jnorem
273 posts
Jun 15, 2014
8:41 PM
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I have a terrible voice, kind of a high-pitched whiny toneless nasally sound. Once I knew I was actually ready to be a real harp player I also knew that I was never going to be a singer, therefore I was destined to be an instrumentalist.
Would my life have been different if I had been a singing-harp player? I think the answer is probably.
There must be some harp players here who can't sing. Would your life have been different if you'd been able to sing, if you'd been a singing harp player?
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Call me J
Last Edited by jnorem on Jun 15, 2014 11:23 PM
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Joe_L
2482 posts
Jun 15, 2014
9:20 PM
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I know i will regret posting this...
I can tell you this. I started singing about six or seven years ago. I don't think I am a particularly good singer. Once, I started singing, I started playing more music that I wanted to play, rather than hoping I would be on the same page musically as the other players. It improved my confidence and allowed me to do what interests me.
A friend of mine gave me some great advice. Learn to sing. Willie Dixon and Muddy Waters are both dead. The demand for non-singing harp players is at an all time low. Another one told me non-singing harp players are like tits on a bull. Largely unnecessary. They were right.
Once, I started singing, it allowed me to stretch out a bit more. Some people seem to dig what I do.
If Blues is your passion, there are plenty of great players to steal from including some that will have a similar vocal style as you. You just need to find a match.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
Last Edited by Joe_L on Jun 15, 2014 9:24 PM
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Kingley
3600 posts
Jun 15, 2014
9:34 PM
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Very true and wise words Joe.
I'm so sick of hearing people say they can't sing. It simply isn't true. Everyone can sing and some do it better than others. All it takes is practice to develop your own voice. OK so you may never be a great singer. You may also never be a great harp player, but does that stop you playing harmonica? If you want to be able to play the music you want to play then develop your voice, do the exercises, practice. Its just like any other musical instrument. All harmonica players have the skills to be able to sing. Playing harmonica exercises many of the same muscles that singers use. If you can talk you can sing!
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jnorem
274 posts
Jun 15, 2014
9:46 PM
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But I can't sing. I have less than a one octave range. It just isn't true that everyone can sing, and I've been exposed to plenty of people who thought they could.
But, congratulations to both of you, for being able to sing so well.
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Call me J
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jbone
1655 posts
Jun 15, 2014
9:59 PM
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I did not know my voice for some years even after I began to sing. Getting some coaching, finding my easy keys and range, and loosening up, did a lot. 3 years ago I stopped smoking. Big help.
I don't know how many or few octaves I can sing really, I just find what works and do it. My voice is whiskey and cigarettes and kind of deep.
Early on, I squeaked. Then I was straining so hard I would lose my voice the next day after a gig. It got to losing voice after set 2. I developed the duo with my wife partly to keep the volume down where i didn't strain. Joined another solo guy and we did the duo thing as well, when he went 4 piece my mic was never loud enough and I consequently got a polyp on one vocal cord. I quirt that guy since he didn't have any concern for my vocal needs. 6 months off singing and I think my voice may actually be better now.
If this was choral group or torch singing, I'd say, don't do it, but man, I have heard guys who I thought were women and women I swore were guys, their voices were that different than "normal". I'm not saying just anybody can sing but you owe yourself a lesson or two at least jnorem. why not? A pro may amaze you with where your voice can really go and how it can sound great.
And it's really true, if you sing you get to pick material much more.
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http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000386839482
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa7La7yYYeE
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jbone
1656 posts
Jun 15, 2014
10:00 PM
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Incidentally, I was mid 30's when I began singing. I am 59 now. Never looked back!
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http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000386839482
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa7La7yYYeE
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jnorem
275 posts
Jun 15, 2014
10:11 PM
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But I'm a musician with a musician's ear, so I know that I can't sing, I know that there isn't anything there to develop, so I've never wasted my time. Instead I just worked on my playing.
Singing is the main thing with this music, blues music. It's the singing that drew me to this music, finally and forever; there just isn't any better singer than a real blues singer, someone with that tone, confidence and ability to be expressive in this music. It's a thing apart from singing pop music.
I'd love to be able to sing as strongly and positively as I can play. That's the point of this thread, for the players who can't sing.
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Call me J
Last Edited by jnorem on Jun 15, 2014 10:13 PM
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Kingley
3601 posts
Jun 15, 2014
10:32 PM
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"But I can't sing. I have less than a one octave range. It just isn't true that everyone can sing, and I've been exposed to plenty of people who thought they could."
