Any singers here? I need some advice on improving my voice. - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Krystal Lake · 06-13-2002, 09:53 PM

I don't have any problems hitting notes, but the quality of my singing voice has deteriorated lately. Like, when I try to hold a really high note, my voice cracks. When I try to hold a low note, it sounds really flat and awful.
So, does anyone have any tips on making my voice stronger and a bit smoother?
I've thought about gargling salt water, 'cause I know that can help your throat if you're sick, but I'm not sure if that would help or hurt my voice.

Kay Scarpetta · 06-13-2002, 09:57 PM

I'm sure you already know this, but incase ya don't....

Cut down on the chocolate. It coats your vocal chords. I found out the hard way. Last year, right before our school show, I ate a piece of chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream, AND a Hershey's Bar. As you can tell, I love chocolate. Anyways, I sounded fine, but it was REALLY hard for me to sing my part.

^^^ Just a tidbit of advice

Krystal Lake · 06-13-2002, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Lisa Whelchel Forever
I'm sure you already know this, but incase ya don't....

Cut down on the chocolate. It coats your vocal chords. I found out the hard way. Last year, right before our school show, I ate a piece of chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream, AND a Hershey's Bar. As you can tell, I love chocolate. Anyways, I sounded fine, but it was REALLY hard for me to sing my part.

^^^ Just a tidbit of advice

*whine* But, I don't wanna give up chocolate.

Yikes..I never knew that could mess with your vocal chords. I guess I could cut down a little bit. Thanks!!

Kay Scarpetta · 06-13-2002, 10:55 PM

Welcome

Just thought I'd let ya know

Montana Ponine · 06-13-2002, 11:54 PM

This is really, really obvious and I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but drink LOTS of water. I love to sing and while I'm watching a video of "Les Mis" or "Into the Woods" or "Cats" at home I ALWAYS have a water bottle with me because I get so caught up with singing the songs that I can never stop and my voice gets really tired. It's pretty funny, LOL. And I've also heard that steam helps your vocal chords...? Or something...? lol I don't know.

Anyway, LOL Karli, right before I clicked on this thread I had a Hershey's kiss!! AHHH!!!

Good luck Krystal Lake. I'm sure you're an AWESOME singer, unlike me....

ISmellFine · 06-14-2002, 12:19 AM

I couldn't sing well if I drank 654651561 gallons of water a day and never ate chocolate for the rest of my life (I really don't eat that much anyway), but I do anyway. It's fun!

Nancy McKeon is my idol!! · 06-14-2002, 12:32 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Maura Tierney
I couldn't sing well if I drank 654651561 gallons of water a day and never ate chocolate for the rest of my life (I really don't eat that much anyway), but I do anyway. It's fun!

hahaha me too! I sing for fun, although I can't sing worth crap!

ks · 06-14-2002, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Maura Tierney
I couldn't sing well if I drank 654651561 gallons of water a day and never ate chocolate for the rest of my life (I really don't eat that much anyway), but I do anyway. It's fun!

Ditto! I couldn't hit a note if my life depended on it! (Well maybe I could, but it'd sound really ugly.) I just sing for fun...I call it screeching though cause that's what it sounds like. I screech well though

ks

#1_Nancy_McKeon · 06-14-2002, 04:21 AM

I'm not any singer, but I heard that like Lemon Tea or drinking honey tea or something like that helps your voice. That's what I read in a band's magazine. That's what they do every concert. I will have to look it back up and get the exact thing they do to help their vocal cords. I sing a lot and I was in chorus for awhile also. My teachers had us warm up by singing as high a we could go without our voices hurting and then as low as we could go.

I enjoy singing. I do it just for fun now. I'm always going around the house singing and just a couple months ago my friends dared me to record my voice and send it to their e-mails... LOL- Of course,I did, and I got compliments which is scary!!! lol

Ewan's My Man · 06-14-2002, 02:27 PM

I sing a lot. And I'm awesome too...I wanna be a singer (I'm so modest)! HEHE! But, I haven't done NEthing, I'm just naturally talented. I remember that when I was lil and I sung the "ABC's" for my doctor it was weird and unusual for someone my age to be able to carry a tune. But your prolly thinking that I'm being obnoxious now...so...I'll be going...

Courtnee · 09-26-2005, 07:25 PM

breathe from your diaphram
don't drink milk before you sing
warm up
WATER ALWAYS!
stand up straight
practice
have fun

TV_Forever · 09-28-2005, 02:29 AM

Actually the BEST hint I ever had was PURE lemon juice (just shoot some in the back of the throat a few times and swallow)...it may be SOUR but it DOES clear the vocals VERY well

Also build up your singing muscles by deep breathing and letting it out in short spans, trying to increase the length you can have air left each time...

