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Old dog, new tricks...hopefully!

mattcantrellmattcantrell Pro Posts: 5
in INTRODUCE YOURSELF
Hey there!  My name is Matt, I'm 42, from central KS, and I just received my cd/dvd bundle in the mail today!

In my high school/college days, I did a lot of choir/ensemble/solo singing and was a pretty decent baritone.  Well, I always wanted to front a rock band, but life's little obstacles kinda got in the way.  Now I'm quickly approaching the "empty nest" stage of life, and have recently teamed up with a rock/blues/alternative band.  I'm a mediocre guitar player (currently playing bass in this project), and am doing about half of the vocals in our growing set list.  I found Ken's program in desperation, because my current singing methods are literally killing my vocal chords, and I am hoping to re-program the way I sing in order to be able to deliver an entire nights setlist without losing my voice (currently, I'm waiting to get into the ENT for a scope to make sure I don't have any damage).  Anyway, I've already jumped in to volume 1 to get started....wish me luck! 
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  • mattcantrellmattcantrell Pro Posts: 5
    I'm not familiar with the stroboscoply.  Is that not administered by an ENT?
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  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,380
    edited July 2013

    Hi, Matt!

    Many of us here came from a place in our life where we suddenly realized we wanted to take the plunge and learn to really sing.  You're in good company. 

    Certainly learning the proper methods to sing in a healthy manner and how to avoid damaging practices will go a long way towards cleaning your voice up.  If you do have actual medical issues with your voice, that will likely become evident after working your voice properly for a while. 

    I too have practiced vocal abuse from simply not knowing how to properly go about vocalizing.  I'm still learning, but it does get better and better. 

    If the stroboscopy shows no evidence of damage, then you will be ready to put your lack of understanding of the voice behind you and move forward with methods that will help you to avoid those problems in the first place.

    You know, good bass players have always seemed to be in more demand, especially singing bass players.  You may find that you have cornered a market once you get a handle on your techniques.  Many of the best bass players I've known and worked with started out as guitarists and just took bass player positions because they kept having to audition and hire new ones all the time.  They never have trouble getting gigs!

    Welcome to the KTVA Forums!

     

    Bob

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  • mattcantrellmattcantrell Pro Posts: 5
    Thanks for the comments, Bob!  I have found that playing bass and singing is definitely forcing me to grow as a musician.  Though I'm not a good technical bass player (probably gonna be with a pick in my fingers till I die), I have found that it is an interesting niche.  If I had this perspective long ago, I might have worked on being a good bass player.  With our band being a three piece, it's a cool but demanding dynamic.  You have to be on your game or its pretty obvious.  If anyone's interested, we did some demo recordings with my brother's studio SMG studios in TX...they can be heard on soundcloud by searching for "Squirrelcage" (I'm lead vocals only on Come together). 

    I'm taking a 3-4 day hiatus from singing, talking, clearing my throat, etc., to see if maybe it's just strain that I'm experiencing.  I do have some slight throat discomfort on one side, which occurred after my last singing at practice.  I've started taking a good vitamin regimen, and ordered some additional supplements following Ken's recommendation on his video on mucous (I'm a chronic post nasal drip sufferer).  My Dr appointment isnt for a few weeks, so I'm hoping to determine between now and then if the stroboscopy is really necessary.

    take care, Matt
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  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,380

    Matt,

    You have a good-sounding voice.  The type of singing you are using will definitely hurt you if you do not support properly, and that distortion will also set you back until you learn to do it Ken's way.

    You have come to the right place to learn to preserve your voice for the long haul.

    Dig in, but protect your voice.  You have a bright future of singing ahead of you.

    Bob

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  • mattcantrellmattcantrell Pro Posts: 5
    who knows? maybe long lost cousin. Families were both from Oklahoma I think
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