Singing

Keefy

I love to sing. I’m not the best singer by any means but I can sing and I do love singing.

Before the first lockdown I was working on improving my head voice, but for the last year I have hardly sung - I somehow didn’t have the heart for it, albeit it might have done me some good along the way.

I’m now working on BVs for a new band project and loving it.

Anyone else looking forward to belting them out?

Logie

Yep. We started a band up just before lockdown doing a 2 hr set of AC/DC with the option of a mixed rock set thrown in depending on venue. Got a few practises in and we were banging them out and then got stopped in our tracks like everyone else. I’ve got an hour commute to work so I’ve been singing them constantly on a loop in the car for the last 4 months. I can’t say I won’t be relieved when I can get up and belt them out to somebody other than me and the odd unsuspecting pedestrian

TheMadMick

I've been surprised at my voice. I have recorded things for our church and they came out quite well.

The problem is, you don't hear yourself the way others do - perhaps you ought to try recording. Makes quite a difference when you can hear your own mistakes.

Snags

TheMadMick said:

The problem is, you don't hear yourself the way others do - perhaps you ought to try recording. Makes quite a difference when you can hear your own mistakes.

This ^^

It's also an absolute horror show (well, I think it is) the first few times you hear your recorded voice back, and takes some getting used to. Particularly before any EQ etc. is applied.

I quite like singing, but don't really have the voice for a lot of the songs/styles I'd like to do (even stuff I write myself), which is a bit of a bugger.

Keefy

Absolutely, recording does highlight the bits you thought were fine but were actually either out of tune or out of time.

monquixote

I had singing lessons a few years ago to help with BVs.

One of the best things I've done.

BahHumbug

I love to sing, although my voice isn't that strong.  I've done BVs for years, but I really came to love it when I started doing folk clubs and open mics.  Then I got in a band in which we had 4 singers who were adequate or better, and harmonies were a big thing.  I find singing in harmony with someone else can be a surprisingly emotional experience.  Maybe I'm just soft.  Sadly that band is no more.
Haven't sung much since the pandemic started, although I've been doing a  few folk club zoom sessions since the start of 2021.  My voice was never brilliant, but it has definitely deteriorated.  I really got into running in this last year and I don't think that has helped my voice, but doing the zoom sessions is really getting me back into singing, which is great.

JohnS37

Snags said:

TheMadMick said:

The problem is, you don't hear yourself the way others do - perhaps you ought to try recording. Makes quite a difference when you can hear your own mistakes.

This ^^

It's also an absolute horror show (well, I think it is) the first few times you hear your recorded voice back, and takes some getting used to. Particularly before any EQ etc. is applied.

I quite like singing, but don't really have the voice for a lot of the songs/styles I'd like to do (even stuff I write myself), which is a bit of a bugger.

Me too Snags.  I found that a bit of compression (shock, horror!) made my own voice sound a little bit more acceptable.

fretmeister

I fronted a band for about 5 years about 20 years ago. I loved it.
Only recently started singing again for recording / writing and my voice has changed massively.

When the lockdowns end I think I'll get a couple of lessons. I've never had a lesson - I only started when the singer quit so I sang at rehearsals. I had written the lyrics so it was easiest for me to do.

Neill

I was scarred for life at school when my first music teacher told me I was tone deaf.  They used to audition all the new kids for the school choir and I was scared stiff, 11 years old, first few days at the big school, in front of the whole class - hardly surprising I didn't sound that great but I took it to heart and decided I would never sing in public again. 

I'm clearly not tone deaf, but I was well into my thirties before I felt confident enough to give it another go, and ended up handling the singing duties in one band - cos no-one else would do it of course. 

Like most folk I don't have much of a voice, but I can hold a tune and I find it doesn't matter all that much if you occasionally go off key or time (Sinatra got away with it constantly).  The main thing is practice, I find this much more so than playing guitar.  If I practice singing regularly it makes a huge difference, confidence wise as well.

I deeply envy those who have a natural singing voice, I remember Robin Trower saying if he could sing he would never have taken up the guitar, I feel the same whenever I hear a really good singer.  

