Trying to find my "voice"

Hey there, Im a regular at the Electric Guitar forum but am working on becoming a songwriter. The guys over in HCEG are more concerned with arguing over different fingerboard woods and the merits of cheap guitars versus expensive ones, so I thought I would come here for some advice! Specifically singing advice, but if this belongs in the songwriting forum I apologise in advance.

Okay, so long story short I am working on writing some songs so I can start my own band. I am a terrible singer. I cant stress this enough. Every time I hear a recording of myself I all but vow to never sing again... However, I cant rely on other people to write my songs for me, and I am still a one man band right now so you know what they say about what to do when you want something done properly....

Songwriting is a very new thing for me. Ive spent a very long time nailing down what sound/tone/gear/etc I want from my guitars and am pretty happy with that. Now Im finding it hard to put a voice to go with that. I am currently looking for a female singer for my "project", but am having no luck so far. Someone along the lines of Paramore and/or Blood Red Shoes.

[video=youtube;PoTEnaAI9Fo]

[video=youtube;ebtU5U362Ss]

Other influences of mine are Foo Fighters, Incubus, Muse, Metallica, Yellowcard, Ben Folds to name a few.

Now I cant sing at all, let alone sing like a girl. Whenever I try to sing it just sounds nasally and...bad... Interestingly, I have a relatively deep voice and feel more comfortable "singing" in a lower key. I think that something along the lines of Metallicas "Hero of the Day" is more within my range and the least offensive for me to sing. Specifically the S&M version which is sung in a lower key than the studio version (ie, guitars are tuned down from E standard to E flat)

[video=youtube;eXgZVLUW7JM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXgZVLUW7JM

Thing is, I dont feel like this is my natural voice. I feel like it is forced and as though I am putting on a voice like an actor... Im not sure what I should do about this- should I go with my "natural" voice - which I hate- or should I try to sing lower? Thoughts?

PS- Im really sorry if this is too long

Ummmm lets hear your sing something. Also, you may like a certain type of music, but your voice may not match it well at all. At that point you have to decide if your totally 'married' to your ideal or your willing to do what you can do. But until we hear you sing something pretty hard to comment.

Yes, please make a recording (soundclick.com and picosound.com are popular) and

share it with us.

You might be better off learning to sing yourself instead of finding a female singer.

If you can, get voice lessons. The teacher can hear your faults and shape your voice accordingly. What city are your from?

Also, you might want to try do a vocal workout 6 days a week (one day of rest).

From my experience, it takes about 9 to 12 months of daily workouts for your voice to really open up.

I use "Elements of Vocal Technique: The Contemporary Singer" by Anne Peckham (http://www.amazon.com/The-Contemporary-Singer-Elements-Technique/dp/0876391072/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335810180&sr=1-3).

I do the Low Voice Workout on Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday. High Voice on Monday-Wednesday-Friday. On Sunday, I rest.

You can also try "Vocal Warmups" by Hal Leonard (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/142344583X/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER)

Another good book is "The Voice Book: Caring For, Protecting, and Improving Your Voice" by Kate Devore (http://www.amazon.com/The-Voice-Book-Protecting-Improving/dp/1556528299/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335810222&sr=1-1).

Summary

The Voice Book: Caring For, Protecting, and Improving Your Voice is a one-of-a-kind reference that will save and improve your voice, your job, and your personal life. With dozens of vocal exercises and a detailed guide to the anatomy and physiology of voice, the book covers the full range of vocal health, from protecting against hoarseness and laryngitis to expanding speaking range and enhancing voice tone and quality.

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FINALLY, while a book can't replace voice lessons, they are a wonderful supplement. The combination of voice lessons and daily vocal workouts really changed my voice.

I don't think it makes sense to dive into songwriting until your voice improves. By all means, write songs along the way. By when songwriters write a song for another singer, the song is custom made for the singer's voice. What songwriters can write depends heavily on what YOUR voice can do.

Try talking in your normal voice. Then talk-sing... like you're in a musical, having normal conversations with flair. It should still resemble your normal talking voice, as in friends should be able to identify you even when you're doing it. Then embellish this a little bit until it's full-on singing.

Take songs of singers you think you sort sound like (same range, gender) with you in the car and practice singing along everywhere you drive. Do not be embarrassed at red lights. Part of singing effectively is confidence. It's much like acting in that way.

Great advice ^^^ especially the first paragraph.

The studio version's in Eb too, guy.

There is nothing wrong with putting on a voice. It's basically a huge part of singing. Joss Stone is exhibit A.

Versatility is pretty important as a vocalist - it sounds like you're just inexperienced.

I'd suggest either learning to sing properly/practicing or just getting a proper vocalist.

Are there any other songs or music styles that you feel more comfortable or kind of good singing? If there are, try experimenting with more songs or styles that are similar to those. Maybe then you can find out more which types of songs/music that your voice is more suited for? That kind of happened with me. I started singing just any songs that I liked, but then once I started singing songs in a more rnb-ish style, I found that I really liked singing in that style and felt more comfortable and that I felt like I sounded better singing in that style.