Question for the people who sing

Chovie D · October 04, 2011, 09:58:02 AM

try letting the guitar just feed back while you sing the verses and let the bass carry the rythym line...then guitar comes back in for chorus. DYnamic!

Its a cheap trick (no pun intended) but its useful for those complex singing melodies over guitar rythms that are juts too difficult for untalented singers like ourselves.

VOLVO))) · October 04, 2011, 11:10:40 AM

I've also found that since my amp is screaaaaming loud, I can hammer-on/pull off entire riffs, and it makes it easier to sing over. Our songs have some weird droning rhythms that I can't really sing to.

Chovie D · October 04, 2011, 01:05:56 PM

Quote from: SunnO))) on October 04, 2011, 11:10:40 AM
I've also found that since my amp is screaaaaming loud, I can hammer-on/pull off entire riffs, and it makes it easier to sing over. Our songs have some weird droning rhythms that I can't really sing to.

yup

liquidsmoke · October 04, 2011, 02:10:26 PM

Quote from: SunnO))) on October 04, 2011, 12:43:02 AM
I can't play guitar and sing at the same time. If I do, it's in rhythm with what I'm playing. I tried tonight, I'm super shy about it...

Keep trying dude. I figured it out and I'm a hack at music in general. Every new riff you try to sing over can be a battle, you just have to keep trying over and over and over until you get it. I thought it was impossible at first but eventually it starts to just happen. It helps if you have already mastered the guitar parts.

Metal and Beer · October 04, 2011, 03:37:13 PM

You're getting there quickly mang, just keep doin' it. In this scene, being able to play well while hollerin' isn't exactly perfected anyway !

Chovie D · October 04, 2011, 07:13:25 PM

Quote from: liquidsmoke on October 04, 2011, 02:10:26 PM
Quote from: SunnO))) on October 04, 2011, 12:43:02 AM
I can't play guitar and sing at the same time. If I do, it's in rhythm with what I'm playing. I tried tonight, I'm super shy about it...

Keep trying dude. I figured it out and I'm a hack at music in general. Every new riff you try to sing over can be a battle, you just have to keep trying over and over and over until you get it. I thought it was impossible at first but eventually it starts to just happen. It helps if you have already mastered the guitar parts.

were all hacks bro, none of us are segovia or have chris cornells pipes.
Be easy on yourselves. Its not about perfection or even getting close to perfection(at least for me). Its about slanging good rock and good rock can be messy and fucked up..thats one of the things I love about it and that makes it interesting to me.

now rock the fuck out!

RacerX · October 04, 2011, 08:57:19 PM

Quote from: Chovie D on October 04, 2011, 07:13:25 PM
Quote from: liquidsmoke on October 04, 2011, 02:10:26 PM
Quote from: SunnO))) on October 04, 2011, 12:43:02 AM
I can't play guitar and sing at the same time. If I do, it's in rhythm with what I'm playing. I tried tonight, I'm super shy about it...

Keep trying dude. I figured it out and I'm a hack at music in general. Every new riff you try to sing over can be a battle, you just have to keep trying over and over and over until you get it. I thought it was impossible at first but eventually it starts to just happen. It helps if you have already mastered the guitar parts.

were all hacks bro, none of us are segovia or have chris cornells pipes.
Be easy on yourselves. Its not about perfection or even getting close to perfection(at least for me). Its about slanging good rock and good rock can be messy and fucked up..thats one of the things I love about it and that makes it interesting to me.

now rock the fuck out!

Word.

That said, repetition, repetition, repetition and the resultant muscle memory are the keys to the kingdom.

spookstrickland · October 04, 2011, 10:04:51 PM

Quote from: Chovie D on October 03, 2011, 06:38:00 PM
scream singing is controlled. you're not actually screaming

I do it both ways, some times nothing conveys the emotion like a real throat shredding scream.

liquidsmoke · October 05, 2011, 12:52:02 AM

Quote from: Chovie D on October 04, 2011, 07:13:25 PM
Quote from: liquidsmoke on October 04, 2011, 02:10:26 PM
Quote from: SunnO))) on October 04, 2011, 12:43:02 AM
I can't play guitar and sing at the same time. If I do, it's in rhythm with what I'm playing. I tried tonight, I'm super shy about it...

Keep trying dude. I figured it out and I'm a hack at music in general. Every new riff you try to sing over can be a battle, you just have to keep trying over and over and over until you get it. I thought it was impossible at first but eventually it starts to just happen. It helps if you have already mastered the guitar parts.

were all hacks bro, none of us are segovia or have chris cornells pipes.
Be easy on yourselves. Its not about perfection or even getting close to perfection(at least for me). Its about slanging good rock and good rock can be messy and fucked up..thats one of the things I love about it and that makes it interesting to me.

now rock the fuck out!

