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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! > Tips for Beginning Singers
Tips for Beginning Singers
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Arrick
133 posts
Jan 04, 2018
7:31 AM
What songs would you recommend for someone who's wanting to start singing? I'm an intermediate/advanced harp player, but have never sang in public. Please throw a few blues tunes at me that are lyrically simple or otherwise safe for a beginner. Any other advice is much appreciated.

(Note: My goal isn't to be an awesome singer. I just want to be able to call out harp-centric songs at my local jam. The other vocalists only know guitar heavy stuff and have never heard of Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, etc.)
jbone
2437 posts
Jan 04, 2018
9:08 AM
First and foremost, take some voice lessons! Learn where your core is and how to sing without damaging your voice. Just my 2 cents from experience.

Got My Mojo Workin'. Bring It On Home To You. My Babe. Mellow Down Easy. Talk To My Baby. Love in Vain. Stormy Monday. 23 Hours Too Long. Baby What You Want Me To Do. Driftin' Blues. New Stranger Blues. Just a few suggestions. Jo and I do several of these and they are on youtube, link below if you're interested.
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snowman
302 posts
Jan 04, 2018
9:56 AM
GREAT QUESTION
I agree with j bone –LESSONS OR COURSE FROM ONLINE---but don’t take lessons from an opera type singer ----Some old school tradititional singers will make u sound like an opera singer in a rock or blues song
I suggest contacting or buying ‘Thomas Appel’ I took lessons from him 20 -25 years ago--- It helped me imensly-
-http://appellvoicestudio.com/

He taught the vocal chords are muscle, just like yr Bi-cep U do enough curls u get stronger
Hw taught the difference between “vibrato “ and “ pulsing” A lot of harp players confuse the 2-

Ie If the PITCH is going slightly up and slightly down-returning to the main pitch----But the pitch has to waver---then u have vibrato
Ie of pulsing is [ toungue slapping a note] –[only the pulse of air is starting and stopin ---BUT NO CHANGE IN PITCH—HE EXPLAINS THIS

U LEARAN HOW TO PRACTICE A HARD PASSAGE ETC ---THIS GUY HELPED ME IMMENSILY
Im a firm believer in lessons at least the first year of learning something new
—GET THAT FOUNDATION
Hope this helps

Last Edited by snowman on Jan 04, 2018 9:58 AM
Arrick
134 posts
Jan 04, 2018
11:25 AM
Great advice. I was going to give it a go a few weeks ago, but gave myself a sore throat by practicing in the car on the way there. I bet its similar to breath control on a harp. You only need a certain amount of air/volume/grit, etc.

Thanks for the list. I'm thinking My Babe, Mellow Down Easy and some other LW songs might be a good choice. I just want something low-key vocally so I can get a chance to play harp. I'd lose my shit trying to sing Mojo.
Arrick
135 posts
Jan 04, 2018
11:34 AM
Shame on me for first thinking Led Zeppelin when you said Bring It On Home. I think Sonny Boy Williamson II is a good one for me to look to for ideas. I could call out Bye Bye Bird and tell everyone to sit down for a few. :D
nacoran
9696 posts
Jan 04, 2018
11:39 AM
Find your vocal range.



That will determine what songs you can sing along with best in your original key. Of course, you can sing songs in any key you want, but I find singing along with songs is really useful. In my band we used to do a scratch recording of whatever new song we were learning and I'd listen and sing along with that. It helped me learn the words, which is always a problem I have!

Just like with harp, record yourself and listen back often. That will give you an idea of how you are doing on tone. Youtube videos will help you with breath support. Some of it is similar to harmonica, but breath management is a bit different. On harmonica, if you've got a long part coming up you look at how many draw notes and how many blow notes you have coming up and adjust how filled your lungs are... usually filling up maybe half way. With singing you pretty much want to fill your lungs all the way when you get a chance in the music. The other stuff is pretty similar though... good posture, breathe from the diaphragm,...

