# Some Questions about Singing



## SongQuestion (Apr 5, 2014)

Hi, 

I just started practicing singing again after a long time of not doing it. I was never good, but I decided I wanted to improve my voice for now in the present. Here are a few of my questions so far:

Some websites say humming can improve your singing. Others have said they can hum better than they sing, and higher notes come easier that way. However, the dead opposite seems to be true with me! Since I consider myself very bad at determining vocal pitch, I downloaded an app that can determine what notes you are hitting with the computer microphone. It said my range was from an E3 (lowest note) to an F5 (highest note). However, when I hum, my throat feels much more strain and my range becomes about an octave lower, an E3 to an F4#! When I hold my nose, no sound comes out, so I believe I am humming. However, my singing is NOT made easier for it! Has anyone else encountered this problem?

Isn't the head voice where you feel the vibrations of singing in your head, whereas the chest voice is where you feel them in your upper chest? I am confident I have sung in chest voice several times, but I don't think I have ever sung in head voice! However, most times I do not notice any vibrating at all. Also, I think I am a contralto, but since I don't believe I have ever sung in head voice, my range could be higher so I don't know for sure. The low notes do come pretty easy to me though.

I notice that when I try to sing high notes, I have to sing louder to get them! In contrast, when I sing in lower notes, a normal to low volume is sufficient. Could me unwittingly staying in chest voice have anything to do with this when I try to sing high notes? Or do higher notes in general require more volume than low notes to be sung?

Also, I feel my singing a lot in my throat. While there is no pain or hoarseness in my voice, there is a slight tension there, especially when trying high notes or sustaining any note for too long. Some websites have said this is wrong. Is that correct? It may be my breathing is wrong. I am a novice singer, so there is a lot I don't know. Does transitioning into head voice require more volume or air?

Thanks!


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## Alfredoz (Apr 8, 2014)

Hi, could you post an audio clip of yourself vocalizing ?


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

THE best and most helpful advice about your singing voice that you will ever get online 
~ _Run_ (do not walk,) to the nearest decent voice teacher. ~


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## SongQuestion (Apr 5, 2014)

Hi Alfredoz, thanks for asking but I am too embarrassed to provide a clip of my singing. It sounds strained sometimes and my voice (to my own hears) is annoying. I am afraid it will scare you.


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## SongQuestion (Apr 5, 2014)

Hi PetrB, I was thinking the exact same thing as you are when I got to thinking about it. I will have to wait to do that since I cannot afford to right now. I think I am going to suspend practicing since I am running into too many issues with singing by myself without help. Thanks for the advice.


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## Whistler Fred (Feb 6, 2014)

Here's a few tips I got from my vocal coach:

Breath from the diaphragm. You should feel your whole middle expanding when you take a breath. Do not breath from the lungs only.

VERY IMPORTANT - Do not try to use your throat to control the sound. This will only tighten things up and may even damage your vocal cords. As much as you can keep your throat muscles relaxed you will be helping your sound. Again, the key is to support from the diaphragm with your breath.

Your face is a natural resonating device. Try to get a buzzing feeling around your nose when you sing (this may be the point of the humming exercise). 

But the best advice was already given: Look for a good vocal coach. I was doubly fortunate enough to live close to Chicago's "Old Town School of Music" and to find a remarkable teacher there who brought my singing to a level I never could have reached on my own. A good teacher can make all the difference.


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## SongQuestion (Apr 5, 2014)

Hi, I decided to go ahead and start practicing again without a voice teacher. I think I am starting to get how to use my diaphragm in singing. I am not straining my throat as much when I do that, so I believe improper breathing may have been most of my problem. 

I think I may have somewhat accessed my middle or even head voice for the first time, or at least the first time I may have recognized it as such. I listened to an audio clip of my vocalizing, and it didn't sound as strained and horrible. Since Alfredoz offered to listen to a recording of my voice, I am willing to provide one in curiosity as to what others think. Now, I consider myself a beginner without any vocal training. So, it may not be that great, just as a forewarning (although I don't think it is as bad as before). 

However, I only want to PM it those who are interested. I do NOT want to place my vocals publicly. If anyone is interested, let me know! I have questions about my voice type in particular, though as I said before, I think I am a contralto, but I am not 100% sure about that. Thanks for all your help!


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## Alfredoz (Apr 8, 2014)

You can PM me with your recording. I can try to give some suggestion but take it with a pinch of salt


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## SongQuestion (Apr 5, 2014)

Thanks Alfredoz, I really appreciate it! It may take me a few days to PM you though, because I have had some personal things happen that are taking up my time.


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## SongQuestion (Apr 5, 2014)

Is there any way to add an audio attachment to a PM? I only see that option only for postings!


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## Jaws (Jun 4, 2011)

Whistler Fred said:


> Here's a few tips I got from my vocal coach:
> 
> Breath from the diaphragm. You should feel your whole middle expanding when you take a breath. Do not breath from the lungs only.
> 
> ...


The problem with this advice is unless it is being explained and demonstrated in a lesson it can be very easily misunderstood.

The biggest problem is that you can't support your breath with your diaphragm because the diaphragm doesn't work like this. The diaphragm is a sheet muscle that helps to draw air into the lungs. When you breathe out as in singing it is actually relaxed and so can't be used to support the air. I am sure that your vocal coach knows what they are doing but actually is using the wrong words to describe it. Passing this information on to someone who isn't having singing lessons can cause more problems than it solves. Also support is the wrong word because is doesn't immediately suggest moving air. The air however has to move so that your voice makes a sound.


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## Jaws (Jun 4, 2011)

SongQuestion said:


> Hi, I decided to go ahead and start practicing again without a voice teacher. I think I am starting to get how to use my diaphragm in singing. I am not straining my throat as much when I do that, so I believe improper breathing may have been most of my problem.
> 
> I think I may have somewhat accessed my middle or even head voice for the first time, or at least the first time I may have recognized it as such. I listened to an audio clip of my vocalizing, and it didn't sound as strained and horrible. Since Alfredoz offered to listen to a recording of my voice, I am willing to provide one in curiosity as to what others think. Now, I consider myself a beginner without any vocal training. So, it may not be that great, just as a forewarning (although I don't think it is as bad as before).
> 
> However, I only want to PM it those who are interested. I do NOT want to place my vocals publicly. If anyone is interested, let me know! I have questions about my voice type in particular, though as I said before, I think I am a contralto, but I am not 100% sure about that. Thanks for all your help!


This diaphragm business is a load of rubbish. Everyone uses their diaphragm every time they breathe in because that is what the diaphragm does, it aids breathing in. You also need to know that you can't actually feel your diaphragm so you can't actually influence it. So which muscles do you use since it can't be the diaphragm? This is why singing lessons are so important. The teacher can demonstrate rather than someone trying to explain it on here using incorrect terminology.


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## Dili (Jun 19, 2014)

+1 on finding a teacher asap. There are a lot of dangers to practicing on your own in the very beginning - if you push you can even lose your voice. I have been learning for 10 years and I only dare to warm up on my own.

Aren't there any music schools near where you are? You don't need a "big name" teacher in the start (or ever, but that is just my opinion), you only need someone to teach you good technique. A lot of teachers give private lessons, if there is a music university (I don't know where you are from, the levels of education can be called differently) you can post an add for a grad student in vocal studies, or ask a small choir director ... there are a lot of people out there that can show you the basics for very little money. Good luck!


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