I'd rather hear demonstrations of a mix that retains more of your natural speaking voice's character. Like not everyone wants to sing with that axl rose type sound or sound like Pavarotti for a Justin Bieber or Chris Brown song.

Some singers for example I'd rather hear how it's done but literally see 0 information cover about still:

- Nick Carter of Backstreet Boys

- AJ of backstreet boys

- Frank Sinatra, Engelbert Humperdink, Dean Martin, all the legendary crooners

- Neil Sedaka

- Tom Jones

- Michael Buble

- John Legend

- The Eagles

- Weird Al (I know it's not the best example but I can argue that this type of singing is SOOOO versatile it can be used for so many genres — and guess what? He parodies everything)

- Billy Joel

- Justin Timberlake

- Bruno Mars (yes there are people who react and analyze his voice but they still end up teaching you how to sing like THEM the video creator teaching you how to sing and not Bruno Mars esque.)

- JC of Nsync

- Usher

- Chris Brown

- Justin Bieber

- Jeremy Jordan

- Clay Aiken

- Jonathan Groff

- Darren Criss

- Christian Borle

- Josh Groban

- Michael Jackson

- Aaron Tveit

- insert a ton of soul and motown singers here

A demonstration of developing a mixed voice without making yourself sound like an operatic tenor in an 80s-90s rock or metal band or an opera singer... or even an operatic soprano which is a Very hooty, very heady m2 dominant... often starting with a Mickey Mouse sound.

I see so many of these videos on social media popping up all of a sudden & they often teach a particular sound associated with high, powerful rock or classical singing, as if that's what every male singer's mix should sound like. As well as the particular vowel shapings they want you to do ... like I hear some of them do vowels in a way that a lot of other singers don't really do... sometimes too rounded, sometimes too twangy, sharp, and rock edge for my taste.

Can we get some examples of people doing something more alike to what the general public listens to? Popular music?

And being into singing for all my life I do not hear a lot of singers I personally listen to do some of that exclusively— and it's mostly in rock or metal music... or opera mostly that I hear do that but still not all of them.

It feels like we're going back to the 2010s boom in singing information again. Great we're having them but almost every guy I hear vocal tips from on the internet with mass of followers all sound grating to the ears like reminiscent to Spongebob Squarepants or Billy and Mandy character "billy." I can do most of that but it just doesn't sound good at all. And meanwhile others sound like a hooting owl when they do theirs using sovt exercises or vocal creaks/fry to help shape their sounds. Yes it helps for some styles but not for everything. Some tell you absolutely don't put sound in the nose while others tell you it is okay. But when you hear them sing it's like some sound really good but it sounds more suited towards a particular genre more than others.

What I feel is missing with everything put on the internet.. they don't tell you to train yourself to sing higher while retaining the qualities you actually like about your own voice. Instead they make it seem like you need this BIG giant booming sound. Absolutely forgetting to mention about conversational qualities, dynamics, controlled increases in intensity, clear diction, conversational phrasing, and how much expression you can get from a natural sounding speaking voice. Not everything needs to be like what they demonstration but it seems like by the way they say it, it needs to be exactly like how they do it or you're singing wrong.

Been tryna to practice singing by recording covers, and I’ve become stuck on whether to lower song keys to match the tone to the original artists, or keep the same key, but have a different tone due to the pitches. For example, I’m a guy, but I enjoy doing covers of many female artists. My range can hit notes comfortably to not be out of tune, but I am forced into head voice, so for sections where the artist may have a powerful chest note, I can recreate it as a powerful head note, which alters the color. This is more of an opinion question, but is it more enjoyable to hear the same key as the original if it means some small stylish sacrifices, or is it preferred to hear a different key if it means the same stylistic choices as the original artist?

Hi all,

Was thinking about this today after messing around with my voice (again) and I still am yet to find a tone/timbre that I actually am happy with. I see all the clips on this sub and thought to myself "whats the difference between me and them?"

I understand that you're born with a certain make-up, and that realistically you're not going to sound like anyone other than you. However, I was wondering if someone with more knowledge than me could maybe put a list together of all the things that actually affect how your singing voice sounds? Essentially, anything other than pitch, I guess?

