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First line of a song


random1destiny

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When recording I find the first line of a vocal to be very difficult to nail. The idea that the tape is rolling, plus the need to line up the timing with the guitar or click track, plus hitting the right pitch and tonality, all while maintaining a natural phrasing is so much to do at once from complete silence. It feels like trying to go from stopped to running full speed instantly. Once I get momentum past the first line the rest sounds more natural. I usually end up doing the first line over and over until one happens to come out naturally and then continue, but I wish I could be more consistent with the opening lines of a song. It's tiring to do all those initial takes, plus I lose some of the spontaneity. I'm wondering if anyone has any tips on nailing that first line right out of the gate, particularly in a recording situation.

I was reading about stage presence and read that when entering a stage, politicians and performers will take several steps behind a curtain so that they have already taken a few steps and are walking full stride when they come into view and even time it out so the first step onto the stage is the one further back so their 'open' side is facing the audience. I'm trying to figure out if there's something similar singers can do vocally to get that momentum going for a great first line.

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I struggle with the same problem. I think it is probably quite common. I notice it happens a lot on Amer Idol also. What I have been doing lately and it seems to help, is practice the beginning phrase of the song before I ever listen and record with music. Finding the tone and proper breath balance that makes it flow smoothly. Many times it is just getting out of the blocks with the breath coordinated with the beginning syllables. Also going from one song to the next I often need to reset and find the proper tone or registration. For example, I may have just sung a song with medium thick registration and then change to a song that requires a very light thin registration. A few practice runs on the first few words helps me get in the right mode and breath balance.

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When recording I find the first line of a vocal to be very difficult to nail. The idea that the tape is rolling, plus the need to line up the timing with the guitar or click track, plus hitting the right pitch and tonality, all while maintaining a natural phrasing is so much to do at once from complete silence. It feels like trying to go from stopped to running full speed instantly. Once I get momentum past the first line the rest sounds more natural. I usually end up doing the first line over and over until one happens to come out naturally and then continue, but I wish I could be more consistent with the opening lines of a song. It's tiring to do all those initial takes, plus I lose some of the spontaneity. I'm wondering if anyone has any tips on nailing that first line right out of the gate, particularly in a recording situation.

that's a new one for me...i never really give that aspect much thought, but depending on the song...

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This is the kind of thing that comes with practice and a lot of re-recording.. and confidence.. When recording initially its very difficult(for me) especially if you are used to hearing reverbed vocals coming out of a PA system, its very difficult to find the same focus..

I have just set up a small studio and noticed that when I sing alone I feel less pressured into hitting every correctly cos I know I can just re-record until I'm happy, but sooner or later you will find your studio sound but it does require experience and some experimentation with effect (dry or wet) and headphone placement, I like to have one ear on one ear off just so I can get that familiar feeling in my head if ya get me, headphones can dull your sound making you oversing.. (again, this should be sorted out by the engineer, but sometimes you dont even know what you want), so I experiment as much as possible

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