Help me learn how to sing!

June 23, 2007 7:32 AM

So, I want to work on my (admittedly lacking) singing skills. Is there any way I can do this online?

So, due to a series of problems my church's praise team has had, we now no longer have a good singer--the one girl we have doing it seems to be tone deaf, and although she certainly tries, she just can't do it.

I'm the drummer, and while singing is not my forte, I feel like I should give it a try...I'm very musically inclined and can play several instruments pretty well, so I feel as though I have somewhat of a chance of being able to help out. I'd like to find something to help me practice and get better at singing, on the off chance that I have enough skill at it to help my church.

So where am I at right now? Well, it's hard to say. I've never really sang, never been in choir or anything like that. Like everyone else, I sing in the car, and most of the time I can hit the same notes as the singer on whatever song is playing, but I know that singing by yourself is a completely different proposition. I can't go too terribly high, and that's something I'd like to work on, but I'm a guy, so it's not as much of a concern. I plan on recording myself in a day or two so I can accurately see where I'm at and how I would sound to another person.

But what I'd really like is something on the internet that I can look at to get some help with my learning process. I know the obvious answer is going to be "vocal coach" but that's not really an option right now--I don't have a set block of time per week that I could do that, and this is a very tentative thing, so I want to try and learn on my own a little. So are there any good resources available online where I could find some sort of "lessons" as well as practice techniques and such?

Of course, if any of you singing types have any tips or ideas at all that might help me, I'd love to hear them.

posted by DMan to grab bag (10 comments total)

Get yourself a voice recorder. Those ones that you record lectures with or take notes for your overworked secretary to jot down later. Record yourself singing along to something, anything. Then, listen back to the recording.

Singing is all about developing a sense of pitch. If you can mimic that a# on a piano then you can sing it.

I know it doesn't help you find a good resource, but I found it to be very helpful.
posted by munchingzombie at 8:59 AM on June 23, 2007

I took singing classes for a while and thoroughly enjoyed myself. No online resources, but some tips:

Try to find recordings of warmups - bubbles, AEIOU stuff. If you can practice those a few times a week you're golden.

Posture and grounding are important too - if your stance is strong, your voice is strong. Basically it's abut using your diaphragm and breathing correctly.

Lyrics are important too. You don't want to be a mimic. Singing is about expression. You could be the best technical singer in the world, but still sound really flat and emotionless if you can't appreciate and express the lyrics properly.

Don't be afraid to try new keys or new genres. You'll be surprised what you'd be suitable for.

I know there is a book called "Singing for Dummies" that includes a CD. Try looking for it.
posted by divabat at 10:11 AM on June 23, 2007

If you have a PS2 you could always try SingStar Party.
posted by jeremias at 12:03 PM on June 23, 2007

Here is a list of AskMe questions that aren't exactly what you're asking but might be very useful. I'm learning how to sing too and these have been very helpful to me.
posted by snsranch at 4:01 PM on June 23, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

While backtagging, I found this post about a broadway singer who has videos of her class available online for free.
posted by CKmtl at 4:21 PM on June 23, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Thanks for all of the advice--I'll work on all of that.
posted by DMan at 10:01 AM on June 24, 2007

Sing and see might help:
posted by flutable at 6:09 AM on June 25, 2007

Sigh. Sing and See
posted by flutable at 6:09 AM on June 25, 2007

Explore your voice also has lessons that you can take online.
posted by flutable at 6:13 AM on June 25, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

The learning resources on Sing and See are also worth checking out; they point off to other courses you can try.
posted by flutable at 6:15 AM on June 25, 2007