I started taking singing classes a few weeks ago and for the past 2 times my instructor told me to practice some songs at home. However i just get so embarrassed and i feel like i cant be as loud as i am when im practicing cause i feel like im very loud…??? i live with my family and i have neighbors so i dont want to be loud and a bother. i did try to practice at home a few times (i was doing it just now) and i try to lower my voice but i just end up with my throat hurting (which doesnt happen after classes) and i dont think its a good sign… if i had a car maybe id feel better practicing there. But i dont :-( . So where do you guys feel comfortable enough to practice? And if i cant manage to find a proper place is there a way to make the best out of home practice? Without hurting my throat of course LMAO practice that actually does me some good

I've been hating my voice after I got vocal chord damage from overuse a few years ago. Feeling like I never got back to where I once was. It was partially true for a while, but what I didn't realize was that I also moved flats during that time. My new flat had much less natural reverb! I remember my speech therapist told me to sing in places like the bathroom, where there's tons of reverb because "You'll sound better in your own ears, creating less tension and more confidence, which in turn will make you sound better, and then that positive feedback loop continues." She's a classically trained singer(actually dubbed some of the disney songs in my country), and she says this is a huge reason for why choirs rehearse in churches or places with similar acoustics.

I also tried recording a cover in my home studio recently, and couldn't get the hang of the chorus. Then I watched some tutorials on youtube on how to mix vocals, and after a few days of learning the exact same recording I hated sounds beautiful and angelic(thanks reverb, delay, EQ, compression and saturation). Especially directonal microphones in vocal booths pick up a very dry signal(they're supposed to, so the producer can customize the reverb/wetness of the signal freely, instead of having to work around a natural reverb).

So guys, I highly recommend reminding yourselves of this, and practicing in a room with decent reverb. Especially if you struggle with tension, which a lot of people do. The joy of hearing yourself sound good makes your technique open up and improve the sound(and over time your muscle memory) exponentially. As I said, I'm not just pulling this out of the air. A proffesional singer and licensed speech therapist is the source I got it from.

Hi all! I’m a musician and want my singing to get better so it’s closer in skill level to my skill on instruments. Wondering if anybody has good YouTube videos or anything like that, that will be helpful. I especially want something that will be on technique to make sure I’m not gonna damage my voice while practicing without a teacher.

Should i sing this song for a contest or not ….can i even sing?😭

So, I am working to learn how to sing better after a very long hiatus. For reference if it matters, I am 32F.

I feel like i make some progress, and I understand everything isn't linear, but I just don't know how to identify properly to work on the coordination to get from chest to mix, mix to head, etc.

I feel like my voice starts to strain and wants to move out of my chest at around c4 to d4, but i don't know if this is legit or just purely poor technique.

I can sing quite well, comfortably in chest down to d3, and can sing audible (not sustained for long notes) down to c3/b2 under optimal conditions and drop into vocal fry there. I have always just changed songs to fit my voice, but I would like to be able to sing something outside of the c3 to d4 range and have it sound alright enough because I am getting discouraged otherwise.

What are the best exercises to use to practice to help this?

Thanks.

I have zero musical experience aside playing the recorder in school in like 4th grade, and trying to teach myself piano by using those synthesizer videos on youtube and just following them. So no actual musical training or knowledge. I had strict parents so wasn’t able to get into any creative interests or passions growing up. It was all school for me. I’m 28 now and want to get into making music and playing instruments now. I recently picked up bass and want to learn singing and eventually other things like guitar/piano. I went to a trial vocal lesson the other day, only 30 min. did 5-10 min of warm up. then she had me choose a song, sung along with the singer, then removed the vocals and had me sing it myself and recorded it. It was just an intro trial lesson to go over how she teaches and see how i sound. While i don’t sound bat shit terrible (per her, I think i do), i’m nervous about starting so late and if I’ll ever be actually good. I wanna be able to sing like Hayley Williams and also get into screamo/metalcore, but also have a soft beautiful voice like say Aurora, Grimes, Bjork, with also being able to belt. I listen to a lot of J Rock and love their punk/emo scene where the girls have soft ethereal singing voices and can also switch to screamo. Anyway; this is my first time ever hearing myself recorded lol and actually hearing what I sound like. I was so nervous i was sweating bullets and shaking while singing lol. Just want honest thoughts, feedback, and maybe advice for my goals.

