Tips For Singing Lead Vocal...

[john]

Hey

Anyone got any tips for singing lead vocal?

For me it is genre specific whether you perform vocal gymnastics or not. For me, the character of the voice is as important as anything else. As a lead singer you have to project that character by adding a variety of feeling to to your vocal. i.e. don't just sing the tune.

If you feel the emotion during your performance, it will show in your voice. In practice, record yourself while feeling the emotion assosciated with the lyric. Using several recording you can sort out what ornamentation or vocal dynamics and tone best convey the feeling, AND show your voice off at it's best.

Cheers

John

[FinnArild]

- Study the lyrics, understand them and plan the song - where to draw together, where to pull apart.

- Use visualization - visualize what you sing in front of you.

and of course ..

- Do scales 2-3 times a week

- Warm up

[merciful evans]

i will. im getting rusty.

[john]

breathing.

Work out where you should be breathing so that you have enough breath to do the melody (and your voice) justice. Poor breath planning and control is one of the most common problems singers have, and many don't even realise it!

[musicthom]

breathing.

Work out where you should be breathing so that you have enough breath to do the melody (and your voice) justice. Poor breath planning and control is one of the most common problems singers have, and many don't even realise it!

some great advice here loved the tip on visualisatiom i could see how that works

[Desertrose]

Well, I was reading somewhere that said songwriters should not try to bring TOO much dynamic to their melodies as in key range because most average listeners won't be able to sing along with it and most "great" songs (as in hits) do not swing wildly from lower to upper keys.

Generally speaking.

I thought that was interesting.

I guess for me listening to people sing is that they sound "comfortable" in their range so choosing the right key for YOUR voice is very important.

You needn't be ullulating all over the place and doing all these fancy vocal acrobatics either to make your vocal performance sound good.

I think sounding authentic and as though you are really enjoying singing it is more important.

[musicthom]

Well, I was reading somewhere that said songwriters should not try to bring TOO much dynamic to their melodies as in key range because most average listeners won't be able to sing along with it and most "great" songs (as in hits) do not swing wildly from lower to upper keys.

Generally speaking.

I thought that was interesting.

I guess for me listening to people sing is that they sound "comfortable" in their range so choosing the right key for YOUR voice is very important.

You needn't be ullulating all over the place and doing all these fancy vocal acrobatics either to make your vocal performance sound good.

I think sounding authentic and as though you are really enjoying singing it is more important.

good point i hate all them vocal acrobatics some singers out there use it far too much i love that moment when someone singing makes the hair on your neck stand pure insperation and indeed we all have our fav singers but for me it depends on the song i have herd a few covers that the artist for my ears did it better than the original

[roxhythe]

Good advice, here. I don't think the wringing-emotion-out-of-your-voice thing is genre-specific. I think you need to do that no matter what you're singing. If you don't project emotion--whatever emotion it is--you haven't given anyone a reason to listen to the song.

Breathing gets important with fast-moving music. I write a fair amount of bluegrass tunes, and for them, I have to plan my breathing--where I'm going to breathe, and how deep, to carry me to the next point. I'll usually have to tweak the lyrics to allow me to breathe in at strategic points--without, of course, making it obvious what I'm doing. I've noticed the lessons learned, and habits gained, from singing bluegrass music are applicable elsewhere, too.

One piece of advice I didn't see anyone giving--*stand up* to sing, especially if you're singing lead. If you're standing, you've got a straight path for the air, and you can use your diaphragm to power your vocal cords, and you can (I think) hold notes longer and sing them louder. And it's a good habit to get into: if you sing sitting down, you're not using your diaphragm, and you can strain your vocal cords real easily.

Joe

[tgrover]

Hey

Anyone got any tips for singing lead vocal?

For me it is genre specific whether you perform vocal gymnastics or not. For me, the character of the voice is as important as anything else. As a lead singer you have to project that character by adding a variety of feeling to to your vocal. i.e. don't just sing the tune.

If you feel the emotion during your performance, it will show in your voice. In practice, record yourself while feeling the emotion assosciated with the lyric. Using several recording you can sort out what ornamentation or vocal dynamics and tone best convey the feeling, AND show your voice off at it's best.

