Looking for something to help my singing...

[rocket_science]

Does anyone know of some software or videos for helping singers improve basic skills, like singing in pitch for example?

Thanks!!!

[abell88]

Hope you get an answer, because I've been helping a friend try to learn to sing...I sing a note and she matches it (with difficulty), then we do a simple interval or succession. She really has to concentrate and doesn't always realize whether she's matched me or not. I was just thinking it would be great to have something like an electric guitar tuner, but one that would 1. play a variety of notes and 2. generate the pitches with appropriate harmonics so they sounded like the human voice (this is generally much easier for weak singers to match than a pure tone).

[pianonut]

it's very hard to adequately teach yourself piano, voice, any instrument, without getting into bad habits that you aren't aware of.  why not try a vocal class at a community college.  or, a chorale.  in a chorale, you learn everything - to sightread, to blend in, you're not put on the spot (unless you are the only one - after a month- singing wrong notes), and it's fun.  also, it helps you learn to sing at your loudest (which many beginning singers are too shy and sing very softly by themselves - thus, never really learning how to get the vocal chords going)  many people sing from the throat.  you can see it while they are singing.  you're supposed to sing from the diaphram, but not everyone learns this at the beginning.   it takes a lot of energy.  you have to learn how to breath properly.  warm ups with a choir help you to learn what to do at home.  and, you can get tapes and sing along (or make your own).  plus, you learn good repertoire and not the boring beginning songs over and over.

[c18cont]

I Vote,

The Chorus system in some form ....As well covered by pianonut..it is easy to become a part of the choir, if you can carry a tune to some extent.., compared to private lessons as a BEGINNER....where you are being carefully observed...

As a choral director and teacher of voice, I ended up refusing any but somewhat advanced students privately, and encouraging others to get in a community or church chorus...It is a GOOD way to learn...!

John

[Bob]

For pitch matching with the voice...

Learn a simple song.  Figure out what notes they are on piano.  Play the piano and sing along.  Listen to hear how closely you are matching those pitches.  If possible, slow the song down, take out of the words and you will emphasize pitch matching.

Sing scales and play along on piano.

When you're ready, and once you can move your voice around like a siren, hit a pitch and match it with your voice.  If you can hit pitches straight away, then don't worry about the simple songs.  The songs can be a stepping stone up to hitting the pitch right away -- Not everyone can do that.

Tune your ears up to pitch matching.  Leave the voice aside and focus on the ears.  Get a string instrument and practice tuning two pitches, tuning one pitch to the other.  That will help your ability to know if two pitches are in tune and whether one is flat and sharp.

"Out of tune" has beats, major thirds should be tuned 14 cents from equal tempered thirds, and all that...

[Tash]

i agree with the choir suggestion as a beginning point- i joined one and i suck at singing, but it's a hell of a lot less daunting than singing on your own and you learn a mass of stuff to help improve your singing. also encourages sightsinging and more accurate pitch. and then at home, you can just sing anything, with your piano, like just playing things and try singing with it in the correct pitch- sightsinging is good work for this- painful but good!!but in terms of producing a nice, fuller tone, i think that's something that would probably require an experienced teacher to help you do that.

[rocket_science]

Hey its been a while since I was here thanks for your comments! I've been a member of a chorale and I loved it. I didn't learn to sight sing very well though... But anyway getting back to the original topic I was really hoping someone would respond about some software that helps coach singing. Anyone heard of something like this?

[timothy42b]

You could make your own software (record or notate into a midi file) a basic exercise for singing with tone and on pitch.  I was told this was one of the basics, and when I've used it it has helped.

Basically you sing long notes chromatically from middle C up as high as you can without straining, then come back down and go as low as possible, singing each note for seven beats (two measures in a slow 4/4). 

On beat one you play a middle C quarter note.  On beats 2 through 8 you play C major chords in quarter notes while singing a long almost-double-whole note middle C on ah, staying relaxed.  On beat 9 you play a C# quarter note while taking a deep relaxed breath, on beats 10-16 you sing C# and play the chords.  This also refreshes your memory on all the major chords if you play along, or you could computerize it. 

[pianonut]

dear rocket_science,

i found some stuff today at:  www.vocalist.org.uk/singing_articles.html

you click on 'powerful vocals,' then 'accompaniment,' and then 'pick music' 

there are a lot of free music downloads for vocalists.  hope you like it!

[pianonut]

within the site above, i found another site:

www.freemusicscore.co.nz/    you can find piano, organ, and satb choral, etc. there as well.

[rajordahl1]

Better get yourself a good voice teacher.

[rocket_science]

Yeah I looked in the vocalist site and its really intense I couldn't find the page with the downloads you mentioned but it had loads of other articles that might be interesting.  I did find a link to some software for singers on the FastTrackToFame.com website. Anyone try it out?

[rocket_science]

  I guess I could link directly to it. singingcoach
It looks like some kind of karaoke program but it shows what pitch you are singing along with what pitch you are supposed to be singing. I think it might help me improve. Has anyone ever tried this?

[gorbee natcase]

I would need a mirracle worker I sound like a rat under a foot)

[abell88]

I guess I could link directly to it. singingcoach
It looks like some kind of karaoke program but it shows what pitch you are singing along with what pitch you are supposed to be singing. I think it might help me improve. Has anyone ever tried this?

A friend of mine just ordered it...will let you know what she thinks of it.