Vocal experts/teachers/students, advice/feedback needed

This forum is for discussing Reason. Questions, answers, ideas, and opinions... all apply.
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eusti
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22 Jan 2015

Last Alternative wrote: *And before you warm up/sing, drink warm water, or warm green tea, and a shot of olive oil to lubricate. *Drink a shot of lemon juice if congested (strips throat of mucus). Remember milk causes mucus = bad for singing!
Interesting... Need to try these... Licorice works well too in my experience...

D.

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Yorick
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Joined: 15 Jan 2015

22 Jan 2015

Yorick wrote:
zwerggle wrote:I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but the siren things sounds like a terrible idea unless you're properly warmed up. I agree that I would start with easy notes first then move to harder notes after that.
Yorick wrote:
The siren IS a warm up exercise....  
zwerggle wrote:

I understand that, it just strikes me as analogous to when a person is working out, and they're told to start with stretches as a "warmup." It's very common, but also makes absolutely no sense. Stretching (especially deep, yoga-style stretching) one's body is something that should be done 
zwerggle wrote:after
zwerggle wrote: one is properly warmed-up. The siren technique just seemed like something akin to the stretching as a warm-up. I'm also a guy without much range, so it's possible that those high notes are just high for me.

Regardless, as I said earlier, I'm not expert, so it's very possible that I have no idea what i'm talking about. I'm totally extrapolating based on my analogy to physical exercise! :)  

z
I don't do Yoga/Hinduism, I sing professionally, and before I sing, the first thing I do in my warm up regime is the siren. In the head voice. It's a warm up exercise to warm up your vocal chords, pharynx and throat muscles. Don't know what else to say. I give it to vocal students too. It works. You want to keep arguing about it or just accept that singing isn't like Yoga? ;)

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Yorick
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22 Jan 2015

Last Alternative wrote:Remember milk causes mucus = bad for singing!
Except that milk also "coats" the vocal chords = Good for singing.
Early on in my career, I used to eschew milk on the day of a performance because if I had milk it made me choke a little when singing very high upper chest voice notes. However once I reintroduced milk back into a daily diet of a singing day, it helped me transition into the "blend voice" ( a blend of chest and head voice) far far easier. Silkier tone, better voice.

I'm not advising drinking milk and then immediately vocalising, but it's not the bad-boy some people make it out to be, and as said, I've found it beneficial. I'm friends with another professional opera singer who swears by a huge bowl of Greek Yoghurt every morning.

But this comes back to the physiological variables of people's voices I spoke of earlier. Some of this stuff you need to experiment with - within reason - and find what works for you best. I find having a bottle of water in the middle of a session helps, and certainly hydrates me. But drinking while singing can create long term issues with the epiglottis closing improperly.

Just get the knowledge you can - from voice doctors, voice coaches and other singers - try and do as much stuff "right" as possible, and see what works best.


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Yorick
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22 Jan 2015

Last Alternative wrote: ----
*Simply make a Reason song with different piano runs to practice to.. it really helps me.
*Practice as much as anything you want to be good at! They say it takes 10,000 hours to master something.
*The most important part of singing is ***breathing***.
*Don't smoke! I quit 2.5 years ago and I feel great! Also drinking doesn't help but... I gotta drink, yo :t0305:
*Exercise & eat right! Focus on breathing as you walk/run. Strengthen your diaphragm.
*And before you warm up/sing, drink warm water, or warm green tea, and a shot of olive oil to lubricate. Drink water as you go to keep your vocal chords/mouth moist.
*Before the water, tea, and olive oil, sip a shot of lemon juice slowly if congested (strips throat of mucus). Remember milk causes mucus = bad for singing!
*Also- drinking while singing live.. cool, in moderation but do not expect to sound great in the vocal booth! You might sound like a legend in your own mind but trust me it'll sound like sh*t on your timeless recording! Trust me- I know from experience ;)
Godspeed.

Oh and it couldn't hurt to see a doctor on account of the MMA blows you've taken to the throat. Don't damage yourself worse man. Get your voicebox checked out.
Lost of good stuff in here.

I agree do not smoke. DO NOT SMOKE. Bad for tone, bad for breathe control, and leads to cancer as per Nat King Cole.

Do not drink alcohol while singing, unless you want a numb throat that leads to bad pitch and voice damage. As per what happened to Australia's Jimmy Barnes' silky voice. He drank vodka onstage every night, and his voice is now as abrasive as sandpaper. People usually drink to calm nerves and give themselves more confidence, but there are far better ways to build confidence.

Warm liquid is great. Green tea not ideal as it's caffeine and caffeine dehydrates you. But measure that against the lift caffeine gives you. Just don't do coffee... ACID REFLUX!!!

Diaphragm stuff is vital yes, but there are weeks of lessons possible, just for that aspect.



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zwerggle
Posts: 27
Joined: 21 Jan 2015

22 Jan 2015

Smedberg wrote:Going a bit OT here but this guy have an incredible vocal range. According to himself?

Oh man, that guy is too much. hahaha hilarious

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JNeffLind
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Joined: 16 Jan 2015
Location: So. Illinois, USA
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22 Jan 2015

Last Alternative wrote:JNeffLind- Yes Eric knows his stuff. I wish I lived in his town to get lessons with him. It's so hard to find a good vocal coach. I used to have a great one ($35/hr). Went to her house once a week for a while, got better and all but it was a long drive and I felt like she tried to teach me to sing like her. Therein lies the problem: most vocal coaches (unknowingly) teach you how they sing, not how to sing in general or focus on fine tuning each student's style. This guy Eric is truly a pro. His tips seems strange but do work; especially for general warm up/vocal strengthening! I can't afford his online classes but I prefer to be in the same room anyway. Need to find a good local teacher again.

tips
----
*Simply make a Reason song with different piano runs to practice to.. it really helps me.
*Practice as much as anything you want to be good at! They say it takes 10,000 hours to master something.
*The most important part of singing is ***breathing***.
*Don't smoke! I quit 2.5 years ago and I feel great! Also drinking doesn't help but... I gotta drink, yo :t0305:
*Exercise & eat right! Focus on breathing as you walk/run. Strengthen your diaphragm.
*And before you warm up/sing, drink warm water, or warm green tea, and a shot of olive oil to lubricate. Drink water as you go to keep your vocal chords/mouth moist.
*Before the water, tea, and olive oil, sip a shot of lemon juice slowly if congested (strips throat of mucus). Remember milk causes mucus = bad for singing!
*Also- drinking while singing live.. cool, in moderation but do not expect to sound great in the vocal booth! You might sound like a legend in your own mind but trust me it'll sound like sh*t on your timeless recording! Trust me- I know from experience ;)
Godspeed.

Oh and it couldn't hurt to see a doctor on account of the MMA blows you've taken to the throat. Don't damage yourself worse man. Get your voicebox checked out.
Hey man. Thanks for the input. I'll have to give the Eric Arceneaux vids another look. I've actually thought about the idea of setting up my own scales in the sequencer. Seems like I'm not as clever as I thought. Either that or we're both geniuses. Thanks for the input.

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eusti
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23 Jan 2015

A big thank you to all who have contributed here... This thread inspired me to get back to practice more again!
Thank you! :)

D.

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JNeffLind
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Location: So. Illinois, USA
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23 Jan 2015

eusti wrote:A big thank you to all who have contributed here... This thread inspired me to get back to practice more again!
Thank you! :)

D.
Yes absolutely. Thanks to everyone who has contributed here. Hopefully this thread will remain a resource to others long after we've forgotten it.

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