Complete utter rubbish! I have way less than a one octave vocal range and I can get by enough to cover the songs I sing. With a defeatist attitude like that you'll never get anywhere. When you learnt to play harmonica did you give up because you couldn't play like Jason Ricci or Little Walter? No of course you didn't! Singing is just like anything else. The more you practice the better you get. You just need to find songs that you can sing and work on your strengths. Very few people can sing like John Nemeth, but that doesn't stop them. I'd suggest that if you want to learn to sing then start practising seriously, work out your strong points and work to improve them even further and stop being so negative about it. If you work hard then it will improve. Ok so you may never be a great singer. I'm not a great singer, hell for the most part I'm not even a good singer. What I can do is get in key for a limited range of songs. So I sing in those keys. I don't sing in keys or styles that I struggle in (at least not in public). I sing in A, G, Bb and F. Hell most blues songs you can get by with not even singing and more just kind of talking.
As for there not being anything there to develop, that is just complete and utter crap!!! All harmonica players can sing to some degree. They just choose not to work on it. So stop making excuses about not having the skills and start working on developing those skills. Or if you don't want to sing, then just admit that and be honest with yourself.
Sorry if that all sounds harsh, but it is the plain simple truth.
Last Edited by Kingley on Jun 15, 2014 10:34 PM
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jnorem
276 posts
Jun 15, 2014
10:43 PM
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But I have admitted it, I am being honest with myself. I can't sing worth a damn. Hey, I don't mind that I can't sing, as a harmonica player I've done okay, this isn't something that's scarred me forever. I'm fine with not being able to sing!
You may just be taking this thread a little too seriously. It's not that your post sounds harsh, it's that it sounds a little, well, clueless.
And this: "Hell most blues songs you can get by with not even singing and more just kind of talking." Is that really what you think. With all respect, we seem to be talking about two different kinds of blues.
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Call me J
Last Edited by jnorem on Jun 15, 2014 10:49 PM
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Joe_L
2483 posts
Jun 15, 2014
10:58 PM
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Well then. There you go. You can't do it. You won't sing.
The short answer to your question is, if you could, your life would be different.
FWIW, a lot of vocalists were not very good singers. No one will ever confuse me with Tyrone Davis, Bobby Bland or Muddy Waters. I couldn't tell you what my range is, but I am willing to try. It doesn't hurt. Most of the time.
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The Blu
es Photo Gallery
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jnorem
277 posts
Jun 15, 2014
11:06 PM
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I won't do it because I know I can't. There are many things I can't do.
Let's all just take it easy, please.
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Call me J
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JInx
802 posts
Jun 15, 2014
11:09 PM
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Don't encourage him, there are more than enough bad blues singers out there.....
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Sun, sun, sun
Burn, burn, burn
Soon, soon, soon
Moon, moon, moon
Last Edited by JInx on Jun 15, 2014 11:09 PM
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jnorem
278 posts
Jun 15, 2014
11:11 PM
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More than enough.
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Call me J
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Leatherlips
269 posts
Jun 15, 2014
11:15 PM
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I was told a long time ago, I couldn't sing, but that didn't stop me.
I joined an acapella group and went for a number of years.
I asked to sing in the band I was in at the time, but was refused. I still didn't give up and practiced at home to recordings and became a singer in a duo which lasted for two years until I joined and electric band in which I sing maybe 20% of the songs in it.
Yes, it's much more pleasing to both sing and play harp.
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jnorem
279 posts
Jun 15, 2014
11:22 PM
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See, what I did was practice playing the harmonica. Since I knew I'd never be a singer, see. What else was I going to do? Just give up?
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Call me J
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Gipsy
74 posts
Jun 16, 2014
12:46 AM
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" what else was I going to do! ". Why not try singing lessons? I'm off for my first tomorrow afternoon. I was firmly in the cant dance won't dance, can't sing won't sing camp. I may well still be there down the road, but I'm doing my best to get out. I'm 60 and I'm certain it'd have been less painful if I'd given it a go 30 years ago, but what the hell. I'd rather crash and burn trying something than sit in my chair waiting for the grim reaper.
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BronzeWailer
1309 posts
Jun 16, 2014
2:04 AM
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Good on you Gipsy. I started lessons last year at the 52. I have learned a lot and people tell me I am getting better. It seems whatever problem I have, my teacher has a fix for, although I am probably slower to adapt than a young person. Have you ever taken any singing lessons, jnorem? there is lots of good material on YouTube as well.
