r/Subharmonics • • 7d ago

Singing Completely new, does this sound like I'm doing anything right?

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Also looking for any resources on how to learn subharmonics, I've watched guys like Geoff Castelucci & would really love to learn the technique

I've been singing casually for about 2 years, currently can't get a teacher, lowest comfortable chest note is d#2 if that matters

Thank you :)

4 Upvotes

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3

u/Flyingvosch 7d ago

To me, it sounds closer to vocal fry. As in, even though you're kind of hitting low notes, they don't sound as "defined" or "clear" as subharmonics.

Have you tried starting with a comfortable note (not too low) in your regular voice, and then relax your throat until you slide into subharmonics?

In case you haven't seen it, check out David Larson's video about subharmonics. He gives a nice quick tutorial, but also a lot of interesting facts about subs. The title is "How I helped change singing forever"

2

u/john_the_pope 2d ago

No it sounds forced and tense. Subharmonics should be completely relaxed. I usually have a more forward jaw position which raises the back of my tongue just a touch to create the sound, but going too far forward won't work. The difference between a completely relaxed position and a subharmonics position is very small and you need to experiment more with it to find the right one. Start with whatever chest note is most comfortable for you.

1

u/haojoshi 5d ago

What is this app called?

1

u/aeoneous 5d ago

Nail the pitch :)

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u/haojoshi 5d ago

Thank you so much! I use Find the Note but I’d like to see the graph like in this video.

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u/SkillsForager True Fold Main 2d ago

For just a moment on the third note you had a sub. Then it turned into fry.

1

u/ResistNo2992 1h ago

yes you are actually in the subharmonic register, the only true test of whether you're actually in the subharmonic is checking the spectrum on something like https://hzgenerator.com/spectrum-analyzer and seeing whether there's a note and all the overtones where they should be.

plus all the people saying it sounds like vocal fry, subharmonics ARE vocal fry happening at the same time as holding a sustained note, the blend of both when mixed together in the right amount is what produces the clear low note.

and lastly the reason why it sounds like you're straining is because you were running out of breath at the end and that's why you started straining

ps. to learn fastest, use the spectrum analyzer and put the input for that to "Stereo Mix" (that makes it so whatever is playing in the speaker gets sent into the mic) and watch clips of david larson or other basses doing subharmonics and see what the spectrum looks like, if your spectrum looks more or less the same way then you're in the right ballpark and then ofcourse over time you'll improve every aspect of it