Singing thread for amateurs

roundthebend

Just found this thread. It's interesting to me because I do solo acoustic stuff occasionally and I'm also singing with a covers band. I don't do it because I think I'm good, I do it because I enjoy it and think I can get away with it to a degree. There are some songs I just can't get so I drop them from the set.

I liked an idea further up, can't remember who said it but it's good. We could have a challenge every month where someone posts a backing track for a well known song, and others can submit their vocal track to go with it. I think the backing track should be fairly basic to allow the vocal to be heard in a pure way. I'd say a bit of reverb and delay might be OK for effect, there's no prizes anyway.

As an extension to that, once the vocal tracks are submitted maybe a more full backing track can be used under the same recording to see what difference it makes in a bigger mix. I've noticed since being in a band that my guitar playing can be a lot less fussy, more approximate, than if I'm playing solo. I think it would be a confidence builder. Like, do we all want to be solid acapella vocalists before we dare perform live with a band? I shouldn't think so.

thecolourbox

I'd be up for that I think, though I know I have some singing still to do for a good pal on here that I should probably prioritise when I finally get my desk design sorted and built.

What I'd like to ask, and this may be a question for a thread of its own to be fair, is how to folks find songs to learn/cover etc? I find it really hard to find stuff that I both like and would suit my limited voice, though once I've settled on a song I can normally do a nice arrangement of it. But finding it in the first place - I feel like I need to be able to search Spotify by stuff like "vocal range from highest to lowest" or "things with short phrases so I don't run out of breath too often"

CaseOfAce

General question - do you guys generally practice with a powered monitor and microphone at home? 
I've discovered I like to do this for 2 reasons:
1) getting comfy with the mic - forces me to play backing chords without looking at the fretboard, posture etc..
2) hearing my voice from a distinct sound source is different / needs adjustment to singing unamplified...

thecolourbox

I personally don't but I think I should as it does help, in the ways you say and also just in general it's good to practice as you would perform as much as possible really I guess. I struggle with pitching lower notes when performing live at volume as I just just can't hear it, so I imagine doing that would help at least some of the way

Nikc

I've been playing a sining for a while now - I guess I'm ok'ish nobody's thrown anything hard at me as of yet. During lockdown I was concerned that I would loose my hard fought for confidence to actually get up and give it a go. So as the pragmatic person I am I bought an acoustic amp and plugged mic and guitar in at home to keep going. This really has turned out to be one of my better life choices. Properly monitoring myself back has helped give me more confidence and encouraged me to push my vocal. As I said I realise I'm ok and that I'm not unhappy with that reality and as it stands I comfortable enough to get up and perform in front of people I know or a bar full of strangers. 

FarleyUK

Apologies if this isn't the right place - but I have a hell of a time trying to sing harmonies with our lead singer (on stuff like Roxanne and Take it Easy). Does anyone have any tips on how to go about practising these? I can't even tell if I'm too high or low - guess I just have awful pitch....!

Nikc

FarleyUK said:

Apologies if this isn't the right place - but I have a hell of a time trying to sing harmonies with our lead singer (on stuff like Roxanne and Take it Easy). Does anyone have any tips on how to go about practising these? I can't even tell if I'm too high or low - guess I just have awful pitch....!

I've only ever done it once and I'm not sure if it was just an accident on my part - I'd guess practice and practice again - as per my post above I think you really need to be able to hear yourself from a monitor as well as the main vocalist. 

Cranky

thecolourbox said:

Thanks @axisus ;; that's very kind of you. My frustration is that whilst I feel like it's an acceptably pleasant sound, it's essentially the only pleasant sound I can make and as such I can only ever do that kind of dull background "bed wetter" music. In some ways the kind of reserved dullness that my voice has (and the music that goes with it) represents me very well as a person as I'm also rather dull and reserved but it's just not music I enjoy listening to, or enjoy playing other than the slight kind of appreciation of it coming together.

As such, I feel like I pretty much reached what I was capable of doing pretty early on in the journey - only really started singing in mid 20s (mid 30s now) but fairly quickly I was able to sound pretty much like I do in the recordings so I do frequently get bored of trying it as there isn't any interesting music to get my teeth into nor any real way I can change what the voice does to do the music I'd actually like. I'm a good actor so I can do stuff like that without people realising I don't really like it, but there's very limited scope for that kind of music in a performance setting

Ever try doing some Elliott Smith tunes?  

thecolourbox

Cranky said:

thecolourbox said:

Thanks @axisus ;; that's very kind of you. My frustration is that whilst I feel like it's an acceptably pleasant sound, it's essentially the only pleasant sound I can make and as such I can only ever do that kind of dull background "bed wetter" music. In some ways the kind of reserved dullness that my voice has (and the music that goes with it) represents me very well as a person as I'm also rather dull and reserved but it's just not music I enjoy listening to, or enjoy playing other than the slight kind of appreciation of it coming together.

As such, I feel like I pretty much reached what I was capable of doing pretty early on in the journey - only really started singing in mid 20s (mid 30s now) but fairly quickly I was able to sound pretty much like I do in the recordings so I do frequently get bored of trying it as there isn't any interesting music to get my teeth into nor any real way I can change what the voice does to do the music I'd actually like. I'm a good actor so I can do stuff like that without people realising I don't really like it, but there's very limited scope for that kind of music in a performance setting

Ever try doing some Elliott Smith tunes?  

It's not a name I recognised to be honest, I put his introductory playlist on spotify while I was getting ready this morning but not really my thing I'm afraid, and also fairly close to the styles I'd love to leave behind if possible Thanks for the tip though

Sambostar

FarleyUK said:

Apologies if this isn't the right place - but I have a hell of a time trying to sing harmonies with our lead singer (on stuff like Roxanne and Take it Easy). Does anyone have any tips on how to go about practising these? I can't even tell if I'm too high or low - guess I just have awful pitch....!

Start with Last Time Rolling Stones and sing Keith's bit on the Chorus.  Double track a recording.  Take it Easy can fill a big room.  I love harmonies.  No such thing as a lead singer.  I can't sing richly but I have a bipolar voice and I find it frustrating when bandmates start singing along with me when I'm in a fifth or whatever.  I wished people used their ears and just sand accordingly.  Texture and tone.  If you can think it you can play or sing it, just like if you can draw it you can build it.  Trained singers ware on me anyway.  Apart from they're really good sometimes.  Like Foot Long at the Platform Tavern Soton this Sunday seem really good, but aside.  I'd rather see mediocre singers doing decent harmonies tbh, the effect is so much more powerful.  Just as you get bored of these bands when they sing in the tenor range all the time, first couple of tracks blow you way live as the frequency translates so well, after that it's mere.