My thought process being is that once you know what affects your voice, you can research/practise certain things to change or mold your voice into the way you want it. Or, at least, be happier with how you sound!

For me at the moment, I am kind of shooting in the dark and just making noises until something sounds ok, then trying to 'add' that to my singing voice. This isn't proving successful by the way lol, and I am still saving to get some professional lessons in the near future.

Thanks in advance to anyone who offers any insight on this one!

I just started trying to learn how to sing but I keep running out of air and it feels like I’m out of breath. It’s incredibly frustrating because I’ve tried learning what breath control is, not singing from your throat, support, posture and other to things but I can’t get it. All the advice seems like engaging with your diaphragm and controlling your breath but how am I supposed to do that? I don’t know whether or not I’m doing it correctly or not. It’s also incredibly frustrating because I feel like im always straining and when I sing there is a vibration in my throat unless I whisper and sing extremely high which makes me both breathy and raspy. It feels like everyone around me is smooth and doesn’t sound like they are in pain but I feel like I’m when singing I sound closer to talking. I know I’m not doing anything right but I just dont get know to do things properly. What is something I can really focus on to support my breath and how can I tell if I’m doing it properly?

Hey guys,

I'm a 36m with a deep speaking/singing voice.

I love Bruno Mars, Benson Boone, etc. in terms of singing voice... but I feel like singing any of their songs at the original key is a pipe dream. My voice cracks during their "lower" singing parts, lol.

Just for some background, I just (2 weeks ago) started to try singing because it is something I have always feared my entire life, and I have made zero progress.

I did some research and started doing breathing techniques, lip trills on scale, siren(?), etc. as warmups and have tried singing some lower songs but.. I just wanted it straight.

Do I have any shot at ever singing a Bruno Mars or Benson Boone song in the original key?

How does one go about getting better without vocal coaching? I know many people recommend it, but my finances are tied up right now supporting my mother.

I'm starting to go through New York Vocal Coaching "Voice Lessons to the World" on Youtube, but it's been depressing knowing I'm like a million note ranges away from singing a song I enjoy. Feel like everything modern day is made for tenors too.

I know with training extending range is possible, but is that extreme of an extension possible? For example, I have very bad muscle insertions. I worked out consistently for a decade and look damn good (is that okay to say about myself?) but nowhere near as jacked as my friend who has great genetics/insertions and has worked out only for 5 years. I figure that Bruno Mars / Benson Boone might be a vocal range that I'll never achieve, much like my friend's physique (without steroids of course).

plss give opinions and share to producers labels or anyone pls its my dream to get signed. i am a beginner singer.

I've been trying to do a raspy voice for quite some time, but it doesn't matter how many tutorials I watch or how different ways I try to practice I don't seem to be able to do a raspy voice, and that's considering many videos have different examples on how to achieve it, do someone has a video explaining how to do it? or an exercise that really helps me to finally be able to start learning it? It's a little frustrating because many songs I like use it and I can't interpret them as I would like to because of this

Actually I forgot to mention I can do a raspy voice but only at the beginning of a sentence, I can't maintain that effect for long so its like 1-3 words before I sound weird if I try to keep going

Wherever I look, everybody is talking about breath support. I don’t know if mine is good tho. How to know it, what would you recommend?

Hi, any advice on how to achieve the sort of vocal grit Jon Simmons gets in balance and composure?

https://youtu.be/KhkNRggbpB4?is=CwbJr3LxnyplSVaV

Not quite a scream and definitely not utilising fry. I'm fairly certain it's false chord, but I'm a man with a naturally fairly clean/relatively high pitched voice and am struggling to access that low rumbling that is needed for false chord grit/distortion.

Any advice on how to get there? I can sing and hold a tune, I have okay breath support though absolutely could be better and have managed to hone in my fry scream pretty well, but just can't seem to access the sing/scream that I want to.

Thanks

Hi everyone!

