I can sing decently, in the sense of being able to sing in time, in tune and with a bit of phrasing.

But the problem is, my voice "breaks" after just 1-2 songs

What can I do to "train" my voice?

sing like justin bieber.

Over my dead body

You are using too much strain on your throat,
use your diaphragm to sing, not your throat,
i dunno how to explain well in english hehe

U can write in malay if u wish, or chinese also can...I can use Google Translate

It's really difficult to explain how to sing over the internet. Even in person, it's difficult because you can't really "show" a person how your vocal chords work.

My advice would be to try and relax your neck/throat muscles as much as you can. And just sing for longer each time in small increments. The voice is a muscle, you should train it as such.

Also, don't be afraid to push the boundaries! I've increased my vocal range by a helluva lot just by experimenting. But if it starts to hurt then obviously you need to stop.

Check out the results of my singing practice here: http://www.facebook.com/TLoKBand

I used to have a voice like a Backstreet Boy. Hahahah.

I guess what I can do is to do CAR-aoke regularly

Haha that's not a joke, that's probably where I do most of my singing (aside from band practices and recording)

Have u ever experienced this...

When at karaoke, u find yourself sound quite okay

But when u record yourself using your handphone or your PC/laptop's built-in mic u find yourself sound worse than roadside beggar

Haha well... I've never recorded my voice using built-in mics.

Some people have a hard time (I know I did) getting used to what their voice sounds like recorded. It's because your voice sounds different when you're speaking... it's literally due to reverberation within your head. And you hear that in combination with what's coming out of your mouth.

Whereas when you record your voice, you don't have that reverberation in your head, so it sounds quite different to you. It can be quite jarring.

Or maybe you just need more practice

Record yourself as much as you can, I know that's helped my singing a lot.

if you can sing decently, should be good enough. no ridiculous techniques needed. there's no need to ask what your singing techniques are.

you want to sing decently in lengthy periods of time? do it again and again. train your vocal chords and diaphragm to operate longer than usual. and along the way you can develop your skills. keep doing this and in a month you'll see significant changes.

i think the reminders we can give you here are (1) avoid using much of your throat when singing but employ the use of your diaphragm, and (2) minimize drinking cold beverages.

hope this helps.

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Added on July 23, 2012, 2:45 pmi have experience this! at times i just scratch my head off and just couldn't understand it what's worse is two of my bandmates (our vocalist and the other guitarist) sound good wherever they sing, and i was thinking "why can't i do that"

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Added on July 23, 2012, 2:49 pmlemme try help you on this. from my old blog:

Of course the delivery of your voice is the really important thing. Remember to STICK WITH YOUR OWN VOICE no matter what. Do not try emulating other people's voice because that's going to be another thing you're going to mind of. Using your own natural voice will take away the worry of how are you EXACTLY sounding like. Make your voice as whole as you can get, even on high pitches. It's easier said than done actually. But just try to breathe deeply between measures before delivering a note, quick breathing if there's no rest, normal deep breathing when there is a rest. At all costs, don't pull your voice from your throat. Breathe deeply, and feel your voice from your chest. And maybe the clincher to this - OPEN YOUR MOUTH VERY WELL to deliver a nice resonating sound. Mind the syllables with A, E, I, O and U. They have different and distinct positions on how the mouth is opened.

full blog entry: http://theamateurmusicanalyst.blogspot.com...ocal-range.html

hope this helps

This post has been edited by brownman90561495: Jul 23 2012, 02:49 PM

Ok I got it now...

When at karaoke I kept drinking either cold beer or juice...no wonder songs that I could usually sing when at home or in car I couldn't pull off at karaoke

Now I need to understand the throat vs diaphragm thingy

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Added on July 23, 2012, 2:54 pmAt all costs, don't pull your voice from your throat



This post has been edited by Pink Spider: Jul 23 2012, 02:54 PM

yea i noticed that too with me, especially on iced drinks. at first i never care but then i noticed the difference on how long i can sing. i used to sing high pitched songs, so it can really take a toll on me.

as a rock / pop singer, there are times i needed to employ singing thru my throat. it's not always a 100% diaphragm singing for me, maybe 80-20 or 70-30, depending on the song.

yep try to practice and knowing the difference of singing by the throat and diaphragm to know the proper feel and sound

if you mean vocal training... then you need to train the basic such as breathing exercise, then project your voice loud and soft soft and loud, then follow the note to reach your highest and lower key....
it will eventually help you a lot

just sharing..

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Added on July 24, 2012, 9:20 am

This post has been edited by chaithing: Jul 24 2012, 09:20 AM

u mean doing scale exercises with the voice?

one of it... yes i guess..
sorry, i never do this for a very long time... xD

try lowering the song tune, maybe in Eb or D might help a bit

don't go for high tuned songs for ur 1st song, start with flat, easy & enjoyable songs (as a warm-up for ur diaphragm muscle) if not, u'll end up swallowing gaviscon (based on personal experiences)

Getting a good vocal teacher helps, if ur seriously looking to improve. Singing for a living (or regularly) is quite rigorous, and repercussions of poor technique (such as vocal nodules) are nothing to laugh at.

Singing from the belly rather than throat is definitely the way to go, though developing the right habits is gonna take a bit of work - especially if ur singing AND playing an instrument simultaneously.

Another thing I find that is very critical (and sumthing I am notoriously lax of) is warming up. It really makes a considerable difference in the long term, singing stone cold and warmed up. Scaling the Ionian mode (do re mi) would be a simple and effective way to do it. Air asam jawa also works wonders (drank warm, it can help soothe the vocal chords - tried and tested). Try looking up ppl like James La Brie of Dream Theater, dude's got sum good practices u can adopt.

One last thing, u might wanna also try doing sum Prana breathing exercises. They're good for relaxation and meditation and works well for breathing.

This post has been edited by pleasuresaurus: Jul 25 2012, 01:59 AM

I been with a vocal teacher for quite sometime, there was a time that I felt I am improving. For work reason I stop going to class around 1 ~ 2 months. When I return, I somehow lost the "feeling" how to sound right, it's like a hit and miss session. I got so frustrated after a few months and stop the lesson all together..

Try recording your own voice and start experimenting
Go here http://www.youtube.com/user/EricArceneaux?feature=watch
Ultra great place to start singing and practice correctly,
my voice sucks until i found these videos, now i'm constantly
Improving my voice range and techniques