Singing

ThePrettyDamned

How do you do it?

Yup, seriously.  I'd like to be able to do it, I doubt I'd have a good voice as my speaking voice is pretty dull and has no character! But I could at least enjoy myself, and would add to my rock star credentials CV for backing vocals.  

Are lessons a worthwhile investment?  And are there many guitar teachers who are capable of doing both? 

Bidley

Definitely worth doing. I started having lessons a couple of years ago, and I really enjoy it. It's nice to have that skill in your repertoire. I'm not exactly Freddie Mercury but I get by! I say go for it.

steamabacus

Definitely worth some lessons with a good teacher.

I worked with a great singer a few years back who taught at one of the music colleges in London, specialising in vocal technique. I hadn't realised there was so much in it (I've done a few BVs over the years but I'm no singer).

The voice is a physical instrument that you need to learn to tune and use properly to get the most out of it and avoid damage.. Karen (the singer I worked with) could do some amazing stuff with her voice - 'overdriving' it (without damage/strain), 'fluting', overtone singing, amazing stuff. And for such a small woman she had an amazingly powerful 'rock' singing voice - all through good technique.

ThePrettyDamned

Cool.  I'll see if I can find a teacher

Phil_aka_Pip

Doing it at the same time as playing an instrument = not possible (for me, at least)

TimmyO

It's a mechanical skill that can be learned and practiced and improved - particularly if you use a good teacher initially. Good breathing and support will mean you progress better and do so without training your voice without realising it. 

I loved my lessons - book a few and find somewhere/sometime you can let loose to practice between times

ThePrettyDamned

Cool.  

Drew_TNBD

Ignore your speaking voice. Most men speak in a passive chest voice. That isn't what you'll sound like when you're singing - AT ALL. Not even a slight resemblance.

I've been doing singing lessons since, mmmm... probably since mid-February. I'm still shit.. lol... well I think I am anyway, but there is some stuff that I have gotten better at.

Learn how to control the tone of your voice, and pitch will follow. Also be careful of Youtubers doing tutorials... but this guy is pretty decent I find:


If you're anything like me and have quite a deep voice, you wanna work on front vowels, breath control, and increasing brightness. Your "central pitch" if you like will feel naturally lower than you'd expect. A lot of the work I've been doing is to reset my perception of where my natural pitch sits, trying to shift it up to around middle C instead of a low G which is where it was when I first started.

meltedbuzzbox

most of it has been covered but go to a teacher

A good one will asses you and give you the right exercises for your voice.

We are not all the same so we all need work in different areas etc etc

ThePrettyDamned

Cheers for the tips.

I bet I sound like a fucking angel.

I'll see if I can find a teacher nearby. Even if it just helps me say I can do backing vocals, it might make it a fair bit easier to find a band.

57Deluxe

I wear tight gunties and strangle my nads into fallsetto...