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Do I ever have a prayer of singing decently?

Hi all... I'm a semi-professional musician, have a degree in Music Ed and have played guitar, bass and trumpet pretty much forever. I'd like to think my ears are pretty good (though I kind of suck at remembering music lines... or dance steps... even in the short term). But I read music very well which helps in that regard.

Fact: I got no pipes. When I sing, if I can hear myself, I can force notes into pitch, but they have no resonance or tone that anyone else wants to listen to. I have sinus blockage so I get little resonance in my head and have difficulty hearing myself singing if there are any moderately loud sounds around. I have a similar issue playing trumpet, but to lesser degree because it's louder and a lot of the sound bounces off the music stand.

Is there any hope at all with someone like me who would love to sing in public but has no natural gifts and struggles just to stay in tune (even though I can hear pitch down to one or two cents)? If so, where do I begin? TIA

Comments

  • bentkbentk Moderator, Pro, 2.0 PRO, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 1,650
    Hi @vindibona1

    There is hope for everybody to sing. KTVA really builds your voice and forces correct muscle memory. However, it all comes down to how you use the program. If you do the exercises wrong, then you won't get the results you want. If you do them right, or slowly start doing them better until the technique is alright (it took a while in my case), then you will get there. It's absolutely stunning what this program can do for your voice, and even increase your range, resonance etc.

    So yeah, KTVA is great. With that out of the way, i don't know how much your sinus blockage will do to your singing. Some resonance is wanted in the area of course, but a sound that is dominantly nasal is not what KTVA teaches. Is there anything you can do against your sinus blockage? Or is it a permanent problem?

    A good hearing for pitch gets you halfway there. Your pitch in singing is all training. Being able to hear pitch well, including your own, will make it so much more easier. It just takes time. Recording your simple scales will show you how you are handling pitch. When your singing technique improves, i notice that pitch also becomes easier to grab.

    Maybe @highmtn or other more experienced singers in KTVA can tell you more about the sinus blockage?

    Welcome to the forum!

    All the best,

    Ben
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    We all have our unique set of circumstances. We just find a way to make the best of what we do well and to minimize what is not optimal. Chances are there are workarounds for the sinus blockage or ways to embellish on the way it sounds to make it an important part of your own unique sound. Ken does show us how to get the best tones out of our voice, and you may be surprised how easy that can be. You'll never know until you try.
  • THEKIDDTHEKIDD Member Posts: 5
    I hear ya regarding the "sinus blockage".Mine's been chronic since I came back to WV. Some days I just wanna run a 3/8 drill bit up my nose..(ears too) :'( ...Ive noticed that its usually my vowels that suffer when the head voice seems "thick and strained".Kens "vowel modification" video helps me alot...Been working His videos for 10 months now and Ive learned how to pull more chest voice, thats replaced the head in alotta tunes. My vocals over all are much better now spite the chronic sinuses so yes, theres hope. Start working the scales in Ken's exercise videos and you'll start noticing phrasing muscle memory building after a while.Definetley check out the Diaphramatic Support video and others associated with it...Im singin better at 57 than I did at 37 so as Ken says"The proof is in the Singing"..
    get busy!..LOL
  • I asked myself that question a million times before I bought the program. "Should I invest the money without knowing whether I could do it or not?"
    Then it hit me. It wasn't a want anymore, it was a need. My will, and determination overpowered my fear, and I'm loving every bit of it. I can actually sing now!

    Peace, Tony
  • MagusMagus Pro Posts: 28
    edited October 2017
    Hi, Vindibona :smile:

    I don't know what kind of sinus blockage you're experiencing, but if it's mucus related, there are a couple of methods of clearing that out, like with steam or exercise where air needs to flow rapidly through your sinus to breathe.

    As far as pitch goes, I've been singing since I was young, but I've always been singing to music playing in the background. If it's hard to hear your own pitch, I find that it helps to hold the palm a small distance in front of the mouth and "curve" the sound to one of my ears, while I have music playing on a headset or earbuds on the other ear. This makes my voice a lot clearer to hear for me and easier to distinguish if I'm in tune.

    There are also apps and devices that detect pitch or are used for tuning that will show you exactly what pitch or frequency you're singing in. The app Sing Sharp actually has a nice vocal range detector, which can give you live feedback on what tune and frequency you're singing in. Playing with this could possibly provide you with more control over your pitch.

    Hope that helps! :smile:
  • javiercvjaviercv Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 29
    edited November 2017
    Hey guys just want to tell you that i have sinus blockage too and a couple of months ago i started to do jala neti and that really helped me with my chronic sinus i can breathe a lot better and i do one wash at morning and one at night before sleep. i Use himalayan salt. Try it it really works just search jala neti on youtube or the web and study a bit it really helped me!
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