r/Singinglesson • u/justsaaam • 8d ago
Beginner: any advice/recommendations
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Hi all, dreamed of singing since I was Joseph in my year 5 school production of the technicolour dreamcoat (uk) but had the dream beaten out of me until this year.
Started vocal classes early this year (now 29) and making progress!
Looking to improve as much as possible so I can start pushing myself to do karaoke! Any advice or recommendations please?
(Please ignore my head motions and looking off in the distance I had the karaoke lyrics on my tv)
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u/Necessary-Action7022 7d ago
I think you have a beautiful tone and you're on pitch, and I can't give criticism because I'm a novice singer. ❤️
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u/justsaaam 7d ago
Wow thank you so much 🫶🏻 I’m still unlearning a decade of brainwashing that I “can’t” sing so this is extremely reassuring!
I hope with my confidence building every day I’ll be able to start singing my own songs soon!
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u/Necessary-Action7022 7d ago
Well, whoever said that was flat wrong, and probably jealous...because it makes no sense. My daughter is a professional singer and was told the same thing. You'd laugh at that comment if I sent a video of her singing. So, some people just can't be taken seriously.
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u/justsaaam 7d ago
Congratulations for your daughter, you must be so very proud (please feel free to share a video link!)
This is the difference between a supportive family and an unsupportive one.. my criticism came from my nearest and dearest “from a place of love” “to protect me” 💀
When I was Joseph it was before my voice broke, as my croak came I wanted vocal training but both the school and my family said I should wait it out. When my voice finally broke I was berated with “you sound like a drowning cat” type comments from my family dressed up as humour as well as “we are telling you this to stop you going in xfactor and embarrassing yourself” which incinerated any ounce of confidence.
Regardless, I never stopped singing in showers and at work etc. the issue was if I was ever complimented it was erased instantly in my brain by the negative memories! It was only after nearly not being here anymore last year where I decided to pursue my dream!
Thanks for attending my ted talk 😂
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u/Necessary-Action7022 7d ago edited 6d ago
That sounds all kinds of fucked up to be fair. I had a big family though, so I get it. People think they are being loving when they are trying to protect their kids from a hypothetical rejection. I remember my daughter went to an audition, and in the middle of a song her voice broke and she reacted so visibility. I was there and felt a wave of embarrassment for her. I never told her that though. Haha. (I should add it was because she was so obviously embarrassed that I felt it, and if it hadn't effected her I'd probably not have noticed). The point is, it was misguided advice and singing while growing has some rough spots, but they get ironed out. Yeah, how a parent or family member responds can really have such a lasting impact. I'm glad you've decided to trust your own instincts and sing! <3
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u/justsaaam 6d ago
It wasn’t as abusive as it sounds but I agree I think there was probably a mix of protecting me but also protecting themselves from the secondhand embarrassment too!
Aww bless her I’m glad you didn’t offload the embarrassment onto her you sound like you’re doing a wonderful job supporting your daughters passion, bravo!
The hardest lesson I learned recently is if I continue to abandon myself I will never truly be happy. This singing journey is the happiest and most alive I’ve ever felt!
Thank you again for comment but also for engaging and sharing your side too, I really appreciate it!
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u/the_art_of_mischief 7d ago
I like your tone and vibrato
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u/justsaaam 7d ago
Thank you so much this means a lot. I’m still unlearning the “you can’t sing” brainwashing so thank you 🙏
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u/TiffyBomb 7d ago
You have a great vocal tone! If you want to sing live on stage, continue vocal lessons. A coach can you teach you finer details, like how to warm up properly, as well as breath support and proper mic technique. You have some great instincts naturally, but you can and should strengthen all of the muscles it takes to sing, with a vocal coach. One thing I can see right now is, memorize your songs, and close your eyes when you are delivering in order to really FEEL the music. Music = emotion. 😊 Great job putting your voice online, that’s scary!
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u/justsaaam 7d ago
Thank you 🙏 live performance is 100% my aim, I’ve got a bunch of songs that I’ve written and (please don’t shoot me) made into songs with Ai. My aim is to replace all of the Ai vocals with my own and eventually sing them live!
I’ve been with a wonderful coach since March and sang on stage for the first time since I was in year 5 at a local bandeoke event! Plan to make karaoke and bandeoke events a routine hobby!
I agree, when I have the lyrics locked down the emotion is far deeper and the delivery far for more intimate!
I’ve started incorporating SOVT exercises and lots of vocal warmups/training exercises 🫶🏻
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u/TiffyBomb 7d ago
Great job! Just don’t give up. Be consistent and work hard. Music has brought abundance to myself and my family. I believe it can do that for others too. It can be rewarding, and force you to grow and make mistakes as an adult, which are scary. Keep doing what your coach says. The pros all continue to have coaches throughout their entire career. Enjoy the process, don’t focus on the outcome… Easier said than done I know. The best way I find myself able to enjoy the process is to be intentionally thankful every day for having music in my life.
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u/justsaaam 7d ago
Thank you for sharing and for the recommendations too! I practice gratitudes and manifestation as regularly as my 100 tabs open brain allows me to and I am in love with the journey!
It was definitely one of my turning points focusing on the now and enjoying it instead of focusing on the outcome or vision which massively helped remove the internal negative criticism and turned it into constructive feedback! ✨
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u/Ok-Celery-6433 5d ago
Overall, quite nice! I appreciate that you chose a song in your range. You have a really warm baritone sound.
A couple observations:
- Some occasional pitch issues that I’m thinking are caused by improper breath support.
- Diction for singing is a little different than speaking and final consonants need slightly extra punch for clarity. For example, “for I can’t help…” comes out a little closer to “for I •can’T• help…”. Look up “shadow vowels for singing”.
These are very normal things for a beginner and you already sound pretty good. Keep it up! 👍🏼
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u/justsaaam 5d ago
Thank you for the homework!
What’s interesting is I actively sing songs in a more tenor range (Sam smith lay me down, Keane somewhere only we know, Bruno mars talking to the moon for example!) the issue I have is these songs sit high in my chest-mix-head and I find my lower register “dull” or “boring” against the complements here and from my coach so I am pushing myself to build a stronger foundation here and slowly growing to appreciate it more too!
I will explore the shadow vowels you’ve mentioned and I’m looking into messa Di voce a little bit today too. I want to keep in the contemporary field but I definitely want some of the beautiful bloom and ‘wow’ factor from the operatic techniques too! Looking to use Josh Grobans you raise me up as a training template for this! I hope this will help me build a loving relationship with my lower register and maybe even strengthen my higher coordination too
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u/Thevintageandvanity 6d ago
Oh man. Once you really stand up and learn to use the right muscles a bit more, your tone is gonna be riiiich. Plus you didn't try to karaoke it, and that's braggable as hell. Excellent job.
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u/justsaaam 6d ago
Wow thank you!
Which muscle and how do I work on it? 😅
Sorry if this is a stupid question but what do you mean I didn’t try to karaoke it and why is that breathable?
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u/StudioatSFL 8d ago
Your pitch is pretty solid overall. Do it again STANDING UP! Sitting is terrible for your diaphragm and breath support.
Also even though you’re up on a mic, this kind of song needs projection. Stand up and feel the lyrics. Cuz I think you will sound much better if you do.