How to Build Vocal Endurance for 4 Set Bar Band If Not Gigging Yet

billthebaldguy

Hey Fellow KTVA Members,

I am getting back to singing again; the local bar band project I was in folded about two years ago. What went wrong/why it folded were powerful lessons and now I miss singing and playing SO MUCH that I am starting the journey back.

My question is this: I am not in a band yet/haven't formed one and don't plan on doing so for the next six months or so. I do, however, want to build the voice back up to what I had before, which was the ability to sing 4 sets a night (roughly 10-12 songs per set).

Once I get the foundation strengthened again, consistent vocal workouts, etc...how do I build the voice back up to that level of endurance if I am NOT in a band actually doing four sets a night, or not practicing once a week with a band, singing for a couple of hours?

(BTW I have the Masters Level program, Head Voice Workout, etc... I was up to alternating Masters Level and Head Voice workouts 4-5 per week, plus gigging once on weekends or practicing with the band once per week at most consistent level.)

Thanks for any and all feedback. I haven't been back here in awhile/let music get out of my life for a bit and HATED IT. Glad to be back...

Best to you all,

Bill

highmtn

Bill,

There is nothing better than actually putting in the time practicing in an environment that will mimic performing.

If you're been slacking, you should get back to doing your workouts regularly, so your voice will be in shape. You will pop back into good form after only working at it for a while.

I would suggest that you put together a "practice gig" to practice karaoke-style with a mic and either speakers or headphones. Put together "sets" of the very tunes you would like to sing.

You can find the actual original tracks without vocals sometimes on YouTube. Otherwise, you can find karaoke clones of the tracks. Work out all the bugs using these tracks.

I've started recording my band when we play. I have a busy life, and practicing is hard to work-in. I don't even really have time to listen to all of the recordings we're making. But if I have a song that we played that I know I need to fix a part on, I can find it on my laptop and go over and over that section of the song to figure out what I'm doing wrong or how I can make it sound better.

It's an ideal way to practice, without needing the other band members there.

I'll even have us go over a song we don't know very well, just to get a crude "framework" for me to work on my own vocals later. Then I can mute my vocal track and work on sections of the songs until I have it totally down. Sometimes I just play it on the cheap little built-in computer speakers and sing live in the room with it. Other times, if I want to have the experience of singing it into a mic, I'll plug it all into a tiny mixer and listen through headphones. I can go over a part of a song a hundred times without having to have my bandmates there.

That's about as close as you can get to simulating an actual band performance or rehearsal, and you can do it all on your own schedule. You just have to take the time to actually do it.

Bob

billthebaldguy

This is great. I didn't think of this when I was in the band so all my practice with songs was in the car or with the band itself, so not much on songs as I could have.

Do you have some recommendations on gear/software/mixer to do this? Have mics, cords, guitars, amps, pedal board, laptop, desktop and iMac. Any recommondations would be great and I will start this right away.

Thanks again.

Bill

highmtn

I have a little "Alto" mixer that I use with my computer and to practice on that I bought new for about $110. It's great for vocal practice. I wish it had a USB output on it, but it doesn't. It has built-in effects and a good headphone output. So I play CD's into it, hook up a computer audio output to it so I can play YouTube audio in and sing along. You can plug instruments in if you want.

Doing it all in headphones makes it a low-volume practice, as opposed to having a band over with amps and P.A. system. So it's great for solo practice, or you could invite someone over and plug in additional mics and split the headphone output.

It's a good idea to do a lot of your workouts and practice into the open air, but it's also good to do them sometimes like this with a mic and headphones. You can hear details that you miss when doing things acoustically, and as a singer in a band, you know that sometimes we sing along to something well, then when we have a mic and a live situation, it's a whole 'nother ball game.

I find that rehearsing through a mic and monitor system helps to lessen that phenomenon.

If you get one of the small mixers with a usb output, you can use inexpensive recording software, like Reaper, to do multitrack recording. That's what I record my live recordings with, through my larger-format digital board. That would allow you to dissect your vocals and dig down deep into figuring out the small details of songs. Reaper only costs about $60, after a free trial. Behringer makes some inexpensive small mixers with a lot of features that would be ideal for self-study recordings and practice.

billthebaldguy

Outstanding. Thank you. Will check out some Behringer starter boards and make it happen. Thanks again.