New guy here!

[berniemcpeak]

Hi everyone! I've been lurking on the forum for the last day after doing a google search of vocalist message boards. Of the ones I've checked out this one seems to be one of the better ones, so I hope I'll be able to glean some good advice from here while sharing some of my own experiences as well as some of my recordings.

 

A little bit about myself... I'm 43 (no old man jokes! ;-) ) and I am not a professional singer or musician. I did play a variety of saxophones (alto, tenor, and baritone) from the 6th grade through my sophomore year of college, with short stints on the French horn, Baritone horn, and slide Trombone. I've always enjoyed singing but was never comfortable enough to sing in front of others, let alone a large group. As I get older though my lack of confidence is slowly being replace by a lack of concern about what others may think lol:-)

 

Thanks,

 

Eric

[ido1957]

What style(s) do you like to sing? If you're ready to then I would recommend starting with something easy  and work your way up from there. Stay away from songs like Freddy Mercury because it's frustrating when you can't hit the high notes and you don't want to give up. Like Simon Cowell says - the song choice is important.

Have you bought any singing CD's for warm ups and exercises?

[berniemcpeak]

I enjoy singing Journey/Steve Perry tunes, Foreigner/Lou Graham, Survivor/Jimmy Jamison, and yes even some Queen. I know what your saying about getting frustrated about not being able to hit the notes, as I used to get that way when I was younger. Now that I'm older it feels like my voice has matured and I don't have as hard of a time hitting them now. I think my biggest issue is trying not to blow my voice out and having a little better tonal control ( I think, but as I said I have no formal training so I may not even know what I'm talking about). I would love to have some feedback on my sound and get some tips/pointers from the group, but I just joined so I don't want to jump out with the first or second post and say "Hey, listen to me!" :-). So far I've read some very interesting threads. There is a short thread where the OP is asking how to sing "Faithfully" like Steve Perry and someone posted a video clip of a guy talking about how Perry sings. I liked what he was saying in that video. I just recently recorded a cover of Faithfully on my iPad with the VocaLive app.

[berniemcpeak]

I forgot to answer if I have purchased singing CD's for warm up exercises. The answer is no. Any suggestions?

[PeteMoody]

Hi,  Great to hear someone else caring less about what others think and just going for it! Incidentally.  Did you know that the male voice doesn't mature til between 30-40 so you're still a whipper-snapper vocally :-)  In terms of moving forward - please record your singing as often as you can - even if it's only on your phone.  As you develop - And there's lots of great tips on here as well as all over the internet - you'll get greater confidence from hearing your recordings develop.  The voice is organic and it is sometimes easy to miss exactly how well you are doing.  It's a bit like dieting - if you look in the mirror every day you don't notice the difference, but over time there is a wow factor.  Check out youtube for warm-ups and general technique to get you going - look for established teachers with good reputation/background.  Once you tried some and found progress you'll be able to make a decision on which approaches work best with you - everyone is different!  If you need any pointers to start with just holla!  All the best and good luck!

[ido1957]

After hearing your vocal track you're amazing already!