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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
Tuckster
1669 posts
Jan 04, 2018
12:08 PM
Scratch My Back is a good one,since it's more/less spoken. A good one to get your feet wet.
Andrew
1766 posts
Jan 04, 2018
12:58 PM
Range is an annoying problem. I go from E2 to E4 comfortably, F4 if I'm singing really loud. Basses really go lower than E2, so I usually consider myself a bass baritone. It's not the best range for many of the songs we do at the uke club (e.g. The Kinks) - I'd love to be able to reach G4. But between C4 and E4 there's some variation in quality. That's just about intelligent practice. My new year's resolution is to practise: - harp, voice, guitar and violin!

Last Edited by Andrew on Jan 05, 2018 4:50 AM
SweetBlood
4 posts
Jan 04, 2018
1:59 PM
Arrick, This may not be exactly what you are looking for, but first figure out what your comfortable vocal range is, then just pick songs that you like and transpose them into a key that fits your range. There are different ways to do this, the least scientific of which(and the one that I usually use) is to sing the song in a key, and if it does not feel comfortable, change the key until it does. A method that might be a little better, especially for someone who is not that comfortable singing, is to find the lowest note of the melody and transpose to the key that puts that note as the lowest note that you can sing comfortably(credit, I learned this method from Aimee Nolte on youtube). Another thing to look for are quirks in the melody that might be more comfortable in certain keys, eg., a really nice falsetto note that you can only hit in a very short range.

Then of course once you find a good key take into account how difficult it will be for the band. You may have to move a half step in one direction to alleviate the pain and stress of having the band be off because of an odd key.

Pick any song that you enjoy, learn to relax and practice without straining until it becomes second nature. It will get easier and easier, but if you are making your throat sore, you are doing something wrong and need to address your technique. Like many have said already, you may need to take lessons. I have never taken lessons because of a stigma that I used to have about sounding trained, but now I kind of wish that I had. I just knew trained singers who sounded robotic to me and I was afraid of sounding like that, but there is so much to learn, just like any other instrument (except there is more at stake), that it is worth having someone to teach you correctly.
BronzeWailer
2024 posts
Jan 04, 2018
10:45 PM
Nine Below Zero can be kind of talked as well. Route 66 (just need to remember the city names), Rock me Baby, Kansas City and Hoochie Coochie Man. If there isn't enough space give yourself a long solo.

BronzeWailer's YouTube
barbequebob
3460 posts
Jan 05, 2018
9:00 AM
I personally would recommend going to a vocal coach but NOT online or with Skype. Why? If you try teaching yourself, you will be totally unable to see many different flaws on your own that a reputable coach would see immediately, things from posture, how you use your embouchure, breathing, and relaxation for starters and the last two are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT and many of these lessons will also improve your harp playing GREATLY in addition.

Sometimes regional accents/dialects can also cause problems with vocals and if you try to learn it on your own with just online videos, 98% of the time, you will miss and these are just a few things.

I took vocal lessons and never regretted it once and it was right in her studio and she noticed a ton of things wrong that I was doing on the very first day and all the good coaches will do an audition just to see where you're really at and carefully observe EVERY little thing you're doing, especially for breathing and relaxation.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
shakeylee
726 posts
Jan 05, 2018
4:21 PM
my Best advice to you:

If the stage is loud,be sure to have a monitor.
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www.shakeylee.com
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www.shakeylee.com

Last Edited by shakeylee on Jan 05, 2018 4:21 PM
BnT
126 posts
Jan 06, 2018
11:12 PM
I think you should figure out
1. What keys you can sing in
2. What songs you like
3. What is feasible based on your supporting cast.

Even at a "Pro Jam" when you call out a song some of the players may know the title, but few if any will play their parts the way it was recorded. So I'd suggest finding one each - slow blues, medium shuffle, Green Onions bassline, uptempo shuffle, rhumba/mambo, and maybe a tramp groove so you have a song in each style and you only have to tell the band the groove and the key.

Find songs with a musical hook and a vocal hook. They help get the audience engaged and dancing. Don't be surprised if you hit a snag with "your key" - the guitar player who wants to do "a slow blues" but can only play it in "G", or doesn't like to play anything in "F". You may have to get vocally flexible on the spot.

Make it easy on yourself - Stick with 12-bar songs to start - too easy to lose a bass player (or 1/2 the band) with an 8-bar or 16-bar.

