Looking for some vocal tips...not really a singer. :(

[Quincy]

Hi Janet. I second all the recommendations given. If you work on developing your support and twang, it will do wonders for you being able to sing with more ease and power. Did you notice anything different about how it felt when you were singing the word “watch-ing”? I could hear some pharyngeal twang on the “ing” part. It had more ring and core to it. There are a lot of vocal exercises that use the “ng” position and it is an important concept for developing your twang.

I think your best approach would be to learn what you can from these boards getting familiar with some of the concepts and jargon and find a vocal program with structured exercises. I don’t have Robert Lunte’s training system but have a pretty good idea would he is about and have heard plenty of samples from his exercises and I can tell it would be a great place to start your journey. He is very passionate about helping people.

Welcome aboard, reading this forum and progressing along with your singing can become very addictive! :)

[ronws]

Let me echo Mike, somewhat. I started playing guitar in 1974. And I would sing along, at first, to help get the timing of the music (this is what you do when there are lyrics, this is what you do between the lyrics, etc.) In 1988, I started to seriously work on my singing. And I am still working on it and have seen progress in myself. And others have seen it in me, as well. I can still hit the range I did 22 years ago but I think I am doing it even better, now. All of us are always learning. Mike, who has just about the most "perfect" voice I've heard here considers himself to still be a work in progress. Well, if that is the case, I most certainly am a work in progress. Even Robert Lunte feels he learns new things and even he will consult a coach, from time to time.

So, there is no shame in learning and that is what this place is for. And even though there will be comments for improvement or change. some of it will be of stylistic value rather than technical value. And some will be basics that get you the platform you can launch from. At the same time, be at peace with what you do have. We even have a thread for accomplishments and gains, where, free of "classroom" time, you can simply share what you have done recently that is a step forward for you. And it might technical, or it might be perceptual.

As for hearing examples of a concept, there is, of course, Robert Lunte. And Jens. It seems there is nothing Jens cannot do. He can even do whistle register. Yet considers himself a baritone, as far as classical voice nomenclature goes. So, if you go through some threads and see a post from Jens where he links an example, listen to the example. Sometimes, having an auditory example of the words involved will give you insight. An "Oh yeah, now I get it" thing.

As for odd metaphors and mental imagery that may or may not line up with the technical explanation, I am king of that. But, whatever gets you to where you are going without damage. However, we do have Steven Fraser here and he is the human encyclopedia of voice anatomy, and comes from a classical background.

And not every one here is a professional in the vocal field. I am an electrician. Mike, who used to have a band a long time ago, has his own business making lures for fishing Musky, a popular fish in Canada. But we do have some professional entertainers. Marcus is a caberet entertainer. A very new member is in band that does festivals, etc. Bob (videohere) owns a video store, hence the login id. But he has also won a singing contest and even won it singing in competition with an opera singer.

And, as I like to tell others here who have moments of self-doubt and derision, you are the only person who can hold yourself back. Thanks to the varied experiences of life, some of us can shoot ourself in the foot before we even step up to the mic. Well, instead of that, do what you can do and let some good ears help you.

[Janet]

Thanks to both of you. Very good thoughts once again! :-)

Sorry for not responding earlier...I quit getting email notices about responses, so just assumed there weren't anymore. Glad I checked this morning. Hopefully I'll have time soon to work on some of these things AND do some more reading.

[ronws]

What I was trying to say is that there is not many instances of a true, natural born singer, straight out of the womb. It involves listening and practicing something, even wrongly. Yes, a person can be born with a good ear to hear a pitch and mimick the tone with their voice. And we've all seen child prodigies belting a broadway show tune or an aria from a favored opera. I'm not one of those and of all the people in this forum who have described themselves, neither are they. We've had to work for what we have, what you might describe as just opening our mouths and effortlessly singing forth.

Mike had a tonsilectomy earlier this year. And that changes resonant cavities, muscle interplay in the throat, etc. In a word, Mike had to learn how to sing, all over again.

I had an episode where I strained my throat and lost most of my singing voice, even to the point of sounding like Lance Henriksen when I did speak. And it came back and I had to re-coordinate.

But, to re-iterate, even though I was born into a family that liked to sing, I still had to work for it. I have a good ear and can play a song by ear on the guitar. I had heard "Sweet Child of Mine" two times on the radio and plucked the main chords on the guitar, not even listening to the song while I did it. So, I've had fairly good pitch recognition. I also read music. The first time I ever played guitar before knowing what I was doing, I played the arpeggiated guitar part to "Who'll Stop the Rain?" by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Point being, even though I have all these "natural" musician abilities, they come from a desire and love for music. And, even having those gifts, I had to learn how to sing and practice. And I'm still learning.

So, don't think you can't learn or don't have talent just because you haven't done something that we can do. It is something that you can learn and do.

B.B. King, a living legend in Blues cannot read sheet music. He plays entirely by ear. You play a note in the tonic of the key and he will take it from there. But he sounds effortless, sure. He has also been playing longer than most people here have been alive. What sounds like "natural" talent is hard work and dedication.

I feel like I'm going re-hash that line from the t.v. show "Fame."

"You want fame? Well, fame costs. And this is where you start paying."

[Janet]

:-) Thanks, Ron.