I think I write good lyrics with ok melodies, but I don't have a good voice....anybody know if theres a chance I can make a humble living? I haven't tried anything yet....just been writing tunes for the past 3 years. I would love to play coffee shops.
Well, Bob Dylan didn't have a good voice, and he made a pretty good thing out of it. As long as you have good lyrics, and you're not completly tone deaf, I don't think you have a problem.
You know what....I think Bob Dylan did have a good voice. The cool thing about him was his style and delivery.....that kind of gives me an idea. Thank you for your encouragment. I will ponder your words over a pack of cigarettes and go for the gruff thing.
Bob Dylan has a sort of weak voice, but his songs were good. I think the thing to do for you would be to develop a personal singing style that fits your music. You don't need a good voice anymore, just think about Nancy Slick: she imitated the sound of a electric guitar and made it big for Jefferson Airplane. Try to listen to Joanne Newsom and figure out how she's using her voice. You'll have to work hard to develop your voice in the right direction. peace
The gruff thing can really damage your voice if you're not careful. I wouldn't suggest going down that route. I found singing lessons helped me. A lot of why most people's voices are weak is psychological. It's a fear of vunerability. Your voice is so personal - anyone can play the guitar parts you write but nobody can ever sing like you. They can be similar, but your voice will always, always be distinctive. Once you loose the fear of exposing yourself (not even neccesarily to other people, just at all) then you will have much more open to you as a singer. 2 things that are helping me at the moment with my voice is, not singing lessons, but theatrical vocal training and choir. When you're in a theatre, you've got to project your voice into a very very big space and you'll only be micced up if your theatre company is very rich and you have a big lead... neither of which is particuarly likely. A lot of what we do when training our voices in drama is some really serious relaxation exercises that center the whole body. You finish them and your back is straight but you don't feel like you're forcing it to be so. You are physically very open. Then we do vocal warm ups, starting with breathing excercises then we let our breath out on hums and then "ahs" and things like that. We also give eachother massages to release tension, which is nice. The choir has been really really good for increasing confidence but also it really helps you develop your technical skill. You sing exactly what the people next to you are singing but it doesn't push you so hard it hurts. Oh yeah - if you're voice ever starts hurting, just take a break until it's not and make sure that you're voice is connected to your breath and sing from your diaphram. Anyways - that's all quite long winded and a lot of what I suggested probably won't apply to you. At the end of the day I've got where I am now by just singing what I'm passionate about. You know, just me, an acoustic, my voice and SONGS! All the technical training I've had (which isn't much) is only because I have started to feel limited by my voice and want more open to me. Learning to sing is hugely to do with just a really genuine self acceptance. Both physically in terms of "this is where my voice is" (I'm only just discovering I'm more of a baritone than the tenor I thought I was) and emotionally as well, you've got to be able to accept your fear of exposure before you can overcome it. Good Luck and sorry to ramble. Sebbi
Do what sebbi said. There is no replacement for breath control - and instruction is the best way to learn. Also, practise alot. Record yourself singing and listen to it to decide what you can do and like. Hearing yourself changes how you sing, and knowing what your style is makes singing easier. Definitely do not just go for the gravel voice, as I have also known folks who have totally ruined great voices from doing just that.
Good tips by Sebbi Breathe and open your mouth wide when you sing, sing whenever you get the chance, also listening to other singers or seeing them live helps learning. Everyone has a voice hiding deep inside their spirit...
Style and delivery will take you far. I've heard great performances by singers with limited operatic ability (for lack of a better term), and poor performances by trained vocalists. Like Eric Clapton said, It's in the way that you use it.
I really sucked for a while. Then I got into karaoke. Spend $40 for a machine, then get some CDG stuff for your chosen genre. I sang all sorts of stuff to shape my voice. Elton John, Bowie, Manilow, Slayer, GNR, Skid Row, Bonnie Tyler, Great white, Metallica, female rock, anything I was a fan of. It'll help your timing issues and really give you some valuable first-hand knowledge. Record it and listen to it so you can go back and try to fix the mistakes.