Hope that helps...

BLESSINGS

Courtnee · 09-28-2005, 05:34 PM

can spicy food ruin your voice?

Courtnee · 10-06-2005, 04:54 PM

link of thread...Every day, I come across a fellow singer who is interested in sounding better, being more confident in their sound, how to be louder/softer, etc.

So, I am going to attempt to create a thread that will help give pointers as to what to do, and what not to do. I am by no means a professional vocalist, and my advice is only what I have learned from others, and from vocal lessons.

So, here it goes.

I am going to start with what not to do.

1. Do not sing songs that are higher than your range. All it will do is frustrate you, and wind up doing a lot of damage to your vocal chords, which will result in not being able to sing at all eventually.

1a. Also, do not sing songs that are lower than your range. These songs are not as damaging to your voice, but you'll just wind up making a fool out of yourself if you're a soprano, and try to sing Type O Negative.

2. If you enjoy bands such as Slipknot, and you want to continue to have a voice at the end of the day, I would advise against trying to emulate Corey. People like Corey have trained their voice to be able to scream like that, and believe me, things like that do not happen overnight. It takes a lot of practice to do what he does. If you really want to become a professional singer, try a few notes here and there, slowly working your way to more and more each day. For example, maybe just do the singing parts of Wait & Bleed, which has a few screaming parts, and then work into the rest of the song from there.

3. Never start with a difficult song. Your voice needs time to warm up, and by starting with a difficult song, all you will do is make it harder to do any other songs that day, and wind up damaging your vocal chords. For example, don't start with Going Under, start with maybe Give Unto Me or Surrender.

4. Do not drink soda or dairy products while practicing. Soda will dehydrate you, and dairy products coat your throat, and make it harder to sing clean, crisp notes. Also, honey is a quick fix, but is actually worse for you in the long run.

5. Don't hold back. When belting out a high note, or a long one, holding back will only make you strain more, and hurt your voice. I always try and make sure I'm alone at home, or everyone is awake, and the door is shut when I'm singing. Try and sing when you can be loud. Holding back is the worst way to sing. It's more difficult to get any kind of emotion across, and also, again, it's very straining on your voice.

***

What to Do

Here are a few things that can help you get better pitch, better sound, and more confidence.

To Get Better Pitch:

1. Sing along to the original song, but keep the song low enough so that you can hear yourself. Headphones are bad, because they royally throw your pitch off. You have to be able to hear yourself in order to know you're singing it right. Once you think you have the pitch right, sing a few lines acapella, and then play the song. Are you on pitch? If not, keep trying. A lot of people can be on key while hearing the song, but once they go to acapella, they lose it. By doing this, it will help you get better pitch when it's only you singing.

2. Find the harmonies in songs, and sing along with them whenever you can. In the car, in the shower, wherever. By finding the harmonies, you are going to have to stay on pitch to sound right with the main vocals, and it will help train you into getting your pitches right.

To Gain Confidence:

1. Find something in your house that resembles a microphone. (If you don't have one.) Whenever you're singing, always act as if you're in front of a crowd. Get into the music, make faces at the "crowd", look over to your "guitarist" and jam along with him/her, etc. It will help you identify what your stage presence is or will be.

2. Get a friend or family member to sit down and hear you perform a song or two. Someone that you trust to be honest, but that you are comfortable around. Once you start getting critiques and compliments, you will gain more confidence in yourself. You are your own worst critic, just remember that.

3. If you mess up, act like you meant to. Or even that you found it funny. People mess up all the time. The key is being able to pick yourself back up and do better next time. Whenever I mess up at karaoke, I look at the mic like it was it's fault, not mine. LoL Then I laugh and continue with the song. It's a great feeling to know that people are laughing with you, not at you. Also, if you're not completely comfortable in a song, as much as people sometimes hate to hear them, disclaimers are always good. "Don't laugh if I **** up...", "I suck, just to letcha know..", etc. Even though you know you don't, people won't hold you high, and if you mess up, they won't pick it out as quickly.

Just some other misc. tips

1. Tea. Hot Tea. MMmmMMmm that's good stuff. It will relax your vocal chords, and make it easier to belt out a smooth note.

