 2 you think I should use.  Thank you in advance!!!   1. You Think You Know Somebody (Hunter Hayes)   2. Twisted (Carrie Underwood)   3. Have A Nice Day (Bon Jovi)   4. Wanted (Hunter Hayes)
  14. Thank you!  I wasn't sure.  It always sounds to me like I'm out of tune even though I'm not     There's a reason for that.    Is it clipping?  I thought the interface showed it being green the whole time, but maybe I need to turn the gain down a bit more.
  15. I did a quick acoustic cover of "Wonderwall" by Oasis.  I'm not sure whether or not it's a good song for my voice.  Can I get some feedback on it?    
  16. WHen I start singing, the low notes are stronger. As I get into it, I can start getting up to the higher notes. And as soon as I do that, all of a sudden I can't reach those low notes anymore. For example, where I can usually hit down to a C3, once I start hitting up around or past C5, I can't hit anything lower than maybe a G3. My voice just disappears. Is that something that will get better with time or am I doing something wrong? I think it's always been like that, though, even when I was taking voice lessons.
  17. Lately my voice has been very quiet, and I find myself having to repeat whatever I said because the person I was talking to could barely hear me. I feel like I'm talking pretty loudly, but evidently not... That said, I've been trying to focus on breathing deeper, but it doesn't seem to help much. What do I need to do to get my voice back to a good volume? (I'm mainly talking about speaking, but the problem translates into my singing as well.)
  18. Not positive on the last highest notes, but I know the highest note during the first and second chorus is a C5. That song is deceivingly difficult. I just used an online piano by ear, so it may or may not be correct, but I think the highest one is a G#?
  19. So the same techniques for getting higher notes (using your abs) also applies to low notes, too? Yeah, I think what you described, Phil, is what I'm doing. My voice coach taught me about pushing against the wall and leaning over to get the high notes... sounds like basically the same idea.
  20. Oh, gotcha. I see how you would get that impression. I know I'll never sound exactly like Jon simply because I'm a girl and he's a guy, and I don't intend to sound exactly like anyone but me. But I would love for other people to be able to pick him out as a big influence on my voice. But no, I'm more concerned that it just doesn't sound good - "The Distance" apparently doesn't sound very good to others listening who can't hear the original song anyway when I have headphones on. I tend to do Bon Jovi songs the most as they're my favorite, I know them the best, they're the most comfortable to sing, and quite honestly, they're the most fun for me. Especially since Bon Jovi is who got me interested in this whole industry to begin with. I think their songs fit my voice best, too, and feel most like me. I can do Heart songs, for example, but I don't have the same connection with those. I tried Pat Benatar once - though not recently - and it sounded really bad to me. Now that I think about it, after seeing the thread about how some artists just do or don't sound good together... maybe that's why they sounded bad. 99% of the time I prefer to sing along with the song because I like feeling like there's a band behind me. So maybe it's not the song, but their voice just doesn't mesh with mine well? Like for example, if I did a duet with Jon Bon Jovi, would it sound really good compared to if I did a duet with Kelly Clarkson? Hm... interesting thought... I hate the karaoke versions of songs most of the time, and there's not many songs I can find the instrumental recordings for. A lot of songs would sound weird playing them acoustically, I think. Or I can't play them. And singing alone is very uncomfortable. I think probably the biggest influences on my voice would be Jon and Keith Urban. Interestingly, there's never been any female singers that have been much of an influence. I like Heart and Pat Benatar and such, but I've never listened to any of them to the extent that I listen to Bon Jovi and Keith Urban and other classic rock guys.
  21. I actually only sometimes focus on sounding a particular way. I find if I try to somewhat mimic Jon when I sing, it sounds a lot better and more confident. Not sure why. Why, did it sound like I was trying to sound like him in that clip? I hope it doesn't...
  22. I have been focusing a bit more on singing on my own, but it's still weird for me - I'm taking things a bit slow, I guess. I am to the point where I'm comfortable singing and playing along with the song on a speaker just loud enough to hear it. Before I had to have the music loud enough that I couldn't really hear myself. I definitely noticed lower notes came out better when I was more relaxed. I guess I need to experiment a bit with those and figure out how to make them sound best. Maybe I can get my B2 to sound fuller - it's normally just barely there. One thing I noticed, too, is if I close my eyes and try to visualize holding onto a microphone, the low notes come out better. I have no idea why. (Needless to say, I didn't realize that while I was recording that clip. :rolleyes:
  23. Finally got around to getting a sample recorded. Sorry that took so long. I had the music playing on a speaker by my computer, which didn't work as well as I'd hoped, so the audio is not very good. But hopefully it'll at least give you a good idea of what it sounds like... the songs are in the order of the list I gave in the original post. I did notice that the lowest notes seemed to come out better when I really relaxed my throat. I don't know if I'm normally tight when singing, or if that's just how I'm able to hit them. https://soundcloud.com/user7915197/low-note-blend
  24. So do you guys just try to avoid singing in front of a couple of people when you can? When you have to perform for less than, say, 5 people, what do you do to get through it? Just suck it up and force yourself to do it? I sing in front of just my mom or just my voice coach all the time, and it's not too bad. It's much easier when I have the original song playing in the background becuase then it doesn't feel like just me. I guess I don't know how to initiate singing for my dad.
  25. The D3 was more just an example, but it is in the area of sometimes-good-sometimes-not notes. I'll have to go through and figure out the notes in the good and bad ones that are lower.
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