Becoming A Singer

Many people have the potential to contribute vocals to a live performance, they might be vocalists, or they may play an instrument and also desire to sing. You may have the talent and it simply needs development. This article should help you to understand what you really need to be able to do to make progress in this area. Not everyone can sing well, but you can often sing better if you know what, why and how to do it.

Bare essentials

• Ability to project your singing voice

  If your singing voice is just a whisper, you have 2 options:

  • Continue to sing for your own enjoyment, and stop thinking about a career as a professional singer
  • Learn to sing at least 2 times as loud as your normal talking voice.

  Don't assume that turning up the volume level on the PA system will allow you to compensate for your inability to project your voice. Increasing the PA's volume levels only leads to more feedback and picking up background noise. Very few songs are sung by professionals who can only sing in a whisper.

  The key to projecting is correct technique and development. This includes doing the following:

  • Warm up your voice each time you sing.
  • Practice scales.
  • Practice at least every other day.
  • Practice a song that is at the top of your vocal range.
  • Practice a song that is at the bottom of your vocal range.
  • Protect your voice - Never push it to the point of stress.
  • Have liquids (water is probably best) available at all times.

  Singing is a learned skill and the right skills and techniques are required to achieve good volume levels and promote vocal quality. What ever you do avoid vocal abuse, it may limit your ability in the future.

  Some of the skills required for good volume include correct breathing, torso support and breath control. The diaphragm does not actually contribute to volume. It cannot be consciously manipulated to achieve any singing effect. It merely lowers when inhaling and rises when exhaling. Although the lungs, diaphragm and the abdominal region are involved in the breathing process, the abdominal muscles contribute to volume.

  You may benefit from vocal training - which is often available for free (or very low cost) at schools (assuming that you are attending one now) that have a music program. The side effect is that many vocal teachers will really function more as coaches, and often try to get you to sing by imitating someone rather than trying to bring out your unique abilities. You may need to seek out a private vocal instructor for consultation.

  As an example, many vocal coaches have preconceived goals of teaching women to sing like women and men like men, in the context of Opera, or choral groups. For professional vocals with a Live Band, it is better to take a more neutral stance and assume that the singers voice needs to be brought out as an individual, and not as a stereotype. Many teachers I have run across have women believing they can only sing in a soprano style using only their upper range, where the men are trained in a full mid or bass operatic tone. This fits some areas of musical need quite well, but it may not get you to progress into your own style. Listen to the people that you respect singing popular music - what you will hear is a voice that has the components of their normal spoken voice in them. In a sense, the singer should be able to speak the melody of the song - singing often requires it. Being able to speak it allows your own personality to project thru when you want it to.

  Your vocal range need not be exceptional - many people can manage an octave above and below their normal speaking voice. The key here is to find your 'Key'. You may need a piano (or other instrument) to find it. Try to say the word 'Hello' in your normal speaking voice and play notes until you find a close match (starting at middle C). This will give you an idea or where your voice is probably the strongest. It will also allow you to articulate better. Some words will be hard to get out in key, however it helps to work on vowels that give you trouble - like the sounds for 'I' (ahh eee) and 'A' (ehhh eee). NOTE: Different letter combinations will give you problems in various languages.

  Vocal exercises may help you extend your vocal range, but you will eventually find that you have limits that you can't exceed - this normal; you are an individual and everyone is different. Leverage what you have and work with it.

  Vocal sound comes from various places. Bass comes from the Chest. Midrange comes from the Mouth. Treble seems to come from your nasal passages (ie. your nose).

  Uncontrolled Vibrato is very irritating to listen to - when you push your voice, try to suppress it if it does not belong in the song (which is rarely does in most popular music). Some people don't even know they are doing it, you may need to listen to a recording of your singing to detect it. You will need the assistance of a vocal teacher to help you resolve Vibrato control issues. Vibrato in itself can be quite a good thing, however you need to be able to manage it correctly.

  A good technique for building your normal talking voice into your normal singing voice is to pick a nonsense word, for example, the word 'GUB' (which means absolutely nothing) and try to speak a scale - A common scale is sung to 'doh, ray, me, fa, so, la, te, doh' (for example, the notes 'C D E F G A B C' on a piano) - replace that with 'GUB' or any other word that you like, or you are having trouble with. Another Scale is to walk up 4 notes and back down again - for example on the piano 'C D E F E D C', then move it up (or down) one step and try it again.

