Karaoke Forums

Singing isn't going well for me Ron, but thanks for asking. I suppose I was hoping (since I'm a musician) that I'd be able to catch onto singing just by applying myself, however this is going to require lessons, and HARD HARD work assuming I wish to consider myself even a very beginner. I'm NO natural and I don't like what I hear. A musician can purchase a better instrument to achieve a decent tone with practice and a few basics, however when we aren't gifted with vocal chords or a respiratory system that sounds decent in a genre we like, we are stuck with the one instrument we've always had. Sad thing is lately I haven't been in touch with pop genre vocalists in real-life, and I at least need a coach in real at this point.. There must be tips and tricks.. In the past however as a backing musician, I really wish I kept in real life contact with a few real male singers/instructors locally in the contemporary/rock ballad genres.


I was hoping that like some of these folks, who with some diligent work would have a natural edge, as an example - take sports for instance (ever know somebody who just seems to have a knack for every ball sport they wish to participate in...they just have that hand-eye thing going and whether it's baseball, basketball, tennis, golf- they just seem to excel in ball-sports and all they need to do is just try the sport and they are MUCH better than most) ? Well musical instruments come pretty easily to me..Yet when I try to sing I'm terribly embarrassed to let anybody know I'm a musician. Tough to explain. Singing is an artform, and I've always respected those that are good at it, however objectively on the 1-10 scale I feel I'm honestly around a 3 (assuming I wish to rate on a scale of singers) with a few 4's (harmony singing) assuming I really try hard.. I wish to be better than I am, and I don't know how to achieve such improvement because between not having a knack for this, or a clue what I am doing I feel as though I'm trying to run blindly...

Two months will be a year since I started spending time trying to learn how to become a singer, and while at times I'm satisfied with being able to be considered perhaps "third harmony" in an actually singing setting on a good day, other days I feel like kicking myself for not sounding like I'm trying to sound..

Tough to explain. Needless to say, I'm extremely frustrated. I want to be a :singer:, not somebody who's "playing karaoke".

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

I really want that "arena rock" Brad Delp quality, or if not tenor range, Gary Moore blues quality.. I can't get anywhere close and I suppose I'm throwing a hissy fit... It's just what I REALLY want ! But like Billy says "we can't have everything we want", (and while he's absolutely correct, and I'd tell others the same thing regarding certain areas of skill) I've found that most adults I've taught musical instruments that wish to apply themselves and become decent, Can become decent just by applying themselves.. There's something more abstract about singing however and I haven't a clue WHY this is so different than learning a musical instrument.. But it IS VERY different. Is singing a mindset that requires "front man" mentality ? and a person exuding TOTAL confidence feeling they have nothing to hide ? Perhaps it's humiliation feeling I can't hide ? I'm totally confused... Something just isn't working... Might be I don't have the singer psychology ? Is there such a thing ? I suppose I've resigned myself to the fact that I have a given range I need to sing within meaning anything beyond that range sounds strained, contrived, or just plain awful.. I'm learning to hear that for the first time, and even hearing anything I sing with objectivity is hard as nails.. So I sing withint the baritone area.. and even that is brutally tough.. People I should be able to sing, I'm not able to cover... Which is the problem, I want to be a :cover: singer and sound like those I like..

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

sweetheart to sing blues ya gotta learn not to care...blues cant be sung if you are uptight
down a couple of beers...if that doesnt work ummm hell there are lots of things I might suggest but none legal...tell ya what try singing after a great session of sex or a personalised session as an owner operator
then try singing

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

Brad Delp? Gary Moore? Geez Kappy why not set your goals a little higher! I about ruined my voice trying to copy the vocal ending of " Shape of Things " by Gary Moore. This was back in the day when I used to sit in with my brothers band during practice when their unreliable singer didn't show up. That dude ( Moore ) can sing, oh and he can play a little guitar also.

I feel the same way sometimes, there are some songs that I can cover by an artist and some that I can't touch. I do several songs by Alice in Chains and I feel I do them decent, but the one song I would love to do I almost shoot blood out of my mouth when I try. ( Man in the Box )

Some people have physical gifts and never take advantage of them and some people have mediocre gifts and use them to their fullest. That was my experience, I was never a natural athlete, but I had some potential that took a ton of work to become a decent player.

