Karaoke Forums

I haven't been singing that long but for the most part I know all the words to the songs that I've chosen to sing.  B U T T T T T T T T T when I'm up sing karaoke I can not make myself stop look at the monitor.  It drives me nuts.  Folks, I know these songs, heck we can all get in the shower together and I can sing you at lest two dozen song without a cheat sheet.  

P.S About the Shower - you guy aren't invited.  (had to add this because I've noticed in this forum you really really have to watch what and how you state things.)

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Singing just for you

80% of the songs I sing in karaoke I have the lyric up in the head. but like you, I still need the monitor. I need it to cue me as when to start the next line. This is common among singers who start their singing 'career' thru karaoke. Those singers who sing in band don't normally have this problem when singing karaoke.

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I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

Yep, I use the same crutch. I've been singing the same 10-15 songs for a long time now, and I always seem to need the "momitor" to hold my hand.
I guess it's just that since I started reading from the screen initially, I never really learned the lyrical cue points...always relied on the screen. But what's really bad is when the words on the screen are wrong.
I recently tried a new song (new for me), "Yellow Ledbetter" by Pearl Jam. I swear those screen lyrics make no sense whatsoever.
So, I looked up the lyrics at a lyrics directory on the web and found that there are different versions....like nobody really knows what the hell Vedder is mumbling.
I finally figured out what fit the best or made more sense, then I practiced the song all day driving so I'd make sure and not screw it up at karaoke night.
Then, there I am, watching the screen with the wrong lyrics again, and when the bad part came on, I forgot the right words!!
I just laughed out loud, and people laughed with me (or at me).
Then I finished the song okay, but that was ridiculous.
Sometimes watching the screen is a stab in the back.
I think I've mastered the song now though, and it's one of my best mimics!!

BTW...thanks for not inviting us guys into the shower. Just thought I should clarify this to justify my reasoning for responding to this post.  :biggrinthumb:

Well E.J.

I was going to reply to this thread but then I saw



so now I'm not going to reply

[schild=4 fontcolor=FF7F50 shadowcolor=000000 shieldshadow=3]I sing better in showers[/schild]

Yup, me too. 99.9% of the time if I choose a song to sing I know all the lyrics. I mean, to know it well enough to try singing it, you usually have heard it on radio or cd a few times, and the lyrics are usually the first thing to stick in your head. (for me anyhow)

But danged if I can just stare out into the crowd.  I constantly look at the monitor, or atleast pretend that I am. I really hate to read along as I'm singing, but I do keep my eyes pretty fixed that way. With me, it's a shyness thing. I could never just look out at people in the crowd, I'd just flat be too embarassed.  I do occasionally let my eyes wander, but then they're right back on the monitor. And it's funny, cause when I sing live -with just instruments rather than karaoke- it doesn't really bother me to look into the crowd. (??) Singing at home- unless there are people over and I'm dealing with that same "where to look??" issue, I sometimes don't even turn the tv screen on, cause it actually bugs me a bit.

Interesting thread EJ.  :D

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♥ Laugh your heart out, dance in the rain. Cherish the memories, ignore the pain. Love and learn, forget and forgive. Because you only have one life to live. ♥

That's VERY dangerous with or without a cheat sheet !  Tomorrow will be exactly 10 years since the incident in the tub. I was minding my own business thinking I was singing to myself.  I ended up with a groupie.  She had a really cute smile, but unfortuneately it was one of the roughest relationships I've ever been in..


(Don't let her cute smile and dainty appearing physique fool you, when she's not in the water she can get quite abusive)

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

dup

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

FoxeRoxy,

Don't be that way - this is all about singing.  Ya gotta keep your mind on your singing. I'm trying to help ya girl.
                                  Jackson

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Singing just for you

Even if I know the song I have to sneak a peek at the monitor occasionally.  I just wish they had the notes there too (since I read music--although I know that many  people don't)!  Sometimes I can't remember how the melody line goes!  The other night, this guy was going to sing "Live Like You Were Dying" (or whatever that song is called, by Tim McGraw), and he had asked another guy to help him sing it, and the other guy backed out.  So guess who wound up helping him sing it.  Yep.     I think he was more help to me than I was to him--I love the song, but don't really know it that well, and I couldn't remember how the melody line went!  But we got thru it ok.