2. Stand up. Sitting down and singing will only cause more strain when hitting those really high or really loud notes. Always stand when singing. (Unless it's a fairly easy song, than it's not as bad to sit down, but I still don't recommend it.)

3. Learn to use your chest voice. Your falsetto (high, airy) voice is just that; high and airy, and actually your 'false' voice. It doesn't take much to use it, and it's very hard to get emotion across with it. Not to mention volume. (Unless you're in the opera...) If you've never used your chest voice, the easiest way to describe it is the voice you use to yell. Try yelling "GO-O-ING UN-DAH!" REALLY loud right now. Not even sing it, just yell it.... See how loud that was? Did you feel your stomach tighten? That would be your chest voice. That's the voice you're going to want to use to get those really powerful notes that Amy is so famous for.

As silly as this sounds, you can practice using your chest voice by rapping. Eminem, Linkin Park, DMX, etc. They may be talking, but they use alot of breath control do rap, and they are rapping (most of the time) in a certain key, with certain pitch. Below are a few songs that are really good when beginning using your chest voice to practice to:

Lose Yourself - Eminem
In The End - Linkin Park (The background vocals)
Baby Got Back - Sir Mix A Lot
Eyeless - Slipknot (Do NOT do the screaming parts, only the fast talking parts)

The reason I suggest doing rap songs first, is because when first starting out using your chest voice, it can be hard to stay in key. By rapping first, or doing easy songs, it will pave the way to being able to sing in your chest voice, just as you sing in your falsetto; only a hell of a lot louder and stronger.

***

And last but not least, breath control.

1. Find a song with a few long notes in your range. Practice that song EVERY DAY. The more you practice, the easier it will be for you to sustain long notes. Judith by APC is a perfect example. Maynard holds a LOT of long notes in that song, and that's actually the one I use to practice.

***

I hope this has been informative, and by all means, let me know if you have any questions that I did not cover.

<3

06-13-2002, 09:57 PM	#2
Kay Scarpetta Defy Gravity 8.26.05 Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 04, 2001 Location: La Vie Boheme Posts: 28,013	I'm sure you already know this, but incase ya don't.... Cut down on the chocolate. It coats your vocal chords. I found out the hard way. Last year, right before our school show, I ate a piece of chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream, AND a Hershey's Bar. As you can tell, I love chocolate. Anyways, I sounded fine, but it was REALLY hard for me to sing my part. ^^^ Just a tidbit of advice
	__________________ The people who think they know everything about Broadway make me laugh. They've never seen a Broadway play in their life. "oh mi godddd RENT's a mooovie! lyke 525600 minuuuuuuutes!" No. To be a Broadway Freak, you must live, eat, sleep, study, devout, think, obsess, dream, believe Broadway. You must know original & revival casts, soundtracks, performance runs, dates, theatres, numbers, how many Tony Awards A Chorus Line won. You must be Broadway. That's right bitches. I AM Broadway.

06-14-2002, 12:19 AM	#6
ISmellFine Zim Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 13, 2001 Posts: 4,886	I couldn't sing well if I drank 654651561 gallons of water a day and never ate chocolate for the rest of my life (I really don't eat that much anyway), but I do anyway. It's fun!
	__________________ Milton: "...and it's not okay, because if they take my stapler...then I'll set the building on fire."

06-14-2002, 02:27 PM	#10
Ewan's My Man I'll Cover You Forum Veteran Join Date: Sep 29, 2001 Location: Beneath the opera house... Posts: 5,682	I sing a lot. And I'm awesome too...I wanna be a singer (I'm so modest)! HEHE! But, I haven't done NEthing, I'm just naturally talented. I remember that when I was lil and I sung the "ABC's" for my doctor it was weird and unusual for someone my age to be able to carry a tune. But your prolly thinking that I'm being obnoxious now...so...I'll be going...
	__________________ Don't you ever wanna be somebody to envy Don't you wanna be footloose and free? Well, you could be the life of the party If you were more- Like me! All you have to do is jump over the moon Moo with me!