Yeah and I know even Hendrix was sloppy live with his singing. I am going for more of a metal thing inspired by some really amazing clean singers though... if it's done badly or weak it will suck balls. I do my best, if that doesn't cut it I'll try even harder or give it up.

liquidsmoke · August 18, 2012, 03:59:51 AM

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

fuck.

My midrange vocal styles suck balls. My lower range singing is mediocre to okay and sometimes maybe even good, I think. I'm changing most of the midrange parts to low parts to save a couple of our songs. Or I'm getting vocal lessons. Fuck.

Singing is fucking hard. Also, fuck.

Soundgardenia · August 18, 2012, 11:55:28 AM

Always always always had a problem with shitty PA's! Granted, I don't really project my voice like I should, but I ruined my throat a couple of times in past bands just because of shitty PA's...

VOLVO))) · August 18, 2012, 12:02:00 PM

I just outright can't sing.

Soundgardenia · August 18, 2012, 12:16:38 PM

Maybe I suffer of the same condition and am in denial about it.
I am however, 100% convinced that I can't play guitar for shit, I do it anyway, but I suck at it.

zachoff · August 18, 2012, 02:28:10 PM

I took some lessons a while back that really helped temper the 'yelling' sort of singing. My throat was hurting after practice and shows. I still don't sing pretty but I definitely let the mic do it's job more than I used to. Oh, and I got a Boss VE-20 and it's awesome. Added a tiny bit of disto and a couple harmonies to my vocals and I don't have to work quite as hard.

Discö Rice · August 18, 2012, 05:36:43 PM

I really have to ramp up psychologically to sing in front of people. Like a marine charging a fortified bunker knowing he's gonna die - that's the headspace I'm in. If I can't get myself there - choke city.

liquidsmoke · August 18, 2012, 05:37:04 PM

My throat hurts half the time from singing and just from talking, although I talk for a living so that doesn't help. I try not to strain when I sing but I do somewhat I think.

I suck at guitar as well but I play anyway, mostly power chords. I suck at singing but I sing anyway.

I use my Boss VE-20 for reverb and sometimes delay, nice unit but I don't use the diva type features.

MichaelZodiac · August 18, 2012, 05:51:43 PM

I gave it up and we found a female singer.

liquidsmoke · August 18, 2012, 07:07:09 PM

We should just try to find a singer but it would be really hard to find someone that would fit our sound so I'd rather just do it myself even if it's mediocre.

Soundgardenia · August 18, 2012, 07:13:34 PM

It's hard to pull off female vocals in heavier stuff without sounding tacky...

MichaelZodiac · August 18, 2012, 07:52:41 PM

I agree with the tackiness of female vocals in heavy music, especially when they go full out with their voice. It can be good but gets boring very easily and then it almost comes across as a parody rather than anything else.

But we're more of heavy psych band anyway. Lots of Hawkwind & Spacemen 3 influences. We told the girl to be a mysterious version of Grace Slick, so far she's nailing it.

Soundgardenia · August 18, 2012, 07:56:45 PM

Like Huntress.. I hate to say this because usually people perceive this as jealousy (which is not, even thought the chick is indeed hot as fuck), but it sounds tacky tacky tacky!
Acid King pulls it off perfectly though. Bottom could pull it off too but at some point, all of their songs started to sound the same.

Im curious about your sound though! Have any tracks online? Soundcloud?

mattcoins · August 20, 2012, 12:05:19 AM

i would say try and let the mic do most of the volume. its hard not to strain yourself when you have a shitty pa, but fuck who wants to cut up your chords. once they have scar tissue there is no healing them. if your throat always hurts try going more towards your diaphragm. if you want to go high pretend there is a pencil in front of your mouth, and go above that. (i have no idea if that makes sense but it helps me). make weird faces, loosen your jaw, make shapes with your mouth.
it might be just one of the most awkward experiences singing in front of people for the first few times. our instruments go through amps/pedals so throw some reverb or delay on your vocals. it's just real weird to hear your voice with nothing on it.
if you're going to record you'll gain a ton of confidence if you're doing it with someone who knows how to record loud music and loud vocals.

but then again i have no idea what i am doing...

grimniggzy · August 20, 2012, 09:28:12 AM

scream pretty much all the time. my voice sounds more and more like lemmy after every show.

liquidsmoke · August 21, 2012, 01:05:56 AM

Moved all of my midrange vocal parts in one of our songs down an octave today at practice and it felt way more natural and easy. Going to stick with that even though it probably makes the song more boring, oh well. I don't have a deep speaking voice but i sing much better in the lower ranges.

Something I've noticed over the last few years: certain words are really hard to sing!