Cheers

John

If you are talking about singing live then you have to get the balance correct between performance and in tune. Mr Smith always went for performance and it let down the live show on many occasions.

Where as in the studio i think you need to feel comfortable with what you can and cant hear in the headphones etc. If you dont get that correct then singer is not focused on singing they are trying to hear the mix.

I am not a singer but have worked with many and what most dont seem to understand is that the voice is an instrument. It needs practise and in cases it needs lessons. But none of the singers i have worked with have every had a lesson and rarely practise. it seems that a lot of singers dont believe that the voice should be trained in the same way as some one learning say the guitar. Hours of scales, hours of technique etc. most singers let themselves down by not breathing in the correct places.

[Steve]

I am not a singer but have worked with many and what most dont seem to understand is that the voice is an instrument. It needs practise and in cases it needs lessons. But none of the singers i have worked with have every had a lesson and rarely practise. it seems that a lot of singers dont believe that the voice should be trained in the same way as some one learning say the guitar. Hours of scales, hours of technique etc. most singers let themselves down by not breathing in the correct places.

Do you believe then, that any voice can be trained to sing? Or are there some people who will never be able to sing no matter what?

[roxhythe]

Oh, I think so. Think of the voice as a vehicle. Some of us got '49 Fords; some have Jag-you-ars. You can do more with the latter than the former. But both will get you where you want to go.

Joe

[AnneC]

I'd say just like a guitar or a piano, it would depend to some degree on the condition of the instrument! The difference between those and voice is that the voice can't be repaired or replaced.

[tgrover]

Do you believe then, that any voice can be trained to sing? Or are there some people who will never be able to sing no matter what?

you can be trained to sing 'better'. I can sing in key but my voice is not a voice that should be heard. I will never have a good sounding voice no matter how hard i train it.

If you are tone deaf then you have not really got much of a chance.

[Steve]

So what about vocal enhancers like Anteres Auto Tune? Is this something we should be looking at? Us non singers I mean!

[ramadhaniyanto]

Oh, I think so. Think of the voice as a vehicle. Some of us got '49 Fords; some have Jag-you-ars. You can do more with the latter than the former. But both will get you where you want to go.

that really provides insight to the whole "are vocals talent or technique?" question i've been asking vocalists for some time now

thanks!

[Funnybones]

breathing.

Work out where you should be breathing so that you have enough breath to do the melody (and your voice) justice. Poor breath planning and control is one of the most common problems singers have, and many don't even realise it!

Amen.

I find a shot of whiskey, just before I sing helps me loosen up too.

[Chris]

I'm digging this topic up just a tad.

The tips given in this topic are great so far, but it seems like one of the the most important things to remember has been left out.

Have fun! I've met so many talented musicians and singers alike that just don't seem to enjoy what they're doing, and the performance suffers. Keep all of the tips in this thread in mind, but always remember why you're doing what you're doing and consider yourself lucky to have the opportunity to do it.

That's what I think about, anyway.

[neoism]

and for screamers.....have some crunchy shit....so you can add more crunch into screaming.....

[Boff]

Have someone listen to you sing from time to time, a friend that can tell you what's good and what's not, and record yourself, so you can hear yourself what you need to improve. Just look at American Idol and you'll know that's important, especially when you're a beginner.

Sing in a comfortable range, at least when you sing in front of people. When you're training alone - that's the place to try to reach notes you haven't sung before (not by pushing and reaching with your voice though, it should be more like a release).

Develope you're own style! "Vibrato or not? Crunch or not?" and so on.

[Fapbreathe]

because i have only sung (on stage) songs that I have written the lyrics for, i dont usually have a problem with getting the emotion across.

i have been known to be found curled up on the stage floor, eyes closed, clutching the mike, just totally surrendered to whatever happens, pushing the words out how they come to me, not necessarily how they were sung last time, or when they were sung last time.

sometimes its not even what i sung last time.

i vote for surrender , let the music, the words, the general ideal of the particular song consume you, so there is nothing but what you are trying to put across.

the rest happens.

(imo/ime)