09-26-2005, 07:25 PM	#11
Courtnee MAN VS SAMMICH. Forum Star Join Date: Mar 23, 2005 Location: Louisiana Posts: 16,413	breathe from your diaphram don't drink milk before you sing warm up WATER ALWAYS! stand up straight practice have fun
	__________________ Whether I'm the rose of sheer perfection A freckle on the nose of life's complexion The Cinderella or the shine apple of its eye I gotta fly once, I gotta try once, Only can die once, right, sir? Ooh, life is juicy, juicy and you see, I gotta have my bite, sir. Get ready for me love, 'cause I'm a "comer" I simply gotta march, my heart's a drummer Don't bring around the cloud to rain on my parade

09-28-2005, 02:29 AM	#12
TV_Forever Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 31, 2005 Posts: 184	Hints... Actually the BEST hint I ever had was PURE lemon juice (just shoot some in the back of the throat a few times and swallow)...it may be SOUR but it DOES clear the vocals VERY well Also build up your singing muscles by deep breathing and letting it out in short spans, trying to increase the length you can have air left each time... Hope that helps... BLESSINGS

06-13-2002, 09:53 PM	#1
Krystal Lake I'll remember that.. Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 17, 2002 Location: Tied up at the moment... Posts: 485	Any singers here? I need some advice on improving my voice. I don't have any problems hitting notes, but the quality of my singing voice has deteriorated lately. Like, when I try to hold a really high note, my voice cracks. When I try to hold a low note, it sounds really flat and awful. So, does anyone have any tips on making my voice stronger and a bit smoother? I've thought about gargling salt water, 'cause I know that can help your throat if you're sick, but I'm not sure if that would help or hurt my voice.

06-13-2002, 10:55 PM	#4
Kay Scarpetta Defy Gravity 8.26.05 Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 04, 2001 Location: La Vie Boheme Posts: 28,013	Welcome Just thought I'd let ya know

06-13-2002, 11:54 PM	#5
Montana Ponine Tragically Beautiful Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 18, 2001 Location: Sondheimville Posts: 4,529	This is really, really obvious and I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but drink LOTS of water. I love to sing and while I'm watching a video of "Les Mis" or "Into the Woods" or "Cats" at home I ALWAYS have a water bottle with me because I get so caught up with singing the songs that I can never stop and my voice gets really tired. It's pretty funny, LOL. And I've also heard that steam helps your vocal chords...? Or something...? lol I don't know. Anyway, LOL Karli, right before I clicked on this thread I had a Hershey's kiss!! AHHH!!! Good luck Krystal Lake. I'm sure you're an AWESOME singer, unlike me....

06-14-2002, 04:21 AM	#9
#1_Nancy_McKeon The One and Only Senior Member Join Date: Dec 16, 2000 Location: USA Posts: 2,656	I'm not any singer, but I heard that like Lemon Tea or drinking honey tea or something like that helps your voice. That's what I read in a band's magazine. That's what they do every concert. I will have to look it back up and get the exact thing they do to help their vocal cords. I sing a lot and I was in chorus for awhile also. My teachers had us warm up by singing as high a we could go without our voices hurting and then as low as we could go. I enjoy singing. I do it just for fun now. I'm always going around the house singing and just a couple months ago my friends dared me to record my voice and send it to their e-mails... LOL- Of course,I did, and I got compliments which is scary!!! lol

09-28-2005, 05:34 PM	#13
Courtnee MAN VS SAMMICH. Forum Star Join Date: Mar 23, 2005 Location: Louisiana Posts: 16,413	can spicy food ruin your voice?

