Too much volume

philnath

I need help , cause i sing too loudly , my friends tell me that , and i dont know how to sing more softly because when i sing softly in chest voice i can't hit the note like A4 , B4 etc...

I've some tension in the neck too , maybe due to a lot of cord closure or something like that and that is one of my big problem because i need to cough everytime after singing.
Could you help me ?
Thanks by advance !

bentk

Where is the tension? Do you become hoarse after singing?

Do you support well? and do you use the very bright timbral sound that Ken explains?
it's the LAH. See if you can get that cord closure on a lower volume, and try keeping good technique. Then slowly climb up the scales again with only the amount of air needed to create the note with good cord closure and support.

Just my two cents.

All the best,

Ben

philnath

The tension is in the neck as i said , and yeah i become a little bit hoarse depends on what i sing , if i sing a4 , b4 i'm hoarse but if it's lower no.
And yeah i think i use good support maybe too much air pressure i dont know.

Thank you

Anthony

highmtn

@philnath,

You might want to post a short demo here in this thread, of you singing A4, B4, so we can hear, and maybe see (video) what is happening with you on those notes.

Bob

philnath

I've done a record not on this notes but on a song and a band (royal blood) that when i sing i have a lot of tension.
I think one of the problem is high larynx.
I have not done a good record but just for see my problem. There's no video but i can tell you that I can see tension of the neck because of the veins.
Thanks by advance.
And dont make fun of my record ahah

I've choose the extreme , so that's crap but we see better my problem.

highmtn

Your problem is just as you've described. You're singing too loud on these higher notes.

This is a common misconception, that getting louder will get you to these notes. It does get you there, but it also kills your vocal cords in the process.

You need to compress the air and cut it back. Don't try to make the A4, G4, B4 notes so big. They need to be small. Taper the tone back as you ascend. Cut the air back by pushing down on your diaphragm.

I can't hear that your larynx is high, but it may very well be, especially if you have a lot of tension in your neck.

It is true that you need SOME volume to remain in belting voice above your passaggio. But it is NOT true that belting means give it all you've got. You have to hold the air back, and reduce the tension. Use that downward push on the diaphragm to reduce the excessive pressure you're putting on your cords. Otherwise, you'll keep losing your voice after singing this way. Your A4 should be about half that loud and smaller girth.

I'm not laughing at your voice. You will sound really good when you harness this oversinging that you're doing.

Read up in the student areas about support. You REALLY need to understand how to use that as a tool to fight back against oversinging, so that you can more easily hit those high notes.

philnath

Thank you so much for such a complete answer, I'll work for cutting back the air, and understand better the support even if i've watched ton of videos on this subject , i'll watch the forum.
You dont know how useful your are for me , it's very nice to have an outdoor review , I know what I have to work and everything is more clear to me.
Thank you again

highmtn

You're welcome!

MichelleRox

@highmtn when you say “push down on the diaphragm”, Can I do that by not allowing my abdomen to retract too quickly? Slow the diaphragmatic snap, per ce? I’m having a similar issue as phil as in I am WAY too loud on higher notes. I don’t have neck strain or hoarseness, I just I feel like my eyeballs are gonna pop out LOL! There’s too much pressure but I’m having trouble getting my body to do what my brain comprehends.

bentk

@MichelleRox

There are many answers by @highmtn on this topic here in the forum, check out the diaphragmatic breathing section. You can find many explanations there, it really helped me to read different kind of views on the subject. They all come down to the same thing, but some analogies just work better than others.

Watch out with too much pressure, that is also not healthy. Sure, higher notes need more pressure, but you try and divert the tension to your abdomen. In VOL3 you truly learn the potential that support has with glottal compression.

All the best,

Ben

MichelleRox

@bentk Since I typed that I’ve read all kinds of things on the forums and I think I get it now. I tried it again using the things I’ve read and it was MUCH easier. I learned a different way to support using the intercostals over the abdomen (from a choir instructor) and now I’m having to retrain my body/muscle memory. Basically all the pressure was solely in my thoracic cavity, putting way too much pressure on my poor glottis lol. It would funnel to my neck and shoulders too. Ty!!

highmtn

You'll learn more about the role of the intercostals if you do a search on ribcage expansion or chest expansion. That is just another segment of the puzzle that comes together under the heading of support.