I've been performing as a one-man band for over ten years now, but it's always been strictly music with no singing. I'm finally overcoming my mental block and I've purchased a mic setup so that I can sing too. Any advice from your own experiences?

Practice, memorize 99% of your lyrics, smile, look at the audience NOT your fingers....sing from your heart!

Enjoy

Two things, quick and simple....

BREATHE....! It's the #1 problem of most poor singers.

And, if you have the time, get a vocal coach for a month or so (longer if you can). Squash any bad habits before they start, and you will grow by leaps and bounds...

And.........

RELAX.

(Seriously - especially for the high notes).

Any tension has an effect on your vocals.

try a few songs a night only to see if you have what it takes

And record what you sing, and be realistic when you hear it played back...

Don't worry TOO much about pitch (you can improve that!), but have a listen to your voice's timbre and 'sound'. You are FAR better off choosing material that flatters the voice you DO have, than picking songs you would PREFER to perform, but just don't work well with your range and timbre.

A vocal coach can help you develop a particular sound (but only to a certain extent), but basically, you are born with a certain type of vocal apparatus, that will sound a certain way. If that apparatus sounds better on country than jazz, that's probably the best material to use it on!

Now that is an extreme example, but you AND your audience will probably be happier in the long run if you find out quickly what type of music you sing best, and stick mostly to that!

Find your vocal personality. Singing properly is important, but having a likeable personality is just as impt. Think Rod Stewart, Satchmo, Van Morrison. Good luck.

Glenn

a likeable personality is no doubt an asset, a good vocal quality is no doubt an asset, good phrasing is no doubt an asset, interpretive ability is no doubt an asset, but unless you can sing in tune and in time none of those mean a damn thing. you need more than just good pitch and good time, for sure, but you cannot do without those..not ever. there are no good singers w/o those..none.

2 shortcuts to good pitch/time: imagine the notes and the
phrases you are about to sing just before you do so..If you
hear the note in your head, you can usually hit it on key,
unless it is out of your range..and even then you can
pop up to the note in falsetto right on target..if you
imagine your phrasing in advance it cures the tendency to rush--the biggest time problem for most. an advanced technique on this is to actually picture yourself
singing across the room...a "second you"..

you can take voice lessons forever, and nothing you
learn will equal the value of what I just stated above.

for those that think this seems arrogant or presumptive,
try it first, and if it doesn't improve your pitch/time
immediately, then write back and make me eat crow.



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Miami Mo

I don't normally get upset in these posts but I have to disagree with the statement

"you can take voice lessons forever, and nothing you learn will equal the value of what I just stated above"

Voice lessons are an absolute if you intend to sing for extended periods. Correct breathing and posture, along with an appreciation of the capabilties of your voise, will allow you to do the job and not ruin your vocal chords in the process.

And dont be afraid to change the keys to suit your voice. We are not all Pavarotti's.

the statement i made was not intended to degrade the
value of voice lessons, but to emphasize the priority of
good pitch and time, which can be accomplished
without voice lessons. singing in a comfortable key is
a paramount item..there should be no reason for not doing that, and proper mic technique should eliminate the
need to strain for volume, if we are talking about singing
in intimate settings as an arranger kbdist/singer omb or
duo/trio..fronting for a rock band or auditioning for
american idol is a different story.

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Miami Mo