BronzeWailer's YouTube
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jbone
1657 posts
Jun 16, 2014
3:49 AM
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j, I for one do respect your position. Who am I to judge your talent? I shared my own experience in the hope that you may see a chance to sing after all, but the fact is, I'm no voice specialist or coach and have never heard you speak.
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http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000386839482
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa7La7yYYeE
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5F6H
1789 posts
Jun 16, 2014
4:09 AM
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@Jnorem :"I won't do it because I know I can't. There are many things I can't do. Let's all just take it easy, please."
Between you me and the gatepost - not something I'm keen to share with the general public ;-) - I, like Joe L, figured I should start singing, mainly to have better control over what music I got to play on harp. A pal of mine (who is a superb singer) was getting some coaching on extending his range from a local opera singer...my singing was a bit of a hit/miss affair, so he suggested I pay her a visit.
She gave everyone a half hour appraisal before committing to lessons, she played a few notes off the piano & I lamely attempted to replicate them, she told me to keep my money & go away. I protested, replying that there was no medical condition as "tone deafness". Her reply was "some people's brains & throats just aren't connected, I think you are one of those..."!
Anyhow, I had a lesson's worth of money in my pocket & persuaded her to give me a lesson, if I was no better the following time I'd take her advice. She gave me something to learn...I came back & "Hey, now we have something to work with!"
I'm not a 'great' singer by any means, competent perhaps, some folk have even claimed to like it? If you can front a band rather than just play harp you get remembered by other musicians moreso, it opens up more opportunities to play the harp. There are musicians out there who want to play & need a front man to give them the/more opportunity. If it's something you don't feel you want to pursue, then fine, but really...don't write yourself off yet.
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www.myspace.com/markburness
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SuperBee
2075 posts
Jun 16, 2014
4:17 AM
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I'm a mediocre singer. Ditto harp player. But I was the best applicant on both counts, so I got the job.
I've learned there is a lot more to fronting a band than being a good musician. Unfortunately I don't have a personality.
Last Edited by SuperBee on Jun 16, 2014 4:26 AM
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bublnsqueak
28 posts
Jun 16, 2014
4:28 AM
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@jnorem: Argue for your limitations and you get to keep them! - Richard Bach - Illusions.
I am in the same place as you re singing - promised myself to deal with it one day.
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Tuckster
1421 posts
Jun 16, 2014
5:45 AM
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J-To answer your question- Being able to sing would have opened up a lot more opportunities for me,I believe.
Kingley makes a good point. You don't need an operatic voice to sing blues. Maybe you'd only be able to sing in one key,but it can be done. My problem is I'm so damn fussy about vocals that I'd never be happy with anything I'd do. The number 1 reason I don't like a certain group/band/artist is the vocals.
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mr_so&so
838 posts
Jun 16, 2014
10:48 AM
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Most of the harp pros sing too. Dennis Greunling is a notable exception though. If I wanted to be a pro, I'd be working on singing as much as harp playing. Even without those ambitions, I'm working on singing more and more, having hardly sung a note until 2.5 years ago. To determine that you can't sing before you've given it a good effort seems a little self-judgemental. Like Tuckster, I find myself being judgemental about vocals if I'm listening to a pro band, but only if the vocals are out of key, too strained, lacking conviction, or ill timed --- the same sort of things I notice about harp playing.
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Last Edited by mr_so&so on Jun 16, 2014 10:52 AM
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nacoran
7807 posts
Jun 16, 2014
12:24 PM
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If you 'can't' sing, learn to be the bandleader, but 'can't' is a loaded word. There are exercises you can do to stretch your range some. If you've got a musicians ear you are already better than half the people who turn up at open mics. :)
Seriously though, singing is like anything else. You practice it and you get better. You'll have your limits, yeah, but there are some great 'singers' out there with terrible voices. Tom Waits and Bob Dylan manage to get by with voices that sound like marbles in a blender.
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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
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jnorem
280 posts
Jun 16, 2014
1:18 PM
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@mr_so&so: "To determine that you can't sing before you've given it a good effort seems a little self-judgemental. Like Tuckster, I find myself being judgemental about vocals if I'm listening to a pro band, but only if the vocals are out of key, too strained, lacking conviction, or ill timed --- the same sort of things I notice about harp playing."
How do you know I've never given it a good try? And of course I'm self-judgemental, it's how I got to be as good as I am on the harmonica.
