Tips for singers

[roachie]

A lot of you cats either sing or have worked with singers... I'm looking for as many tips/tricks as possible.

Example: After a night of screaming rock'n'roll, the next morning I can barely talk let alone sing a note. Some folks have tricks to keep that from happening, and I'd love to hear them. Some that I have come up with include;

1. Warm up for 15 minutes longer than you think you need to.
2. Avoid alcohol and cigarettes (doh!)
3. Wet chords are happy chords, drink lots of room temp. water.
4. No "Rage against the machine"
5. Good monitor mixes stop you from over-compensating volume.
6. Stick to the "Simon and Art".

Some guys drink fancy teas or use losenges(sp?) or avoid mint and coffee and whatnot... any other suggestions?

[macrae11]

Hot water with a tablespoon of lemon and a tablespoon of honey can work wonders on damaged vocals.

Avoid anything that dehydrates you, as it will also dry out your vocal chords. Coffee, alcohol, cola, etc..

Oh and not talking. I know that one sucks, but sometimes after a good workout your body just needs to rest and recuperate. That goes for before and after singing.

[oddioguy]

....Oh and not talking.....

Nobody wants the singers opinion anyway.

[Burnsy]

I find that being able to clearly hear myself, with or without a sound system, can help determine the particular vocal nuances I want to use for whatever the song may be.

For example, when a bar is loud, and I have to sing over the audience (if they're not paying too much attention,) I have found that I end up screaming each and every song. Whether or not the audience can hear me doesn't matter, the screaming ensures that I can at least hear myself..... but that kind of singing just throttles my vocal chords. So clear and precise vocal monitoring for loud live shows, can do wonders for maintaining some smooth sounding vocal chords in the long run.

[roachie]

Yessir', there is no way around a loud bar... the studio is the opposite where the microphone can tell if your tongue is moving... different world...same chords...

[sammyp]

" Warm up for 15 minutes longer than you think you need to. "


it's all good except this one! don't over do the warmup especially on the 2nd night......warm up comfortable, not trying to push up to your upper register so much and start the night with some easier and breathable tunes!

[Malcolm Boyce]

Excellent article by Ivana Santilli in the "vocals" section of Canadian Musician Magazine. Check it out in the rag, or on their rather lame "online version":

http://www.canadianmusician.com/online/index.html

Upper left hand corner, click on "Columns", "Vocals"...

[Malcolm Boyce]

This is already a useless link, and the "view previous issues" isn't working for me.

[jammy jamz]

hey roachie, i have an invaluable tip that i got from pavarotti hisself. (off his webpage)

its called "ginger tea"

start with a ginger root, take a razor blade, and cut off around 25 paper thin strips of it...........boil water, and after it is at a full boil........put it in a teapot, and put in the 25 said strips.

season with honey, and lemon to taste.

it tastes kinda funny at first, but once you get used to it, it is quite enjoyable....(specially if you irish it up a bit )

but, immediately for me, (i tried it after a show, and befor another show, i could barely talk) immediately.....i could feel it cleaning my vocal cords, and relaxing them.............AND.......added bonus, it seems to relax the muscles around your lungs too.

seriously......just try it. it was the best thing i have ever tried.

[jammy jamz]

sorry forget to say, let the pot steep for around 25 minutes first.

hippy burnout, thats me. :)

[roachie]

sweet, I'll give it a try.

[jammy jamz]

so

did you try it yet?

ancient chinese not so secret...

[roachie]

Not the version you described, but I got some ginger tea in teabag form. No-likey-tasty. Turned my stomach inside out too.

[jammy jamz]

aw

too bad. sorry for that.

i wonder if its an allergy, or mabey too many shakey pops the night before.



cuz honest injun roachie, it was the best thing i ever had for my throat/chest......and, i do distinctly remember it takn awhile to get used to..

at first, it was awful, and then, after getting used to it.....even teh smell of it made me feel better.