Live singing advice...?

[NickBurgess]

I am not a great singer, and I am definitely not trained in any way. I can get by okay when recording, but when singing live I often just blow out my voice after a few songs, and then my range gets extremely limited.

Any help on how to sing without destroying my throat?

This is rock music, by the way.

[The Robot Lord of Tokyo]

Vocal exercises before you perform are the big way to cut back on blowing out your voice. Any of the simple exercises go a long way from hacking apart your voice or causing permanent damage if you push your range on a regular basis.

[NickBurgess]

that's probably a good idea. I'm also trying not to talk much at shows before my band goes on, because at loud clubs that means yelling, and I could lose my voice before even getting on stage.

[Ryudo]

Do a shitload of vocal warm-ups before the show.

Drink only water the day before a show.

Sing in your car, in the shower, etc etc. It helps.

Work on singing from your lungs/diaphragm, not your throat. It helps you hit the high notes when you take a breath before, not try to squeeze it up there with no air.

[TheGibson]

Exercises, definitely. Progressive scales that touch the top of your range, as you keep practicing your range will expand a couple of steps for a while (like before a concert, long term if you're diligent with them.

Also, pay attention to what you eat before you go on. Certain stuff will help or hurt. Within about 3 hours before performing, for me, no juice of any kind, no brushing my teeth. Twizler's NIBS actually help me before performances though.

Try to sing from your belly, supporting it with LOTS of air (really deep breaths). Will help when you have to reach for high stuff. Also, don't stretch your neck out when you go for them.

Guaifenesin too. it's a mucolytic agent that makes your throat produce more lubrication. You can find it in Cold-Ez and in Mucinex (which is probably the best over the counter way to get it).

[GelfXIII]

Doh- an exclamation of unhappiness
Ray- a conservative poster here!
Me - something benbos say alot
Feh - a reaction to a boring post
So - what we say when we have nothing to say
Lol - A laugh to follow so
Teh - a definite article in interweb speak
Which will bring us back to DOH!

[Gregory]

Doh- an exclamation of unhappiness
Ray- a conservative poster here!
Me - something benbos say alot
Feh - a reaction to a boring post
So - what we say when we have nothing to say
Lol - A laugh to follow so
Teh - a definite article in interweb speak
Which will bring us back to DOH!

Flawless victory.

[Jim T.]

I am not a great singer, and I am definitely not trained in any way. I can get by okay when recording, but when singing live I often just blow out my voice after a few songs, and then my range gets extremely limited.

Any help on how to sing without destroying my throat?

This is rock music, by the way.

I wonder if you're singing louder than you need to? If you're singing into a microphone and it's a decent PA system, you may not need to be so loud that you blow your voice out. My wife is in radio and I remember when she started, she tended to wear her voice out fairly quickly early in the show. One of the old pros told her to turn her headphone volume up - she had them low and assumed that she was talking low and so was talking louder and projecting more than she had to.

[Jef UK]

Wear great ear-plugs and make sure you can hear yourself in the monitor. Whenever I blow my voice, it's because I can't hear myself. Good earplugs and turning up vox in the monitors will change that. Oh, also, eat that mic, and make sure it pretty much stays in your mouth.

[DAVE]

Here's my advice:
http://www.shapepostcards.com/images/Postcard_photos/Food/whiskey_bottles.jpg

[PeterSparker]

You heard my "singing" on the BB Music Compilation right? Then you will understand why I'll be offering no "advice".

[PhilipClark]

Do a shitload of vocal warm-ups before the show.

Drink only water the day before a show.

Sing in your car, in the shower, etc etc. It helps.

Work on singing from your lungs/diaphragm, not your throat. It helps you hit the high notes when you take a breath before, not try to squeeze it up there with no air.

Mostly good advice, except for the shitload of vocal warmups and singing in your car. Why on earth would you want to blow out your voice before the show? My warmup consists of low humming, just to loosen up my vocal chords.

Moderate vocal warmups are recommended. Water, definitely. Stay hydrated.

But mostly what you're talking about requires technique and endurance.

Remember, as a singer, your body is your instrument. Your voice comes from your whole body, not just your larynx. Keep your stomach tight. My vocal coach used to have me stand on his stomach while he sang scales and arpeggios. This is where your breath support lies, and breath support is key in singing.

All your lungs do is hold air. The key to your breath support is in your diaphragm. Exercises like "ha-ha-ha-ha-ha" over an exdended period will help you build the muscle that is your diaphragm. You can actually feel the diaphragm working when you do it.

Once you establish your breath support, you next need to focus on your tone. Your tone should be focused in the nasal cavity. It will sound strange and thin to you, but this is where your air is making the least obstructed journey from your lungs to your head. Excercises like "eh" in a very nasal tone will help you place this. It's what we singers call "the mask."

Keep your throat relaxed at all times. Do not crane your head or stretch your throat, as this will not give you a relaxed tone. When you aim for high notes, don't psych yourself out. Stay focused and relaxed and visualize yourself pressing on a gas pedal in your stomach. Take your mind off the mechanism of the throat. Don't think of the actual strain to hit the note. Relax the throat, put the note high into "the mask" and allow it to come.

For Rock music, belt technique is key. A few of the guidelines above apply, but also reshaping our vowels will help you a lot. Long O's become Ah. Long E's become "Eh."

So a phrase like "I can't get no sleep" becomes "Ah cahn't gat nah slehp."

Lastly, pace yourself. If you're doing a 4 hour gig, run it like a marathon and not a sprint.

Hope that helps.

[NickBurgess]

Thanks for the help, guys. This place is an endless fontain of knowledge.

[Movie Maker]

definitely don't drink drinks that make you phlegm up. you know your own body, but i suggest keeping to water about a day before and the day of.

