singing question


Mglambo
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Mglambo
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01/21/2020 5:52 pm

I jam with 2 other musicians mostly in our houses but occasionally in public. Me on guitar plus one other guitar and a bass player. I do maybe half the singing. I do ok but my challenge is on the first line of a song coming in at the proper pitch for the song. If I start too high I can't reach the highest notes later on, and if I start too low it can sound awful too. With a guitar you can tune it and hit the proper notes and chords, but it seems like with this instrument (my voice) it's kind of a guess. Any tips?


# 1
JeffS65
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Joined: 10/07/08
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JeffS65
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01/21/2020 10:51 pm
Originally Posted by: Mglambo

I jam with 2 other musicians mostly in our houses but occasionally in public. Me on guitar plus one other guitar and a bass player. I do maybe half the singing. I do ok but my challenge is on the first line of a song coming in at the proper pitch for the song. If I start too high I can't reach the highest notes later on, and if I start too low it can sound awful too. With a guitar you can tune it and hit the proper notes and chords, but it seems like with this instrument (my voice) it's kind of a guess. Any tips?

I'm no singing expert (by far) but you do have to know what range you're best suited for. Are you a natural baratone? Tenor? That kind of thing.

While vocal lessons and a good coach will certainly flesh that out, for the time being, it might just be taking the time to 'know that range' you're best in even if you have no idea what the 'name's is. At home, work at singing songs with you and the acoustic. Just strum out the songs and start singing. Trial and error. I think all singers go through that. Eventually you'll learn your voice a little better and given that so many songs tend to be in a pretty similar variety of keys, you start realizing what range you'll be in for a songs in the key of G etc.

Don't take this as locked down advice from me. I'm ok at best and as Randy Jackson on American Idol used to say, 'you're a little pitchy dog.'

My wife is a wonderful singer and has some training and in her ear, can pick up a key without even knowing what key it is. She's learned how to register that sound to her vocal pitch. I wished I had that....

The skill, I think, is to associate the sound with what you're voice should do. It starts with knowing your natural range.

My very unqualified opinion.


# 2
Mglambo
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Mglambo
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01/22/2020 3:04 pm

Thanks for the response JeffS65. It make sense. i'll work on it.


# 3
danhouse7
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danhouse7
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01/29/2020 10:01 pm

It's important to know the range of the music.

It's important to know the range of your voice.

If your voice range doesn't fit the key of the music your are playing, then you need to transpose the music into a key that is suitable. Once you've got the key of the music, there is nothing wrong with playing a note or two, and humming a note, to help you enter the song. Sometimes when I'm playing many songs in a row in different keys, I have to stop for a minute, and play a note, just so I'm sure I'm entering it right. It's more difficult when you are singing and playing music with people with different voices. As a group you must decide what the key is for the song. I always have problems when trying to play a lot of Beatle songs with people that have Soprano voices.


# 4
dlwalke
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dlwalke
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01/29/2020 10:34 pm
Originally Posted by: Mglambo

I jam with 2 other musicians mostly in our houses but occasionally in public. Me on guitar plus one other guitar and a bass player. I do maybe half the singing. I do ok but my challenge is on the first line of a song coming in at the proper pitch for the song. If I start too high I can't reach the highest notes later on, and if I start too low it can sound awful too. With a guitar you can tune it and hit the proper notes and chords, but it seems like with this instrument (my voice) it's kind of a guess. Any tips?

In days of yore, I believe the solution was often a pitch pipe. You might have seen this used at the beginning of every Barbershop quartet song. Here are some instructions on proper technique.


# 5
Mglambo
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Mglambo
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02/01/2020 5:34 pm

Thanks dlwalke!


# 6

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