Could anyone give me an opinion on my singing?!
Question: Hi everyone ?
I'm Stefanie Michelle, I'm 15, and I really want to be a singer. I've just started singing lessons, but I really want to know how my voice sounds at the moment. So opinions and constructive criticism would be awesome! However, please keep in mind that the sound recording quality on my camera SUCKS. So some of the notes sound funny :\
Thank you so much!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90dTO_P_-...
Answers: Hi everyone ?
I'm Stefanie Michelle, I'm 15, and I really want to be a singer. I've just started singing lessons, but I really want to know how my voice sounds at the moment. So opinions and constructive criticism would be awesome! However, please keep in mind that the sound recording quality on my camera SUCKS. So some of the notes sound funny :\
Thank you so much!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90dTO_P_-...
Well the sound quality was normal for that type of recording.
I did not listen to your whole recording, all I needed was a few bars to know were you are vocally.
1- You kept in about a 3 to 4 note range. So it sounded monotone and showed you not to have any range. That is something you need to work on by singing scales. Have a piano to accompany you and go through the scales.
2- You have no performance presence. You look up and away from the camera, practice looking directly at the camera. Stop fidgeting and moving around aimlessly. Look at videos of the stars and copy what they do until you develop your own style.
3- Same for your voice, learn to copy other singers you like until you develop your own style. Do not do things that they do unless you are able to. Stay with what you can do and slowly add things on when you are technically able to do so.
4- Go for lesson on breathing and voice control. The proper way to sing is from your diaphragm, using it to produce air pressure. That will cause what is called an opening, which means your vocal cords will open and not rub together and your hyoid bone to actually tilt back. That is the proper way to sing. Once you have learned that you can hit pitch and expand your vocal repertoire. You can learn all the tricks.
5- Record a lot of what you sing and listen to it. But you must learn music to develop your ear as well as your voice. So ear training is important. If you don't know what you are listening to how can you judge?
6- Just singing won't cut it, you must know music. You have to know what key you sing in. You have to know what harmonies are and how to hit a harmony note off the root. A lot of jobs might be as a backup and you must know how to harmonize. We are talking about learning music theory and learning how to play an instrument. The more instruments you play the more it will help you place your voice in the music.
7- It's all about training and a lot of work. Get a great teacher and work hard. When your friends want to go to the movies or some other function normal teenagers do many times you have to say no I need to practice.
8- Start hanging around with local teen musicians and listen to their bands. Take an instrument in school band, like a woodwind to help with your breathing technique. You should also have a piano at you home even if it's an inexpensive electric one, learn to play it. You should also have an acoustic guitar and learn to play chords and scales, sing them after you play them at first then eventually in unison.
9- A lot of the problem you have is called the head voice. If you listen to that it is not a real representation of your singing. You think you sound good and you don't. I noticed that you don't enunciate or pronounce your words properly. You need to learn about how to pronounce words, especially vowels which can make you sound flat if you don't have proper technique. It's really all about the correct technique at first until you use that to develop a style. Even if you sing country and use a twang you still have to use the proper technique with you mouth and lips.
10- A style comes long after you actually know how to sing. Most people put the cart before the horse and learn style without the correct technique. You can loose your voice permanently if you develop nodules and need surgery, it has happened to professionals. Many times professionals that don't always use proper technique have to cancel shows because their voice is shot and they get sick.
11- Keep yourself in shape by exercising and watching your diet, some foods are not good for your throat. Learn to dance, go for classes. It will help you move on stage and not to be clumsy. On a big stage you can't just stand there some times you need to move around. You must be coordinated and having dance will also help with your rhythm. Rhythm is an important part of music. In the old days they taught all actors to sing and dance first before they became big stars. Notice how many models and singers become actors, there's a reason. It all called the performing arts for a reason.
If you are 15 and do this maybe by the time you are 18 you should be able to sing very well if you have any talent. I'm talking about 8 hours a day devoted to music.
Scientifically speaking it takes 10,000 hours of doing something to master it. That means doing it correctly or know what the correct way is and trying to do it that way. Three years of practicing 8 hours a day will get you close enough if you have talent.
That still doesn't mean you will ever make anything of yourself in the music industry, like being a recording star. But you might make a living and making a living doing something you love is one of the great joys of life.
AND NEVER EVER use any excuse for your performance, it's either bad or good. No excuses, no bad recording, no "I was nervous", nothing, either it's great or it sucks. Never hold back and always give everything you do 100% effort, that goes for anything you do in life.
I don't know why...you...hold your stomach. Perhaps breath. It's really quite awkward.
Anyhow, your singing is...average, I suppose. It's not American Idol material, but it's definitely not bad. One thing you've got to remember is that "pop" singing is becoming less and less popular. In other words, jazzing up the pitches somewhat indicates a less-than-professional sound. Only play with a song when you can sing the song perfectly.
Otherwise, you seem to be coming along. I'm not sure that the recording quality was SO terrible, either...it sounded fine to me.
Do realize that in ALL fields (especially ones with substantial entertainment ties), thousands of people...no, millions of people will have the same interests and desires that you do. Becoming the next Carrie Underwood isn't impossible...but it is fairly unlikely.
Good luck!
Pretty darn good on pitch ... your teacher will work with you to develop presence. The real idea is to make yourself stand out from the crowd. Finding the right song and making it your own is what it's all about. There are hundreds of thousands of people trying to sound like someone else; be unique!
The sound recording quality was as good as any that get posted. No complaints.
You are quite impressive for 15. You're much further along than I was at your age. You have a nice voice, and better than average control of it.
The first step is recognizing and reproducing a good tone. All the little jazzy inflections will come when you're a more developed singer, but for now, just try to produce an even and rich tone. Your vocal folds must be trained, and can be "in shape" or "out of shape" like any muscle in your body.
Along with tone comes proper air support. Ideally, you use your lungs, not your throat, to maintain your tone. This is difficult to get used to, and can take years to learn. When you learn this, your voice will have more tone in it, and less "air sound."
That was absolutely wonderful! I'm kinda jealous now ): Good luck to you :P