LearnGospelMusic.com Community
Main => Ministry, M.O.M, Praise Teams and Choirs => Topic started by: Chocolatevmv on June 10, 2003, 07:36:40 AM
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As this is a website for musicians, how about some tips for singers? (singers are musicians- their instrument is their vocal chords) e.g exercises, and projection, scales etc. ? I'd like some please. :)
Thanks yall
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Well...I have one little MINOR problem with that. When I go to church (7 times out of 10), I don't want to hear the classically trained person who can tickle my ear with their awesome ability. I want someone who can run and holler me under the pew. Someone who has been through something whose singing can reassure me that God is able to handle what I'm going through. I want someone who can literally make me leave there a different way than I felt when I came. . .and you can't always get that with training. Some of those things come when you are gifted or anointed to sing. For instance. . .the lady who originally lead the classic "Jesus Can Work It Out". . .I don't want to hear her in a "trained" form. . .I only buy their albums to see what SHE is leading because SHE takes me to CHURCH!!! Karen Clark Sheard (need I say more). . .Now, the other 3 times out of 10 I love to hear a choir or soloist with some formal training (on special days and such), but mostly I just want you to take me straight to church! That's just my preference.
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I didn't mean train until all we can hear is a classically trained, perfectly pitched, cold performance. I believe the anointing should be there in singing as well as in playing instruments. But organ, piano, bass, drum players all need to practise in order to hone their craft, as do singers. And yes, they ALL need the anointing! I was just wondering as there are so many tips on this site to improve instrumental playing, if there could be any tips for singing as well.
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Sure. Many of us here are (or were) directors, and/or Ministers of Music. In fact Lisa is so great that she even printed choir parts to songs to make sure that we were all teaching the songs RIGHT instead of making up parts that we couldn't really hear.
But I think it's a wonderful idea. . .starting with how NOT to breathe in the middle of certain words and/or how to hold a mic when you're singing on a CD. There is nothing worse than hearing a beautiful song and being suddenly distracted by big breaths in the middle of words and people sounding like they are spitting in the mic. YUCK!
So, I'm with you. . . :lol:
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Well I am a musician and a singer as well. The tip I can give you is always sing from the stomach not from your throat or nose. A musician friend of mine taught me that a long time ago. He would tell me stop singing from my throat. I was singing one time and he caught my throat while I was singing. I almost choked. After that I started singing from my stomach. Also if a person sings from his/her throat you can lose your voice easily. I would lose my voice all the time because I wasn't singing from my stomach.
Be blessed
Sharon
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As this is a website for musicians, how about some tips for singers? (singers are musicians- their instrument is their vocal chords) e.g exercises, and projection, scales etc. ? I'd like some please. :)
Thanks yall
I do a vocal warm-up exercise with my choir. I'm actually trying to write up the method I use so that I can upload it onto my site. When I get it done, I'll let you know.
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Roline, NO! You need to get paid for that one. You know. . .copyright, market, sell....that type of thing! I see dollar signs all over that idea.
Good point, Sharon. But I think we should explore the number of gospel singers who develop throat cancer or some other illnesses and HOW we get those. A friend of mine went to the doctor yesterday to find out that she has nodules. She went to an ENT doctor who suggested vocal therapy. Other people have said that there is a surgical procedure to remove nodules, but the after-effects can be dangerous. We need to know WHAT nodules are, how you get them, how to avoid them, etc. Apparently this affects a lot of singers (gospel and otherwise), but I am just really hearing of it. Other newbies are probably just hearing too.
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Thanks v.much for the tips everyone- this was the sort of info i needed. You see, I have the problem with singing from the throat and as a result, i get sore throat an awful lot and I can't sing very loudly or project very well, which means the mic i use always has to be v. loud. i've had advice about singing from the abdomen before but i find it difficult to master the technique. Although pepes say i got a nice voice they also tell me that they can't hear me very well, so...as i said i need help on projection and singing from the abdomen. ta very much GB
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What you NEED is Dr. Mattie Moss Clark. She'd bring it out of ya' or beat it out of ya' in rehearsal. But either way, you'd be off the chain when she got through with you. Man, we miss her!!
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To itsallpeach
I'm not familiar with Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, who is she? (I live in London England, Great Britain (I'm English)).
To Everyone,
I would like some concrete info, perhaps a little more detailed tips on singing or sanging, as the case may be.
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She is the mother of the world-famous Clark Sisters! A dynamic instructor on how to use the voice and get the maximum performance out of it.
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oh yeah i've heard of the Clark sisters (sorry) but how does that information help me? :wink:
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I have a CD that a friend of mine made for me of a rehearsal with Dr. Clark and the International COGIC Mass Choir in Memphis. Dr. Clark has a way of "bringing the best" out of any singer (choir or soloist). Listening to her instruction on video or CD will help you a lot. She helped to develop D. Coley, V. B. Armstrong, and Karen. . .need I say more?
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I have a CD that a friend of mine made for me of a rehearsal with Dr. Clark and the International COGIC Mass Choir in Memphis. Dr. Clark has a way of "bringing the best" out of any singer (choir or soloist). Listening to her instruction on video or CD will help you a lot. She helped to develop D. Coley, V. B. Armstrong, and Karen. . .need I say more?
Hello itsallpeach,
I have the same type of situation as chocolatevmv. I'm trying to learn techniques for singing. I am a newbie at singing in public. I've had to do quite a bit of it lately and I really enjoy singing. However, my throat tends to be dry a lot and makes my singing sound kind of scratchy. Do you know if anyone else has experienced this before. If so, do you know what they did to fix the problem. Also, I would love to get a hold of the cd with the rehearsal of Dr. Clark and the international COGIC Mass Choir.
