Hey I'm new here and I never thought I would ever get my voice back
I used to have a pretty good voice that just appeared one day in high school (at least I think haha). I have never been in a choir or any sort of singing program. I could sing most of my favorite songs. I really did well with Queen and Billy Joel songs. I sang in my car most of the time and was too scared to ever try karaoke. I could use distortion like axl rose and it wouldnt hurt at all. Then when I was a senior in High School I didn't sing for 2 months during football and all my power was gone. I was running out of breath on my easy go-to songs. It felt like I was having to leap from pitch to pitch. I still continued to sing over the years though.
Fast Forward 5 years
I started Kens program about 4 weeks ago. A lot of days I'll do the warm up then I'll sing some karaoke songs. I have an amp and mic. On the second week I had a crazy day. I was singing some songs and its like the pitch was effortless. It felt like I was talking while hitting notes I was straining for a week before. I would know a note was coming so my muscle memory would prepare to sing in my old way (expecting it to be difficult) but it just flowed out. I couldn't believe it! I think I overdid it though. I went and sang a lot of rock band with my friends the next night. I killed it and it was fun but since then I haven't been able to get back to that point. Its like I can't get everything lined back up again and its been 2 weeks. I've been doing the exercises and I have been trying to stretch chest ( although that is still confusing to me). Even on lower songs the pitch feels shaky.
Is this common where one day singing is the easiest thing in the world at low and high registers but the next week its back to square one? Should I stop all singing that isn't kens program until I get stronger? Like a month or so?
thanks so much, glad to be here
Fast Forward 5 years
I started Kens program about 4 weeks ago. A lot of days I'll do the warm up then I'll sing some karaoke songs. I have an amp and mic. On the second week I had a crazy day. I was singing some songs and its like the pitch was effortless. It felt like I was talking while hitting notes I was straining for a week before. I would know a note was coming so my muscle memory would prepare to sing in my old way (expecting it to be difficult) but it just flowed out. I couldn't believe it! I think I overdid it though. I went and sang a lot of rock band with my friends the next night. I killed it and it was fun but since then I haven't been able to get back to that point. Its like I can't get everything lined back up again and its been 2 weeks. I've been doing the exercises and I have been trying to stretch chest ( although that is still confusing to me). Even on lower songs the pitch feels shaky.
Is this common where one day singing is the easiest thing in the world at low and high registers but the next week its back to square one? Should I stop all singing that isn't kens program until I get stronger? Like a month or so?
thanks so much, glad to be here
Comments
sounds very cool that you have (or had?!) the natural gift. it is normal to have good and bad days with singing, even though the fluctuation in your case seems a bit extreme. maybe it has to do with tension, if you don't think about "doing it right" (and if you have a natural talent and the basics are there), maybe then you are super relaxed, whereas if you think "oh no, the high note, now I need to do this and this and this" it can trip you up. maybe you "want" to get back to the good times too much and tense up because of it? just a thought
others might disagree, I'd say still sing your fun stuff, but WARM UP with the exercises first, and then go to the fun bits (not saying the exercises can't be fun). you will see how much more control you'll have after properly warming up. after doing these "all-out days" with "rock band", the next day, make a point of doing a warmup session, and don't rest on that day. do it lightly. it will help with recovery and consistency (I am just repeating this, I read that somewhere on here).
what is confusing you about the chest stretching? maybe we can help you figure it out.
Welcome @Tortuga
I think you made some good points. I am a really anxious person so I'm sure that doesn't help. I can often get in my own head about things. I think that certainly can be a case for a day but for a whole week? I just recorded myself singing a song and I listened through a couple times with pitch analysis. The song has a G4 in it and today I just can't sing that high. I think I end up singing that note lower and it affects the rest of the song. I am just learning about vocal ranges and I've studied some of the songs I used to sing. So I think I used to be able to go as high as A4 or A#4 chest(or mixed not sure on what mixed really is yet). Maybe I won't ever get that high again but I can only hope!
So far I have been singing the warmups pretty lightly. I have been flipping into falsetto or head voice at certain points but I read a mod said on here to not do that at the start, so I've been trying to stretch chest but I feel like if I go higher its kind of straining. On the Ah scale I get up to F#4 but cant get that G. Its hard with the recording because I think ken goes into head around that time. So I'm not totally sure what to sound like. Do I just go to F#4 and get that strong until the G just comes? I'll probably need to post some audio in the future.
on chest stretching pass, you should skip the notes which are way out of reach (just literally not sing them), and join Ken on the way back down. it should be a stretch but you should not be killing yourself in the process. not sure if the same goes for head. @highmtn @HuduVudu ?
Give your voice a rest if you are hoarse or losing some notes.
Learn to sing lightly, before going for full belting.
And as Klaus_T said, read the manuals in your download, and do BOTH stretching chest voice AND light bridging every day, from the beginning.
Give your voice time to grow, and learn the techniques. Your hit-or-miss natural talent can give you a false sense of power or security. Learn good vocal technique, and THEN go for the big notes.
Since you purchased the course you should get your forum status updated. Please find the instructions here. Then will get access to the students' areas of these forums with tons of helpful informations, videos and tutorials.
Doc