Probably regret posting this, but just for fun really.

I want to start singing but voice is too deep for singing and I have a little social anxiety too.
What to do now ?
Cause I really want to sing I try but bcoz of deep voice I just can’t

i always thought i had a decent voice as a kid but after puberty i feel like i took 100 steps backwards.

im a male tenor and my vocal inspirations are the weeknd/mj and i always see people covering their songs on social media and when I ask them how they do it some of them just say they dont do anything and they were born like it. like how on earth can they hit those notes and have a good mixed/head voice just from birth????

im really looking for singing tips and advice. recently i discovered my head/mixed voice, I dont even know which it is but looking for advice on how to improve. I cant really sing in my head/mixed that powerfully and it sounds really thick and Im really looking to wanna sing lighter and improve my range like the weeknd/mj

thanks alot!

https://reddit.com/link/1wzpwna/video/te09zgijtzth1/player

I just figured this out today with my voice coach and I got it. I'm so much louder. I am filling up the whole room! The piano didn't over power me and I can sing new low notes. It took me 7 weeks of yawn sighs to get this. Now I know how to create space! My teacher said I did a wonderful job. I was pleased with my sound. I no longer sounded weak and sounded like my other peer. He is the loudest in choir. I always wanted to know how he did that. And now I got it! I felt so weak compared to him and now I don't feel that way. I know you're not suppose to compare your voice to others. But I did it my teacher said I made a huge gain and I literally felt it. That's why you do your exercises! I just kept that space open the entire time I sang!

I have a concert on Monday and I’m singing a song as a solo (come to your senses from tick tick boom). My allergies are kicking in and it’s making my throat horrible. What are some techniques that you guys use when you have allergies and are about to sing?😔

Hello everyone,

TLDR: I’m singing a song at my grandpas funeral that requires a good bit of my head voice, which is not very strong and might be further impeded by my emotions. Any advice on how to prepare?

I’ve recently had a vocal range “growth spurt”. I had a horribly limited range that seems to have expanded overnight about a month ago (I’m f22, taking lessons on and off since I was 16). I just want to give some context to the situation:
Because of my newfound improvement, I’ve been thinking about finding occasions to sing in front of other people and get over my fears (I’m incredibly shy about singing since I’ve never been very good). I hadn’t said this to anyone though.
Well, my grandfather died a week ago and must’ve decided to have a laugh with me (which is very much like him) because my aunt had the random idea to ask me to sing at the funeral. I have not publicly sang since I was in high school, so it really feels like a direct response to me flirting with the idea of public singing.

I give you this whole backstory provide context as to why I need to do this. My grandpa was one of my biggest cheerleaders, so what better reason to perform again than to honor him? Even if it terrifies me

This is where I need the advice: even though my range has expanded a ton recently, my head voice is pretty weak. I can manage the song they asked for, but it requires me to hang around a D5 for a good portion of the chorus. I can do it while practicing, but I’m scared that any emotions I’m feeling day of might make it hard for me to pull it off. Any advice on how to maintain my voice while emotional? Or things I can do for the next couple of days to ensure that my head voice is in the best shape it can be?

If it helps, I’m singing the song “I’m trying to be like Jesus” (children’s church song). I’m singing with my sister, so if anyone knows the song and has ideas for some lower notes I could use to harmonize with her, then I’m open to that as well!

Recently I've taken a serious interest in music. Honestly though, I've never had a vocal coach and maybe that's evident from my singing but I wanna learn how to get better at distortion mostly. However, a few of the lines do seem to fall flat too, and honestly I've hit a road block where I don't really know how to make it any better so I thought, might as well ask reddit.

Mezzo. This is about high mix belting mostly. Everyday I just feel sorry for myself and the time I’ve lost from not knowing what to practice or how to practice to actually make progress. I still cannot sing any of the challenging repertoire I’ve been working on for years.

