How do you find your singing voice?

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by CASD57

Sure will....

Also Working on JJ Cale's "Sensitive Kind" It's a pretty easy song, it's the little riffs that he played throughout that takes time since I'm not a lead player...more of a Rhythm Player

His Cajon Moon has been in my set list for years .. My daughter and I preformed that a couple open mics a number of years back

Glad you mentioned JJ I will have to put Cajon Moon on my "to do" cover list as well

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Tnfiddler

I just went and watched the video for Starting Over. My favorite part of that whole song is Morgan’s impeccable harmonies with Chris! She really makes that song!

Just rewatched it's interesting done "live style" and the mic selection a Ribbon and Tube LDC on guitar and the same Tube LDC for vocal

[Tnfiddler]

Originally Posted by KevWind

That video production and performance is extremely well done I like how the Acoustic guitar is the primary instrument element, that and simple chord progression in my mind makes it great candidate for an acoustic guitar and vocal cover .

I think I may have to work this one up. It’s not too high and shouldn’t be that hard to play.

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by SongwriterFan

I would get the Mic Mechanic 2 by TC Helicon.

If you sing into the mic, go through the pedal, and then into an amp/PA that you use as a monitor, you can hear the "chorusing" effect when your voice isn't perfectly in pitch with the pitch-corrected voice.

Note: if you're off by more than 50 cents, this won't help much.

I find that using the pedal helps build confidence and also "trains" me to sing even more closely in tune.

Thanks for this recommendation. I'd never heard of this pedal, looked into it, and bought one. I've had it a few days and I think it's sort of helpful. My recorder (Spire Studio) has various vocal "effects", which mostly amount to a bit of reverb and some EQ and compression, which sound pretty good. And after playing with the Mic Mechanic, I frankly like the effects of the Spire Studio more than the delay, reverb, or "tone" on the Mic Mechanic. So I leave those turned off and am just experimenting with the pitch correction.

The Mic Mechanic pitch correction is definitely new to me. It doesn't help me sing stuff I can't sing to begin with, but songs I can kind of sing half-decently without it, I can kind of sing a bit better with the pitch correction turned about half way up. That said, I don't hear any chorusing as it's correcting my pitch, it just sounds a little bit better. And while I'm singing it, not just on playback. When I turn the pitch correction up higher than halfway (there's a detent halfway up, so I guess that's what they're sort of recommending you use as a default), I can hear something like chorusing, or just a somehow fuller sounding voice, which may be the same thing, but it doesn't sound natural to me. Leaving it halfway seems to make just a bit of a difference but still sounds natural. It might not be doing much more than giving me more confidence to let it rip, which would make it at least partly placebo. But regardless, I like it. I'll be on the lookout for whether it works as a learning tool - ie, if my singing WiTHOUT it starts to improve notably or not.

I read a couple of threads on other forums about it, and everyone who's tried it seems to like it. It's not nearly as heavy handed as "auto-tune", which I don't know much about but I've heard some really fake sounding vocals that I was informed were done with auto-tune. You have to be pretty close already for the mic mechanic to help, but it does help if you're in the neighborhood. And everyone seems to agree it's a confidence booster at least, which I think is probably a pretty big part of becoming a better singer...

-Ray

[CASD57]

Originally Posted by raysachs

Thanks for this recommendation. I'd never heard of this pedal, looked into it, and bought one. I've had it a few days and I think it's sort of helpful. My recorder (Spire Studio) has various vocal "effects", which mostly amount to a bit of reverb and some EQ and compression, which sound pretty good. And after playing with the Mic Mechanic, I frankly like the effects of the Spire Studio more than the delay, reverb, or "tone" on the Mic Mechanic. So I leave those turned off and am just experimenting with the pitch correction.

