Vocal Exercises?

[KumikoTsumi]

I read that if you do sit ups a lot or run a lot your voice gets strong, do any of you think it's true?

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Either will increase your lung power. So... yes. Yes, they will.

[KumikoTsumi]

Hm....okay thanks.

[Nyil]

I actually just had this conversation with a couple bandmates and uni teachers, but be careful about putting too much emphasis on vocal power - it can damage your vocal cords. Emphasis on melodic and rhythmic phrasing will help produce a lovelier sound.

[KumikoTsumi]

So, I should practice, but not too hard?

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Practice, but practice on quality, not just loudness.

Aim to hold the tone, aim to be able to hit the notes correctly, but you shouldn't be trying to just belt it out, because that'll hurt your vocal cords.


Bear in mind I'm merely an interested bystander; I can carry a tune, but not well, and while I enjoy singing, I don't pretend to be any good at it. Nyil is likely to have more idea of what's what than I am, so while I'm trying to _explain_ his position, I'm not under any circumstances trying to _correct_ it; if there are conflicts, ask him for the final word on how things work, not me. ;-]

[Nyil]

Llearch has the gyst of it. As with any instrument, hitting the correct pitch at the right moment is one of the most basic and most important fundamentals of music - I've worked with a lot of singers who have trouble with that, and I can tell you that although they can belt out a tune louder than most, we never see them for very long.

When you have the ability to sing correct pitches with good rhythm, start working on musical phrasing. Hitting the right notes with good rhythm isn't enough - dynamic and rhythmic phrasing are important too. The masters of any instrument in any genre are able to alter rhythm, dynamic and pitch -just so-, to pull the ear to just the right places and really tug at your heart and soul. But they always have the basics down before they can do that.

Scales (major, natural minor, harmonic minor and melodic minor), arpeggios, and individual intervals both ascending and descending are exercises that should be mastered. Vocal power and volume is really the last thing you have to worry about. If you can create a beautiful musical phrase, your voice will rise above the rest. As Llearch said, it's about quality, not quantity.

Might I ask what genre you're practicing for?

[KumikoTsumi]

Genre...? I guess...J-Pop...so actually Pop Music, although I sometimes sing soft rock too....(although I think they're pretty much the same thing...I could be wrong though,)

[Nyil]

Alright. For vocal exercises, I'd suggest solfeging scales with a metronome - the Do Re Mi/May Fa Sol La/Lay Ti/Tay Do type thing. Solfege actually helps solidify the concepts of concrete pitches in your mind, so you're not just singing random out of tune pitches. Just stick with one octave, ascending and descending, half notes through eighth notes. Rhythm and pitch are the building blocks of music of any genre across the world, and without those, things just fall apart and sound unpleasant.

Here's an online metronome to practice to: http://www.metronomeonline.com/ - if you set it to about quarter note = 80, you should have an easy time of it.

[KumikoTsumi]

Ooh...alright I'll practice with this, I'm going to try to sing this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MunaSmht2gc