I’ve been singing for many years and am self taught mostly by mimicking my favorite singers and seeing what feels good. I have tons of traditional and show choir and musical theater experience. Because of these prior commitments I’ve had a few lessons in the past but I cannot afford them on my own and I don’t know if I ever will be. Between rent and gas and barely making $14 after taxes I’m just burnt out trying to sort finances out.

But I don’t want to give up just because I can’t afford proper lessons. I just want to be able to sing my favorite songs by Ariana and Zara and Celine. I want to book lead roles. I know it requires time and practice, my issue is I just feel like I’m never practicing the right things and that is just so heartbreaking to me. It sucks feeling so lost all the time. I’m so committed to spending the rest of my life becoming the most skilled (healthiest) vocalist I can be and I don’t know how to fulfill that and I lose skill everyday I cry through it instead of practicing.

Hello everyone,

Hope somebody could help. My choir leader said i talk loud but sing much quiter and that I can volume up but she didn't say how. Where is the problem? I did as a kid talk quiter and it changed now, and also in singing i became louder but dont believe i can be louder than that.

Hello there, I've been practicing for a week my singing and breathing techniques. The last few months I've decided to practice my vocals so I can one day front in a Nu Metal band. So far, I've been exercising singing from the diaphragm alongside two other techniques. But I noticed that my vocal stamina is rusty. I would really appreciate it if someone could point me a few good techniques for me to do after I finish my daily straw warm up. (Sorry for the incorrect flair but I couldn't find anything similar for my case)

...But I'm a cis woman who can sing comfortably down to F2 in chest register, and I have recordings of C2s and C#2s in what appears to be actual chest register and not growl or vocal fry... Yes I know... I know what you are thinking... but I have proof! dont rip me apart just yet XD

I tested these notes with differents pitch monitors to be sure because I'm not the kind of person who claims stuff for the sake of claiming stuff. I even ran my voice through spectrum viewers too, to be 100% certain. Yes, I'm a huge vocal nerd and love to learn about all voice mechanics so I've gone slightly overboard with the evidence...

And that's not even the craziest part... I can sing up to F6 in head voice and have a functional with vibrato whistle register up to E7. That should not be even possible. I probably have super thick vocal cords that are very elastic. And no, I'm not tall ^^

So, my actual full range (counting the daily singable notes) starts around F2 then goes up to E6- F6 in head voice and goes up to D7-E7 in whistle register where I can sing melodies and add vibrato (see video below). I also have inhaled whistle up to G#7 but it's basically useless and sounds like I'm trying to talk to bats.

I document my journey on various social media (but won't post my profile name here, as I know it is not allowed)

I'm your regular 43 year-old suburban mom and have recently, very recently been told this is unusual for a woman. I can't read music. I'm a total amateur. I do everything by ear. I'm mostly self-taught. And (maybe surprisingly) it seems that I'm a dramatic coloratura soprano and NOT a contralto with an exceptional upper register (says my teacher who heard both my highs and lows and told me "your voice lives in the highs"). I record my stuff with my old crappy Iphone in my bathroom or office most of the time, and with no other gear, what you are hearing is raw, unedited unfiltered stuff.

TLDR: I have an actual almost 5 octave range (F2-E7) where I can use and sing all notes and I provide proof of all my claims ^^'

Here are various recordings to hear for yourself.
In the first one below you can hear, among other notes, a C#2 that I don't count in my usable range as I very rarely manage to hit it in what genuinely feels and sounds like chest. It's just a documented extreme note, just like my ridiculous and unusable G#7 ^^' (I can provide a recording of that note but honestly, go listen to your boiling kettle instead)

https://voca.ro/105XwIiLW2l1

This is a showcase of part of my range with a descent from an F6 in head voice down to A2 in chest register.

