#singing advice

[this-is-where-i-hide-my-bullshit]

How do I get my throat to stop audibly clicking when I sing??? I'm not swallowing it just does it and I don't know why.

I'm trying to teach myself how to sing and I don't have any former vocal training, I've tried Googleing it but haven't found anything.

This is a video for reference:

Also, is my voice monotone? Because it feels monotone and idk what to do about that.

[tophsbiggestfan]

i cannot stop thinking about your cute little avatar lullaby! it was so amazing and your voice is s t u n n i n g!! is there anywhere i could hear more of your singing?

Thank you so much!!! I’ve gotten a lot of kind words from people about my Airbender Lullaby and it has blown my mind. Growing up, I was told I was bad at singing so I didn’t really start working on it until a few years ago with the help of my friends and now you guys are saying things to me that I would say to people that I liked their singing and I just wanted to say thank you thank you thank you to everyone who has. Because I love music and I sing at every moment I can because there’s nothing that makes me happier. (And also!! if anyone else loves singing but think they’re bad; 1. first off, who cares? If you love it, do it! it’s for your happiness and no one else’s. 2. i would give my mom headaches when i used to sing... I am a firm believer that anyone can be trained enough to be decent; for my high school musicals, I’d record myself singing something over and over until it sounded right and then it became more natural). 

Anyway, all of that had nothing to do with what you said, I just needed to get off my chest, but also because all of that, there is nowhere else I have my singing. I did post an original song once on my personal blog, but I took the link off this blog’s summary because I’m going through a dark time right now and the person that I am when I’m venting is not one that I want to represent me. Especially to everyone who is being so kind to me right now!

That being said, if you ever want to hear me sing something, I happily will do it on request and if I ever make a separate entity for my singing, I will let you all know :)  (also... i may or may not be working on a cover of leaves from the vine already ;)) 

[musical-theatre-help]

Your Rep Book: What is it? What to include? Where to start? Plus my TOP TIPS 🎤 ~

So, you’ve heard about rep books? But don’t know where to start or what to include in yours? Never fear, I’m here to (hopefully) clear things up a bit and answer any questions you may have. A rep book or rep folder is essentially all of the songs that you’ve chosen to have as ‘go-to’ options for auditions. The songs that show off best what you can do and, most importantly, are VARIED and DIVERSE so that they cover most eventualities when you have an upcoming audition and need to choose a song. 

What to Include - a ROUGH guide:

🎤 At least TWO contrasting contemporary ballads 

🎤  At least TWO contrasting contemporary uptempo songs

🎤  At least TWO contrasting legit (pre-1965) ballads

🎤 At least TWO contrasting legit (pre-1965) uptempo songs

🎤 If you’re classically trained, it’s good to have a classical song or a song from an operetta, e.g. Gilbert & Sullivan

🎤 At least ONE Stephen Sondheim song

🎤  At least ONE ‘golden age‘ song by a composer like Gershwin

🎤 At least ONE Disney song

🎤 At least ONE pop song

🎤 At least ONE rock song

 Some Questions You Might Have:

🎤 What exactly do I mean by ‘contrasting’? - The songs in your repertoire could be contrasting in a variety ways. For example: character, musical style, time period, etc. After all, the term ‘contemporary‘ is a really broad category that covers A LOT of material so it’s good to have a couple of DIFFERENT options.

🎤 Why have two options? - It’s always good to have a backup in case the audition panel asks to hear something else and you don’t want to be caught short with nothing else relevant to show them. However, you also don’t want to show them something that’s super similar to what you just sang - there’s a reason they asked to see something DIFFERENT, after all!

🎤 Why does Sondheim have his own category? - A couple of reasons. Firstly, in general, you shouldn’t sing Sondheim at an audition unless they specifically ask for it OR if you’re auditioning for a Sondheim show. Secondly, Sondheim songs are very specific and unique in style and often very difficult for both the vocalist and the pianist so it’s always good to have a Sondheim option ready in case you need it, but it shouldn’t take the place of one of your contemporary songs, if that makes sense!

