Karaoke Forums

Britney Spears is not good (and I'm being PC here) even when compared to her peers in the industry.  That's enough on that topic.

On the original...

In general--
-  Natural talent helps alot as a base to start--
-  Practicing the "right" way-- learning breathing and control techniques
-  lessons could help certainly
-  picking the right songs in your range-- trying new stuff is no biggie- you can find what you can and cannot sing.  I've found that out shockingly sometimes.  thinking I can sing something I really like only to find that I can't sing it or hate the way I sound.


personally--
-  More talent would be great.  8-)  Starting out ealier in life would have been good to but I can't change the past.
-  I can only sing certain things but I do branch out to try new stuff.
-  Stuff I do well- I can really get a crowd going and I feed off the energy-- such an addrenaline rush to me
- As noted above-- Know the song and get into it.  Timing, inflection, making the song your own all adds to the "entertainment" part of it.   I've heard people say, its easy to do karaoke, the words are right there for you.  Well, that's part of it.  You have to know the melody and timing of the song to pull it off.
Generally, before I do a song in a bar I'll make sure I've "practiced" it a few times and know words/melody/harmonies before I attempt it.   Be interesting to do kamikaze (sic) sometime.  8-)

Good points! ^

I find it always helps me to learn the song at home first. But if it's a hard song
I'll need to do it at karaoke a few times before I can finally conquer it. I can't seem to bring myself to sing full out at home. A lot of the time a song I flop at the first time out, ends up being one of my better songs later.

Waiting until the end of the night when my voice is warmed up fully helps me with those really high range songs. I never do a new song right out of the box.  

I guess my point is don't give up on a song if you don't do it well the first time. I can't believe some of the songs I can do now that I couldn't do well before.

And don't let fear of hitting a note hold you back. You have to go after it without trying to scream it out. So what if it isn't perfect. The only way to know is to try.

Just my 2 cents  :D

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

CCindy, over here !!!  LOL,  you might have an answer to the phenom regarding why it's tough for us to hear ourselves as we actually sound..or why sometimes a tape recorder makes us cringe....Speech pathology might have an answer to this psych phenom...I'm curious...

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

yep-- I missed the warm up one.  That certainly helps...

Need to warm up and lube up the vocal cords.  I make sure I have some water around along with whatever libation I'm taking part in.

Also, as a warm up in a bar-- I'll sing along (unubtrusively) before I get up-- now if I'm first up for the night-- well so goes it.  but in any case I'm usually singing in the car before I get to the bar anyway.

[quote="Feizi @ Tue Jan 24, 2006 2:57 pm"]
for example Making love out of nothing at all by Air Supply... I knew I've sing
this before and could have done well..just don't know how to reach it anymore when it's too high..Is there any technique on this...once I tried going little farther from the mike and singing out loud and then it comes pretty nice... there are times though I really come short of breathing...so maybe It has to fit your voice pitch...

It seems very natural to sing louder the higher up you go in your range.

One thing that works a little bit is to bend slightly at the waist when you are singing higher notes. It helps you to somehow "come down" on the note. It may work for you, or not, depends on your body.

Another thing you can try is to use less breath. The higher you go, the less breath you should use. High notes don't have to be belted out as loud as possible. Although I know as well as anyone that it's just natural to try send it out that way!

As far as breathing goes, what you could try is speaking out the words of the song with a controlled breath before you attempt it on stage. All you do is speak, not sing the words, with a controlled breath, like you would if you were singing it. Then, you can judge where it makes the most sense to take your breaths, and it will help you identify opportunities to grab quick ones to take you to the end of a sentance.

I hope that helps my dear!

Elisha

Well, the fact that you're a woman may not help with that song (air supply) since its a guy and he probably doing a falsetto.  Again, the question of range comes up.  If you're an alto and trying to sing a soprano range it may be a bit tough.