  Many vocal instructors can help you if you are specific as to what you want. Telling them that you 'just want to sing better' is like telling a mechanic that something needs to be fixed on your car, and you let them guess what needs to be corrected - help yourself by helping vocal instructors understand your goals. Its possible that they may not be able to help you if they are unfamiliar with your type of singing, or goals - be prepared to bring and play som music that is representative of you goals (Audio CDs, for example). They may not be able to help you duplicate the things you want, but don't assume they can't help once they know what you are trying to accomplish.

• Singing in time with the music

  You may have a wonderful voice, but if you can't also pay attention to the music that you are singing along with, and keep in time, you are simply making noise.

  Many people focus entirely on their singing and use an internal 'clock' to know where all of the words go. This is wonderful if you plan only to sing 'Acapella' (which basically means 'singing without instruments' - the voice provides all of the music). If you plan to sing along with other people in a band, or make your own songs into a recording with accompaniment, you need to also pay attention to the timing of the music.

  People who use pre-recorded music to practice with often get the timing of the song exactly as the pre-recorded music. As soon as the music is played at any other tempo, the vocalist needs to be able to match the tempo and changes that will occur in the music. If they don't follow the tempo and changes in the live performance, they will be singing along oblivious to what the live band is playing, and it is going to be a major problem. Unfortunately, this problem can be very hard to solve if you are experiencing it. You cannot expect a live band to have perfect tempo to match your pre-recorded music, and most live bands will personalize songs by adding additional verses (to make the song longer), or toss parts of the song that they don't like - If you cannot adapt, you cannot sing with a band. Another thing to consider is that sometimes the Pros cheat and the songs are actually slowed down a little bit to allow the singers to hit the high notes - what this means is that you may be singing in a 'altered key' because the recording is not in tune with real instruments. The key here is realizing that as a singer, you have to adapt.

  Having timing errors is a fixable problem, but it may be very hard to overcome (I have worked with singers that could not adapt). You may have to learn to play an instrument to capture the concept of 'time' in music. Some people pick it up naturally, others focus so hard on their singing that they can't keep both their singing and the timing of the rest of the music in context.

  What is Music Time?

  Music is a series of intervals - the duration of the intervals make up the individual parts of the music, and are denoted by the concept of 3/4 and 4/4 time (there are other timings (such as 2/4 and 5/4) that appear, but most Western popular music is either 3/4 or 4/4). This can get very complex to explain, but I will try. A Metronome is a device that you can set to 'click' as specific intervals, consistently clicking at that interval. You can adjust the interval to make it shorter or longer as needed - this equates to the concept of 'Beats Per Minute' - BPM . Faster music has a higher BPM than slower music. You will notice that BPM is something that music sequencers include. When you have 3/4 time you count 3 of these beats and that makes a measure - If you are performing 4/4 time, you count 4 of these beats to make a measure (we will not discuss 5/4 or any other special timings). Simple so far. Songs are typically broken up into segments that are specific measures in length - Examples of this are the 'Verse' and the 'Chorus' sections. When you sing a 'Verse', it has to start and end at specific measures in the music. If you finish late the next 'Verse' may have already started. If you finish early, then you will start singing the next 'Verse' before anyone has started playing it. If you have a Personal Computer (Windows, Mac or Linux system) and you can find MIDI files of the songs that you want to sing along with (use a search engine to find these), you can buy software that will allow you to speed up/slow down the MIDI sequences (as well as changing the Key that the song is in) - this is a good tool to learn how to adapt to timing changes.

• Singing in Key

  Nothing is harder to listen to than people singing off key (Karaoke Bars are a prime place to hear this happen - no music producer will ever go to listen to Karaoke to find new talent). Typically, people tend to get close to the note they are trying to sing, but they don't quite reach it - when you sing a lower frequency note than you should, its called 'singing flat' - In music, the note below the note you are trying to hit is called a 'flat' - the note above it is called a 'sharp. It is better to sing slightly 'sharp' than 'flat'.

  If you have a frown on your face, you tend to sing 'flat'. If you have a great big smile on your face, you tend to sing 'sharp'. A great many singers have huge grins on their faces when they sing - this is one of the reasons why. Obviously, you can teach yourself to sing on key without smiling, but you might as well help yourself where you can - smiling while singing is very easy to do.