 My Top Tips!

🎤 Make sure you’re equally comfortable with all of the pieces in your rep folder/book

🎤  Make sure each piece is roughly within your casting type (this includes age, ethnicity, look and gender)

🎤  Do not lower or raise the key - always sing the song as written

🎤  Always be clear on your chosen tempo. Don’t be afraid to go over to the pianist and politely yet assertively mark out your tempo for them before you start. Remember, the pianist is on your side and you are in control of your own audition.

I might make some future posts that go into more detail about how to present your rep book and sheet music, as well as the individual song categories, but that’s all for now! x

[sullina]

Singing

a lot of people say they can’t sing or that singing is really really hard and i admit it isn’t easy but have any of you ever considered that maybe just trying to imitate the melody and the words with your normal voice isn’t going to cut it?

when i say normal voice i mean the voice you use when talking normally and when talking normally you also always exhale not only through the mouth but also through your nose and if you do the same thing while singing the air in your lungs is not going to last long so close the airway connecting your lungs and nose which is very doable, you do that everytime you swallow something.

also pronounciation. when talking you pronouce everything as it is but when singing you can’t do that, if you do that it’s most likely going to end up incomprehensive so to change that you have to go the extra mile of effort which also includes pronoucing your t’s and s’s and k’s more sharp than normal.

also if you close the airway from lungs to nose, your oice sounds very different, notice how it sounds when you clamp your nose shut with your fingers or a laundry clamp? yeah, practice to avoid that.

stature is also very important. just like playing any instrument, you can’t play properly if you don’t hold it properly. with singing, the instrument you’re playing is your body. singing while standing is ideal and remember to stand properly so that your lungs have as much room as possible.

and your lungs are not a muscle. your use your diaphragm to breathe, it lies directly underneath your lungs and expands and deflates to create pressure in your lungs that either pulls air in or pushes it out, so making sure that your stomach area has enough room is important, too.

now let’s get to volume. to sing loud, open your mouth as far as possible to give your voice a way to get out of your body. if you don’t open it, your voice is going to die in your mouth cavity. So the wider you open your mouth, the louder you’re going to sing. you’re most likely going to look like a fish, but that’s how you do it.

and, of course, practice. exercie is always necessary.

these are all real tips, and if you make sure to do all of these things you should get better at singing.

[this-is-where-i-hide-my-bullshit]

Anybody who sings know how to not have weird wet mouth noises and clicks when recording singing? Because I'm trying to figure out how to fix that but so far I'm not finding anything.

[libstercode]

Need vocal advice

Where do I even begin? Well let's start. Fuck you Mrs Lovett and Sweeney Todd and Stephen Sondhein and these fake ass bitches in theater. I wish I had never been cast as her. Okay now lets TRULY start. My voice is now ruined. What feels like for good now. I was cast as Mrs Lovett back in December and stopped vocal lessons after that. Worst pies went from being easy to sing to overnight me struggling to reach notes. Had extremly swollen tonsils, got super sick with a fever and gone voice. Went to the doctor and may as well have been told "fuck you and your problems." I scream and cheered for 2 minutes and my voice is gone. Then at an award ceremony, gave the worlds raspiest performance in front of hundreds, sounding like i've been smoking for years. all i did was cheer on my school. With how things have been going i don't know if i can do this in the future professionally even though this is all I want. I've only been having negative opinions on myself.

If anyone is good at singing advice, or knows of someone who is strongly, PLEASE INTERACT. Lowkey don't know what to do about my voice.

out of order vent fuck everyone and everything i will be breaking down in tears during vocal lessons and questioning if i can even be able to do this in the future.

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

I adore this man

[snowviolettwhite]

I got cast in my first musical. I’m trying to practice my songs. However, when I try to sing my throat starts hurting getting dry and getting mucus.

Can an singers give me some advice?