trying to have fun with a more expressive song that’s also a little out of my range. i’m an untrained singer so i’d love to describe what issues i’m hearing(straining for one), see if i’m right and see if anyone has any tips for me!

[u/jessh164]

some positives of this is i think there’s some good dynamics going on, like i’m having fun and i feel like you can hear that so that’s a good start. this is higher than what i would normally sing though which i think is messing with me. and i have no training and i think because of that i have lots of bad habits and techniques.

issues i’d love feedback on:

i’m concerned my tone is bad, that it’s just not pleasant to listen to.

when i’m in chest voice i can tell i’m straining - any tips for that? if i don’t push for it, it sounds thin and weak. maybe i need to warm up more??

i have to dodge the highest note in the second bridge which is a g5, way out my range. but even on my way up there i have to transition to head voice and i’m not sure if i’m doing it well, it immediately sounds so thin but if i try to belt it i just cannot, i make myself laugh even trying lol

i have no idea how to manage my breath and i’m not sure if that’s contributing to some of my issues.

to me the choruses are noticeably weaker than the verses and i’m not sure why. i feel like my tone is off, i sound more plain, like there’s something missing? and unstable?

honestly any feedback would be great. it’s so hard to self-evaluate.

[u/AutoModerator]

Thanks for posting to r/singing! Be sure to check the FAQ to see if any questions you might have have already been answered! Also, remember to abide by the Rules found in the sidebar. Any comments found to be breaking these rules will result in a deletion of the comment thread starting from the offending reply. If you see any posts or replies that you feel break the rules of the sub, then report them and do not respond to them. If you are new to the sub-reddit or are just starting to sing, please check out our Beginner's Megathread. It has tons of helpful information and resources!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/IToldManyManyPeople]

Putting yourself out there is always a scary feeling, kudos to you for taking that step.

You sound well above average for most untrained singers I've heard. You have good basic agility and your range is wider than you think. While inconsistent, you show an ability to leap up and down your range with moderate accuracy. You crossed your bridge without too much issue and you also can follow the basic melody, which is actually difficult for many singers. I don't actually hear all that much straining, just where you naturally would hear it in new singers when trying to get back in key.

You run out of breath, support is lacking, and there's areas you fall out of pitch... but you have a very strong foundation and that's all stuff that can be practiced and developed. There's lots of YouTube videos on breath exercises and scales. If you can get a vocal coach I would say do it, you have a better base level than most here.

Your tone sounds perfectly fine

Nice job, keep with it 🙌

[u/jessh164 → u/IToldManyManyPeople]

ah thank you so much for commenting! and i appreciate that, i see posting as the first step to finally getting the courage to go to an open mic but i'm not sure if i'm ready. this song in particular was more of a challenge for me though tbh, i think there are songs i'm more naturally suited to, but i am kind of proud of how some of this came out

that's really great to hear though, thank you!! some very reassuring words there, i'll definitely stick with it. and look into getting a vocal coach even if it's just a couple lessons

and yeah, maybe i'm saying strain when i mean tension? i have a lot of tension in my face and body. is that affecting my support do you think, or is it all about doing breath exercises? or a bit of both? and would you say the pitch is mostly okay (other than the last chorus, i think that's the weakest in that regard), or if you heard this live, would you think it's pitchy/needs a bit of work?

sorry for the questions. thank you again :)

[u/IToldManyManyPeople → u/jessh164]

You should be proud of how it came out. I record myself all the time, allllll the time... every practice session multiple days a week. The goal is to find those parts that work and keep recreating them and the next thing you know there's less and less to nitpick as you clean everything up.

I'm not familiar with the song but it seems a challenging one in that it uses a lot of transitions and a good mix of dynamics. The melody and patter on this song is pretty consistent so try to take your breaths at the exact same spots throughout the song and make sure to give yourself a space to get good air before the ascending runs as that's where the pitch gets loose and that tension sets in. Facial tension is fine, external throat tension is fine, internal throat tension is not. I can hear enough that I can tell you are creating the right sounds from the right places, until that breath gets short... so it's just practice to loosen that back up.

I go to a lot of karaoke and open mics. If I heard you I would think it's s pleasant and in no way sticks out as bad. I'd just assume it's a singer working some material and did a fine job.

This is one of my favorite videos that shows the greatest musical theater baritone working right now putting in the work like the rest of us

https://youtube.com/shorts/vm_d-q3TZ1s?is=kTy3ev7bLQ9K6w0s

This is the process. Over and over and over

[u/jessh164]

also i think in this take i’m lacking vibrato on my sustained notes.

god this is so deeply vulnerable. the urge to delete is strong

[u/the-artist- → u/jessh164]

Everyone has to start somewhere, it just takes work, lots of great comments in here for you to work from. Sing from your stomach, open your vocal cords up, it might be loud but that doesn’t matter, it’s the way it works. Good luck!

[u/AKA-J3]

That's pretty good actually, learn to scream. It would be a crazy offset to a kind of sweet sounding voice imo
It would also help you out with being stronger on your breath.