[Dr. Blasphemy]

Well, I usally warm up with a ton of blow off a strippers ass before I go onstage...

OR

I try and warm up before going on, and stay away from Beer- it roaches your throat...

[PhilipClark]

Couple of other things:

Alcohol is the enemy. It destroys your ears and dries up your throat.

Try not to affect your natural voice by adding rasp (i.e. Bon Jovi). This will lead to nodes and long term damage. Your voice is your own and unique. Rely on its tone rather than trying to mimic someone else's.

[Jef UK]

Alcohol is the enemy. It destroys your ears and dries up your throat.

He said, "this is rock music."

[NickBurgess]

I don't drink anyway. And even more than that, I don't try to sound like Bon Jovi. Haha. But maybe if I started drinking I would?? Something to contemplate.

[Lyfeforce]

Flawless victory.

indeed.

[Jim.]

Use a diaphragm.

[Jef UK]

I don't drink anyway. And even more than that, I don't try to sound like Bon Jovi. Haha. But maybe if I started drinking I would?? Something to contemplate.

You said, "this is rock music!" :no:

Kidding.

[Masculine Todd]

Wear great ear-plugs and make sure you can hear yourself in the monitor. Whenever I blow my voice, it's because I can't hear myself. Good earplugs and turning up vox in the monitors will change that. Oh, also, eat that mic, and make sure it pretty much stays in your mouth.

Yes!

Also, as others have suggested, go through various scales.

Honestly, I've only destroyed my throat on a few occasions, granted I'm a back-up vocalists, but when you're the screamer, your voice is under more strain.

There are some vocalists who do not require much preparation and there are some who's voice is shot within moments if not for extensive training and pre-show warm-ups. Find what's best for you.

[TheGibson]

Do you write your own music? Write what fits your range if you do.

[NickBurgess]

Do you write your own music? Write what fits your range if you do.

I do, but if my voice goes, my range shrinks. That's the whole problem!

[silverboy]

Breathe support.

Don't force/strain anything. If anything hurts while you're singing, you're doing it wrong.

I also hear that chocolate and milk coats your vocal chords and is bad.

I do a lot of musical theatre singing and never had any formal training, and it took me years to figure out how to sing "correctly." It's a lot about breathe support, singing from your diaphram through your mouth instead of singing with your mouth. Almost think about it as this giant flow of air starting in the pit of your stomach and building up through your body.

Practice singing high notes. I know when I started singing. I closed my throat to sing high notes, almost trying to extend my entire body to hit higher. This will kill your throat. Always be thinking about keeping your throat open--remember, that flow or air needs to get out.

[silverboy]

Mostly good advice, except for the shitload of vocal warmups and singing in your car. Why on earth would you want to blow out your voice before the show? My warmup consists of low humming, just to loosen up my vocal chords.



If you're singing correctly, you shouldn't be blowing anything--you should be able to sing for hours without much strain. Warm-ups are a good thing.

I remember watching a live Coldplay DVD showing Chris Martin warming-ups in a locker room with all the showers running. I guess the humidity helps your voice, keeps it from drying out.

[PhilipClark]

If you're singing correctly, you shouldn't be blowing anything--you should be able to sing for hours without much strain. Warm-ups are a good thing.

My point was against a "shitload" of warmups. My advice is save it for the stage.

I'm used to doing 4 hours pretty much straight-through singing (4x45 minute sets w/ 15 minute break). An extended warmup would kill me. I'm not saying go in cold, but usually my 1st set is my warm up, with the exception of the low humming I mentioned earlier.

I save warmups for practice. Practice is where you should be hashing out your technique.

[nick maynard]

i used to conduct choruses and teach voice lessons, and my professional opinion is to go out and buy some 9.99 book on vocal exercises. whats happening with your throat is the same thing that happens with guitarists who break picks. there's just something little wrong with the way you hit the notes, and any cheap introductory book should be really helpful to you.

[Albert]

I would stay away from "Lightning Crashes." "I Alone" would be a good choice. "All Over Me," maybe.

[Ryudo]

I do, but if my voice goes, my range shrinks. That's the whole problem!

If that happens, can't you just drop the song a couple of notes or something?

Just asking. I'm ignorant of musical group performances, I've just performed in a couple of musicals and I song lead at my church.

[Los]

hum "Hmm-Hmm, Himmmm"

[DAVE]

I would stay away from "Lightning Crashes." "I Alone" would be a good choice. "All Over Me," maybe.

I got it. :cool:
http://www.uncov.com/assets/2007/6/29/fry-see-what-you-did-there-scaled.jpg

[nick maynard]

If that happens, can't you just drop the song a couple of notes or something?

Just asking. I'm ignorant of musical group performances, I've just performed in a couple of musicals and I song lead at my church.

most bands wouldnt know how to do that. and it can actually be pretty tricky on guitar, too.

[NickBurgess]

I will try some of this before our next show. Luckily, I don't usually have to sing much, since my band has 2 singers. It's really only 4 or 5 songs.

[WillieLee]

Vocal tuner baby.

[silverboy]

most bands wouldnt know how to do that. and it can actually be pretty tricky on guitar, too.

Well, if you have a half-way competent band, the guitarist can mess around with a capo to find a more suitable key and the bassist can follow suit. If you're using a keyboard without a transposer, it can be difficult.

However, what a singer can do is either take a high note down an octave, which can sound lame, or find a third or fifth lower note to harmonize the original note, which sounds less lame.

[NickBurgess]

I'm not missing any huge important notes right now. Basically just cracking out a few times during otherwise okay performances. It's not like I'm singing american idol stuff... I can get away with cracking. And it's stuff I know I CAN sing. I just have to make the situation work for my throat.

[NickBurgess]

Well, I will put some of this advice to the test tonight. If I sing like crap, I blame you!!!