  Perhaps the song is not in a key that you can handle. The right thing to do is to change the key of the song (not possible with pre-recorded music, but easy to do with MIDI files if you have the right software). Knowing what key suits you is discussed briefly in the 'Ability to project your singing voice' (above). If at all possible, either lower or raise the Key (transpose all except the MIDI Drum tracks - MIDI channel # 10 is typically the drums in sequences) 1 step at a time to see where your voice fits. If you strain to hit the high notes, you may damage your vocal chords, or end up extremely hoarse after just a bit of effort - You may need to be able to sing for 4 or 5 hours, you'll never be able to do it if you can't match songs to your key range. Changing a key may cause all manner of problems for the musicians that your are singing along with - a Piano solo that is simple in the key of C may be very difficult to transpose to Eb; guitar players often have a 'Capo' to simplify this sort of issue. You have to work songs to fit them into the entire 'live experience' and not just what works best for the vocalist.

  You might be singing out of tune because you cannot hear the pitch you are trying to sing (with a Band, you typically have floor monitors so that you can hear things, or some people stick a finger in their ear and use their jaw 'bone conduction' to hear what they sound like). If you are suddenly thrust upon a stage were there are poor acoustics (like any outdoor area), you will have trouble hearing things right. Hearing things is very important in order for you to sing in key.

  If you are tone deaf (ie. can't tell when you are singing off key), then I have no suggestions for you. You might talk to a Vocal instructor for further evaluation.

• Phrasing

  The way you say things and breath will influence how you project yourself. Silence is musical when it appears at the right interval in a song. Without the open spaces in the music, it all becomes run together (sometimes this is intended, often its not). Phrasing is the practice of shaping phrases, managing the length of phrases, knowing when to hesitate and breathing correctly (as well as knowing when not to take breaths). This is something that becomes obvious if you have the words to a song you like and you simply read them out loud, as if you are reading cooking directions from a pre-packaged box of food - compare that to how it would sound in a song.

  This is a very hard skill to learn - it largely involves how the music is supposed to make you feel. Many people copy other styles to get a feel for how you want your interpretations of the vocals to come out. When copying existing songs (performing 'covers'), you have an example to emulate. Such is not the case when working with original (self crafted) songs, or songs that some one else wrote and all you have is a lyric sheet to read from.

  Many people have phrasing problems when working on new material. As a start point you can try to match the phrasing to a melody or a specific time interval.

• Working the Microphone

  You need to be aware of how a microphone works, and how it will react to your actions. There are all manner of microphones in use, they all are sensitive to sound in different ways. Over the years, people have tended to single out some that tend to be better for voice than others. An example of this is the Shure SM58 - its used by many touring professionals. Others use headset microphones, usually with a wireless transmitter. Microphones can be as expensive as you want them to be, and you might sound quite different depending on which you are using.

  As a vocalist, you really need to own your own microphone. The reasons are:

  • You are a singer - the Microphone is your instrument.

  • You need to know how to get the best vocals possible - you do that when you are familiar with your microphone. You might get handed a garbage microphone; do you want that? It will be your loss.

  • Why should anyone provide you your equipment? Are you not serious about this profession?

  You will need to know how close to hold the microphone when you sing, and how to vary that distance as you become louder or softer, or in the case of a headset microphone, how to adapt your vocal volume levels. The goal here is to try to keep the signal levels as consistent as possible. If you are singing quietly and then shift to blasting out a word, you have to consider the impact to sound levels that will occur during recording or how the PA system will react. The PA is pretty stupid about this (unless there is a compressor in the loop), as a result, you need to be aware of your actions.

  Bad microphone placement (or how you hold a microphone in your hand) can cause feedback in the PA system. Feedback is a loud screeching noise - its very bad for the PA systems horns and Tweeters (not to mention the audience and thier ears). Never aim your PA microphone directly at the PA speakers - this will cause feedback.

  The only way to get this experience is by working with a PA system, Recording Equipment and a Microphone.

• Commitment

  If you cannot dedicate your time to being a singer (at the expense of almost all of your other social engagements), odds are good that singing will remain a hobby to you. You have commitments, they might be work, or school or some family events that you must attend. Your music must also get that same level of commitment. If you don't feel like showing up to practice when its scheduled, and you are constantly making excuses for why you didn't show up, you are wasting everyones time.

  I have a firm rule about practices. If you miss 2 of them (and its not planned or an exceptional circumstance), you are out. Simple and to the point. If you want to make a career out of singing, you have to be singing in order to do it.