Find songs everybody else doesn't do and avoid cliches - for a Green Onions groove, try Junior Wells' "Yonder Wall" instead of "Help Me" (too overdone); use Albert King's "I Get Evil" or Muddy's "She's Into Something" for a rhumba/mambo style; "She's Dynamite" (Tampa Red) or "Take A Swing With Me" (B.B. King) for an uptempo shuffle. If you have a guitarist who plays slide, do Little Sammy Davis's "I Ain't Lyin" instead of "Dust My Broom" (there's a good harp part).

Naming songs may or may not work with musicians of varied experience and knowledge. Just make sure you can name the groove & key, know the lyrics & intro, and can count off the song.
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BnT
Mirco
564 posts
Jan 07, 2018
1:04 PM
BnT's advice is excellent, as usual. As far as his (1) goes, how do you figure out what keys you can sing in? Get a keyboard and practice scales. Find where your voice is weak. (You can strengthen it over time, as it's just muscle, but start by identifying your strong keys.)

Great suggestion about having a song in different grooves. I agree with the idea, but would suggest adding a few more grooves to your repertoire: a rock beat and a swing.

In any groove, you can find songs that are vocally easier than others. You can do a lot of blues in a "talking blues" style.

The most important thing is to start doing something. Don't procrastinate. Whether you're just running scales with a keyboard, singing in the car, or singing on stage... do something to progress in that direction. Even 10 minutes a day can be significant.
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Marc Graci
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johan d
104 posts
Jan 07, 2018
11:07 PM
This guy has some great learning video's, also rhythm etc...

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1CECD9DA4D267D95

Last Edited by johan d on Jan 07, 2018 11:09 PM
BronzeWailer
2025 posts
Jan 08, 2018
2:44 AM
+1 on what barbequebob said.

There are things we don't even know exist going on with our voices, and you'll never know if an outside expert doesn't listen to you and tell you.

I was told that I might have tongue tension, was articulating vowels wrong, trying to fill the room with volume instead of resonance, for starters.

More important, there was a potential fix for all my problems. Vocal lessons are a very worthwhile investment.

BronzeWailer's YouTube

Last Edited by BronzeWailer on Jan 08, 2018 2:45 AM
GamblersHand
674 posts
Jan 08, 2018
4:40 AM
A common problem is trying to "reach" for the high notes and tensing up.

Practice in front of a mirror and make sure you don't lift your shoulders. Keep your body relaxed and always support the note from the diaphragm.
barbequebob
3463 posts
Jan 08, 2018
9:58 AM
The tensing up problem is again a reason for going to a vocal coach just to get lessons on proper breathing and relaxation and when you aren't 100% fully relaxed, all sorts of problems occur including what Gembler's Hand mentions and it's often the very same thing with harp playing as well. Trying to teach yourself this thru YT videos or even Skype lessons for that matter won't do enough to help you when it comes to these things and here's where being around a reputable vocal coach is EXTREMELY vital and worth every penny.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
nacoran
9698 posts
Jan 08, 2018
11:19 AM
I sang in choir for years and was taught choral style singing, but then I got into grunge, which requires a lot of vocal fry. Unfortunately, I didn't learn how to do that safely and I shredded my voice and did some real damage. It's mostly healed now, but I lost the ability to do some stuff without pain. I eventually learned that, just like harmonica, you can do stuff at a lot lower volume level than you think and still get the sound you want as long as you are miked. If you want to sing on stage, learn from someone who knows how to use a mic right. Good breath support to stay safe and a little reverb will hide a lot of vocal sins.

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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
barbequebob
3464 posts
Jan 09, 2018
8:56 AM
Nate, that is one of the things I learned from a vocal coach NOT to do because if your voice ain't built that way naturally, you can cause severe damage and all pro vocalists fear getting nodes on their vocal chords and even tho outcomes from various vocal chord surgeries are much better, the risk of permanent damage is still high and good vocal coaches will always teach you about the care and feeding of the voice, the kind of stuff you often won't find if you're trying to teach this to yourself going the cheapie route of just using YT videos. Consider yourself very fortunate that permanent injury to your vocal chords didn't happen.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte


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