The Mic Mechanic pitch correction is definitely new to me. It doesn't help me sing stuff I can't sing to begin with, but songs I can kind of sing half-decently without it, I can kind of sing a bit better with the pitch correction turned about half way up. That said, I don't hear any chorusing as it's correcting my pitch, it just sounds a little bit better. And while I'm singing it, not just on playback. When I turn the pitch correction up higher than halfway (there's a detent halfway up, so I guess that's what they're sort of recommending you use as a default), I can hear something like chorusing, or just a somehow fuller sounding voice, which may be the same thing, but it doesn't sound natural to me. Leaving it halfway seems to make just a bit of a difference but still sounds natural. It might not be doing much more than giving me more confidence to let it rip, which would make it at least partly placebo. But regardless, I like it. I'll be on the lookout for whether it works as a learning tool - ie, if my singing WiTHOUT it starts to improve notably or not.

I read a couple of threads on other forums about it, and everyone who's tried it seems to like it. It's not nearly as heavy handed as "auto-tune", which I don't know much about but I've heard some really fake sounding vocals that I was informed were done with auto-tune. You have to be pretty close already for the mic mechanic to help, but it does help if you're in the neighborhood. And everyone seems to agree it's a confidence booster at least, which I think is probably a pretty big part of becoming a better singer...

-Ray

I had a MicMechanic a couple of years ago... Bought it used and I think the reverb was Wonky..so I sold it "As Is" Never really used it much.
I probably should have lol

[The Bard Rocks]

One of the first things any singer needs to know is his range. I see it as 2 ranges, the possible and the comfortable. Then adjust your key so you stay within that range. And don't try to sing something not within your natural boundaries (unless you are actively trying to extend them and are not on stage).

Get used to the sound of your voice as others hear it. Listen to it to a point where it sounds like you to you, and not like someone you've never met.

I've always had pitch difficulty. Practice goes a long way there. But I also learned to listen when I play the note I want to sing and then can easier match it. You can learn to listen to single notes on the guitar while singing. It's easier to do fingerpicked of course.

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by The Bard Rocks

I've always had pitch difficulty. Practice goes a long way there. But I also learned to listen when I play the note I want to sing and then can easier match it. You can learn to listen to single notes on the guitar while singing. It's easier to do fingerpicked of course.

Interesting point - and something I use when flatpicking. Some of the songs I sing have little phrases that are important but difficult to pitch, so I single note play the phrase. For example: there's a song written by Johnathan Byrd called Diana where the chorus finishes with the phrase "twenty bucks at a time". I had trouble getting that phrase to sound well, so I subtly single note play the phrase on guitar to support my voice. I do the same thing when I play the bluegrass song "Wild and Wicked World". The guitar just slightly "lifts" the voice and fills the sound as well as keeping me to strict pitch.

Another thing that I will do to help my singing is add any "awkward" singing notes to the chord I'm playing. For example: in "Walking Down the Line" there is a part of the chorus where the word "line" is held for 8 beats against the IV chord and then the I chord. But the words starts on the 6th of the scale for 3 beats, rocks up to the flattened 7th and back to the 6th on the 4th beat then drops to the 5th of the scale on the chord change to the I chord. I find that the word "line" is a hard word to sing with any power or clarity, particularly when it is held for so long. So I drop a finger on to the flattened 7th note when playing to IV chord for the half beat that high note is held for. It just adds a real punch to overall sound and emphasises the flattened 7th giving a bluesy feel to the whole phrase. I have really made a feature out of that little note punch and it has become a hook in the song for me.

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

... little phrases that are important but difficult to pitch, so I single note play the phrase.

Brilliant strategy. And I don't mean that in the Britishly-overused sense of "brilliant." Really smart.

[broy]

... the things i do to be able to display my guitar prowess.

I'm 4 weeks into singing lessons (that's it for the time being) and here's where I'm at. I've learned how to figure out what notes to be singing based on key of the song, and / or the cover. I'm learning how to hear that note when i'm playing.

I've also learned i have philosophical differences with my voice coach. He feels a cover needs to be sung in the note the song was done in. I feel a song can be sung in another note as long as it fits with the key of the song.

Anyways, feel i've at least built a foundation to get better, and that's better than where i was at.