In case you didn’t know it, everyone can sing. Yep, you read that right, everyone and anyone can sing. The harsh reality is, unfortunately, not everyone can sing well. There, I said it, and I’ll say it again.
NOT EVERYONE CAN SING WELL!!
Some singers can sing well, and some OK, but let’s face it, some people who think they can sing well can’t. In fact, most people who sing, well, let’s be honest, they just flat out suck!
I fall squarely into the latter category. If you were to hear me sing you may occasionally hear me sing on key, in time and sound OK. I assure you that, if that happens, it is merely accidental at best. Most likely you’d rather rupture your eardrum with a red-hot fireplace poker to avoid the gawd-awful sound assaulting your ears. Given that, why on earth would you want to hear what I have to say about singing?
For starters, I’ve worked as sound engineer with a lot of performers who sing (notice I say they sing, but not how well they sing, I’ll get to that later.) Second, I’m one of those people who actually LISTENS to songs for the musicianship, mixing,etc., not just for the catchy riffs and phrases. A lot of songs on the radio (or streaming service, tv, or wherever you consume your music) have people who really can’t sing. That evaluation has NOTHING to do with whether or not I actually LIKE the song (that is purely a subjective viewpoint, an one I’m not going to delve into here, taste is personal, and I’ll leave it at that). Lastly, in this particular rant, I’m planning on addressing some of the more universal items that every vocalist (from those who merely think they can sing to those that actually can sing) should be aware of.
So, with all of the disclaimer crap out of the way, let’s get down to some real helpful information. Although some of this can apply to studio vocals, for the most part I’m focusing on live performances here, whether in a small pub, church, or large venue. Let’s begin…
Basic vocal tip number one: If you feel like you are straining to hit the notes, YOU ARE, and people hear it. Yep, you can’t cover that up, and it sounds bad… every time, guaranteed. When you have to push to the point of straining to hit that note you ARE damaging your voice, period! If you take your voice seriously, don’t do it.
That leads to vocal tip number two : Practice is vital, but it MUST be proper practice. If you need a vocal teacher to help you practice proper technique, get one. You are not locked into your current vocal range, quality or ability, and you can probably train your voice to reach those harder notes correctly with practice, but be realistic. Most people don’t have much more than 2 or maybe 3 octaves, but you can get a LOT of great sound out of that. Practice, but practice correctly.
Vocal tip number three: Make sure you can hear yourself. Whatever you need to do to hear yourself, do it. From stage monitors (but be careful with these! How many “old school musicians” still have good hearing?) to in ear monitor systems (or IEMs), invest in something. Pprotect your ears, there is a reason pro’s use IEMs now, and that is because they allow you to protect your hearing as well as clearly hear what you need. An inexpensive wired IEM system can be built for as little as about $100. Wireless will cost more, obviously. This tip applies to everything from small rooms to large venues, churches, whatever. If you can’t hear yourself, you WILL strain your voice. As a side not on IEMs, they do have a few minor drawbacks that I will cover in another post, but for a vocalist, those drawbacks are far outweighed by hearing yourself and ultimately preserving your voice and hearing.
Third, find some people who will be truly honest with you, know your own limits, and be honest with yourself. Not everyone will be honest with you, but when you know you tanked that note, flubbed a line, whatever, find the person or two who can tell you something like “Yeah, that was good, but that high not on the third song sounded rough, and you flubbed that other line…”, etc. They are the ones you can really trust. I know some phenomenal vocalists, but even they can’t sing everything. Some songs just don’t work for their range, their vocal tone, or their signing style. That is NOT an attack on their or your talent as a vocalist, just a reality of the art. Not every athlete plays basketball, not every artist paints like Bosch, and not every vocalist can sing like Aretha Franklin, Steve Perry, or, or, or…
Now, let’s move on to live performances. First, I will reiterate the third tip from above: MAKE SURE YOU CAN HEAR YOURSELF. Without the ability to hear yourself, nothing else will matter much. Second, know your stage. What I mean by that is, know where the key areas of your stage are. You want to try to be places where you can have minimum feedback, where and how to interact with your band-mates, and how your mic will be impacted by where and how it is placed, angled or moved or waved around.
This requires knowing your mic and voice (what is the pickup pattern, what EQ generally helps your voice shine, etc.) Think of it as a guitar player getting their “perfect tone”. Your voice and your mic are your instruments. For the love of all that is holy! Don’t settle for “whatever is there”. Ask any other band member if “any old instruments” will do. A guitarist brings their guitar and their own FX pedals. Your voice and your mic are YOUR versions of those instruments. As what is usually the most out front sound in a band you shouldn’t settle for “whatever is provided” any more than any other band member.
So, to sum up:
1) If you feel like you’re straining to hit a note… YOU ARE!
2) Practice! Practice! Practice! BUT Practice with proper technique!
3) Make sure you can hear yourself CLEARLY (and try to protect your ears in the process!)
4) Find people to be genuinely honest with and be honest with yourself!
…and finally…
5) Get, practice and KNOW your instrument! This is your voice, your mic and your ears! Protect all 3, know them, and treat them like any other instrument, with care and love.
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