Sometimes I pretend I'm an opera singer.
April 8, 2011 6:49 PM
I'm interested in getting some voice advice/lessons from musicians, and possibly collaborating with musicians in the future.
Specifically, I'm looking for general advice (i.e. you are not actually a very good singer/you are OK, practice would help you), and some good people, online or IRL, who would be a good starting place for vocal lessons. Whether you know someone in Philadelphia, or you know a good youtube channel/DVD set, that's great.
I have performed a number of times, mostly meaningless. Biggest was when a friend of mine had a band and a recording studio, and I sang with them.
Here is my singing voice. The song is My Darling, Anything by Lucky Soul:
Let me know if that doesn't work. Looking forward to hearing from you.
posted by two lights above the sea (7 comments total)
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Specifically, I'm looking for general advice (i.e. you are not actually a very good singer/you are OK, practice would help you), and some good people, online or IRL, who would be a good starting place for vocal lessons. Whether you know someone in Philadelphia, or you know a good youtube channel/DVD set, that's great.
I have performed a number of times, mostly meaningless. Biggest was when a friend of mine had a band and a recording studio, and I sang with them.
Here is my singing voice. The song is My Darling, Anything by Lucky Soul:
Let me know if that doesn't work. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Ignore the Major, he never really got over that incident with the pancakes in Jalalabad.
You have a pleasant voice and can sing on key which is really important. It sounds like some work on basic technique would really help you. Also, figuring out how to record your voice would make a lot of difference. You are singing very quietly and breathily right now which would make for a very intimate feel if you used a close-miking technique, but your voice might do some great things if you opened up a bit.
There is quite a lot of good advice on the web if you google around. Tips on how to stand, how to breathe, opening your mouth wide, relaxing your neck and shoulders all really work and make a difference. But the main thing is to do a bunch of singing as it is one of those things that you improve at the more you do.
Voices are very personal things and no two are alike. It helps enormously to record yourself and listen critically, figuring out what you like and don't like about your voice and working on the things you don't like.
Finding ways of being less bashful about your singing is absolutely critical -- whether that's caterwauling in the car or forcing yourself to perform publicly.
posted by unSane at 4:55 PM on April 10, 2011
You have a pleasant voice and can sing on key which is really important. It sounds like some work on basic technique would really help you. Also, figuring out how to record your voice would make a lot of difference. You are singing very quietly and breathily right now which would make for a very intimate feel if you used a close-miking technique, but your voice might do some great things if you opened up a bit.
There is quite a lot of good advice on the web if you google around. Tips on how to stand, how to breathe, opening your mouth wide, relaxing your neck and shoulders all really work and make a difference. But the main thing is to do a bunch of singing as it is one of those things that you improve at the more you do.
Voices are very personal things and no two are alike. It helps enormously to record yourself and listen critically, figuring out what you like and don't like about your voice and working on the things you don't like.
Finding ways of being less bashful about your singing is absolutely critical -- whether that's caterwauling in the car or forcing yourself to perform publicly.
posted by unSane at 4:55 PM on April 10, 2011
You are not too shabby of a singer, and IMO with some work could become a good singer. In the recording, you start out VERY quiet, but around the middle of the song you get louder and your voice gets richer. As unSane said, you have a nice voice and can sing on key, which is about 89% of the battle!
I would recommend finding a teacher and/or joining a community chorus. A good teacher will watch you during your lesson and make sure you're doing things *correctly* and building good habits (a webpage can't do that).
A choir will encourage you to project more when you sing, build confidence, pick up some tips and experience, and have fun (singing in a big choir is a wonderful experience).
I'm no vocalist, but I've taken some lessons from someone who really knew what they were doing, and I'm really glad I did.
posted by audiodidactic at 6:03 PM on April 10, 2011
I would recommend finding a teacher and/or joining a community chorus. A good teacher will watch you during your lesson and make sure you're doing things *correctly* and building good habits (a webpage can't do that).
A choir will encourage you to project more when you sing, build confidence, pick up some tips and experience, and have fun (singing in a big choir is a wonderful experience).
I'm no vocalist, but I've taken some lessons from someone who really knew what they were doing, and I'm really glad I did.
posted by audiodidactic at 6:03 PM on April 10, 2011
You have a very nice voice. I know zero about singing, but your voice sounds good even without any accompaniment which is worth patting yourself on the back for.
posted by Corduroy at 7:51 PM on April 11, 2011
posted by Corduroy at 7:51 PM on April 11, 2011
Thanks for the input everyone! And sorry I haven't been around. Didn't get any comments for a few days, so I figured I'd check back in a bit.
unSane and audiodidactic: great ideas as far as performing is concerned. I should look around for choruses in my area. And I recorded that while I was sitting (probably hunched over) on my bed with my laptop and a nice microphone in front of me. I don't know squat about technique!
It's storming here tonight. I had to walk my dog in the pouring rain, so I put in my headphones and sang while I walked (to antony and the johnsons). I'm not all that bashful, but I don't think I'm skilled enough to really impress anyone. Most of the time, I'd rather not look like a fool with no dignity! But tonight no one was out, so I went singing in the rain.
And I have no desire to be an opera singer, don't worry! :D
posted by two lights above the sea at 9:09 PM on April 16, 2011
unSane and audiodidactic: great ideas as far as performing is concerned. I should look around for choruses in my area. And I recorded that while I was sitting (probably hunched over) on my bed with my laptop and a nice microphone in front of me. I don't know squat about technique!
It's storming here tonight. I had to walk my dog in the pouring rain, so I put in my headphones and sang while I walked (to antony and the johnsons). I'm not all that bashful, but I don't think I'm skilled enough to really impress anyone. Most of the time, I'd rather not look like a fool with no dignity! But tonight no one was out, so I went singing in the rain.
And I have no desire to be an opera singer, don't worry! :D
posted by two lights above the sea at 9:09 PM on April 16, 2011
Good for you! As with most technique things, the first 25% of the technique gets you 75% of the way there, so the early rewards are often quite substantial. At least that was my experience.
posted by unSane at 9:32 PM on April 16, 2011
posted by unSane at 9:32 PM on April 16, 2011
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posted by MajorDundee at 9:38 AM on April 10, 2011