voice experts help! something totally wrong with my voice.. =(

[darkclaw3000]

i'm back from jam practice with my band, i tried to remember all the singing techniques and stuffs, but i still wonder why this happens.

i'm singing 'may' in gates of babylon melody.

when the pitch goes higher, as you will hear, my sound automatically becomes distorted.

1st of all, i did NOT add ANY constriction at all. it was very free and easy. but still the sound came out like that.

i thought i didn't support enough, so i supported more, but its still the same.

the area where i feel that 'distortion' is happening is around the twanging area, i think going to head voice?

can someone tell me how did this happen?

is this nodules?

im very worried.

thanks!

http://www.box.net/shared/l17yjjfbsufe4cuid73x

[Jugulator]

Try to use more supported and nasal sound to check it out. And visit a phoniatrist.

[darkclaw3000]

how does using a more nasal sound help?? what do i look for to check if my voice is ok?

i don't know if there's any phoniatrist in singapore...... =S

[Jugulator]

how does using a more nasal sound help?? what do i look for to check if my voice is ok?

I mean you could try a more classical well-supported tone just to make sure that this is merely a technical problem.

[darkclaw3000]

ah.. i conclude its bad technique. but how is this sound produced? i know thats a question i should ask myself, but i can't seem to pinpoint the problem.

[Steven Fraser]

ah.. i conclude its bad technique. but how is this sound produced? i know thats a question i should ask myself, but i can't seem to pinpoint the problem.

darkclaw3000: For the purposes of this discussion, how about we not use the word 'support' at all.

This sound is what happens when the adduction is too strong for the amount of exhalation. The issue is air flow. Yes, it is a distortion, but its not one you want to use very often, as it is produced at the level of the vocal bands themselves.

To get rid of it you can do as has been suggested, using m or n or any of the other semi-occluded voiced consonants. For such a strong distortion, I recommend a Z or a V. Those stimulate a lighter registration automatically.

Alternatively, you can compensate the other way, and as an exercies, let your throat be a little looser, and try to sing with more air flow... almost to the point of making a breathy sound. For this exercise, its ok if it feels breathy, as long as it does not get actually breathy. You can even add a little aspirate 'h' at the onset of the note if you want, provided you immediately firm it up to a light clear tone. The word 'his', with an audible H, a short Ih, and a long sustained Z voiced consonant should work very well.

BTW, one sign that you are holding back the air too much is an overly-rigid abdominal region. Yes, you will naturally feel an inward contraction of the abs as you make vocal sound, but don't work so hard that your abs become rock-solid. In fact, you can do this exercise with almost a 'jelly-belly', that is, loose abs.

Once you have the sound going more flowingly, do some upward sirens in your mid voice, beginning on the F below middle C. Concentrate on maintaining the jellybelly. I suspect you will find a hidden habit as you reach and pass middle C... to solidify your abs to help keep the voice going. At the moment you feel that happening, re-onset that particular note with the H, the looser throat, and try to let the abs be soft again. Yes, they will still contract in when you onset, but you may be able to reduce the rigidity.

That is the point of the exercise, to find that place where you are changing your technique and starving the voice of the air it needs at that range.

I hope this helps.

[darkclaw3000]

thank you again for the excellent reply! i will start doing now. actually i started already while reading.

about the overly rigid abs region, i dont think i did that.

the distortion feels more like my vocal cords are 'flapping'. hence the distortion. i even did it at very very low volumes, its still there.

BUT UPDATE!

all that was the previous night, now i just woke up, and tried to do that again. it's gone. i tried my best to remember how i did, n when i did, it became a sharp ascending may. (still in the same melody of the song).

is it that i overly worked my vocal cords???? did i became tired???

[akarawd]

Being an amateur singer myself, please read my post only after re-considering and re-reading what Steven wrote.

I've had that at one point when I overworked myself - just couldn't get rid of the rasp especially over the passagio.

Give it a couple of days of rest with only short, light, non breathy exercises as well as "v" and french "z" sirens and see how it goes.

[jonpall]

This has happened to me a couple of times in the past. Suddenly after screaming a lot with my band, I got this permanent rasp with almost no effort. I was singing "Roxanne" with an Axl Rose sound. But in my case I was hoping that could just keep that sound. Or at least a slightly toned down version of it Rep points for Steven, btw. Here he's really showing why he's a pro.