Tuning Your Mind to the Key ( and questions about high notes)

[yuutokun]

Greetings everyone!

I hope all is well.

I made a post awhile back talking about a similar topic but I think it was too abstract to catch on so I'm going to go at it from another angle this time.

My biggest hurdle with my singing has been my pitch. I have tended to sing just under the note and on higher notes I would strain or swap into head voice without a second thought. I have practiced diaphragm support and worked alot with tongue, throat, and facial positioning to better my tone and attempt to hit the right pitch but nothing seemed to do it. I was breathing properly from my diaphragm as far as I could tell and as I make instrumental stuff myself I know my hearing isn't that bad as to throw me off in the same sour spot again and again. Most of all, I could hear and tell that I am going off the center of the note but it was like there was nothing I can do. I felt really helpless.

How have I learned to overcome this?

Here's where it gets a little strange.

I tune my ear/brain to the key of the song.

Until I am familiar with the song I let out a legato note and adjust it until it harmonizes with key.

(Once I am familiar I can prefocus automatically but doing it with my voice is good for practice)

From that point on, I feel like I am singing within a frame or box and as long as I sing in this box I can nail the notes without falling flat or out of key.

I am almost certainly a baritone but I am able to sing songs like Linkin Park's Numb in a lightly heady but full voice without straining to hit the high notes. This technique has made it much easier to sing a number of songs and gives my singing a much more stable feel to it.

Does anyone have any idea what Im talking about? Do you just tune to the song without thinking?

One problem I still need to work out is how to make sure I am using the right technique for the higher parts of my range. I have been working on using the appropriate vowel sounds and Im progressing fairly well, but one thing I have no idea how to go about is the whole larynx dampening thing Ive seen mentioned on here time and time again.

Is this essential for high notes? More importantly how is this performed? Are there any good visual techniques or exercises to feel and practice this?

Any help or input would be very much appreciated.:)

[Guest]

The best way is to record yourself singing. However if for some reason you do not have that luxury, you can learn to rely on 2 things... listening to the tone from what feels like "outside" your body and bone conduction.

[akibhuzurs]

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[ronws]

The visual material presented right here is definitely of pretty high

quality.

I must have missed it. I didn't see any visual material presented in this thread. My eyesight must be degrading faster than I thought. I already wearing reading glasses.

[Guest]

I think he is referring to this forum/website in general. Bang your head against the desk a few times Ron, your head will clear a bit and you'll think better. :D

[ronws]

Maybe you're right, Tommy.

And I might just be needing dental implants, too.