How do I learn to sing?

[Derp]

Hey people, as of late, I sing all the time. Having been playing bass for quite some time now, my musical hearing and relative pitch are pretty good. I learn all bass lines by ear, I can hum any melody, and whistle in the mid octaves. Sometimes I'm a little off, but it's okay, nothing's perfect.
Although my musical hearing is alright, I suck at singing itself. It seems okay when I hum a song under my breath, but when I try to sing it out loud, it's bad. I mean it's bad, really bad. When singing aloud, I run out of breath and my voice keeps fluctuating and I end up being way off pitch. I'm also kind of shy to sing in front of someone. Can I improve(I'm 18)?

Thanks.

PS I really didn't know which category to post this in.

 

[Selta]

Misc might've been better than OT, but either way...
I'd strongly suggest getting a teacher to start with. I know, that's pretty generic, but singing is certainly something that (IMO) benefits strongly from having a teacher. You can learn bass and guitar online, but I personally feel that the online learning method doens't quite work as well for singing.

Singing is much more personal than say bass guitar, because it is simply you. What you sound like is well, what you sound like and there's no changing pickups . Of course, as you progress as a singer you'll improve/refine in certain aspects and areas (breath control, steady notes, range, power/dynamics, etc) - but it is always you. So much of singing is muscle memory - like bass guitar - so you will want someone to guide you at least a little bit, to make sure you're using those muscles correctly, come in on the correct note every time, and finding those spots to take your breaths.

 

[Arion]

Just sing loud (by loud I mean putting words to notes at a volume you can hear. You don't have to sing to your college professor from the last bench.) First hum the notes, then try to put words to it. Sing by ear, not by notes. Also get a teacher. I'm lucky (and equally unlucky, since there seems to be not big of a market for albums) to be born in India, since Indian vocal music covers almost the nook and cranny of singing. If you can find a Hindustani teacher wherever you live, good for you. It won't help in screaming however. At home, play the vocals on guitar/piano/bass and sing along, if you want to learn a particular song.

 

[ToneMonkey]

Plan A: Take lessons from the best vocal coach in your area with demonstrated abilities (either personal expertise or reference-able clients) in the style of music you want to sing. For example, don't take lessons with someone who can only demonstrate success with choirs or operatic clients when you want to sing rock and roll. Six months should get you started and give you the tools to work on it alone.

The guy I studied with coaches Keb Mo and Gino Vannelli among others. He knows his shizzle, even though he personally sings opera. There's been major advancements in the science of singing over the past 10 years. Find a coach who knows about them and incorporates them into his instruction.

Plan B: Dive in, but record yourself a LOT. Relentlessly. Nobody truly hears themselves accurately. This is why major vocal talents all use vocal coaches.

Note that folks with gobs of natural talent tend to poopoo things like practice and "singing notes." Don't buy it. At some point sitting with an acoustic guitar or at the piano and singing actual notes that are on pitch is what most of have to do.

Also, not everyone is a natural harmonizer. It can be developed, but some are just born with the ability.

I would advise generally to not listen to the most naturally talented musicians, unless you happen to be one yourself. Naturally talented people usually don't comprehend how to achieve results any other way than being born with the natural ability. Most of us have to work at it, and the best teachers for most of us are the ones who know themselves how to do that.

 

[MrLenny1]

Take some vocal lessons.
A good teacher will set you up for a lifetime of singing.

 

[BboogieXVII]

A teacher might help you, but be careful; a teacher could also hinder you. You need to find one that actually will help instead of a goober that will just take your money and hope that you keep showing up to pay them. It can be tricky to find a good teacher.

Being self taught doesn't mean you don't have teachers, actually what it means in reality is that you pick and choose the best of what several people have to say about something. If you decide to go with a teacher, stay on top of them and make sure they are doing a good job. They should aspire to make you better than they are, even if that never happens, I believe it should be their goal.

 

[hrodbert696]

Just sing loud. Sing by ear, not by notes. Also get a teacher. I'm lucky (and equally unlucky, since there seems to be not big of a market for albums) to be born in India, since Indian vocal music covers pretty much every nook and cranny of singing. If you can find a Hindustani teacher wherever you live, good for you. It won't help in screaming however.

Or you can just practice singing till you can nail it. That's how we all learn instruments too.

I appreciate the encouragement, but telling an untrained singer to "just sing loud" is inviting them to damage their throat and wreck their voice.

