Vocal Technique :Part 1/2 and now part 3!!:)

[Pipes]

Vocal technique..my approach

Firstly, I would never claim to be a singing teacher or Claim to be an expert, but I would like to pass on some of my vocal ideas and techniques that I put into use. I will try my hardest to put these techniques into words My advice has  several parts....PART ONE.....
1..WARM UP
It is advisable to warm up  ha, ha, ha, Everything that requires physical effort should be preceded by some form of warm up, but in practice it dos not always happen...By nature I think I'm pretty lazy/impatient and want to get to the nitty gritty immediately, the la la la bits ) A quick warm up for me is to hum..yes! hum the first verse and chorus of what you are about to sing (Try it it works). I find this warms up the vocal chords a treat. Humming also relaxes you...we all sing better and give a greater performance when we are relaxed. Try a couple of scales in the low range, medium range and high range. Please bear in mind that this is a warm up, so please don't force the notes..let the notes flow! A tip for singing low notes is to create the double chin effect (easy for me..(if you have 3 even better) ( Like opera singers do) let the notes bellow/resonate from the chest area...make the sounds boom (if you do this right you will feel your chest vibrating)... The general rule of thumb is..IF YOUR THROAT IS HURTING AFTER THE WARM UP OR WHEN YOUR GENERALLY SINGING YOUR RELEYING TO MUCH ON YOUR THROAT To produce the sounds..USE YOUR WHOLE BODY TO PRODUCE THE SOUNDS) A singing teacher once told me "TRY AND IMAGINE SINGING FROM THE FEET UPWARDS..NOT FROM THE THROAT UPWARDS..This advice is sooo true!! Look in the mirror when your practising your warm up..have a little laugh at yourself and please don't take it too seriously. Remember your voice is a musical tool/instrument and needs attention to detail just like your marvelous guitar playing skills:)) Your vocal chords are very important and a trifle delicate, so don't go mad and thrash them to pieces in the first few minutes/verse,..work up to the high notes later, give yourself time and your confidence will grow   Watch this space for part two....
Thanks. ps... Drink some warm water (not too much) and sip the water, regularly during your warm up/ recording sessions.
Nick

PART 2
Technique  
So were nearly ready to give the mic some stick!...hold your horses! ) Let's get some good positioning first,. steady on Nick!!!  Ha ha.... nothing to do with  'karma Sutra' poses . When we have mastered the breathing issues we can pretty much sing from any stance or position, after all opera singers ( re opera shows) sing: kneeling,lying down and standing on their heads etc (ok maybe not on their heads )....so breathing correctly is very necessary indeed!.Try some breathing exercises before hand ie, breath deeply and hold each breath for a couple of seconds  and breath out like a sigh x5...don't do it too much cause your gonner get high and us songcraters are not that way inclined  ha ha ha. Relax the shoulders and don't hunch up.. looking like Quasi was never an attractive option)( ps the breathing exercises should aid the relaxing,) slightly soften the knees and i don't mean wiith a massage rub I mean standing with your knees slightly bent, just slightly) SING FROM THE CHEST UPWARDS NOT THE THROAT UPWARDS..EVEN ENVISAGE SINGING FROM THE FEET UPWARDS

microphone positioning
I always try to position the mic, slightly tilted downwards ( mic and stand set slightly higher than you would normally) to avoid sounding nasal...nasal sounds don't sound cool and will hinder your clarity and natural tone. Never sing down into the mic!! Having your head slightly tilted upwards will keep your throat open..it will also make it easier to hit the more challenging notes) keep sipping that warm water folks....
Note...it will look silly but....practice singing in the mirror..have a look at your tongue and see how it behaves when you reach a successful high note ( have a go at falcetto..singing like a girly" no offence to you girls out there ) just kidding lol))...Your tongue should be hitting the roof of your mouth a bit and vibrate a tad. Relax the whole face...you know that when we sigh.. this the body's natural/subconscious way of relieving stress ( that's why we do the breathing exercises consciously) If you don't already, try singing in front of one person ( your misses etc, someone close) it will aid your confidence, if your not too hard on yourself when you think you sound dreadful. ..Don't tell anyone but, my recent vocal effort "The Grand Opening" was all done in front of my Fiancee..(bless her) and believe me I made a few mistakes and tightened up somewhat, on many attempts...but, i persevered and eventually overcame my singing fear by stubborn perseverance, ie, singing in front of someone I know well")). Hey has anyone noticed that, somehow, it's easier to sing in front of a crowd than a singular person..or am I just plain weird> ).
My next subject will be the use of FX..so stay tuned folks))
 Keep practicing me hearties )
Nick
Hi, back again folks...Ok, next sate of affairs.....FX....