Best of luck not blowing out a vocal chord trying to cover those guys. Rudy.

Don't you need to sing from the throat to sing rock and blues ? Can a male vocalist sing these styles well without even a little bit of larynx damage ? Those of us that don't smoke any longer I really think are at a disadvantage. Without gravel, how can this stuff get done ? If the best I could do is sounding as bad as that Green Day character, or Elvis Costello forget it ! Anybody can pull that off wearing nose-plugs.


Rudy, I think the common denominator in all the vocalists I like is heavy smoking and bodily damage.. Sometimes I wonder... The rock vocals many of us grew up with are damaged chords

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

[strike] not uptight[/strike]
[strike] not overly concerned with vocal quality[/strike]
[strike] non-prescription substances[/strike]
[strike] consumption of alcohol[/strike]
[strike] sex[/strike]



oh (@$%&#!) ! This aint gonna be doable

Does the sex need to be with another person ?

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

It's taken a long time for me personally to become a better singer. Some of it has just been practice and learning the limits of my voice and some of it has been confidence and perception. When I sing I don't 'hear it' like the crowd does and don't think it sounds great but then I get told that I sounded really good. I really want to record myself singing so I can hear what the crowd is hearing and not be singing at the same time if that makes any sense.

I guess my advice is to keep practicing, find your range and make the most of it!

Good Luck,
Ken

Kappy, for me the key is being hydrated. When I do " Big Empty " by Stone Temple Pilots " the "Conversation Kills" part is real gravelly and if I am not hydrated or vocally warmed up I will crack on those parts. I try and drink plenty of water on the days I know I will sing. Runaway Train is another song that throughout the whole song he swaps back and forth between gravelly and normal.

I do think that some vocalist have an induced gravelly voice or maybe that is their normal voice ( Rod Stewart ) but most just keep some spit in the back of their throat and use that. Some people just have a gift and will be able to sing good till the day they die like Paul Rodgers. Keep on Rockin Kappy, who knows maybe soon you'll have an epiphany and the voice will break loose and all will be right in your world, best of luck with it, Rudy.

Ken and Rudy, I've got a few questions but I'll move them over to singers forum.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Cool.

Jeez Kappy, I am surprised at how much of what you just said sounds like my situation. I have been only singing for a little less than a year myself. I know I am not a natural like some, or perhaps most on this site, but I too am determined to finally do it at this stage of my life. Worst case scenario, would be that I can't no matter how hard I try, but if that turns out to be the case, then nothing lost at all. Still I have gained because I am having so much fun trying.
In the past 10-11 months I have been singing my heart out in the car, and sometimes after my 1 1/2 hour drive on the way home (believe it or not) I would hate to finally get home because there might another song or so I still wanted to do. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true.
Sometimes I also would get frustrated, and it seemed like the more I sang the worse I got. Then I would stop for a couple of days, and then almost amaze myself how much I had improved since the last time. That told me that I was over doing it for a beginner, because my total car time is almost 3 hours a day.
Glad you brought all this up Kappy, as I have been wanting to get some insight on these things for months since I joined here, but it seems like everyone here is so far advanced, this stuff doesn't get talked about .
I also wanted to do a poll at some point on what percentage people felt singing was, like natural ability, practice, and/or proffesional training etc., now I think I will.
I bought the "singing for dummies" book, and was amazed at how much there is to learn about basic singing. I would hate to see the advanced singing book..
Anyway, I'm done here, and will read and learn about this topic over in the singers forum......Ron

Ron,


From what I understand one thing actual "performing artists" and naturally aspiring artists that take a craft seriously tend to feel is frustration. I want to do the best I can, but I don't know how, or what that even is.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Well, Kappy hopefully we can both benefit from any advice that the veterans will share. Actully, I'm sure we aren't the only ones...I will monitor your thread in the singers forum for this continued....I think this will be fun, and very interesting..Ron

Sorry Phil, or tiger for hijacking another thread......