Singing Tricks

[Rui]

Maybe not the correct section (or even forum) for a theme of these, but I wanted to ask you guys if you can lend some tricks on singing. How to control the breathing, and other stuff.

 

[brad.dude03]

It ain't easy. The one and only I can offer is to turn aside from the mic in between lines and to take a deep breath then, so as to not suck into the mic and create a bunch of fuzz.

Hopefully some voice actors can come in here and help you out though

 

[frostwhisper]

brad.dude pretty much summed up all I know about singing. But, well, this might work as a tip: try singing several times over your own voice, to create a multi voice effect and practice synchronizing your time.

 

[Supermj]

Just practice singing to your self, and just don't stop while reformng, no matter how wierd you feel. I'm well known in my school for being a great singer.

 

[Shaynne]

I used to like singing.... but then i couldn't find my voice...

I just sang different pitches going up into a voice recorder then I replayed and tried finding my voice. Didn't work for me.. couldn't find it.... I think what they say is real... your own voice is horrible to yourself...... I hope thats not true...

 

[Rui]

Wow I never thought this thread would actually have posters =P

It didn't lure much voice-actors, though.
Well, I like singing and I'll try singing this or that

Anyway, new topic; what about songwriting? Have any of you wrote songs, or have tips for writing them?

 

[Shaynne]

You could do it in front of a piano if you have one

or...

You could use Garage Band if you have a Mac or iLife

 

[Supermj]

errr... thats all in you. Just try to use original rhymes and use a rhyme dictionary. http://www.rhymezone.com/ .

 

[Rui]

Wow, that's great, Superjm! +REP

 

[Supermj]

I didn't press it. (thanks!)

 

[Technomancer]

Practice practice practice.

I myself don't turn away from the microphone to breathe.

Make sure that when you talk or sing into a microphone that you don't move your head around too much, and that you direct all the sound into the microphone. An example of this is if you are playing guitar and singing at the same time, if you look down to see what your hands are doing, chances are your voice will stop going through the microphone so much and it will be harder to hear.

Project your voice outwards. I'm not quite sure how to explain it properly, but you don't really want it to sit back in your head or your mouth, you want it to go out and be heard. Singing louder to compensate for not projecting outwards is not a good idea, as far as I'm concerned, because if you're singing loud, but not projecting, its harder to get a varying range of emotion in your voice (at least this is what I've found).

Enjoy it. If you don't enjoy yourself, it will affect the sound.

Practice even more.

Play around with your voice. Put on crazy accents and the like. They don't necessarily have to sound good, but it will help you to get more sounds in your voice.


Note: Some of this advice may be useful, most probably won't. Just make sure you try lots of different things, to see what you can do with your voice. This isn't really tricks so much as tips, but meh.


EDIT: Oh, didn't notice the topic change. My bad.

 

[Kwaliti]

As for your singing problem, here's a solution we always used during my time at the music school. Try and find sounds of a piano playing basic tones, or if you can't, I can record you some from a guitar (just find a MIDI composer), then, while listening to the tones, attempt to replicate them, after that go to some practices, such as jumping from Do (C) to La (A), replicating the tone an octave lower and higher (if possible). Well, that's what I've atleast done on our Solfege classes in music school.

And never, NEVER speak directly into the microphone! Because explosive consonants will cause bad effects, always move your head a bit to the left or right of the mic, so you're not directly in front of it, and when you exhale, the mic won't record buzzing.

 

[Nestharus]

I use Finale personally. It works great for beginners, intermediates, and masters alike. You can play into it using an electronic piano or you do it note by note. It's one of the best programs to arrange pieces in the world =). I wouldn't use it for sounds though ;P.

As for singing, let's see... I honestly don't know what to say. I've been able to sing all my life, so... I guess it's just because I sing every day for a few hours... I sing to work, sing home, sing during breaks, sing at night, sing here, there, and everywhere. Maybe just sing a lot? that'll help ; ). To get your voice tuned, playing a musical instrument helps a lot. You don't have to sing to it, just play it. Singing to it helps as well though, um.

Kudos to you ^_^

 

[Rui]

My apologies for the question, but, are you male or female (I won't mock you, don't worry)?

 

[Kwaliti]

My apologies for the question, but, are you male or female (I won't mock you, don't worry)?

Who are you asking? I'm a dude.

 

[Nestharus]

Uh, I'm a dude too... -.-

 

[Rui]

A common mistake on beginners is that they pick the wrong voices, and they have difficulties adjusting their voice to the artist's. So, what kind of songs do you sing?

 

[Kwaliti]

I usually don't sing, maybe on certain occassions, I hum, or even whistle. Every kinds. Just not Serbian Turbo Folk. That makes my hair go fuzzy. *sigh* If you were living next door, I could teach you a thing or two about music and give you some exercises, hell, I'll see and dig up some of my old notebooks and give you the exercises!

 

[Nestharus]

Me, I'm a composer, so I'll sing any song I think of ^_^. Hum it, put random words to it, etc. Mostly Baroque and Classical =)

 

[Josh]

I cant sing, maybe opera, but if I sing, since Im 12, my voice cracks. A lot.