Tedster Posted December 4, 2000 Share Posted December 4, 2000 So who's a yodeler out there (I mean singer)? Lotsa tips on recording, bass playing, keys, guitar, biz, etc. Don't see much on vocals (which are arguably the most important part of most music, except obviously instrumental stuff).. I will say I heard an interview with Tom Johnston of the Doobies, and the interviewer was asking him if he'd lost any of his range as he got older, and Johnston replied "No, you've just got to exercise it every day". What vocal exercises does anyone do? Warmups? When to and not to use falsetto? Tips for strained voice remedies? "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curve Dominant Posted December 4, 2000 Share Posted December 4, 2000 >>Don't see much on vocals (which are arguably the most important part of most music, except obviously instrumental stuff).. << Touchy subject for this crowd, Tedstamonie. Singing is a theatrical craft, and not confined to musical or audio - hardly. There was an intense thread on the Digital Recording forum regarding mic preamps, which is as close to vocal apps as pro-audio guys & gals can get concerning us vocalists without becoming...how shall I say, un-scientific. For one thing, don't use those panty-hose popscreens - they kill us. Spring $25 for a Steadman ProScreen 100. It will amaze you: no plosives, no tonal degradation. Collect microphones like paintings at a gallery, and demo them all for every vocal take on every song for every singer you record. Get some kind of signal boost on those mics, whether it be a pre or 48v phantom on a mixer. Use compression always, but with extreme moderation. Lately, the trend is towards close-mic'd performances. This creates intimacy, and the vocalist doesn't have to belt, but rather can lay back and "talk" to the audience. Listen to Jill Scott's CD for an excellent example of this. Besides drinking lots of water, singing is all about the internal energy of the singer. Great energy = great vocal track, no matter what the "quality" of the voice itself. There are lots of pretty voices with lame energy behind them, and this is useless. A great singer "performs" a song, "interprets" a lyric. Anybody can merely "sing." Get your singers to open their hearts and souls any way you can. Make them watch "Hamlet," or "Raging Bull," and say, "Perform that song like it's your life story, like it's the last time you'll ever sing, and this is your last chance for immortality, every time you open your mouth to sing." If that doesn't work, boot them from your crib & get someone else. Life's too short for lame vocals, because your instincts are correct: the vocal performance is key. Eric Vincent (ASCAP) www.curvedominant.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted December 4, 2000 Author Share Posted December 4, 2000 >>Touchy subject for this crowd, Tedstamonie. Singing is a theatrical craft, and not confined to musical or audio - hardly. There was an intense thread on the Digital Recording forum regarding mic preamps, which is as close to vocal apps as pro-audio guys & gals can get concerning us vocalists without becoming...how shall I say, un-scientific... Well, that's my point exactly. We have music forums here, guitarists and what not, that not only discuss pro audio ("how do I mic my cab", etc.) as well as the more artistic sides. Yes, voice is a theatrical talent, but, it goes beyond just that, and there are, for example, a lot of us guitarists that sing (or try to) (what I mean is that not every vocalist is free to do Daltrey-isms or what have you...and given Pete Townshend's earlier antics, one could say guitar was theatrical too). That said, I would submit that the voice is in reality a lot like other instruments. There is a technical and spiritual side. SRV comes to mind. One can teach someone technically to reproduce SRV's licks, but that soul thing can't be taught (feel free to argue here). So unless someone has it from the get go, they're SOL. But the voice, too, is learned like an instrument. It takes practice to improve your abilities, and although some folks have it early on and some folks will never get it, those that have the raw materials can learn to refine them. One of the biggest statements I notice on all pro-audio boards (and this concerns vocal and instrumental performances) is, if the performance ain't there to begin with, all of the knob twisting and button pushing in the world ain't gonna help it. I like your analogy about singing every performance as though it's your last chance for immortality... http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif That said, I'd like to think that there were more tangible "scientific" ways to improve a vocalist's performance as well... "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicMan Posted December 4, 2000 Share Posted December 4, 2000 There are ways to technically improve a singers performance, but the biggest questions are always about what emotion are you trying to convey? That IMO will determine what types of things you can do to improve the technical part of singing. If you are in a Pantera tribute band, obviously, you might not be interested in practicing scales, or staying away from dairy for a few days before a session. It appears that for some reason, though I know that it should be this way