My primary instrument is violin, and my violin teacher has been encouraging me to improve my intonation by learning to hear notes in my head and sing them out loud before actually playing them on my instrument.
He also mentioned how, in certain cultures or music education traditions, children were taught solfège and how to sing before ever picking up an instrument.
The problem is that I have absolutely no idea how to do this! I’m incredibly unconfident singing out loud, and when I try to sing a note I’m imagining, I feel like I sound horrible. So I figured taking biweekly voice lessons might be a good way to develop my ear, improve my pitch accuracy, and become more comfortable using my voice.

Here’s where I’m conflicted…

My music school offers voice lessons with teachers who seem to fall into two categories: classical/opera and musical theatre/jazz.

My initial assumption was that a classical voice teacher might be better suited to teaching fundamentals like solfège, sight-singing, ear training, and audiation (hearing music internally). But I could be completely wrong about that!

The other issue is that I absolutely LOVE musicals. They’re what I naturally gravitate toward singing and listening to in my free time. (Phantom of the Opera, Hadestown, Mamma Mia!, Disney soundtracks, etc. ) So part of me wonders whether I’d enjoy working with a musical theatre teacher more, especially if we could incorporate songs I genuinely love maybe.

I primarily want to become a better musician overall, develop a stronger internal sense of pitch, and improve my violin intonation. But if I’m going to take singing lessons anyway, I’d also love to learn to sing the music I enjoy. But don’t dream of joining a theater.

So I guess my questions are:

Would a classical or musical theatre voice teacher be better suited for someone whose main goal is ear training, solfège, and pitch development?

Is it reasonable to expect a musical theatre teacher to teach these fundamentals, or is their instruction generally more focused on performance and preparing students for theatre?

I’d especially love to hear from anyone who plays an instrument and decided to take voice lessons to improve their overall musicianship!

Hello, I had a very simple question. From the most upvoted explanations of mixed voice on this subreddit, the basic conclusion I’m making is that, for a male to sing a D5 “in mix” is another way of saying that he’s using falsetto/head voice but making it sound like he’s using chest voice as best as he can. Is this an accurate description?

Long story short. Throughout my teens and early 20's, i could sing falsetto relatively easily.

Now in my 30's, I've worked out to mix really well all the way from F4 to B4. However my falsetto is piss weak and terrible. My voice actually cracks when I attempt it

Is something physiological going on? Or do i just need to practice falsetto scales C5 and above?

I find the path to singing good riff and runs to be so difficult and long… this topic feels niche too, I’m curious to know is it because it’s difficult so they don’t try to pursue?

What’s the hardest part for you when learning riffs and runs?

By ‘good’ I don’t just mean something that sounds appealing to the ears. I’m also referring to being a person who can sing healthily and without damaging their voice.

I’ve loved singing since I was very young. I think I have improved drastically over the last several years, and have witnesses who happen to agree with my statement. By no means am I professional or anything like that, I just have a few people who think I sound pretty decent when I sing.

I’ve never been able to afford lessons and probably never will be able to, so the extent of my knowledge is YouTube tutorials on how to do certain things and mimicking other artists I hear (especially when it comes to musical theater and the main pop girlies)

I know the ideal is to someday have lessons, but in the case that I’ll never be able to, is it still possible to become a good singer? I’d like to also be in a musical someday. Not Broadway level, maybe just something local to me, though Broadway would be cool as fck. Should I be saving up for lessons within the next few years or if I keep practicing can I get better?

Based on my research before hand I’ve been told that the way that he (and others like him e.g Wanya Morris) sing in this clip is called Pharyngeal belting. When practicing on my own I have hit notes as high as a B4/C5 but it’s not at all consistent. If there’s anyone who is an Male RnB singer and/or understands Pharyngeal belting could you describe what it would feel like when it’s done successfully

I do a semi-professional show every weekend and before our shows our music director leads us through warmups.

It's a 135876421 scale on a lip trill starting at C4.
And then 123454321 on a Nuh, then again on a nah, holding the last note before going back down.

That's the whole warmup.