I figured that really high notes needed the volume of air to get the vocal chords to "vibrate" at a high end.  dunno for sure just assumed.

breathing is definitely part of it.  back to knowing the song.  you have to know when to breath in any music you make.  if you don't breath at the right times, you could get to a phrase in the song and having nothing left.  some songs I do are defintely that way-- espcially fast songs.

Hi Steve... and all ...

Well... I can't give you any specific "clinical" reason why people typically don't like the sound of their own voices, but I can tell you that it is most likely because they THINK they know what they sound like.. and when they actually "hear" what they really sound like..they are SHOCKED  They are not only very surprised .. but in some cases they simply refuse to believe its them.  It took me a very looong time to convince my son that what he heard on a tape recorder was his voice.  He absolutely couldn't believe it was him.  I think after hearing ourselves time after time ... and getting used to what we sound like on tape ...we eventually stop HATING our voices (or at least we better "accept" what we REALLY sound like).  

I can, however share with you "WHY" we hear our own voices differently than they actually sound.  


When people hear sounds that come in from the outside  .. i.e., in through the ears...... the sound travels down the ear canal and vibrates against the ear drum. On the other side of the eardrum are three small bones, commonly known as the hammer, anvil and stirrup. (The medical terms for these bones are the incus, the malleus, and the stapes). The end of the stapes vibrates against the fluid in the middle ear, and then goes to the auditory nerve and then the brain for processing.  Sooooo when we hear sound from the outside world, that is the process it goes through.  We receove ONE source of vibration.  

When we hear our own voices while we are talking or singing, we hear the sound vibrations that come from our own vocal folds.  Yes, we still hear the sound waves coming from our own mouths as they travel to the outside and then back into our ear canals..  However, when we are speaking we are also making the bones of our neck and skull vibrate.  The bones in our skull react because of  the vibratory nature of speech. When this happens, there is a phenomenon known as bone conduction that happens to the sound of the voice Those little bones I mentioned,( hammer, anvil, stirrup) are set into vibration from inside your head, too. So, you have two sources of sound causing vibrations.  One source is the outside sound and the second is the actual vibrations of the bones inside your skull. This is why your own voice, when you are speaking or singing, will sound different to you than it does to others. There is no way to get around this phenomenon.   Your own auditory interpretation of your voice i(what you think you sound like) is simply not accurate.

That's why it is especially important for someone working on their voice or singing,  to work with a tape recorder, so you can to hear the sound of your voice as it is heard by others. A high quality tape recorder will give you the best recording of your voice.

Hope that helps in some way.

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[shadow=tomato]If you want your significant other to pay attention to EVERY word you say::
  TALK IN YOUR SLEEP   [/shadow]  

Thanks Cindy, so the fact that we don't hear ourselves as other's hear us, nor CAN we hear ourselves the same way we perceive our voices to sound when playing back a recording of our voices IS NOT a psychological phenomenon, and has little to do with self image. It's actually a physical phenomenon.

That would account for why it's not easy for new singer's who've never had training to nail pitch, dislike their voice quality (assuming they think they might sound like another person), and NOT as readily adjust their own voice as they can a musical instrument.... We must learn to compensate for actual aural inability to interpret our vocal sounds accurately....What we hear IS NOT accurate.

What I like about this, is that at least I've learned ONE way in which I might not be deluded

I have so much bone in my head.... the vibrations jam out the odious sounds emanating from my mouth..  It's one of those Darwin thangs !!!!  Enables me to survive.

No seriously, thanks !   I really thought this was a psychological process, or type of ineptness.  It's nice to know it's an actual physical process.

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

What would help you sing better?.................................
How about an audition on american Idol?......................

It would probably make most of us quit for good!

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I'm Not Dead yet...... But every day Im getting Closer !