Then you say you don't like vocals to be "out of key, too strained, lacking conviction, or ill timed". I don't like that either, which is why I don't sing. I don't care for bad music.
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Call me J
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jnorem
281 posts
Jun 16, 2014
1:20 PM
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@Tuckster: "My problem is I'm so damn fussy about vocals that I'd never be happy with anything I'd do. The number 1 reason I don't like a certain group/band/artist is the vocals."
My feelings exactly.
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Call me J
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barbequebob
2599 posts
Jun 16, 2014
1:22 PM
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I don't exactly consider myself a great singer by any stretch of the imagination, but there are very few gigs for a harp playing sideman these days, and the number one gig in blues for that has been long gone ever since Muddy Waters passed away in 1983.
I've never regretted getting lessons from a vocal coach because there were things that were pointed out to me I had never noticed that I was doing and the biggest two was learning proper breathing and relaxation techniques, but also something I never really considered and that was how my lips (basically the "embouchure" for a vocalist) and how I was taught to speak and pronounce certain words had interfered with my ability to sing and that's a lesson you won't learn trying to teach yourself using just books and You Tube videos alone to do so and according to the vocal coach I had many years ago, just learning how do those things alone, especially the latter was often a reason why some people have more of a difficult time singing and you have to learn to make those adjustments.
Now, would some of these things help expand your range? It can, but it will vary from person to person, anywhere from about one half to almost an entire octave. The single best known female jazz/blues singer of them all, Billie Holiday, only had a range of 1-1/2 octaves, which is considered quite small and limited, but she learned how to make the most out of it and it comes down to understanding where your voice is and how to make the best and most advantageous use of it.
Everyone is always gonna be their toughest critic, and many of the greatest vocalists of every genre you can name are often extremely critical of themselves but at the same time, if you're voice isn't naturally gonna be Howlin' Wolf, for example, it's foolish to try and do that or you can risk permanent damage to your voice.
Part of the problem for vocalists is the care and feeding of their voices and many vocal coaches will often tell you that at least two hours or more before performing to avoid any and all dairy products because it can form a layer of mucous on your vocal chords, which alone can constrict your range as well as what you can do with it.
For a number of years, I never bothered to sing at all and just wanted to be a sideman and a big reason was that I allowed some of those classic fears like what jnorem has listed hold me back, but with a vocal coach, it allowed me to get over the hump and so it helped conquer so many problems I held or what I perceived to have had.
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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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Kingley
3602 posts
Jun 16, 2014
1:25 PM
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"And of course I'm self-judgemental, it's how I got to be as good as I am on the harmonica."
Having never heard you play I can't comment on whether you're a good harmonica player or not. Maybe you'll post some audio or video clips so we can all listen and decide for ourselves.
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dougharps
644 posts
Jun 16, 2014
2:44 PM
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I stopped singing after 8th grade chorus in 1964. I had struggled with a limited range, allergies, sinus problems, and lack of confidence. I also stopped clarinet at that time. I just played basic songs on chromatic, and eventually added diatonic in college when I wanted to play rock and blues.
I do have a good ear for relative pitch, but I found my voice to be unreliable. I continued playing harp, and when asked to sing in a band in the '70s I said I couldn't sing. After not playing out for years I started up again in the '90s. I was asked and I said I couldn't sing.
In a band in the early 2000s I said I couldn't sing. I occasionally tried singing at jams and did not like my performances. I really stressed out over public vocal performance. No one encouraged me to continue trying. I was just a side man, and there are limited opportunities for that. Jams, and sitting in helped me become known in the area for good harp playing.
In 2005 or so I joined a band and was told I would need to sing at least one song per set to give the lead singer a break. I objected saying I couldn't sing, but this was required, and I finally agreed.
I reviewed blues songs that only needed a limited range and didn't need a pure vocalist type voice. I picked a few and practiced at home, with a lot of time spent on phrasing and expression to suit my preferences and my voice.
I wasn't happy with my performances, but the band thought my vocals didn't suck, and it gave the lead singer a break. I continued to try to find different songs that would fit my limitations.
As I got used to singing in public I discovered that I could apply what I had learned playing harp: about resonance and breathing from the diaphragm. I continued to receive mild praise for my performances.
I will never be a great vocalist, but I came to recognize that I hear a lot of songs sung on the radio by people who are not great vocalists. I accepted that I was OK, and could keep working on it.
I have continued singing and now can perform many songs in different genres. My range has slightly expanded. I still pick songs that fit my voice and that I feel I can relate to as I sing.