Its hard.. but you can do it.. and for vocal techniques go get the DVD The Zen of Screaming.. It has techniques that will assist anyone in any style of music.. its great!
You might want to define first what a "good voice" is. Is it a strong, clear voice? there are some singers who almost whisper their songs, and yet it works for them (Norah Jones, for instance doesn't have a particularly powerful voice). Is a "good voice" one with a 4-octave range? There are singers who don't have a great range but are very effective in their own range. I think the question you need to answer when deciding whether or not you have a good voice is: Does your voice evoke an emotional response from the listeners? Does it pull at their hearts? Make them sit up and pay attention? And the answer to that question depends not just on the voice but also on the song. Certain voices are good only in certain songs. Billy Corgan's voice was perfect for 1979 and Bullet with Butterfly Wings. It wouldn't be as effective for Edelweiss. So you need to do three things. One is take voice lessons to help you with stuff like breathing properly and so on. Another is write songs that are tailormade for your voice. Number three is, of course, practice.
voice lessons can be helpful for basic technique, but chances are there not going to be teaching you the style your interested in, it's important not to get caught up in trying to sound like what you think people expect you to; trying to be a "good" singer. everyone has a truly unique singing voice, and in my opinion the best rock singers of all time were those who truly embraced how different their own voice could be, Joanna Newsom(my one true love, hands off!), Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Johnny cash, Billy Corgan, etc. Take your unique beautiful soul, and channel it through your unique beautiful voice.
*Take your unique beautiful soul, and channel it through your unique beautiful voice* Very well said man. It really is it.
I'm not sure if you're even looking for singing advice, but you don't have to read on : ) It's mostly about 3 things (for me at least) - breath control - before you sing, practice taking deep breaths, and letting them out on "shhh" for counts of 4...then 8...then 12...etc. until 16 or even 20 (if you're daring). my chorus teacher has us do really stupid shit before singing , but hes one of the best in the nation. another good warm up is yelling "ahh" while descending from a high note to a low note - this will help you practice not going into your chest voice. one more warm up that helps me a lot is to sing in a mrs. doubtfire voice. you'll sound like a weirdo, but it helps you open up your vocal chords and eliminate that airy sound. okay, you're done with warm-ups. when you sing, try placing your hand near your diaphragm - you should feel it contract and fill up as you sing. when you sing a note, especially if you want to hold it, you should feel as if you are trying to keep your diaphragm from going back up (you cant really stop it - its an involuntary muscle). but you should feel as if your stomach is tense, almost like you're flexing your stomach as if someone is trying to poke it. - vertical shape - A E I O U can make or break your singing. whenever you sing a vowel, especially hold, make sure your mouth is WIDE OPEN. Make your mouth as vertical as possible. and even when you sing an "eee" sound (the hardest vowel to sing in my opinion) you should be able to scrunch your nose and show your top teeth a little. whatever you do - you probably shouldn't look in a mirror until you're comfortable with your voice. because i dont know about anyone else, but i look like a freak when i sing. same with guitar though, and possibly any instrument, if you care what you look like your sound will suffer. (this is why i HATE american idol! they discourage akward facial movements- but you have to make certain faces to get the sound to come out just right) look at muudy waters, and aretha franklin, and little richard, or any great blues singer- they all looked a bit odd when they sang. okay, the most important thing - SOUL - thats all it takes. that music just has to hit you deep, and everything will work itself out. if you're having an off day (and i get those often!), just imaging yourself in a jazz club or blues bar long ago....somethiing about that picture just always gets me back where i should be! well, thanks for reading this incredibly long babble. you probably think im a freak for telling you to poke your stomach while singing like mrs. doubtfire, but trust me - this will help. IM SURE YOU"LL DO GREAT!! peace <33
