Singing

bassistpatrick · #1 01-09-2009, 10:42 AM

Im thinking about taking vocal lessons, but until then does anyone know anything about singing technique? I know your supposed keep your mouth open wide and stand up tall to improve your tone, but what else?

Also, will my intonation gradually improve over time? Or if I keep singing an interval slightly flat, will I learn the interval like that?
For example, I've been practicng the scales in a sequence like this:
Do Re Mi Fa- Re Mi Fa Sol- Mi Fa Sol La- Fa Sol La Ti- Sol La Ti Do- Do Ti La Sol- Ti La Sol Fa....
Going from Fa down to Re (m3) Im always a little flat, but it's close. Should I keep practicing that interval until I can nail it, or will my intonation gradually improve with time.

Oh, does anyone know of any good treble clef sight reading books?

Eric Swanson · #2 01-09-2009, 10:47 AM

I remember at music school, the sight singing teacher telling us to raise our eyebrows to avoid being a little flat. Yes, really.

Somehow, this actually works, for reasons I don't understand...

Other than that, it seems to be practice. I still have my old "Music for Sight Singing" by Robert Ottman textbook, but there are probably more modern resources available...

BigOldHarry · #3 01-09-2009, 10:48 AM

Taking voice lessons is a darn good idea. And yes, your intonation will improve - be PATIENT. Same with your singing / playing (which I still struggle with!).

As for immediate tips... Uh... What I can remember from the voice classes I took at SDSU was...

* Sing from your diaphragm, not your throat (a bit of a mental trick - think of your voice coming from your belly not your mouth - helps you project...)
* Keep your mouth open wide, unless the sound you want requires it to be more closed...
* Smile while singing - - This is an odd trick I was taught EARLY the does seem to make me sound better
* Practice harmony singing with friends.
* Work to improve your relative pitch - this will help with harmonies
* Don't damage your throat by screaming - if you want to do 'power' singing, then you need to develop the muscles/strength to do so with lots of practice - but I know so many guys who started out screaming rock and roll who ROACHED their voices early.

Hope that helps!

debassr · #4 01-09-2009, 10:52 AM

The greatest tip I ever received was: "Sing it like you own it, no matter what. Everything else comes with practice and time."

kraigo · #5 01-09-2009, 11:22 AM

Harry: Great post! I especially like the eyebrows...

KO

CT DB · #6 01-09-2009, 01:52 PM

How do you choose the orchestral technique section of the double bass forum for this post?

bassistpatrick · #7 01-09-2009, 03:43 PM

I figured orchestra players would know what their talking about.

bassistpatrick · #8 01-10-2009, 02:01 PM

What about any exercises? Are their any exercises singers practice?

Dbass926 · #9 01-10-2009, 11:21 PM

Sing up and down scales and arpeggios at different tempos, on different vowels, with different articulations.
If you sing bi-di-bi-di, you are going to use different muscles than singing la or ha
(those are words you can say, not pitches, just in case there is confusion)
Raising your eyebrows is a physical change you can make that will remind you to sing a bit sharper, because you don't have direct control over your vocal apparatus. This raising gesture allows you to visualize the pitch in tangible form. It's something you might try with bass as well.
As far as intonation, while your ability to sing in tune _physically_ is different from your ability to sing in tune as it pertains to your sense of pitch. If you sing a note flat, does a tuner tell you that, or is it your ears that pick out the difference? If you can't hear that it's flat, you should work on relaxing your body as you sing that pitch. Sing it softly on an open vowel, like a or e. If all your thirds are flat, you may be executing Pythagorean intonation, a system that corresponds to the overtone (harmonic) series. In simple terms, intervals like thirds are played flatter than they sound on a piano, because it sounds better.
So maybe you're better than you think!

chuymatt · #10 01-21-2009, 11:29 AM

As for warm-ups, do as many runs as you can... accurately. 1-3-5-7-5-3-1 *modulate* is one that is useful in my mind for range exercise and intonation. Jumps for intonation such as you would do on bass.

as for singing: learn to breathe. DO NOT use your accessory muscles (shoulders and intercostals) to breathe. It is always from your diaphragm. Your shoulders will kill you after an hr if you don't do it right.
Also, you should NOT be tense when you sing. Just like tensing your hand/wrist while playing arco, if you tense your throat/tongue/jaw you will 1)sound strained and 2) hurt like hell afterwords. Just like tendonitis with bass, you can get major vocal fatigue and even nodes (which have to be fried off) if you misuse it.

This you can kind of do on your own. what you really need a teacher for is to verify your breathing technique and to work on your vowels. Vowels are not just the shape of your lips but where you "place" your sound. Getting it right takes years but it is well worth it.

With all the physical actions: you will soon internalize them to visualize doing those to have the same vocal response.

And remember that you WILL look silly until you figure out how to do this stuff right. Hell, look at some of the pros; they look silly still.

-Chuy
(Trained in Opera, moved to tech, trained in Nursing, Loving URB)