I strongly believe that stress from stage anxiety and fear of performing poorly while singing diminishes the quality of our voices, and that practice can improve our singing. It will not turn us into great vocalists, but if we can learn to just do it, we can get by. Just like with playing harp, you have to do it like you mean it.
I set my goals as becoming a good instrumentalist on harp, and an adequate singer. No ambition to be a "master" of either.
I am always surprised when people tell me they like my vocal performances. One well known singer in our area approached me last year at our local weekly Hootenanny and said that she liked my voice, and that unlike others I was on pitch. This really made me feel good about having persisted in trying because my pitch had started out as being unreliable.
In the band, duo, and trio that I perform with I sing most of the material. We focus on providing acceptable vocals, sung with feeling, and emphasizing good instrumental performances. I still get compliments on my vocals, which I believe are OK only due to my song and stylistic choices, and my continued trying.
Learning to sing (over my strong objections!) has greatly expanded what music I can perform and what performance opportunities I am offered.
I don't know if you can learn to sing well enough to please yourself, but it is worth trying, especially if you have the ear for harp.
Pick something simple with a limited range and words you can believe. Sing it in a talking/singing style that lets you slide your pitch as you attack the lyrics. Even if you don't become a front man, you can aim at getting good enough to give other singers an occasional break.
High and whiny vocals can be made to work! Don't try to be a singer, just work on singing a song or two adequately.
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Doug S.
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Michael Rubin
889 posts
Jun 16, 2014
3:00 PM
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I too know the pain of can't really sing. I used to front bands, I still sing harmony in a what was a 7 piece, now a 6 piece harmony band and am often told, "lay out on this tune." Oh, the pain. Over the years, I have spent a year or so with around 4 different vocal instructors. I am convinced that my current instructor is the best I have worked with and I see all kinds of improvements.
So, I have felt the blow of rejection of my vocals many times. On the flip side, I have felt the thrill of fronting many a song when I was "on". Although I probably never will get good enough to our as a front man, it has been an enjoyable struggle.
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jnorem
282 posts
Jun 16, 2014
3:02 PM
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Well, as I said, not singing hasn't hurt me, it hasn't held me back. I got to do studio work, got to play chromatic in a couple of "fusion jazz" bands, got to play on other people's records. I'm fine with not being able to sing. I like being an instrumentalist. I'm a harmonica player, nothing wrong with that.
I started this thread just treating it as a sort of light topic, just something to knock around. I thought that surely I can't be the only non-singing harp player here.
I sing all the time around the house, I know the lyrics to dozens of songs and I like to sing them, even though I stink as a singer. No way would I ever get up on the stand and try to have a go.
I did sing at a karaoke thing one night. "Jumpin Jack Flash." It was awful.
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Call me J
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Harpaholic
460 posts
Jun 16, 2014
3:34 PM
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There's a lot of blues songs that really aren't sung there spoken like Mannish Boy. Focus on those type of songs until you gain confidence.
Sounds like you have had a decent harp career. Now that you've put it out there that your an exceptional harp player more or less, please post some of your recent music.
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chopsy
30 posts
Jun 16, 2014
3:58 PM
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it appears the harp player who CAN'T sing is a myth..
there are only those who WON'T sing ;)
(apologies if there is a mute guy/gal out there who can't speak up)
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Gnarly
1026 posts
Jun 16, 2014
4:05 PM
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In a lot of ways I am mainly a singer.
When I spoke with Jay (I carved him a custom tuning)he sounded fine to me.
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jnorem
283 posts
Jun 16, 2014
4:11 PM
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Gary, that D SP20 is the best harp in my case!
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Call me J
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Gnarly
1027 posts
Jun 16, 2014
4:33 PM
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You are just saying that because I complimented your speaking voice LOL
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jnorem
284 posts
Jun 16, 2014
4:46 PM
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I appreciated the compliment, but I'm being sincere. It's just a beautiful-playing harp.
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Call me J
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Gnarly
1028 posts
Jun 16, 2014
11:59 PM
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Yay!
I like working on harps!
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Gipsy
75 posts
Jun 17, 2014
1:30 PM
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@BronzeWailer. Thanks for that. Had a great time at the lesson. We did a lot of talking about the voice as an instrument and some of the techniques that would help. I couldn't help feeling it was like taking one to one tuition on a musical instrument. I certainly intend persevering. One interesting point was the way in which singers alter the shape and size of the oral cavity. Just like harp players.