  Pro Musicians and Singers make their music the focal point of their lives. This often occurs at the expense of any other personal relationships. If you have a 'special other' that wants to be a part of your life, they need to realize that music is a driving force in your life, and everyone will have to make compromises to make everything work for everyone. Its hard to do. It flows into my 'miss 2 practices and your out' rule.

  You can't bring your friends to practices - they get in everyones way, and often sit in the corner talking among themselves, distracting the practice. Music is serious business to the people involved, if you can't support that need, find something else to do.

  I often record every band practice on an audio cassette - it helps to hear how things sound and where the rough edges are (sometimes it captures some really brilliant work that you will want to expand upon). I also record every live performance on either an audio cassette or use a stationary video camera - seeing the rough edges will help know what to work on. The Tapes will not lie to you. They will help improve all manner of problems.

Making it Happen

Live entertainment is quite popular and you will need to work hard to develop your presentation skills, audience interaction skills and gain experience as a performance artist. There are people in the music industry that comb the country looking for talent - these people demand good stage presence, and an ability to relate to an audience. You never know when these people will show up, and they never show up and announce themselves. These people (the Record company A&R team) often visit college campuses to try to gauge what that audience is listening to (and also catch live bands that are attracting crowds). The other audience that they are looking for are developing musicians (things like street fairs and city sponsored festivals are places that they can mingle with the crowds to hear what the local talent has to offer). They rarely will work with anyone who does not have experiance performing for an audience - so you need to come up with a strategy that allows you to present your music to a live audience, and find ways for many people to see you.

If you really want to be successful, you have to get to where you can do at least a 45 minute show - In some cases a few hours worth or material - now to break that down - figure that each song is 3 minutes long (they may be longer, but thats a good start point guideline) - that means 15 songs to fill a 45 minute show. 15 seconds of dead time between songs is often too much - you have to be able to transition from song to song (and this requires a lot of planning and backstage coordination). If you are serious, someone in your group needs to own a reasonable PA system - this will cost around $1000.00. Microphones are also not cheap - these days wireless systems that have a clip on headset are common (since the singers often dance too) - these can cost upwards of $200 each. Now, I also mentioned dancing - if you employ this, that means not only do you have to sing, you need someone to work out the dance steps and help Choreographing the entire show. This is harder the more people that are involved in the stage show.

If you own your own PA system, you will find that many bands will give you a break and let you try to sing with them - why? Its simple. A guitar play invests in his guitars, amplifiers and effects. A drummer invests in his Drum kit and Cymbals. A keyboard player invests in keyboards, rack mount MIDI gear and his other gear. All of these can cost the musician thousands of dollars, why should they buy a PA system if thats not thier primary function in a live band? As a result, a Singer with a PA is looked on more highly that a Singer that expects the other band members to provide thier 'tools of the trade' for them.

Singing is only a part of the package (a very important part), but the rest has to be addressed too. Very few people make it 'overnight' in this industry, especially those that plan to be successful entertainers for a long time. Work your resources, get support from your family and start planning. Nothing is impossible if you are dedicated to the task.

You need to get experiance in front of many audiences; you will find that no established producer will work with anyone who doesn't have a lot of 'in front of people' time and performance skills - they don't want to waste their time teaching people what they already should know as entertainers.

Music is a business, while it may seem more fun to to make the music, if you don't understand the business aspect, you will fail miserably because of it. I've written a number of articles about the business aspect of music - there are also many books that cover the topic in larger libraries and available from many booksellers (look on the Internet too). My information can be found at:

  Music Business Articles

If you are joining a band, you have to adapt to them and you have to give them time to adapt to you. As an example, adding a female singer to band that is all male will result in an existing song list that probably does not have that much material that is easily adapted to the female singer. Most bands can add 1 new song a week to their current song list - if your singing forces this sort of change, realize that it will take time to work things in. Nothing happens overnight, however, setting goals and working together on these goals will allow you to get there.

If you are really serious about your music, then your challenge is to find a way to present it in front of live audiences. Get creative and find local people who can help you in this effort. Consider this part of 'paying your dues' to get established.

If you are under 18 years old, you will need to start with your parents - let them know what your goals are and be serious about them - if you are not truly dedicated to this, it will show - that means cutting out other things to do and not wasting time hanging out with friends or playing video games - Its very hard work and it takes a focus that puts the music above everything else. If you can't do this, it will never amount to more than a hobby for you and those that are trying to help you be successful.

The next step is yours.

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