with all instruments, mentally it is hard for me to separate the emotional connotations associated with singing from the technical aspect of trying to sing notes. The obvious answers about practicing scales, and taking care of the health of your cords, seem inadequate to me. I am interested in seeing what some of the others think. -John My Music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderton Posted December 4, 2000 Share Posted December 4, 2000 Until version 1.4 of this site, we had a vocalist channel. It wasn't well-populated with articles, and we found that most aspects of being a vocalist worked in the other channels. For example, exercises for warming up ended up in the gigging channel, and issues related to recording voice ended up in recording. We are talking about starting a singer/songwriter channel which would cover vocals, but also cast a somewhat wider net. This won't happen tomorrow, but it's on the list of things to do. Craig Anderton Educational site: http://www.craiganderton.org Music: http://www.youtube.com/thecraiganderton Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/craig_anderton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted December 5, 2000 Author Share Posted December 5, 2000 I do like the songwriting aspect of that. I kinda sing, but I don't consider myself a "vocalist". "Vocalist" for me conjures up someone like Michael Bolton or Whitney Houston...Tony Bennett, Lou Rawls...etc... I'm just a guy who has fun trying to sing, play geetar, and write toonz. Just trying to get better, or maybe keep from getting worse, y'know? "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratman_dup1 Posted December 5, 2000 Share Posted December 5, 2000 Originally posted by Tedster: That said, I would submit that the voice is in reality a lot like other instruments. There is a technical and spiritual side. SRV comes to mind. One can teach someone technically to reproduce SRV's licks, but that soul thing can't be taught (feel free to argue here). I like your analogy about singing every performance as though it's your last chance for immortality... http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif That said, I'd like to think that there were more tangible "scientific" ways to improve a vocalist's performance as well. I'm just a guy who has fun trying to sing, play geetar, and write toonz. Just trying to get better, or maybe keep from getting worse, y'know? ... you won't get any arguments from me Tedster, I'm with a 100% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinopop Posted December 6, 2000 Share Posted December 6, 2000 Finally, a thread about something I know a little something about http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif Not that I'm going to blow anybody away with my singing but I've had a good bit of formal training and done the full gamete from musical theater to rock band to jingles to gospel quartet to ... em ... Gaelic Choir (that's a long story!) I can second everything that's been said about treating the voice as an instrument and the importance of putting heart and should into the performance. The thing is, I see singing guitar players baby their vintage LPs but abuse the one instrument that is absolutely irreplaceable! Pointers? Learn proper breathing technics. These are as fundamental as an G7 chord. Know that alcohol anesthetizes your vocal chords. No pain from the strain may mean you wreck your voice before you know it. (Personal experience speaking there. Fortunately, in my case it was temporary. I have known those who weren't so lucky.) Finally, make every song you sing your own. (I think that just echoes what Curve said but it bears repeating.) Cheers, Layne - Layne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captain54 Posted December 6, 2000 Share Posted December 6, 2000 as a vocal coach, "trained" singer, and person who has made a living singing, I can't stress enough the importance of breathing from the diaphragm.... I have seen so many blown voices and bad performances that could have been avoided... Your breathing must be supported by allowing the diaphragm, which is a muscle located just beneath your lungs and stretches from your sternum to your back, to work for you.. Oddly, enough, if your posture is straight, that helps your diaphragm work better... Its critical..it saves wear and tear on your voice, allows beautiful phrasing, and lets your voice effortlessly glide wide intervals of octaves and sixths.... You can't sing from your throat alone, no matter how much "feeling" you put into it.. Your voice will tire easily and all your expression is lost.... You'd be surprised how many legendary rock singers use the diaphragm, some without realizing it, some as a learned and practiced habit from a vocal coach.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rstroope Posted December 7, 2000 Share Posted December 7, 2000 I have only one comment...ok make that 3.. Me Me Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rstroope Posted December 7, 2000 Share Posted December 7, 2000 Captain...that's why we use a pop filter in front of the mic...so you can breath "from" the diaphram....sorry guys. I may be losing my job tomorrow and I'm so happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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