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BronzeWailer
1310 posts
Jun 17, 2014
2:36 PM
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Glad to hear it went well Gipsy. It amazes me how complex the task of singing is. It really is an instrument you can train to use. Among other things, I learned I was forming a lot of my vowels wrongly. (It's better now). There is hope for the "mature" voice as well...
BronzeWailer's YouTube
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barbequebob
2601 posts
Jun 18, 2014
10:03 AM
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@BronzwWailer -- Pronunciation of vowels and at times consonants as well was something that I learned from going to a reputable vocal coach and I had to relearn how to do that to get the most out of the vocals and that alone was crimping vocal range and she explained to me that this is a very common problem, and this one thing I guarantee you that you will never learn if you go the cheapie route and try to teach yourself with just books, recordings or You Tube videos because it's one of the many things most people won't be paying one bit of attention to and good vocal coaches will easily see flaws like that.
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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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Gipsy
76 posts
Jun 18, 2014
11:09 AM
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Is there a trend here. However good or bad one's given voice is, there is no reason why it can't be given a chance to improve with the help of appropriate advice. This is a given with instruments, it amazes me that some peeps fail to see the connection with singing.
Last Edited by Gipsy on Jun 18, 2014 11:11 AM
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BronzeWailer
1316 posts
Jun 18, 2014
2:35 PM
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@BarbequeBob. Totally agree. I have been going weekly to a 1-on-1 session for 18 months now. It isn't cheap but is very good value for money. She is a professional and has a very pro approach. So far we have worked on breathing, vowels, jaw flexing, soft palate position, larynx position, posture, vocal fry, being aware of where the resonance lies, and more. She won't let me "get away with" anything. I heartily recommend in-person lessons.
BronzeWailer's YouTube
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STME58
914 posts
Jun 18, 2014
10:32 PM
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I have been thinking and doing a bit of research into musical acoustics. When you sing, the air goes through the reed (vocal chords), into a resonating chamber (your oral and nasal cavities) , the out into the air. When you play the harp the air goes into the same resonating chamber as when you sing, through the reed, the into a second resonating chamber (the covers and your hands, and out into the air. When you play other types of wind instruments the air goes into the oral/nasal resonating chamber, though a reed (your lips are the reed in a brass instrument) into a second resonating chamber (the instrument with its ability to change effective length to change the pitch) and out into the air.
In looking at this site from UNSW Sax Physics I saw a study that found that due to the conical shape of a sax, as opposed to the cylindrical shape of most other instruments, the oral cavity has a much greater effect on the tone of the sax than it does on other instruments. The body of the sax still has a great effect as it is mostly which keys are pressed that determine the pitch. When you are playing one hole on a harp, it is what you do inside your mouth that determines the pitch. You can color the tone with your hands but you cant change the pitch.
That is a long way of saying I think that of all the instruments, the harp is the closest to singing, followed by the saxophone. Perhaps that is why these two instruments can be so expressive.
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mr_so&so
839 posts
Jun 20, 2014
11:20 AM
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SuperBee
2080 posts
Jun 20, 2014
4:06 PM
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Justin Stoney, that was very cool. Thanks for posting so&so
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BronzeWailer
1321 posts
Jun 20, 2014
4:56 PM
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I think Justin Stoney may be the Adam Gussow of voice lessons.
BronzeWailer's YouTube
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Goldbrick
500 posts
Jun 20, 2014
7:44 PM
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Best advice I can give is stay relaxed, pick a song you like and pick a song in your comfort zone( physically and lyrically).
I know I try and stay in my range, stay in my groove and keep it simple.
I will say its much easier to sing when I play harp or guitar as compared to singing and percussion
Last Edited by Goldbrick on Jun 20, 2014 7:49 PM
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MelodyMark
3 posts
Jun 21, 2014
10:25 PM
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I don't think I can sing, but it sure doesn't stop me trying. There are so many excellent musicians/singers with rubbish voices, that still make it work. You just have to find the right way to go about it.
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The number one website for all things Melodica
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arnenym
292 posts
Jun 22, 2014
1:31 AM
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Tell yourself " I can't sing" enough many times and you can not sing. Tell yourself you sing good enough..
It's just a matter of relax in the throat. There is a lot of musicians who can't sing but do it anyway. For example: Tom Waits, Willie Nelson, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan just to mention some of them. They have no beautiful voices. They just learned to express what they sing about. And they doing it good!
Maybe you can take a lesson or two to get started?
Last Edited by arnenym on Jun 22, 2014 1:32 AM
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