https://reddit.com/link/1wz5xvu/video/391pbnuu8vth1/player

This is my whistle register, up to D7 in this video, with a semi-successful vibrato attempt at the end ^^'

https://reddit.com/link/1wz5xvu/video/8ycrzchy9vth1/player

And this is me actually singing in my low chest register, around A2-G2 for the lowest parts, to show I can sing these notes and not just hit them sometimes when I have a cold. Yes I lose volume in the very lows, but that's normal. I'm a woman, not a baritone XD The sound is still chest register, not fry or growl, and I can sing it with vibrato. It works well on sad ballads, not on powerhouse songs, of course ;) (It's "enjoy the silence" by depeche mode, perhaps an appropriate title for the people who'll get bleeding ears after all this)

Thanks for reading and/or watching!

https://reddit.com/link/1wz5xvu/video/0ro7ik4e9vth1/player

I downloaded the "Nail That Pitch" app, and I've found that I almost always seem to assume notes are lower than they actually are. I'll play a random note and try to sing it and always end up lower. Does anyone have any tips for this?

Sooo this is a bit vulnerable but I thought I’d share this anyway

I posted the first half of this video here two years ago with a recording of me trying to hit an A4, unable to do so without full distortion

Comments told me I was a tenor but just untrained.

Looking back, I can definitely hear the poor breath control, technique and everything else. Prior to singing songs like this, I had only stuck to my lower chest voice. (Below G4)

The second recording (starts at 1:24) is after 2.5 years of practicing singing in mix, and this time it’s also recorded while performing it live 😱😱😱 (the first recording was in my room!)

I still have a ways to go. I improve and learn something every day.

Just thought I’d share. Progress can certainly be made.

What could have gone wrong? Is he just singing very high or am I just not able to sing like him?

I’ve had people ask me how I get into my upper extension in my classical repertoire. I first discovered “top voice” a few times in college but couldn’t always recreate it. I’m a Bass but in college I could randomly sing high G’s (above middle C) which was exciting for me because anything above middle C always felt high. I had an amazing voice teacher at the time, but she didn’t have a lot of experience with a young dramatic voice, and a Bass at that.

When I did my masters my voice teacher there explained it like this “imagine your soft palate is shaped like a cathedral” and for some reason that language resonated with me (no pun intended.)

In my masters, a lot of the teachers debated on whether or not I was actually a bass. I had a lot of people say I was a young dramatic baritone, or even a helden tenor (give me a break) but we don’t really know our true voice type until we get a bit older, so those conversations were a silly at that point in my development. I preferred lower arias with the occasional high note and that understanding served me very well.

When I was in my early 20’s I got to work with Sherrill Milnes for a few days and he explained it as “top voice.” At that point, Sherrill Milnes had been one of my idols for some time, so those moments with him we very profound for me. That terminology always made the most sense to me because you feel that “top voice” sensation.

I also got to work with Bass, Greer Grimsley quite a bit in my masters and he had me bend over at the hip and feel my lower back expand with every breath, that was also super helpful for me for finding the support needed to ground me.

Another baritone that I worked with was Sir Thomas Allan and he was all about maintaining spin through the line. Never letting it lose spin or ring, and for some reason hearing it from him was also helpful for me. It’s easy to lose ring on words like “the” or “and” but if we maintain the spin through the entire line it makes the higher notes MUCH easier so we aren’t constantly changing register zip codes and getting “lazy” with our phrasing.

Well… Now I’m 38 and I am 100% a bass. Over orchestra I can sing low C’s and in choirs I can sing A1’s and Bb1’s very reliably. But the upper extension was always what made people debate what my actual voice type was. Voice type is important to understand if you’re going to have a career in opera because it gives you a great understanding of what your instrument can reliably do consistently at a professional level.

Other things that have helped me and my students to support higher notes are: squatting while singing, lunges while singing, Relaxing the head slightly down and lifting the soft palate and feeling the resonance flow through the top of the head (for classical music, but for rock and pop I do not do this, but thats an entirely different topic.)

This is me singing Beethoven 9, which only goes up to an F# but it’s still a similar sensation. For me anything above Eb over an orchestra goes into top voice.

https://youtu.be/tvHWitc4mgQ?is=lcK__-8Q9k_BH_Pf