Part 3

Reverb/echo/delay, yes we all like to hammer these a bit..I know i do ...but hold your horses again! Thru my general mistakes and experimentation,... try and do your vocal take without any reverb or effects, especially as your confindece grows...why?, i hear you asking? Well, Once your trully warmed up and your starting to like the sound of your own voice, record your take dry (without effects) believe me , if your happy with your dry performance, you will be overwhelmed when you add some effects..because they will enhance your original performance,two or three fold (don't over do it folks)  Please don't mask a bad vocal take with loads of effects!...really there is no where to hide (those out of tune bits
Punch in and out (drop in and out where you make your mistakes)..I do it all the time!!!...If your not happy with a few words or lines..re do them using the 'punch in and out method... Record your voice once and then do it again on another track or virtual track. You will probably find that your second or third take will be better especially when your voice is trully warm. Use both tracks of main vox on your final production (double vocal effect) mix the tracks so one is stronger in the mix than the other one and pan the tracks a bit too...experiment to your hearts content ;DExperiment with mic positioning, up close and personal for that intimate song (subtle) and a little further away if your gonner rock it!Always use a pop shield...stating the obvious is sometimes useful
Note...When i hit succesful high notes..i can feel the cavities in my face vibrate(sinuses) When i'm hitting midrange/low notes i can feel my chest vibrating..to my way of thinking..when this is happening..I'm singing correctly:))Most of all, my throat feels fine and not sore or buggered. If at any time you feel bad habits returning go back to the basics,,,we all need a kick up the rear once in a while even if we self inflict the kick (metaphorically speaking). I hope my experiences help...remember this discussion if for everyone and not just my space for preaching:))) ::)I want to continue learning too:)) PS..Sing the words like you mean them..don't just go thru the motions..
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Passion!... then the Glory folks[/b
]
Thanks folks..
Nick

[upsetminded]

Thanks this is very helpful.  Looking forward to more tips.

[djbride]

Thanks for the great tips Nick.
I will have to try these out.
I need all the help I can get in the vocal department.

Dave

[Pipes]

...Feel free to throw as many questions as you wish..
It's a pleasure to be of help:) they can as silly as you like. We can all learn something from each other..Above all,.. make it fun! bigtime! .
Take it away.. Perry Como..lalalala.."Magic Moments" and all that...
Nick

[djbride]

OK it's silly question time.



Is there anyway to increase your vocal range?
My range is very limited and singing out of my range causes my voice to crack or go severely out of tune.

Thanks for youe help Nick.

Dave

[Greeny]

OK it's silly question time.



Is there anyway to increase your vocal range?
My range is very limited and singing out of my range causes my voice to crack or go severely out of tune.

Thanks for youe help Nick.

Dave

I think this is quite common, and it's something I suffer from too. My way around it is to write songs that are in my range! It really hits home when I cover certain songs though - especially anything written by Paul McCartney. 'Band on the Run' is an absolute no-go for my vocal range. There's plenty of others I can't touch too.

Not sure if there's a technique that can help with it...

[Pipes]

Vocal range..i will cover in more detail on a future post... but,The general rule of thumb is.. sing in a key that your most comfortable in E.G. If your song is in the key of E and your struggling a bit on the high notes re your vocal melody..either drop the key down to D or even more if you can C? The other alternative is to use falcetto (head voice)..(again will be covered in more detail on a later post) ( can sound silly sometimes and you sound like your balls have been removed) but can sound ok, just don't overdo the Falcetto (dodgy spelling I'm sure). I can't state this enough:- Sing from the chest upwards because your throat is only a vehicle for producing the sound If you find yourself singing from the throat only..you will rapidly get fatigued, your throat will burn like hell and it will take days to recover:( Try singing an octave lower..who cares if yo sound like Lee Marvin "I was born under a etc etc.. ( Real Low)..if the tone is nice it'l sound great....trust me:) I'm a salesman.. lol
Nick

[Greeny]

...I sometimes use a capo to find a more comfortable key too.

Where would I be without my trusty Shubb?! 

[Pipes]

Yes! yes!.. a Capo! good idea:)))...experiment a bit.. also the voice can be fortified if you give it time and don't push too it hard. I still feel my voice is still improving,,,sing every day within your range..if the throat it's burning.. drop it down a tone or two..When your voice is truly warm you will see and feel the results. The stars that perform day in and day out have learnt to preserve thier voices...it dosn't happen over night.
Nick

[Oldrottenhead]

band on the run is one of my karaoke specials lol, i love that song. i find pitchshifting in cubase can extend your range, tho ive only done it on a couple of zappa songs to get that pinky and perky still vocal lol.