im a newbie
NiamhD
2.0 PRO Posts: 4
Hello, my name is Niamh Duffy. I’ve been singing with kens course now for about 3 weeks. Very confused about what my register is and whether I’m using head or chest voice? Before I would have just tried to strain to belt high notes but I don’t think I was singing within range. Totally confused as to what my singing style is now. With the exercises I seem to sing in falsetto a lot.
Comments
If you bought the course I suggest you follow these instructions so that you can access the student areas of the forum. We go into a lot more detail in there
a warm Welcome also from Germany. To add, As soon as you have your status updated you should come to the students' area of the forums. I would recommend to start at VOLUME 1 - GETTING STARTED!!!.
Doc
Relax, it's going to work out I promise
First off don't be overwhelmed by the threads. The way most people look at older posts is through the search box. It is in the upper right side of the web site, just under the black menu bar. You search specific things that want to know more about by doing this.
Second off you need to stop singing until you can get a few fundamentals in your pocket. You are using too much air and drying out your vocal chords and this is what is causing the painful sensation you are experiencing. We call this hoarseness, and it can be very damaging to your vocal health if you continue to do it.
Ok here is what you need to do to get started.
Bookmark Ken's main channel so that you have reference point. It is here.
https://youtube.com/user/kentamplin
Next you need to watch this video to get started:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Iz2y9N5Sw8U
Then you need to watch this video to deal with issue that you a having:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Wv3T-xA28fE
And finally you need to set up a practice routine to build your voice:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=YkXHQJc9L6s
https://youtube.com/watch?v=1llyljAE7rI
Don't forget to incorporate what you learn into your practice routine.
That should get you off to a good start.
It can be confusing and this is something I have also struggled with. It is a lot of trial and error. I love Ken's course but sometimes having feedback from a real person can help tremendously. It would be nice if you could record or take a video yourself doing the scales and post here so we can hear/see what the issue might be.
If your voice feels dry, painful or hoarse then it's important to give it a rest for a bit to avoid damaging your folds. Make sure you are hydrated before singing (your urine should come out clear if you're hydrated and darker if your dehydrated). As Hudu mentioned the primary cause of this is using too much air (oversinging) and/or just singing too much or too long. This is also something I have also struggled with. A few times through the course I have had to stop singing and avoid talking for 2-3 days while my voice rests up a bit and becomes comfortable again.
You might also actually be sick and if this is the case you should stop singing until you're well again. Singing while sick is a bad idea.
It takes time to build up stamina to sing for longer periods of time so I would also recommend taking breaks during practice. Sing one of the scales and then wait a few minutes to sing the next one rather than singing them back to back without giving your vocal cords some cool down.
Hope this helps and happy singing!