10-06-2005, 04:54 PM	#14
Courtnee MAN VS SAMMICH. Forum Star Join Date: Mar 23, 2005 Location: Louisiana Posts: 16,413	link of thread...Every day, I come across a fellow singer who is interested in sounding better, being more confident in their sound, how to be louder/softer, etc. So, I am going to attempt to create a thread that will help give pointers as to what to do, and what not to do. I am by no means a professional vocalist, and my advice is only what I have learned from others, and from vocal lessons. So, here it goes. I am going to start with what not to do. 1. Do not sing songs that are higher than your range. All it will do is frustrate you, and wind up doing a lot of damage to your vocal chords, which will result in not being able to sing at all eventually. 1a. Also, do not sing songs that are lower than your range. These songs are not as damaging to your voice, but you'll just wind up making a fool out of yourself if you're a soprano, and try to sing Type O Negative. 2. If you enjoy bands such as Slipknot, and you want to continue to have a voice at the end of the day, I would advise against trying to emulate Corey. People like Corey have trained their voice to be able to scream like that, and believe me, things like that do not happen overnight. It takes a lot of practice to do what he does. If you really want to become a professional singer, try a few notes here and there, slowly working your way to more and more each day. For example, maybe just do the singing parts of Wait & Bleed, which has a few screaming parts, and then work into the rest of the song from there. 3. Never start with a difficult song. Your voice needs time to warm up, and by starting with a difficult song, all you will do is make it harder to do any other songs that day, and wind up damaging your vocal chords. For example, don't start with Going Under, start with maybe Give Unto Me or Surrender. 4. Do not drink soda or dairy products while practicing. Soda will dehydrate you, and dairy products coat your throat, and make it harder to sing clean, crisp notes. Also, honey is a quick fix, but is actually worse for you in the long run. 5. Don't hold back. When belting out a high note, or a long one, holding back will only make you strain more, and hurt your voice. I always try and make sure I'm alone at home, or everyone is awake, and the door is shut when I'm singing. Try and sing when you can be loud. Holding back is the worst way to sing. It's more difficult to get any kind of emotion across, and also, again, it's very straining on your voice. * What to Do Here are a few things that can help you get better pitch, better sound, and more confidence. To Get Better Pitch: 1. Sing along to the original song, but keep the song low enough so that you can hear yourself. Headphones are bad, because they royally throw your pitch off. You have to be able to hear yourself in order to know you're singing it right. Once you think you have the pitch right, sing a few lines acapella, and then play the song. Are you on pitch? If not, keep trying. A lot of people can be on key while hearing the song, but once they go to acapella, they lose it. By doing this, it will help you get better pitch when it's only you singing. 2. Find the harmonies in songs, and sing along with them whenever you can. In the car, in the shower, wherever. By finding the harmonies, you are going to have to stay on pitch to sound right with the main vocals, and it will help train you into getting your pitches right. To Gain Confidence: 1. Find something in your house that resembles a microphone. (If you don't have one.) Whenever you're singing, always act as if you're in front of a crowd. Get into the music, make faces at the "crowd", look over to your "guitarist" and jam along with him/her, etc. It will help you identify what your stage presence is or will be. 2. Get a friend or family member to sit down and hear you perform a song or two. Someone that you trust to be honest, but that you are comfortable around. Once you start getting critiques and compliments, you will gain more confidence in yourself. You are your own worst critic, just remember that. 3. If you mess up, act like you meant to. Or even that you found it funny. People mess up all the time. The key is being able to pick yourself back up and do better next time. Whenever I mess up at karaoke, I look at the mic like it was it's fault, not mine. LoL Then I laugh and continue with the song. It's a great feeling to know that people are laughing with you, not at you. Also, if you're not completely comfortable in a song, as much as people sometimes hate to hear them, disclaimers are always good. "Don't laugh if I up...", "I suck, just to letcha know..", etc. Even though you know you don't, people won't hold you high, and if you mess up, they won't pick it out as quickly. Just some other misc. tips 1. Tea. Hot Tea. MMmmMMmm that's good stuff. It will relax your vocal chords, and make it easier to belt out a smooth note. 2. Stand up. Sitting down and singing will only cause more strain when hitting those really high or really loud notes. Always stand when singing. (Unless it's a fairly easy song, than it's not as bad to sit down, but I still don't recommend it.) 3. Learn to use your chest voice. Your falsetto (high, airy) voice is just that; high and airy, and actually your 'false' voice. It doesn't take much to use it, and it's very hard to get emotion across with it. Not to mention volume. (Unless you're in the opera...) If you've never used your chest voice, the easiest way to describe it is the voice you use to yell. Try yelling "GO-O-ING UN-DAH!" REALLY loud right now. Not even sing it, just yell it.... See how loud that was? Did you feel your stomach tighten? That would be your chest voice. That's the voice you're going to want to use to get those really powerful notes that Amy is so famous for. As silly as this sounds, you can practice using your chest voice by rapping. Eminem, Linkin Park, DMX, etc. They may be talking, but they use alot of breath control do rap, and they are rapping (most of the time) in a certain key, with certain pitch. Below are a few songs that are really good when beginning using your chest voice to practice to: Lose Yourself - Eminem In The End - Linkin Park (The background vocals) Baby Got Back - Sir Mix A Lot Eyeless - Slipknot (Do NOT do the screaming parts, only the fast talking parts) The reason I suggest doing rap songs first, is because when first starting out using your chest voice, it can be hard to stay in key. By rapping first, or doing easy songs, it will pave the way to being able to sing in your chest voice, just as you sing in your falsetto; only a hell of a lot louder and stronger. * And last but not least, breath control. 1. Find a song with a few long notes in your range. Practice that song EVERY DAY. The more you practice, the easier it will be for you to sustain long notes. Judith by APC is a perfect example. Maynard holds a LOT of long notes in that song, and that's actually the one I use to practice. *** I hope this has been informative, and by all means, let me know if you have any questions that I did not cover. <3