The most important is to learn to breathe and to relax rather than tense up and strain. Practice drawing in all the air you can, through your nose, and when you feel like you can't inhale any more, inhale a little more. Then blow it out, gradually, through your mouth. Try to control the pace you exhale at. When you think you've blown it all out, blow a little more. Stretch your diaphragm.

Press your cheeks in with your fingers to make a fish mouth. Then sing up and down scales, to the limits of your range. Having your mouth in that position makes it impossible to clench your throat. So does trilling with your tongue. Sing with an open, relaxed throat. When you go for a high note, rather then clench up, relax more, and pull the note from deeper in your belly, not squeezing it out of your throat.

Open your mouth wide and use open vowels. There's a reason southerners make such great singers. Take the opening line of "Wagon Wheel" - "Headin' down south to the land of the pines." Don't sing,

"Headin' do-une sa-ooth too the land of the pye- eens,"

Sing,

"Heddin' dahn sahth toe the land of the pah-ahns ..."

(Autocorrect hated that...)

See how the second version opens up the vowels? That opens up your throat and makes better vocal tone.

Best of all , get an actual vocal coach.

 

[Icemanaroonie]

Go buy the DVD "The Art of Screaming"; don't let the title throw you off, it's all about singing. The DVD also comes with a CD that has scales and other vocal specific exercises to practice singing with. I've never seen a better example of how to use your diaphragm and how to use your different voices.

 

[repoman]

Go buy the DVD "The Art of Screaming"; don't let the title throw you off, it's all about singing. The DVD also comes with a CD that has scales and other vocal specific exercises to practice singing with. I've never seen a better example of how to use your diaphragm and how to use your different voices.

I think my 6 year old niece collaborated on that DVD.

 

[hbarcat]

Good singing is very difficult to accomplish without a good teacher. Learning and practicing all the seemingly minor techniques is what makes the difference between someone who can just hold a tune and someone who sounds like a professional.

 

[StudioStuntz]

I agree with the others regarding professional lessons.

If you sing along to a recording containing vocals in your spare time, make sure the singer is on pitch and not singing flat (most singers who are off pitch are flat, as well as most instruments as well, it is the exception to sing or be tuned sharp).

One mistake aspiring singers make is to sing along to a song wherein the vocalist is off (even past or present Grammy winners) and then they copy them, inadvertently training themselves to be tone deaf.



I once auditioned for a band who wanted me to sing back-up vocals( I avoided it all costs but always had to).

The leader had an original test to check my ability to determine if I could find and stay on pitch.

For instance, he played a C and an E, and instead of the G which would make it a C major, he played an F# as the top note of the triad and asked me to sing the G at the same time!

He also did the above but played a G# instead...pretty dissonant sounding with my G.

IIRC, he also played a C major triad and asked me to sing the F# and then a D# etc.



If you live in an apartment and want to practice but you don't want the whole neighborhood to hear you, plant your face as close as you can into a corner, or cup your hands covering your nose and mouth. Both will amplify and direct your voice into your own ears.

You can sing aCapella or have the stereo on pretty loud and still hear your voice at the same time.

The above does wonders if you are singing falsetto, since that sound usually isn't as loud as singing full out with a "Chest Voice" or even a loud "Throat Voice".

 

[Arion]

I appreciate the encouragement, but telling an untrained singer to "just sing loud" is inviting them to damage their throat and wreck their voice.

The most important is to learn to breathe and to relax rather than tense up and strain. Practice drawing in all the air you can, through your nose, and when you feel like you can't inhale any more, inhale a little more. Then blow it out, grsduslly, through your mouth. Try to control the pace you exhale at. When you think youve blown it all out, blow a little more. Stretch your diaphragm.

Press your cheeks in with your fingers to make a fish mouth. Then sing up and down scales, to the limits of your range. Having your mouth in that position makes it impossible to clench your throat. So does trilling with your tongue. Sing with an open, relaxed throat. When you go for a high note, rather then clench up, relax more, and pull the note from deeper in your belly, not squeezing it out of your throat.

Open your mouth wide and use open vowels. There's s reason southerners make such great singers. Don't sing,

"Headin do-une sa-ooth too the land of the pye- eens,"

Sing,

"Heddin Dan sahth toe the land of the pah-ahns ..."

(Autocorrect hated that...)

See how the second version opens up the vowels? That opens up your throat and makes better vocal tone.

Best of all , get an actual vocal coach.

Mine was just a toned down version. By singing loud I meant not humming, but actually saying the words at a volume you can hear. Good job with your post