I am working on my singing with an electronic tuner, because I can't afford a teacher. As a university student, a private voice teacher is not within my budget. I have a range of just under an octave, from the G below the stave to E comfortably and an octave if I try to sing higher, to the G on the stave, but it sounds awful after E and above. Although I can hum over an octave. I am female, is this a low range? I have not had formal singing lessons ever, but I am a fairly competent piano player, but have not taken any exams and never done any singing at all. I would like to join a choir because I saw a conceret and I am always amazed by singers. I want to inprove my range, and getting them in tune, I sing either flat or sharp.
Full Version: I Want To Sing Well
Well, first off, welcome to the gang! We're all here because we want to sing well 
And the best way of singing well is to sing as often as you can - your voice will improve with use. In my opinion this is best done in the context of choirs whether you're a beginner or fairly experienced. Sight reading, keeping in tune and fitting your part into everything else that's going on are all developed by doing this.
As you're at uni, there will probably be any number of choirs going on. Go visit a few of them, find one where you like the people and join in.
Your range sounds like you'd be more comfortable singing alto at the moment. However, when I was a student, from that same comfortable range and a few notes either side if I stretched, I sang 2nd soprano a fair bit, and even tenor when there was a desperate shortage
. I got a bit of a reputation for being prepared to sing anything with anyone, and was popular because I would turn up on time for rehearsals and learn my music in the meantime - these are attributes that will earn you a welcome in any choir. And the more you use the notes at the edges of your range, the bigger your range will become.
Go for it, and good luck!
cheers
Katyjay
ps - if you subsequently decide you want to start lessons, you may find from your new choir contacts a music student who'd be prepared to teach you - it's something that happened to me, but I didn't have the courage to take the offer up
. Took me another fifteen years to get round to having lessons - and they've been the best thing I ever decided to do
pps - it's never too late to join a choir. The lady who sits next to me in my main choir is retired and a grandmother, and our choir was the first she'd ever joined. But she's really enjoying it, and her voice has come on a huge amount in the year and a bit she's been with us - she sings out with real confidence now. Go for it!
And the best way of singing well is to sing as often as you can - your voice will improve with use. In my opinion this is best done in the context of choirs whether you're a beginner or fairly experienced. Sight reading, keeping in tune and fitting your part into everything else that's going on are all developed by doing this.
As you're at uni, there will probably be any number of choirs going on. Go visit a few of them, find one where you like the people and join in.
Your range sounds like you'd be more comfortable singing alto at the moment. However, when I was a student, from that same comfortable range and a few notes either side if I stretched, I sang 2nd soprano a fair bit, and even tenor when there was a desperate shortage
. I got a bit of a reputation for being prepared to sing anything with anyone, and was popular because I would turn up on time for rehearsals and learn my music in the meantime - these are attributes that will earn you a welcome in any choir. And the more you use the notes at the edges of your range, the bigger your range will become.Go for it, and good luck!
cheers
Katyjay
ps - if you subsequently decide you want to start lessons, you may find from your new choir contacts a music student who'd be prepared to teach you - it's something that happened to me, but I didn't have the courage to take the offer up
. Took me another fifteen years to get round to having lessons - and they've been the best thing I ever decided to do pps - it's never too late to join a choir. The lady who sits next to me in my main choir is retired and a grandmother, and our choir was the first she'd ever joined. But she's really enjoying it, and her voice has come on a huge amount in the year and a bit she's been with us - she sings out with real confidence now. Go for it!
Yes, I'd join a choir if I were you! 
It's so much fun singing with other people, especially harmonies, and you'll improve almost without thinking about it!
A word of advice, though! Don't sing very loudly until you really know your part; can be v. annoying for the others!
Have fun!
It's so much fun singing with other people, especially harmonies, and you'll improve almost without thinking about it! A word of advice, though! Don't sing very loudly until you really know your part; can be v. annoying for the others!
Have fun!
Coincidentally, on Friday I was visited by a secondary student with a bass voice - and he also had a reliable range of a 6th. However with the singing of intervals, he became wildly inaccurate - completely out in the woods. I have advised him that at present, the best strategy may be to simply sing songs - for example singing along to CDs. Do lots of it. Tape the results and check that you are on track.
The good news is that a lot of popular songs are written within a range of about an octave. I don't know your taste in music, but I mmediately think of Anne Murray and the Carpenters are two acts with a female voice singing in about the range you mention. And they sing a number of songs that you will know already.