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I love being a mom!

I so know what ya mean about having the notes up there!!! I read music too and that's one thing I wish was added on karaoke.. the option for the notes to be there..

and E.J. I was just messin with ya

actually.. I have tried to tear my eyes away from the monitor.. but.. a couple of times I've done that during a contest and when I got back to the monitor I stumbled over words for some reason.. grrrr...  so I guess I need the crutch oh well I figure.. as long as your not standing completely still and face glued up to the monitor some people can make it look like they aren't reading the monitor pretty well when they are indeed.

It's very easy to use that monitor as a crutch!  I try to look out at the audience as much as I can, but it's very easy to keep sneaking looks back at the monitor.
Other than forcing yourself not to look at it, I don't know what else to suggest.  When I get nervous (which I usually do!), my brain has a hard time remembering which words come next, so it's a lot easier to look at the monitor as a reminder.  It's karaoke so I wouldn't worry about it too much.  It's not like everyone else doesn't do the same thing!

I think that people who are in bands don't have the same problem remembering the words because they practice it over and over, not only on their own but with the band, and you have a much more limited repertoire, so you have that song down cold pretty fast.

I used to look at the monitor constantly but then one day I was at this one place where I noticed the audience members were largely ignoring me, so I just forced myself to look at them right in their faces and sing my little heart out--that really worked, they all had to watch, so now I try to do it as much as possible.

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~Suzanne Lanoue~

In Corpus Christi Texas at the Barton Street Club they have an actual stage with the monitor hanging from the ceiling just a little over your head out front.  It makes the singer look like he/she is looking at the audience while he's actually looking at the monitor.  I really liked it but what I'd really like is to learn not to use the monitor.

                                 Jackson

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Singing just for you

The place that I go to sing have 8 tv monitors all around the place. People here sing from any place and not just from the 'stage'. From any where inside you can see at least 2 monitors. From my usual seat I have view of 4 monitors. So a singer dont really need to fix the face to just one monitor.

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I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

I tend to look away from the screen as much as I can... which tends to go pear shaped when I then launch into the wrong verse and look back at the screen for the next line and I'm lost!

And I agree totally with the point about the screen having wrong lyrics, that can really throw you where the screen comes up with something totally unexpected!

The monitor phenomenon is strange.  You know the words before you start looking at the monitor, but then once you start reading, if you look away it's hard not to mess up the words.  I think one reason is that if you sing the first two lines without looking, out of four on the monitor, when you look back at the screen to remind yourself of the next line you first have to quickly skim all four lines on the screen to figure out which one is next, and that screws you up.  At least I think that's what happens to me.

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Reward: nine yen in drawer.

I have to use the monitor. I have a horrible memory. The bar I do karaoke in is small and most people participate in every song, so it is very intimidating to look up, especially when the tables are right in front of the stage. So for the most part I'm looking down wishing I was in the shower.  LMAO

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[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

So for the most part I'm looking down wishing I was in the shower.

Awwwwww, I bet you're a fine singer Babs. The best ones are always too shy.  :wink:

Yes, you are fixedated on the monitor for fear that you will get lost.  Just when you build up enough confidence to take your eyes off of it someone sneaks words into the song that have never been there before.  I know this happens to me at the worst possible times.

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Will sing or fish for food!!I'm not quite right!!

I too use the monitor crutch. If I know the words; then what I do when I "look" at the monitor is not read the words but just focus my attention on the moving cue, hi-lite or what ever you want to call it, to keep me in time with the song; I find mulitpal variation of the same song and each has slightly different timing; that what really throws me.

With the songs I really know, I've actually noticed I tend to close my eyes through most of the song.  I don't know why.

I do use the monitor on songs I'm not quite as comfortable with though.

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