Need tips singing bluegrass

[shaycraft]

Good afternoon all. I am looking for advice with singing bluegrass. When I sing I sound really nasal. I know in bluegrass a little nasal is ok, but can you be too nasal? Also, I am constantly having to clear my throat. Is there a cure for that? Maybe something I can drink that would help. One more question; Is it good or bad to sing along with a CD or in a choir when you really can't hear yourself?

Steve

my advice is to sing just like you talk and work from there, if you feel your face or neck muscles tense up thats not good. not to loud, not to quiet. push it out from down below, and find your range. you may notice it is easier to sing high more quietly. hope that helps a little

[sunburst]

I think the bluegrass vocal sound came to be because it was two or three white guys singing near the top of their vocal ranges. That's nasal enough without any further effort toward nasality, IMHO. Like lemonhilljohn said, just sing like you talk.

As for something to drink to help keep from clearing your throat;
8 glasses of water a day.

[Jonathan Peck]

I'll be interested to hear the different resposes to your question. I was not blessed with a singing voice, but I would love to be able to find a way to sing. I recently made a decision that I'm going to work at it and make it happen.

For me, I'd say that I have to commit to making a sound and not hold back....and work on singing on pitch. This I can do with interval exercises with the mandolin in hand.

[kyblue]

Try noticing where your tongue is when you are speaking and singing.

If it's touching the top of the mouth, you're going to sound nasal.

And, no, imho bluegrass does not have to sound nasal. In fact, a nasal tone to my ear is equal to the 'finger nails on a black board' sound. Sort of like playing an instrument and not quite hitting the right note or timing.

Paula

[TonyP]

Excellent tip Paula. I'm with John too, drink water, or hot tea, not a bunch of coffee. Lemon in the water/tea helps too. Another great tip is those zinc lozenges, not zinc tablets that you swallow. The ones you let dissolve in your mouth. They help clear/heal your throat. Never sing when you are sick, it totally damages your vocal chords. And most of all, find a key you are comfortable in. If it's too high, don't force it. If you start out in your range and get comfortable with it, you will be able to move up if need be. but if you force it, you also tighten up and just like playing, that's no bueno. Also, one of my favorite tips was to sing in the car to cd's, where the windshield will bounce your voice back to you and get you used to singing and being in tune. I'm not a singer either, so that's why I've collected all these tips!

[hepcat mando]

I'll be interested to hear the different resposes to your question. I was not blessed with a singing voice, but I would love to be able to find a way to sing. I recently made a decision that I'm going to work at it and make it happen.

For me, I'd say that I have to commit to making a sound and not hold back....and work on singing on pitch. This I can do with interval exercises with the mandolin in hand.
When I started singing I had no training, not much of a voice, and really no idea of the mechanics of proper technique. After trying to sing "blind" I finally broke down and bought a vocal training course on cd. I'm not a phenomenal singer now(maybe a cross between barney fife and barry white) but there is a huge difference.

voice training (http://www.voicetraining.com/billy.htm)

[dmamlep]

to keep the drainage down you can take claritin D. and as for the singing, most everyone, a few exceptions can sing something, you just have to make it your own. I never did think Tom T Hall could sing very well, but he made the songs his, and his style, and then of course there is my wife, honestly no help. You dont have to be born in ky to sing bluegrass, but it cant hurt.

[mandolooter]

[QUOTE]You don't have to be born in ky to sing bluegrass, but it cant hurt.

When I first started singing thats exactly what I was told...lol! I was born in SE Ky. so it was assumed my hillbilly accent would make me a vocal prodigy...it didn't happen, but Im slowly becoming better. My question is how do ya remember the words?
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[GTison]

Bill Monroe- not nasal
Ralph Stanley- not nasal
Jimmy Martin- not nasal (usually anyway)
Lester Flatt- not nasal
Don Reno - nasal (or something)
in fact the only one I can really think of that is nasal is Del McCoury (and I bet you can't reproduce that Nasal.)
Oh yeah Joe Val was nasal.
Willie Nelson- Nasal.
I guess if you got a large nose, some of that sound may be unavoidable. However if you just sing that way because you don't know any better then the quality of you singing will determine how far you get in the singing game.

[GTison]

ALSO: here's what I know about singing problems etc.

If you have nasal drainage from allergies etc. take musinex (not the DM ) it is simply a mucus thinner. This will help with the throat clearing. Throat Clearing Is BAD for your vocal cords. Stop it. Throat lozenges are not usually good either because they have sugar and other mucus thickeners in them. Soothing but again not good. (those zinc one make me cough after about 2 of them) Acid reflux can also cause some problems. Go look at that site listed above in the Q&A section, there you'll find some good discussion about hot drinks too. One of the best things to do is to drink a lot of water. Remember Pee clear Sing Clear. I've never took a course like that but that's real tempting.

[dmamlep]

What I have found is that since I sing teror, I have a harder time singing if the weather is not right, like singing out doors. and certain times of the year, and by the time the set is over, I usually cant sing anything. as for baritone and alto you dont have to have your voice so perfect. and I find that if I drink anything I cant sing. so I just dont. we are recording a new cd now and I got a cold before Christmas and I still cant sing yet.

[Don Grieser]

In one of Jethro's songs, he says something about someone singing through their nose. When you do that, you not only hear the words, but you smell them too. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif Or as I saw on a T shirt: Bluegrass-sung from the heart through the nose.

Seriously though, warming up helps--humming, singing different vowel sounds in scales and arpeggios. Your voice can resonate off of many different places--not just your nasal area. Experiment trying to feel it and place it in different areas.

[Bill Snyder]

Bill Monroe- not nasal
This is a joke, right?

[Slim Pickins]

I play by ear and sing thru my nose.

I forget the words to Happy Birthday http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif




"Make a joyful noise"

[Fretbear]

It's real important to record your singing and listen back to it. If you are going to make others live with it, make sure that you can first... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[AlanN]

Whose singing I care for:

John Starling
Tony Rice (back in the day)
Keith Whitley
Clarence White
Alan Bibey
Adam Steffey
Steve Gulley
Jim Eanes
Jim Gaudreau
Bobby and Sonny Osborne
Allen Mills

Whose singing I don't care for:

Pat Enright
Dudley Connell
Glenn Lawson
John Duffey (lead)
Mac Wiseman
Curley Sechler
Allison Kraus
Dolly Parton
Russell Moore


Whose singing fits the band (don't like or dislike):

Monroe
Del
Ralph

and, of course, YMMV.

[PseudoCelt]

I try not to sing when anyone might hear me, but I've known a few (non-BG) singers that claim that cutting out milk/dairy produce can give you a clearer throat. I can't remember whether they cut it out permanently or not...

Another guy I knew said that drinking any amount of beer before performing was bad for his voice, but that some other drinks were fine (in moderation).

Patrick

[dzen]

For several reasons, one of them is that I live alone a quarter mile from my nearest neighbor, I've been concentrating on my singing this past year. It's a great luxury to be able to practice un-selfconsciously. Another helpful thing has been having other singers to get together with, it's encouraging to witness the wonderful sounds they can make with their imperfect voices. It's turned into my musical first love, although I try to keep improving my guitar and mandolin too. Don't have much to add for advice other than just relax and open your throat and take it easy when working in the upper end of your range. And practice, practice, practice.The high notes do get easier with practice. I'm mainly posting to say thanks to everyone for contributing to this thread. It's wonderful to see a discussion of vocal technique. Thanks hepcat for the link, other web resources or personal advice would be welcome if anyone has any. Seems like my main weakness now is my ability to blend with other singers.

[Mandojulie]

Ralph Stanley - not nasal, Whuh???...