If you are more accurate than my visitor, than the choral path may be possible. But personally, I would find it preferable to get your voice to a level where you might be able to successfully audition in a group with reasonable skills. You can get lucky with a group of unauditioned singers, but in general they have a tendency to go flat or sharp, and have higher levels of inaccuracy - which would be no help to you if you have serious ambitions and your voice is not currently prepared. (Also as an Alto, you tend to get quite difficult harmony lines rather than singable melodies)
Obviously if you want to develop a solo capability, it would be closer to have a range of just under 2 octaves. Once you find you improve your accuracy, it would be beneficial to engage a coach - so that they can determine if there is any technical issue that is holding you back.
I know I am putting up a different view to the last three posts, but I know from personal experience that going in with good capabilities will be more fun than finding yourself struggling with a choir - which by the way will be quite a time-stealer in terms of choir practice time and personal practice time.
The good news is that a lot of popular songs are written within a range of about an octave. I don't know your taste in music, but I mmediately think of Anne Murray and the Carpenters are two acts with a female voice singing in about the range you mention. And they sing a number of songs that you will know already.
If you are more accurate than my visitor, than the choral path may be possible. But personally, I would find it preferable to get your voice to a level where you might be able to successfully audition in a group with reasonable skills. You can get lucky with a group of unauditioned singers, but in general they have a tendency to go flat or sharp, and have higher levels of inaccuracy - which would be no help to you if you have serious ambitions and your voice is not currently prepared. (Also as an Alto, you tend to get quite difficult harmony lines rather than singable melodies)
Obviously if you want to develop a solo capability, it would be closer to have a range of just under 2 octaves. Once you find you improve your accuracy, it would be beneficial to engage a coach - so that they can determine if there is any technical issue that is holding you back.
I know I am putting up a different view to the last three posts, but I know from personal experience that going in with good capabilities will be more fun than finding yourself struggling with a choir - which by the way will be quite a time-stealer in terms of choir practice time and personal practice time.
Hi my singing teacher nags all the time!!! She goes on about singing techniques, how you should drop your jaw low, have a huge open space at the back of your throat, and let the air flow as you sing. Imagine there is an apple at the back of your throat and you cant close the space. Try to tense your stomach muscles so you are pushing the sound up from your diagphram, not your throat. Try learning a short unnaccompanied song, and singing it through, stopping on a random note, and seeing if it it the right one by playing it on the piano. This should help you to stay in tune, and proggressivly get better. Make sure you don't breathe in and collapse, keep your ribcage expanded, and your tonge loose, and behind your teath. You barely need to use it to be able to sing! I'm taking my grade 5 in June!! Ouch hehe
Good luck,
Steph (14)
Good luck,
Steph (14)
Ahhhh I would so like singing lessons...
I am planning to have a few this summer: a friend who's done grade 8 is going to give me some lessons in exchange for me teaching her basic French!
I am planning to have a few this summer: a friend who's done grade 8 is going to give me some lessons in exchange for me teaching her basic French!
| QUOTE (sarah-flute @ May 18 2005, 09:29 AM) |
| Ahhhh I would so like singing lessons... I am planning to have a few this summer: a friend who's done grade 8 is going to give me some lessons in exchange for me teaching her basic French! |
Oh, how cool! I would love to have proper singing lessons!!! I do voice class at school, but that's with other random people who (not wanting to show off) aren't very good at singing, and I don't really get much out of that!
But my parents say lessons on one instrument are enough...
Singing in any kind of group etc will help.... I have never had lessons, but I know that singing the in choirs at uni and in vocal groups helped massively!
Who are you learning Dido's Lament with? Or is that in your vocal group?
Sad that you can't have lessons, but I guess you could say that concentrating on your flute has no doubt contributed to you getting on so well with it!!!
Ruth is no expert but she's better than me, so I am sure it will help.
Who are you learning Dido's Lament with? Or is that in your vocal group?
Sad that you can't have lessons, but I guess you could say that concentrating on your flute has no doubt contributed to you getting on so well with it!!!
Ruth is no expert but she's better than me, so I am sure it will help.
my voice is wrecking...according to my teacher........as i'm really struggling with choir and solo singing technique....help....
| QUOTE |
| EAT LOTS OF LOTS OF APPLE! |
| QUOTE |
| GOOD FOR YOUR VOICE! |
Hey guys how to put ur profile under the conversations?
| QUOTE (liebe_klavier @ May 19 2005, 01:47 PM) |
| my voice is wrecking...according to my teacher........as i'm really struggling with choir and solo singing technique....help.... |
Vocal technique should be identical for choral or solo. With choral, you need to be more conscious of the blend - that's all. I do both - ususally in the same performance. No problem.
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