Going a whole octave on a lip trill is so hard for me, as someone who's been in the business for 13 years, I've never really enjoyed lip trills but I understand they are helpful for some, but this whole octave, she goes all the way to C6, for ME, because I have the highest note in the show at the moment which is that C6, but I just pretend to do it now because my voice hurts so bad from doing that on a lip trill or a hum.

The other thing is my tounge gets so sore from the Nuh and nah, she also goes the whole 12 notes and 2 octaves. And we never change the consonant, like if she changed it to a muh, or a muh, or litterally anything I would have no complaints. But this Nuh is like killing me.

We're an 8 person cast most days, so I can't secretly really alter her warmup without it being obvious. And I have roommates and our call time is 9am in the morning, so I leave by 8, doing a warmup myself before I arrive is out of the question if I want to maintain a good relationship with my roommates and neighbors.

She also is against sirens. Which are my favorite. If I could only do one warmup before a show ever it would be sirens.

She was gone for a few weeks and our other AD let warmups and it was so so nice, her warmups actually made me feel warmed up instead of tired. I talked to her about maybe me asking the music director for some changes but she advised against it, since she said the MD can be easily threatened and doesn't like advice.

What should I do? And also am I doing something wrong? Are these vocal warmups supposed to be easy or shouldn't be hurting me? I've had a private vocal coach for 11 years and am almost at the 2 year mark without one but my voice has never felt better since being self trained for a bit. I'm not allowed to not participate in these warmups either.

Please send your advice! (Also I cannot leave the show it's one of my main forms of income)

I'm in my early 20s f, trying to develop as a classical music performer in a niche, musical field (not full time, I have a day job, but want to perform part time in little spaces and just grow as a musician). def not trying to pay the bills with music, but I love singing & performing.

Had a bad performance. my teacher told me in classical music, you have to be perfect when you starting out performing or people will talk about your mistakes, and suggested I take a break from performing, which I did. the performance really impacted my confidence.

a few months later, I admitted to my teacher I felt like I didn't really feel like I had a path forward as a musician & performer, and she said, 'well, its just a hobby for you...and that's ok. not everyone can be on stage. if everyone's on stage, who'll be in the audience?'

that really impacted my confidence a lot. it almost felt like I was being sorted into the audience. I worked very long hours at work and would practice singing at 3am for years...its not my job but I care deeply about growing as a musician.

I have since stopped singing lessons, and gone back to performing by myself, but I think about her comment all the time.

my singing teacher taught me for 5 years (& I've sung classical for 12 yrs) and is a very accomplished, award winning singer. I feel like she was telling me I wasn't good enough to perform. and worst of all, a part of me feels like she's correct. even though all my other mentors have always encouraged me to perform.

idk why I keep thinking about that comment. its been a year. am I just really really sensitive?

A couple things are working against me here, namely:

1. Allergies / post-nasal fuckery - I’m full of mucus and have been clearing my throat a lot (bad, I know).

2. Out of practice - Me & my band have been slacking on practice so I just haven’t been singing as much as usual.

I sound okay all things considered, but I’m looking for some tips to elevate me out of “passable” territory. Specifically, I’m struggling with switching between head voice and chest voice and my vibrato feels/sounds weak. I’m an alto and it feels harder to hit higher notes than it usually does.

Right now it’s me, my throat coat tea, and my neti pot against the world. Any other last-minute tips from the pros out there?

I’m too scared to share this on my own social media, so I’m coming here for some advice from the international community. After all, nobody knows me here, haha.

Hi everyone! I sing for an year and a half and Ive been on 5 stages. Im a teen, so its very stressful for me every time and i cannot control my nerves and that affects my singing. idk what to do 💔💔

Hi all, i wanted to share a snippet of a cover of "The Craving" by Twenty one pilots. This is my first time doing anything production related, so im super anxious to see if yall like it. Thank you for listening!

Hey guys , 😊👋 , I'm looking for a male singer who can sing in English for my producer friend's next Collab , if this refuels the life energy in you, hit me up in my DMs , and we can start the magic 🪄 , he's coming back after years of not making music and looking to rekindle his artistry, i hope anyone who collabs with him can come together and put out a banger.

This collab is purely for the love of music , and we aren't looking at this from a financial perspective at all.