I sort've feel bad for the young kids who naively (or even stupidly) walk into someone like Simon because those they trusted and loved encouraged them, and they were misled to believe they were good.  Despite the fact the youngsters SHOULD have a perception of what will likely happen, what they are actually walking into and prepare accordingly for the event,  it's not like these teenage kid's deserve to get their hearts wrenched out by that type of a sadistic entertainer. It's emotionally cruel IMHO.. Not sure if it might even cross a line into abusive. Some might consider it a "reality check", but for most in the Performing Art's, rejection isn't quite so blatant and crass (at least in most cases anyway).

It's obvious that unlike a few of us that would enter "Showtime at the Apollo", or "Gong Show" knowing we are being clowns, these kid's really want to sing and progress.  Problem I have is that this show that is using the guise of "representing musical talent", and competition, is not doing what's in the best interest of a performing art, and certainly isn't supporting a concept any musician would like to see conveyed. It doesn't nurture any aspect of the artform, or generate encouragement to "try harder" yet continue and progress (with an idiot like Simon). Venues like "Catch a Rising Star", (back in the older days when I was put on that) did however.  AI is turning people away from music (who cared enough to make such an effort to get that far)... JMO.. Not a fact by any means

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

Dr. D.  I personally think they should have "Old People Idol"  I just don't think it is right that they have an age cut off.  There are many talented singers out there who didn't realize that they even had talent until they expired past Simon's age limit.....

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

Thanks Elisha...The Great...from the pointers you gave  It does make sense...cheers...  :hug:

[[shadow=cyan]quote]Dr. D.  I personally think they should have "Old People Idol"  I just don't think it is right that they have an age cut off.  There are many talented singers out there who didn't realize that they even had talent until they expired past Simon's age limit.....[/shadow]

Hi...I think there should be something...as nice as your picture is ...probably every
guy would agree...but How about people who are in their 30's to 39's ...Is that also under "Old People Idol" but how about just Talent Contest w/out age limit... [/quote]

[/quote]

To be over 30 is to be too old for American Idol.  A pure talent contest for people of any age would be great...  However one must realize that when you include ANY age you will get children and they are always so darn cute that they win everything if if us "old"  peoplehave better talent..  It's kinda like Kappy in the avatar contest... He used and abused those pupppies to win... But alas he did not it went to ms. Charmin, who by the why is very striking....

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

Yeah,  They can have a competition called "Geriatric Idol".  Doubt if I could stomach that anymore than the "GI" Series that'd be about as exciting.

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

Yeah,  They can have a competition called "Geriatric Idol".


Run an ad like;


See if you can stomach this "GI" Series

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

Well I can still out sing out dance and leave you young whippersnappers in the dust.....

You can probably outsing, outdance, outsmart, and beat me to the 12th floor...

Just give me a box of cookies, and a computer...and I'll sit around and atrophy like the best of them...

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

ok, karyoker!  next time i'm in Co.  i'll be SURE to lok you up!  we can have a grand ol' time!  it'll be like dueling microphones.....and shoes.  just like phil collins "i can't dance"  but i can sing

Isis Wrote:



 :wave: Hi...Not so much into contest... 30 might be too old for American Idol but there are others Like Nasville Star or Talent rocks maybe....and Adults should compete with Adults...Kids should have a different category...same as Teens...what might be true is It might be that middle aged people are not anymore interested in these stuff because they might have different priorities in life specially if you are married and have cute little kids...so even talented they don't care...On the other hand if you are middle aged and single..that is a different story....anyone has their own story in which I respect...But if you have Talent then why not show it  as  long as we have still some teeth ...in any way and maybe the Biggest fan at the very start would be your own Family or Future family..it's part of your achievement and I think that is much more interesting...& fun for yourself...& maybe if you've got luck then you might play a bigger part later...just meeting the right good people who wanna make difference in this aging world...even with only thing that they've got..and that's singing or whatever talent...You're right charmin is striking...You've attracted me with your nice pict...and so did Charmin...regards [glow=cyan][/glow][shadow=cyan][/shadow][font=Times New Roman][/font][font=Times New Roman][/font]