Bass rock singers
Dallas
Member Posts: 6
I was wondering if trying to sing higher for bass singers was a good idea? If middle c = 261.625565 hz, then my comfortable range (at the moment) is B2 -D4 (possibly a semi-tone higher if I'm warmed up). I know singing in Chester Bennington's range is out of the question; my voice is closer to Ville Laihiala (Poison Black) and Ville Valo (HIM). Should I push it?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Comments
I'm hoping that was a typo, my A4 = 440, so my C4 (middle C) would be around 461 at least in the Instruments I play.
Is singing different?
Every octave starts in C. In this case C4 (aka Middle C) is 261.6Hz... we don't hit A for another 9 tones... That is why A4 appears so much higher in the frequency @ 440Hz.
beyond C5 may be a little much for chest but I am planning to increase as far as I possibly can
in answer to if you should push it? you should push it but very slowly so as to not hurt yourself. NEVER pull your chest up, ALWAYS push, proper diaphragmatic breathing will do wonders for your range
I hope this helps
IsaiahG
Just wanted to chime in with my experience. When I started I had basically no range, I could not go very low or very high. I didn't understand proper technique as I was so keen to be singing I watch the Vol 1 vids but didn't pay close enough attention, or have a really good understanding of the concepts. I attempted to go up in pitch in chest voice by pushing more air and raising my larynx and it did not go well at all. I ended up going horse all the time, to the point it would happen every time I tried to sing as 6 days a week practice the damage is cumulative. So @IsaiahG comment on "...ALWAYS push..." is raising alarm bells for me as (I am sure he means pushing for support, and not pushing more air) so I will share my experience to add to the discussion. In my second attempt at the course I really studied technique, went back over all the Vol 1 vids and researched a heap here in the forum, and I came to understand that using proper support and good breath control (holding back air as I move up in pitch) could stop me going horse, and offsetting my larynx in a lowered position took the strain out of my throat and stopped me topping out. So then the question was how can I go up in pitch if I am no longer pushing heaps of air or raising larynx. The answer was raising my soft palate. It was a total game changer for me with moving up in pitch, especially in chest voice. Adding the vowel mods on top of this took it to the next level.
You can see Ken demonstrate lifting the soft palate in the following vid at the 6:23 mark:
\Volume 1\01 - Volume 1 Lessons\19. Vocal Tract Shaping.mp4
So I am actually holding back air as I move up in pitch. The only place I push, is pushing down for support.
So just wanted to throw this experience in to clarify pushing down for support is good, but pushing more air to try and push pitch up is bad.
Also I am finding the longer I practice, the more finer detail I can understand. Like now I find when doing low notes, which I am getting better at, I really focus on lowering the back of the bottom jaw to open the throat. I am still lifting my soft palate, but the focus is on dropping the back of the bottom jaw. Then as I go higher I move the focus up to the soft palate. So I am still lowering the back of my bottom jaw, but the focus is on raising the soft palate, and using the vowel mods in that space. This small detail also makes going up in pitch easier as you have gradualy moved the resonance up into the space created by lifting the soft palate so you are not starting from a lower place and having to push it up.
Anyway, that's my humble experience, hopefully others will find some value in it.
Regards,
Scotty
thank you for clarifying what I should have said in my original comment
IsaiahG