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My friend Fred made the CD from a tape. He is COGIC and a fan of Dr. Clark's. I have learned a lot about how she inspires singers to 'give her all they've got'. Her techniques are good when it comes to helping vocalists come out of shyness and reach their full potential.
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ok, well is there any way i could get hold of the tape, or are there any other gospel artists who have released tapes/cds/videos on singing techniques that i could get hold of? i don't know whether all are available here in England but it is possible to order products overseas. What is the title of this tape, or was it a one-off?
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ok, well is there any way i could get hold of the tape, or are there any other gospel artists who have released tapes/cds/videos on singing techniques that i could get hold of? i don't know whether all are available here in England but it is possible to order products overseas. What is the title of this tape, or was it a one-off?
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To itsallpeach
I'm not familiar with Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, who is she? (I live in London England, Great Britain (I'm English)).
To Everyone,
I would like some concrete info, perhaps a little more detailed tips on singing or sanging, as the case may be.
I dont know if this has been said
For warm ups
Diction - sing a song any song only singing the vowels A,E,I,O,U etc - 10 - 15min
Example Speak to my heart
woudl be .... " eee , ooh , i, eare, o, e, ir, eh" etc... Challenging at 1st but it improves you vocal clarity.
Note. the only thing tht we sing are the vowels. the consenants( spelling) are spoken not sung.
Warm- up ....... "Home" - 7-10min
start in the lowest possible key/note you can and say the word "Home" . Close out the word and hold the " Mmmmm" for as long as you can. Youshoudl fill the vibration in your throat and you lips should almost tickle from the vibration.
Go up and down from your highest to lowest register
Vocal strecth - 6- 10min
Again using the vowels ( A, E,I,O etc..)
Simply sing each vowel from your lowest note to completion or your highest falsetto.
( you will crack, That is the point)
Basic warm up using vowels- 12-20min
Note : you must know you basic range for this excercies to be effective****
Simply strike any key/note and instead of doing the normal la,la,la,la,la,la,la, use your vowels ( again we only sing the vowels in songs
Example ..... mid C a,a,a,a,a,a,a, next note C#/Db a,a,a,a,a,a,a D a,a,a,a,a,a,a
For men "E" and "I" are the toughest for women, it tends to be "O"
**emphasis is on saying each vowel clearly. close out the "O" when you say the "E" your smile should be a big as the Joker's from Batman ;) ;D
If you want more PM anytime
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You should first learn the basic lesson to singing and that are online for free and watched video on the net. For advanced knowledge in singing you should buy some e book of Singorama Review, The Pure Pitch Method - Perfect Pitch Ear Training Review and Singing Lessons - Voice Lessons Online Review.
http://lds.about.com/od/singingtime/Singing_Time.htm (http://lds.about.com/od/singingtime/Singing_Time.htm)
http://www.expertvillage.com/video-series/586_voice-lessons.htm?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=yssp&utm_campaign=yssp_series (http://www.expertvillage.com/video-series/586_voice-lessons.htm?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=yssp&utm_campaign=yssp_series)
http://www.learnsingingreviews.com/ (http://www.learnsingingreviews.com/)
Good Luck
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Sing from your heart....Remember ...you are singing his praises...how you sound, is not what he may be hearing. The bible says make a joyful noise to the LORD...It does not say make a trained noise to the Lord. When I play guitar , I play it with all my heart and what he puts in my fingers. Jesus knows what you are feeling or how you are wanting to sound.
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Roline, NO! You need to get paid for that one. You know. . .copyright, market, sell....that type of thing! I see dollar signs all over that idea.
Good point, Sharon. But I think we should explore the number of gospel singers who develop throat cancer or some other illnesses and HOW we get those. A friend of mine went to the doctor yesterday to find out that she has nodules. She went to an ENT doctor who suggested vocal therapy. Other people have said that there is a surgical procedure to remove nodules, but the after-effects can be dangerous. We need to know WHAT nodules are, how you get them, how to avoid them, etc. Apparently this affects a lot of singers (gospel and otherwise), but I am just really hearing of it. Other newbies are probably just hearing too.
Well, nodules are actually forms of scars. Whenever we sing, your vocal chords are vibrating at an incredibly fast speed causing friction. That friction causes scrapes to fomrm on the vocal chords. Normally resting a day or so will let the vocal chords heal fine, but if they are used too much and not properly taken care of, they will form scar tissue. This scar tissue will form a bump on the vocal folds so that when they try to vibrate, the chords will not close all the way causing breath to escape. Often we will try to compensate for that by pushing harder causing futher damage. By singing improperly, AKA sangin (in some cases), you greater increase your risk to form them.
On a side note, I am a classically trained singer and I can do all of those things mentioned about doing runs and shouting (I can't growl though...I have tried really hard). But for me it is easier to do and I still maintain my voice after I finish singing. My voice isn't scratchy or remotely tired because I have learned how to let the natural acoustics of my voice, along with an open throat, and the correct breath support, do all the work for me. It allows me to use the full extent of my range from A3-Eb5 comfotrably not to mention my F#5 that I can hit (not necessarily sustain) full voice. I don't sound like an opera singer, I sound like a relzed singer, unstrained and unrestrained.
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Sing from your stomach, don't sing from your throat?? Well you CAN'T sing from your stomach. There are no vocal cords in there lol. My vocal cords, and my glottis are in my THrOAT! But when we say sing from your stomach, it doesn't mean literally.
Basically it means give your throat a lot of support with your breathing. Just like playing a trumpet requires more air for more power, so does our voice. The more air you get, the better your runs will be. The more air, the more range. The more air, the better tone so forth and so on.
You always have to sing from your throat because there's no mouth or windpipes anywhere else... so just breathe properly.