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In
order to correctly sing a song… Whenever you sing a song on stage (or anytime for that
matter) there are several things you should be thinking about. Naturally if
it's you're first time or you're just simply not used to it then the first thing
you need to do is knuckle down and worry about your performance, not what
everyone is going to think of you. If you worry about all the right stuff in
the song then your audience is going to think you did a fine job. So as I keep saying, you need to listen and keep
listening the whole way through. The instruments and music around you are your guide and you need to be sure your pitch and
timing are correct. These are the two most important points to consider and
the key to both of them is lots of practice. Some people seem to naturally
"get it" more easily than others but anyone can do it if they just
know how to think about things and hear things. Also, as I keep saying, you
need to be honest with yourself when you sing a song to be aware of the areas
that need improvement. There's no sense in learning how to sing something and
then saying "that's it, I've got it now", without carefully
dissecting the song to figure out where you can improve. Admittedly there's
going to come a point where you do have it but if you're just starting to
sing then odds are there is plenty of room for improvement. Here are some of the things you need to think about... Your pitch needs to be correct from start to finish. You
need to know your starting note and be able to hit it every time, not start
sharp or flat and ramp your way to the right note.Take
your time and figure out EXACTLY what each note of each phrase is by breaking
the parts down and singing them slowly at first, gradually bringing the part
up to the proper tempo, ensuring you hit each note properly each time. The
repetition of singing in this slower manner will help to reinforce your
"muscle memory" and turn the correct part into a habit, causing you
to eventually sing a song properly without even trying,
It'll be a habit after all. When you finish a phrase be sure to carry the final note
all the way to completion. I've seen tons of people try to trail the last
note down to a lower pitch thinking it sounds cool but often it ends up
sounding anything but cool. This is because they're not listening and
realizing that the last note has to end on a particular note, not just drift
into infinity downwards. The problem with allowing the note to drift is that
notes like to be brought down by thirds or fifths or octaves. Depending on
the song a half tone may even work. If you don't end in one of these tonal
"places" then the note will most likely sound out of tune. As a
tip, If you must end a phrase this way, record it and play it back to
yourself to ensure it sounds proper. Even ask for other honest opinions. It's
cool to want to end your phrasing in a descending pitch, just be sure to end
it on a note that sounds resolved, not a note that sound like it's still on it's way down. Once you start to pay attention to this
you'll be surprised at how easy it is to spot problems. In MY experience,
this particular problem is the one most singers are likely going to
experience. Pay attention to the length of each note you sing. I was
in a bar one night watching a guy sing a song with the band that was there.
He got up and sang Led Zepplin "Rock and
Roll". If you know the song then you're aware that it's a pretty high
register song and this guy did a really good job of it. The only problem with
the song was that he didn't hold the notes at the end of the phrase long
enough. It didn't affect his pitch or anything but it did make the song sound
empty and choppy. Sometimes choppy works but the song needs to be written in
that way already. This particular song although fast, has a nice flow to it. Pay particular attention to your timing. This is
especially true if you are a singer that does not already know how to play an
instrument. Most songs in the rock arena, be it heavy metal all the way to
dance music is written in 4/4 time. This means that there are four beats to
each measure which is to say if you tapped your foot to the beat of the
music, you would be able to count like this: one, two, three, four, one, two,
three, four, one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four.
The speed would depend on the speed of the song but in general the sound of
the bass drum would be on one and three, the sound of the snare drum would be
on two and four. Know where you need to start with these
thing in mind. If your line starts on one (you would know that by
listening and paying attention first, before attempting to sing) then it
should start right at the same time the bass drum hits or your foot taps or
whatever it is you are using to keep time says that you are on one. The part
may very well start on two, three, or four, just be sure to count to the beat
so you know for sure when to start. The same thing is true for ending the
phrase. you need to sing so that the phrasing properly blends with the beat
to bring you to the end of the phrase at the right time, not half a beat
early or late. My advice is to be very critical with all of these
things. It's not enough to sing in tune but have bad timing. It's not enough
to sing in time but have the incorrect pitch. It's not enough to start a note
and end it before it's really time to end it, or worse yet trail the note of
into some horrible sounding note that doesn't fit with the note you started
at. When you sing a song you need to pay attention to all of these things and
more. It's when you pay attention to every little detail that you begin to
separate yourself from the rest of the singers out there. A collection of
small things help to make the difference between good and really good. Click the link to return to the top of the page of
things you need to think about when you sing a song, or click on How to Sing Better to return to the
previous page. Go back to the home page for more information on how to sing. Thanks for visiting.
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