Jump to content

How to start?

Rate this topic


Jenra

Recommended Posts

Hey you all!

My first visit here, and my first thread.. wow!

No I'm actually here to ask a fairly frequently asked question.

How do i start singing (not as a from no technique to pro) but whenever i need to start singing i have to do 30 minutes of warmup (almost) and preferably i need a coach there to guide me to use my voice right.. I have been told i have the technique, i have been told i sing well (even when just fiddling around) and i have been told this by many and many times.. All i need is to know how i get the sound right the first time, of course after a warmup.

I hope this question has a simple answer (although i doubt it)

Lots of love for the singing world!

Casper

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a vocal goal, that i want to sing better. I want to sing with more technique in my general singing, and i want to perform right the first time.

My teacher is telling me what to do, by singing keys i should hit where he (somehow) provokes my singing to assume the right technique (i cannot do this myself, i have tried) after having sung these i can feel my voice acting differently than when just fiddling around.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The teacher should tell not only how to find it yourself but also define a trainning program to make your voice assimilate all that.

If you want a review on your singing, pick a song that is easy and that you are comfortable with, record an send it over.

For how long have you been taking lessons? It may be tricky to find the references on the beginning, but its a very important part of the trainning, if you cant find it alone, you are only trainning during the classes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You are experiencing what a lot of people experience at the beginning of training. You seek consistency. It's frustrating that you can't always create that same sound at will, at any time. I was there.. We all were there. This will come from proper training, and repeated practice over a long period of time. The consistency will get better and better as time goes on.

The one thing I suggest to short circuit this process is recording your voice often and listening back critically, and then trying again. I wish I would have done more of that when I was younger - it would have sped up my own development. This is a way to gain consistency very quickly. Another way - and maybe you already to this - is to practice in front of a mirror. It easy easy to spot inconsistencies in posture, tongue movement, mouth position, etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I second the recording yourself bit 100x over. What a gift we have in this day an age to get an objective ear that tells us exactly what we sound like (more or less, assuming you have decent equipment).

Similarly, trust me when I say you haven't realised how many flaws you have until you try to record yourself in the context of a proper song, and that goes for any instrument.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You've already started. And you've already been with a coach. Felipe is our king of the "get a coach" response to just about everything. So, you've already done the most important thing.

As for technique, you instructor should be teaching you those things. And it will take time. Anything takes time, even with natural talent, which you may evidently have. When you say that you want to learn to sing with more technique, that's kind of vague. If you are already singing on pitch and in full voice and it sounds good, how much more "technique" do you need?

Unless your coach has not covered all the things you want. Two choices. Either you have not advanced enough and need to learn patience, or you need a different coach, in which case "get a coach" needs some qualification. There are a number of classical coaches who will NOT teach distortion and view it with abhorrance and if you bring it up in a lesson, you may find yourself seeking another coach, as they will view you as not serious.

So, what kind of coach? "Get a coach" is kind of vague, at that.

So, define the music genre you are interested in and get a coach that works with that genre.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all the replies it's greatly appreciated!

I am generally a rock singer, i have searched for a sound that i could replicate (or sing alike) and preferably a sound i can find some consistency in (thanks)

As you say i might need another coach, my current coach is a musician himself, but is autodedact which makes him easier to approach but less technical.

The best thing about my coach is that he works in a studio (where i am also being coached) and therefore i get recorded quite frequently!

Would you guys say that a second coach could help, or should i stick practise and try from now till i can do it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Would you guys say that a second coach could help, or should i stick practise and try from now till i can do it?

No, from your reply, it sounds like you already have a coach that can suit your needs. You just need to give yourself time. And accept that you will always be learning. We all are still learning, regardless of the time we have spent singing in the past.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • TMV World Member

Jenra - I know exactly how you feel. My first vocal coach was absolutely amazing and extremely technical - I'd be doing scales or singing a song and all of a sudden she'd stop me and say "THERE! that note...sing it again". It wasn't that the pitch was off, it was just that it wasn't "sitting" in the right place - like it was too airy or not connected/grounded. And I didn't understand how she could just hear the difference of what I was doing wrong vs. what I should be doing when singing that particular note. But trust me, over time with lots of practice, you just get to understand it. There are infinite ways of manipulating your voice, which has to do with vocal placement. This is how your voice 'feels' when you sing a specific note/where you feel the sound coming from/where you feel the resonance (i.e. your throat, chest, head, nose, etc.). It really does help to record yourself and listen back. You can sing a few notes into a recorder while taking note of vocal placement, listen back and then ask yourself if it sounds grounded (no shakiness and full sound). Remembering HOW you sang it is key because that's what you want to keep in your 'vocal memory' so you can continue to sing with the "right" technique.

Auret

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the great responces all of you - especially Auret, nice answer.

I think i by now have figured (from your comments) that the key is practise and wait.

I had a session with my coach last night and i really hit the spots! Although as always it took 3-4 songs to get into the "zone" so i'll keep practising!

Lots of love!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...