07 Aug 07
Originally posted by EcstremeVenomDo you sing to yourself often? I do. That's how I practice, know what range I can/can't hit, and annoy/charm my girlfriend. If you do, but still don't know whether you're decent or not, you probably have a tin ear and suck balls!
how do you know your voice? and what is the correct way to sing? i feel i dont even know my own voice because idk if it sounds best high or low 😕
Singing is teh best!
07 Aug 07
Originally posted by darvlayOK, yeah well... that's me. In a nutshell. Tin eared ball sucker.
Do you sing to yourself often? I do. That's how I practice, know what range I can/can't hit, and annoy/charm my girlfriend. If you do, but still don't know whether you're decent or not, you probably have a tin ear and suck balls!
Singing is teh best!
07 Aug 07
1 edit
Originally posted by EcstremeVenomYou can project your voice better, hold notes longer and expand your range if you sing from deep within your lungs and not try and push your voice out from the throat, as most people do.
what does it mean to sing from the diaphragm?
Try it out. Take a deep breath and really push something out. You should be able to notice the difference.
PBE6 has had vocal lessons so he can help you out with some tips here too.
07 Aug 07
...i could "sing" about where jimmy hoffa is and how he was taken down but
there is no one on this site to whom i would tell it ( except one whose name i will not give but should he ask i would tell )..anyway..i will not sing...so just go about your business and i will go about my "business"..
07 Aug 07
1 edit
Originally posted by darvlayI sure have! And they've helped loads. Of course, I'll still need at least another year's worth to have everything under control, but I can sing at least an octave higher than I could when I started about a year and a half ago.
You can project your voice better, hold notes longer and expand your range if you sing from deep within your lungs and not try and push your voice out from the throat, as most people do.
Try it out. Take a deep breath and really push something out. You should be able to notice the difference.
PBE6 has had vocal lessons so he can help you out with some tips here too.
Here's a rundown of what I've learned so far:
Diaphragmatic Breathing - Breathing with the diaphragm instead of the throat. Singing from the diaphragm means applying additional pressure to the air stream by pushing out (not sucking in) your diaphragm. The higher the note, the more you need to push it out. The other pressure is provided by your intercostal muscles (the ones in between your ribs).
Lifting - Opening your mouth/throat so the sound can come out. The proper position is something very close to the apex of a yawn.
Focusing Forward - Focusing the sound. Try to imagine all the sound waves bouncing around your head as coming together about 1 cm in front of your top lip. Kinda like how a fully operational Death Star fires.
Line of Movement - Getting evenness in the sound. I visualize this walking all the notes on a keyboard heading away from my mouth (ascending and descending notes get the same treatment).
Blending - Moving from the chest voice to the high head voice. I'm working on this right now. As far as I can tell, this is where Tom Yorke spends most of his time. It's an attempt to be able to sing through the passagio (the region where your voice normally goes into falsetto) without going into falsetto. I've been told to visualize this as moving the focus point from the lips to the bridge of the nose, and pretending the vocal chords move up in the throat. When I learn how to do this right, I'll let you know. Diaphragmatic breathing is really important for this.
I would suggest to EcstremeVenom that he find a qualified teacher, otherwise he could pick up some bad habits and possibly do some real damage to his voice.
08 Aug 07
Originally posted by darvlayThat's all true, but I want to correct a common misconception: There is no such thing as diaphragm support. The diaphragm is a muscle of inhalation, not exhalation, and therefore has no role to play in moving air out of the lungs. The diaphragm is also an involuntary muscle, meaning you cannot control it consciously. The diaphragm cannot move air out; it only contracts so as to draw it in. It is a dome-shaped muscle and when it contracts, it flattens out and moves down, thus drawing air in. Moving air out is done largely by the intercostal muscles, but there are others involved too.
You can project your voice better, hold notes longer and expand your range if you sing from deep within your lungs and not try and push your voice out from the throat, as most people do.
Try it out. Take a deep breath and really push something out. You should be able to notice the difference.
PBE6 has had vocal lessons so he can help you out with some tips here too.
08 Aug 07
Originally posted by PBE6I also sing and I quite like the "Death Star" image, so thanks.
Focusing Forward - Focusing the sound. Try to imagine all the sound waves bouncing around your head as coming together about 1 cm in front of your top lip. Kinda like how a fully operational Death Star fires.
08 Aug 07
Originally posted by AttilaTheHornThe diaphragm is not an involuntary muscle. If you don't believe me, try holding your breath - you've just interrupted your normal breathing pattern consciously. To be sure, it is a muscle that acts unconsciously to ensure you keep breathing when you're not thinking about it, but you can control it just like you can control when you fart, and yes, even stop yourself from coughing (one of the most difficult bodily functions to suppress). A hiccup is what happens when you really can't control it because it's in a spasm.
That's all true, but I want to correct a common misconception: There is no such thing as diaphragm support. The diaphragm is a muscle of inhalation, not exhalation, and therefore has no role to play in moving air out of the lungs. The diaphragm is also an involuntary muscle, meaning you cannot control it consciously. The diaphragm cannot move air out; ...[text shortened]... . Moving air out is done largely by the intercostal muscles, but there are others involved too.
As for breathing, it seems that you may be right that it can't expel air on its own (it only relaxes and lets the intercostal muscles snap back, expelling air). However, that's not the same thing as support. It seems quite plausible that by controlling the flexing of your diaphragm you can control how the intercostal muscles react, thereby providing controlled support to the voice.
08 Aug 07
Originally posted by PBE6Holding your breath is not an example of the use of the diaphragm. when doing so, you're just not engaging the intercostal muscles and you are simply blocking the release of air with the tongue or the glottis, or by not relaxing the diaphragm. What you don't want in singing or in playing any wind instrument is for the Valsalva Maneuver to kick in. What you are doing when holding your breath is preparing for the Valsalva Maneuver, which is the death of good tone production. The Valsalva Maneuver is used in child birth and defication, etc., but must be bypassed in music production through the use of the fifth cranial nerve. Think "air in motion," not muscular activilty.
The diaphragm is not an involuntary muscle. If you don't believe me, try holding your breath - you've just interrupted your normal breathing pattern consciously. To be sure, it is a muscle that acts unconsciously to ensure you keep breathing when you're not thinking about it, but you can control it just like you can control when you fart, and yes, even stop y ...[text shortened]... rol how the intercostal muscles react, thereby providing controlled support to the voice.