Baritone wants to belt, and get more 2 useable octaves
Cole
Member Posts: 1
I'd like you to demonstrate and explain, just how, mechanically, you go from a bass/baritone voice (like mine) to such high notes,?
It would really open up the songs I can sing, just to get another effortless octave.. and then some. I'd settle for learning compression later... all past so-called voice lessons over many years were are so much bullshit. Spent money, hurt my larynx, etc... quit singing for years as a result. ...humming and wanting to do it, but can't get past some not very high notes.
It would really open up the songs I can sing, just to get another effortless octave.. and then some. I'd settle for learning compression later... all past so-called voice lessons over many years were are so much bullshit. Spent money, hurt my larynx, etc... quit singing for years as a result. ...humming and wanting to do it, but can't get past some not very high notes.
Comments
I don't think there is any such thing as "effortless" octaves of additional range. Learning to add a significant amount of range to your voice, even if it's just a few critical notes, can require a lot of practice, effort, and time.
That said, we don't focus too heavily on what "type-caste" you have been "assigned to" as far as your present range.
If you have a deep voice, that may mean that you are more centered in lower notes, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you can't increase your upper range limits, in your chest voice, your mid voice, and your head voice. KTVA is a place where a lot of baritones (and all of the other voice "types") end up tossing their shackles aside and stepping out of the box, so to speak.
You can learn to connect your chest voice to your head voice and smooth out the transition between them, and that will get you from very low notes to much higher notes in head voice. But to make a smoother transition, you need to build the mid voice, and stretch the upper limits of that mid (chest) voice up into areas that you may presently be only daring to sing in head voice, or falsetto. That's kind of a weaker voice and is only useful in softer passages. In order to grow the upper mid range up to notes above Eb4, you have to work for those notes, and it simply takes time.
Ken is a high baritone, and can take his chest voice up beyond C5, and can hit some pretty gnarly G5's and the occasional B5. If you are a bass baritone, then your physical makeup may not ever have you belting B5's, but you may be surprised at how far you may be able to take your voice. But that's not effortless. It's work. And that doesn't mean that you would strain to sing those notes you can build. In fact, you don't want to strain at all. You want to stretch and grow your range, and stretching takes time to build the agility and skill that it takes to get there.
So who promised you effortless octaves, anyway? I'd like to read up on that. We do stuff here that is real. You may be surprised what you can accomplish. But it's not overnight, and it's not effortless. It may seem relatively effortless compared to what you might think it would take, once you have grown your range to its eventual max, but it's honest work, and it takes focus, effort, and training.
Welcome to the forums. Nice to meet you!
:^)
Bob
I would like to add a few things, coming from someone who has been focusing on the KTVA programme for 2+ months now and moved on to volume 2 recently.
You will not get any super fast results in the beginning, as in, singing ridiculous vocal-intense songs right away.
However, if you pick up the technique quickly (like the proper 'Ah' placement and subtle vowel mods + support and relaxation) you can grow your voice at a very steady pace, and eventually sing the songs you want if your range permits it. You will get to know your range as you keep practicing, I think mine not only increases, but can carry more and more weight over time.
In theory you could pick up proper technique relatively quickly, but for me it took a while to find out and I STILL need to correct myself some times during my exercises. These exercises go better and better after time, including technique, pitch, sustain etc. It's amazing where you can get in 3 months, but the voice requires an even longer time to unlock its full potential. Don't worry about time, don't worry in general, just put in the time to exercise and research Ken's videos. There are a lot of cool extra videos which can be found in the forum if you bought the PRO bundle. Furthermore, i think some advice and tips given in the video lessons in VOL 1 and 2 are easily forgotten/skipped whatever.
I have the PRO bundle for perhaps 2+ years now but only seriously started practicing a few months ago.
I'll be honest, i wanted results quickly and thought i could pull it off. I couldn't. Therefore i put in SERIOUS time a while ago and focused on my technique every time. Just going through the scales etc. without thinking or caring too much will not get you there. Always stay focused on the technique and think about what Ken has told you. Ken talks a LOT in so many videos, and it's all great advice.
EDIT: Singing is not effortless, but you can reduce a ton of tension and sing everything 'safely'. Uncomfortable tension or over use of air is not good. You learn to relax as many muscles as you can whilst delivering impressive vocals.
KTVA is an epic investment and relatively super cheap if you put in the time.
Good luck with your singing, and drop by if you have any more questions. Bob can usually answer the most
Cheers,
Ben
A3 was the highest i could get to in my HEAD voice when i started a year ago.. Now, B3 is a very comfortable note for me to sing in CHEST voice, and the head voice can hit E4/f4 for quick notes, and settle back into b2-d4 for long phrases.
You have to want it enough to work at it, but the results are there... just not "Easy Octaves" like you stated.
The big deal is growing the notes, one-by-one, and adding them to your palate of vocal colors that you have to work with.
Adding range CAN be done, it's just not effortless to gain the notes. After you get them, using the notes is relatively effortless.
Good luck with your journey and keep practicing.
Forums.
I can now sing A5 somedays but typically max out at G5. I don't "strain" into these. I feel very at ease when I'm singing correctly. Although I'm still on a journey to improve my pitch accuracy, I'm very pleased with he accomplishment ... my current range is 3.5 octaves D2-A5.
Take a look at Kens video here as it explains some of what we are saying.
References:
Fach https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fach
Tessitura https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tessitura
Bass voice https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_(voice_type)
Plus, do you think you sound 'bad' when going above E4? If you are able to at least touch the notes relatively effortlessly, my guess would be there is a good chance you can make it sound great too. Of course, singing a note is different than just touching the note.
Before coming to Ken, many of us have been classified by previous teachers using the fach system. I am one of these and previously classified as a bass. This is often unfortunate as those teachers typically don't develop us beyond what we're classified as. Ken mentions that he is classified as a high baritone and originally struggled to sing beyond F#4.
Through teachers like Ken, we gain the truth that we are no longer limited by traditional classifications. Pop and Rock music is full of vocalists utilising notes well outside where that singer would be operatically classified.
I mention myself being classified as a bass to also help others realise to think outside the box as I finally have.
You're sounding really good man. Keep it going!
So awesome to hear what people achieve.
Thanks!
Ben