horrible singing..HELP

[curly bassist]

Hey,
For my course at college we just finished a project where you have to record a song of your choice, and then final quality of the recording, mix and master give you your grade.

It had to include vocals and as i cant sing i was dependent on other people singing. Because of this i could not get as good a recording as i wanted because they were not always free / willing to help me with it.

So i decided i want to try and improve my singing to a level where it would not be embarassing to sing infront of people...its not going well so far haha.

this is a link that i just recorded of me singing, the song is very easy to sing but i still dont know, the song is five years time by noah and the whale.
Vocaroo | Record and send voice emails

Any tips on how i can improve my singing?

Thanks
Curly_Bassist

 

[BananaKing]

Hey,

I can't sing worth a damn, and I've taken classes at school for a couple years.

Kudos at having the guts to post yourself singing when you don't consider yourself a good singer. I'm interested in responses as well.

 

[baalroo]

well first off, it sounds like you're barely even trying... almost like you accidentally recorded yourself while you were mumbling along while driving in your car or something.

sit (or stand) up straight and put some air behind your singing.

enunciate and pay attention to meter the same way you would if you were playing your bass... you wouldn't just sort of lazily push down on the string, at roughly the right fret, around the time you're supposed to be playing the note, but that's the equivalent of what those vocals sound like. you need to treat your voice like an instrument and try to play it "properly" on just a basic level. You're only gonna get out of it what you're willing to put into it.

 

[curly bassist]

Thanks for the reply, the thing is i was trying to sing it!
I found myself out of breath so early i could not keep up with the song so it was a struggle to get the lyrics out in time with the singer.

But yes i appreciate that i probably should try harder to push the notes out with more power, i did a search and saw somebody comment about the majority of singing is confidence, which when im singing i dont have a lot of, so this could be a reason too?

 

[baalroo]

Thanks for the reply, the thing is i was trying to sing it!
I found myself out of breath so early i could not keep up with the song so it was a struggle to get the lyrics out in time with the singer.

But yes i appreciate that i probably should try harder to push the notes out with more power, i did a search and saw somebody comment about the majority of singing is confidence, which when im singing i dont have a lot of, so this could be a reason too?

ah, I see, then you truly are a novice it seems.

one of the first things you learn with formal training is to think about your breathing as part of the performance. it is a physical and technical aspect of "playing" your voice, just like paying attention to how you hold your bass in your hands is an important part of playing bass well. At first it can seem a bit unnatural or counter-intuitive, but after a little practice it becomes second nature and you hardly ever think about it again.

If you are having trouble with your breathing through that section then you are likely not taking large enough breaths in the spots between the long strings of words. It also seems pretty clear that you are not using your diaphragm... at all. To be more direct, you don't actually sound out of breath in the recording, but rather you sound unable to properly access and utilize the breath that you have.

I find that since we use our voices all the time in our daily lives, it can be hard for a new singer to step back and approach their singing as if it were an instrument... and you seem to be having that basic disconnect. Singing is not just musical talking.

 

[curly bassist]

If you are having trouble with your breathing through that section then you are likely not taking large enough breaths in the spots between the long strings of words.

When i was "singing" i was not concentrating on my breathing so i think this will help a lot.

Its quite late right now and i dont want to wake my family up (especially with the sound of a cat drowning ) so tomorrow morning i will practice the song properly, work out the breathing before hand and really go for it and post results

My biggest fear was that i may be one of the unlucky few that simply cannot sing to save their lives, do you think im cursed with this? Because if not i will practice and practice until i get to a level im happy with.

Thanks again
Curly_bassist

 

[baalroo]

When i was "singing" i was not concentrating on my breathing so i think this will help a lot.

Its quite late right now and i dont want to wake my family up (especially with the sound of a cat drowning ) so tomorrow morning i will practice the song properly, work out the breathing before hand and really go for it and post results

My biggest fear was that i may be one of the unlucky few that simply cannot sing to save their lives, do you think im cursed with this? Because if not i will practice and practice until i get to a level im happy with.

Thanks again
Curly_bassist

no, almost anyone can sing with practice, just like anyone can play a guitar, a trumpet, or a piano. just simply practice, and possibly google/youtube things like "how to sing" "proper vocal technique" etc. You do have to approach singing just like you would approach learning to play any other instrument though if you wish to get decent results. I promise you every singer in every band you like practices their craft to some extent, even if the initial impression is that they do not.