*GASP* SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGGGGGIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGG

[Circuitfry]

http://soundcloud.com/yelobolt/esvcogatg

HALP HOW DO I NOT SUND LIEK SHIT???????????

inb4 jackle app saves the day

There's tons of stuff about proper singing but I would like to know how to practice and get better the right way. Which muscles should I not strain and how to keep my muscles from slipping their "grip" and causing my notes to fall flatter than a redneck wagon tire. yeehEH!

I would love some good, fun examples of exercises in breathing and pitch control. Any videos, guise?

[Aussie]

It really wasn't that bad, Circuit!

Anyway I can't sing at all, so I can't help you. Let's play the Waiting for Jackle game.

[DerpyGrooves]

If it hurts, you're doing it wrong. Work on long tones chromatically. Do your scales. If you find any notes you have trouble hitting, do the note a semitone below it and belt it until you get satisfactory sound, then do the one you're aiming for. Sing along with everything!

Remember it's all in the diaphragm! Anything in particular you're concerned about?

[Versilaryan]

You've got a good voice. You just need to work on pitch control. =P

I can't help you too much. I'm almost entirely self-taught when it comes to singing, and pitch control comes naturally. >.> All I can say about pitch control is to work on your ear training and being able to tell if things are sharp or flat. A lot of people sing next to a piano for a reason.

What I do if I can't get something in tune is I sing next to a piano, and sing it really slowly. I super-super enunciate my words, and make sure I can get the notes in tune as fast as possible, and focus on hitting the notes in the center of the pitch from the start. Then I speed it up slowly until I can sing it perfectly in-tune. Works great for faster and more complicated passages.

Sight-singing is an excellent skill to develop. Being able to hear the pitches in your head that accurately actually helps a ton with pitch control.

Hmm. Breath control. I don't know how much you already know about breath control, so I'll start with the basics.

Your lungs are actually MUCH bigger than most people think. The grand majority of all people only use the top half of their lungs to breathe. The first step is to discover the lower half of your lungs. Take a deep breath. Hold it. Then force the air downwards towards your stomach. If you haven't done this before, it might hurt a bit, so don't overextend yourself! =P

So now that you know (or already did know) how low your lungs go, work on breathing from there. Works best if you're standing or sitting up straight. Work on taking large breaths without moving your shoulders at all. Your stomach should be the thing that's moving. Then blow out for a predetermined time, working on maintaining a fast, consistent air flow.

Lastly, when you sing, your abs should be flexed. Your diaphragm is a really, really weak muscle. It only knows how to make your lungs expand. When I talk about breath support, this is what I'm talking about. Your abs support the air you're letting out, and assuming you're doing it right, it makes a noticeable difference in your sound. It also helps A TON with hitting notes you'd otherwise be unable to hit. It also helps with volume -- being able to sing louder, and being able to sing softly without sounding wimpy.

So sit down and practice the breath support thing -- work on getting it so that you can do it without thinking about. If you hear my huge "LAAAAAAAAAUUUUUGH" at the end of my Giggle at the Ghostie a capella, I actually run almost entirely out of breath at the very end. What saves my sound from wavering out and dying? Breath support. *wink and cheesy thumbs-up*

As if this wall of text wasn't long enough, there are some things you should definitely watch out for. Work on making sure your tone resonates in the upper part of your mouth -- you should /never/ be swallowing your voice and working your voice downwards down your throat unless you want to sound dull and flat. If you want a brighter tone, focus your sound up where your sinuses are.

[Circuitfry]

Thanks, guys. I essentially have no idea how to properly sing so every base can be covered without much concern for my (total lack of) knowledge on anything audial.

[PinkieGuy]

I agree with everything that Versy said, but I will add only one other thing to the mix:

http://soundcloud.com/robertanderson-2/giggle-at-the-circuitfrys-poor#

Sing jazz.





I apologize that this song isn't finished and is poorly written and mixed. I just wanted you to know that your voice makes me feel infinitely less manly about my own singing voice. Be proud

[Interrobang Pie]

Don't try to sing at 1 in the morning when everyone is asleep cause the singing will be bad or you'll wake everyone up.

You'll see this to be true when you see my Toastbeard entry...