PC_Dave

I would give anything to be able to sing

Lewy

I've been working on singing a fair bit over the last year. I decided to buy the Ken Tamplin course. It's certainly not cheap and he is quite a cheeseball but the quality of the information is incredible and so far I'm belting around a high B when I was topping out at F#-ish before.

monquixote

PC_Dave said:

I would give anything to be able to sing

Have you had lessons?

You might be surprised what you can do.

You come to realise it's an instrument and you need to know how to play it.

Bod

I can sing OK-ish.  I'm crap at remembering lyrics though...

fretmeister

Lewy said:

I've been working on singing a fair bit over the last year. I decided to buy the Ken Tamplin course. It's certainly not cheap and he is quite a cheeseball but the quality of the information is incredible and so far I'm belting around a high B when I was topping out at F#-ish before.

I looked at that but the youtube vids really did my head in - not the content, just him!  

I am now reconsidering if it is that good.

Lewy

fretmeister said:

Lewy said:

I've been working on singing a fair bit over the last year. I decided to buy the Ken Tamplin course. It's certainly not cheap and he is quite a cheeseball but the quality of the information is incredible and so far I'm belting around a high B when I was topping out at F#-ish before.

I looked at that but the youtube vids really did my head in - not the content, just him!  

I am now reconsidering if it is that good.

He's marginally less of a "character" in the actual course material - I've actually started to warm to him a bit.

Just don't listen to any of his original material

thecolourbox

Lewy said:

I've been working on singing a fair bit over the last year. I decided to buy the Ken Tamplin course. It's certainly not cheap and he is quite a cheeseball but the quality of the information is incredible and so far I'm belting around a high B when I was topping out at F#-ish before.

As in, the B above middle C? Blimey! People tend to say I have a fairly high voice but B or C above Middle C I'm having to do my "breathe in slightly fake high voice" thing.

PC_Dave

monquixote said:

PC_Dave said:

I would give anything to be able to sing

Have you had lessons?

You might be surprised what you can do.

You come to realise it's an instrument and you need to know how to play it.

I haven't thought about it like that, to be fair. I try BV's in the band but it ain't pleasant  

I'll look into lessons and see if I can muster up the confidence to do it.

Lewy

thecolourbox said:

Lewy said:

I've been working on singing a fair bit over the last year. I decided to buy the Ken Tamplin course. It's certainly not cheap and he is quite a cheeseball but the quality of the information is incredible and so far I'm belting around a high B when I was topping out at F#-ish before.

As in, the B above middle C? Blimey! People tend to say I have a fairly high voice but B or C above Middle C I'm having to do my "breathe in slightly fake high voice" thing.

Yes - assuming we're talking about the B on 7th fret of the high E string. I definitely have to chuck some air at it - I'm working on being more comfortable up there. 

thecolourbox

Lewy said:

thecolourbox said:

Lewy said:

I've been working on singing a fair bit over the last year. I decided to buy the Ken Tamplin course. It's certainly not cheap and he is quite a cheeseball but the quality of the information is incredible and so far I'm belting around a high B when I was topping out at F#-ish before.

As in, the B above middle C? Blimey! People tend to say I have a fairly high voice but B or C above Middle C I'm having to do my "breathe in slightly fake high voice" thing.

Yes - assuming we're talking about the B on 7th fret of the high E string. I definitely have to chuck some air at it - I'm working on being more comfortable up there. 

Impressive stuff man, good going!

Logie

I've never had lessons but I decided to have a bash at singing because the "guitarist in a band thing" wasn't working out and I actually prefer the singing now.
 I don't get nervous singing like I do playing guitar in front of people but I've no idea why. I'm quite at ease standing out in front belting it out.
I came into it pretty late in the game in my late 50's but my voice has got stronger the more I sing. It's not exactly cultured but it's mainly in tune and I've got a decent range for the rock stuff.
 I'm comfortable singing any AC/DC/ Zep/ Faces/ Nazareth rough arse type vocals but I'm happy with the Whitesnake/Foreigner/ Free classic rock stuff as well. We're even doing a Myles Kennedy/ Slash one called "Not for me" and I can hit every note which was a bloody surprise.
For the stuff I sing I don't really feel I need lessons (you can't polish a turd apparently) but I do know someone who had them and he was greatly improved by them. Not so much the general character of his voice as it is what it is I suppose but the range and the projection and strength of his vocals were like night and day