My Adventure

[YeahDoIt]

I'm bumming out. I want to quit, crawl under wet newspaper and disappear.

 

Yesterday after jamming with a friend I was driving to a park to practice for a few hours. Driving down the road I passed a hitchhiker with an acoustic guitar, picked him and his dog up and we were jamming in the park. Then the lawn mower crew showed up, we started getting lawnmower noise and grass dust so we moved to a busy park downtown by the river. So we are jamming, people started gathering. This fellow walks up, says he and his wife were in the library, he looked out the window and saw us jammin and came to join the party. He asks if we know any reggae. "I've been studying 'Three Little Birds by Bob Marley And The Wailers," I replied. I handed him my guitar and we started singing. He played guitar pretty good, I guess he's been in bands. It was his voice that amazed me. He's got this deep booming voice, tremolo on his vocals. He opens his mouth wide, exaggerates his face and gets all these great tones and articulation of lyrics. The guy sings really good. Every note is exactly on pitch. A crowd gathers and it was a nice spontaneous outdoor party. The guy is missing about three front teeth, maybe he was in a fight, there are some dangerous neighborhoods in this town. Amazing vocal expression. I told him I liked his singing, he says that he listens to Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Marvin Gaye.

 

Then when he leaves the crowd leaves and nobody wants to listen to me. Hence the wet newspaper and I need a new voice.

 

So OK now I know what to do to sing better and I'm headed off to the park to work on it.

[Jersey Jack]

These humbling experiences are most often experiences that push us forward. They sting for a short while, but I find that they then energize me and provide direction. You may well come to see this as a pivotal moment.

 

Btw, what exactly is the way forward? Listening to Marley, Tosh, and Gaye?

[YeahDoIt]

I went to the park with my guitar to work on this problem. I have my mp3 player with me, it can record and I can listen, check if I am making progress. I'm playing "Three Little Birds" in key of A, that's how it's recorded by Bob Marley. My voice is weak, I'm not getting a big sound. I don't like the way that I sound.

 

Some people have written about resonance, singing with resonance. I wondered what the resonant frequency of my chest is. What key am I resonant in? I sang the ah sound and mm sound, changed pitch up and down and tried to find where it seemed most comfortable, the pitch where it seemed to settle somewhere about halfway in my range. Using the guitar I found I resonate in the key of E, note E2.

 

I've been working on singing for 2 1/2 years never thought about what key I am resonant in or what note. Duh.

 

The key of A is one of the furthest from the key of E. Lots of songs are in the key of A or nearby keys of G or Bb. I can sing these songs but not well and I cough a little sometimes.

 

So I played and sang "Three Little Birds" in key of E and it sounds better, fuller. It's easier to sing. My pitch is better, I'm singing in key. My notes are more stable. My throat feels more relaxed. I thought my throat was a little tight because I was singing some high pitch notes, and maybe allergies or the heat bother me. I cough a little sometimes, I thought it might be allergies. When I sing in the key of E the tension disappears, the cough disappears.

 

One clue that key of E was a good fit for me is that "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash and "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis both seemed comfortable for me to sing; I play both songs in key of E.

 

Some readers that feel they are having trouble singing might try locating their resonant key. Try changing some songs to your resonant key, sing them in the resonant key, make recordings, check for improvement.

[Masklin]

Unless you've always sung in a very specific key, your voice won't be key-specific in any kind of appreciable sense.

 

With proper technique, every single note from your bottom to your top will resonate fully. Don't turn to technical blabble for false answers to your insecurities!

[YeahDoIt]

I'm hearing it in the recordings. I'm stressing in the key of A.

[ido1957]

Your picture shows you are fairly skinny. Are you getting enough to eat? Do you smoke? What allegies do you have? Do you take medication to combat that?

[staticsound]

Masklins right, you should have resonance within your entire range. The throat resonator is what your prob feeling. You need to work on your pharyngal (nose resonance). That will keep things up and out of your throat on higher pitches. Just practice a scale with the word "sing", just drop the "s" and "i", to where your just making an "ng" sound. Should sound very nasal, but will help open up that resonator. Hope this helps...

 

PS - there's always someone out there better. Don't let it discourage you, use it as motivation!

[DukeOfBoom]

Hey! This is what happens to me! I open my mouth to chirp some lyrics and people run away!!!!

 

Don't worry. I don't give my guitar to anyone unless i know im better than them. i'd advise the same.

 

anyway, sounds like you got AMOGed. Whatever, {censored} em. live and learn buddy.

 

besides, reggae sucks anyway.

[LeonardScaper]

there's always someone out there better.

 

Wisdom abounds.

 

Anyone seen Grace?

[grace_slick]

Yeah, I'm right here. lol Just hanging out, in the background.

[YeahDoIt]

I keep working on my sound. Trying to duplicate / learn some of the things the reggae singer demonstrated. Did karaoke at a party yesterday. Tried getting a bigger sound. Received some compliments. I think that reggae singer was a pro: he played guitar all up and down the fingerboard, sang very well, played about five songs from beginning to end. Hope I meet him again.

[the_big_e]

The thing I have found in life, mainly from being a gym rat for most of it, is that there is ALWAYS someone that is better, bigger, faster, leaner, or whatever than you. All you can do is accept that and work on your weaknesses in your own time at your own pace.

I've just decided that I want to start singing at the grand age of 57. I can;t hold a note, have no range, you name it, I can't do it but so what. Everyone is better than I am (I'm not even that great a keys player either) but that's no reason not to at least try. The worst that can happen is I have some fun.

Just my $0.02 worth (may not be worth that much either)!