Yesterday my band recorded our first song on a crap-o tape recorder and let my youth pastor listen to it. He said that I had problems singing in key (although it there was a little too much "yell" for it to be singing...), and I was wondering if anybody knows how I can fix such a problem. I have trouble matching notes on a keyboard and stuff even though I can hum familiar tunes that I've heard a million times (fingernails comes to mind). Any advice in this subject will be much appreciated. Thanks in advance. :)

Do this, put an ear plug in one or both ears and you will be able to hear yourself better. Then just practice singing your songs and you should be able to tell when something sounds funky. If that doesn't work than train yourself to be able to match the pitches on a keyboard and that helps as well. You could also take voice devoloping lessons/choir at your school. And if all else fails join a heavy metal band...lol!

-2ndThief

make sure your singing with your stomach and remember your voice is differant than Johns so you can't really determin how you sing by singing to Skillet you have to find your own voice ;D

if you have a keyboard, hit notes and try to match your voice with what the keyboard is playing. i know that would get annoying, but that's a way to work on it.

another way would be to keep singing different songs, different styles, to develope your voice. i was in school choirs for 11 years and the knowledge i learned there has really helped me.

remember, anyone can sing, it just takes practice to make it presentable. ;)

i would also try to avoid fancy voice techniques (ex. vibrato) and just focus on holding out notes and staying on pitch. and as you get more comfortable with that, then add the "fluff." and just because your band has screaming vocals, it's still good to be able to stay on pitch. esp. being the lead vocalist.

i tend to be pretty critical of bands i hear, i don't care how great the guitars/drums/bass/etc. are, if the lead vocalist stinks, i won't buy the cd. i guess i can blame choir on that. :P

like skilletluvsme89 said above, find your own voice. i have tried to sing different styles but receantly found my "nitch" of what sounds the best with my voice. don't try to copy any other vocalist exactly. be yourself. sure influences will show forth, but don't make it your goal to sound just like someone else.

hope this helps you out some. if you have any other questions or whatever, lemme know and i will try to help you out more. and if i can't answer it, i'll find someone who can. ;)

Thanks for your replies guys. I'll put them to work. I've found out that it is much harder staying on pitch when screaming because I'm having to focus so much attention on the style of my voice that I don't worry about what notes my voice is hitting. For the next month I'll be away from my band, so I'll use that time to try and blend the two together to make it the way I like it. One thing I'm wondering about now is how to preserve my voice even though I'm screaming. Is there a right and wrong way to scream? Will my voice get used to it after so long or will it just get worse and worse? I've heard both sides on this issue, and I'm wondering if you guys have any input. Thanks for you time, and rock on!

In answer to you latest question:
There are two different screams. There is a scream where you scream as hard as you can which is kind've like listening to Chris Farley. I'll use some christian band examples so you know what I mean. Example: East West. This could and can hurt your voice. Of course it hurts me to do it for to long and I personally cant hold this kind of scream out for long periods of time like East West can. Live East West can hold a scream out like that for about 40 seconds, its incredible.

Scream number two is the kind've scream that, well I dont know how to describe it. I can give you an example though: Pillar. They do the second kind of scream which is kind of like singing just with doing a weird alteration i your throat which I cant explain. This wont hurt your voice in fact its just like singing you can make it go low or high very simply and its always effective.

So that's what I know, I do both kinds of screams with my band the only thing is after you do the first kind of scream you can not do the second kind of scream. So for our sets I have to put the song where I do that scream as the very last song. After enough practice your voice will devolop and you can decide which is best for you. It all depends on the kind've music you want to produce.

-2ndThief

I can't think of a time when pillar screams... do you mean the kind of voice alteration that John Cooper does in Collide (the song, not the whole album) or how Chester does in almost any Linkin Park song? But *I think* I know what you're talking about there. I've tried both kinds, and although the first kind is so much easier on me, it really gets my band members going when I do the second kind. We have a lot of fun that way... even if I'm entirely worn out by the time the song is over. Woo, my throat is still feeling funny from earlier today. Can you recommend any food or drinks that help?

Between songs drink about a half a bottle of water, honestly it is the only thing that can help. It clears your throat of any phlegm or whatever from all the intensity and it helps you to be able to hold out screams a lot longer and more frequently.

And no, Skillet does the first scream. Let me think, I'll name some bands and you can tell me if you know any of them that do the second scream: Story of the Year, Finch, Chevelle (on Forfeit), Lucerin Blue, and Linkin Pakr but LP does a kind've middle scream which is in a different catagory but could still be labeled as the second scream.

Hope that helps.

-2ndThief

also, since your band is going for that scream sound, a practical way to rest your voice is not to use it much. don't do any other shouting unless you need to. i'm not saying you can't talk, just be wise on how much you use your voice. esp. right before a gig. i remember seeing an interview with MXPX once and the guys were really mellow and not talking a whole lot. they were pretty quiet. but once they were on stage they were screaming and carrying on.

oh, and whispering is actually harder on your voice than talking is. interesting sidenote there.

i've also heard that Dr Pepper is good to get that scratchy sound without having to tear up your vocal chords too horribly. being a Dr P fan, i'd believe it. ;)

altho, i'd stick with 2Thief's suggestion of water. it's always the best thing for you.

Yeah, listen to all of them. Use the keyboard and all. Practice that. A guy at my church (in our worship team) told me to do that so I could get the hang of singing really really high (even though I already sing high, lol.) and drink lots of water. Water is like one of the most important things. Also, the right amount of sleep. Foods too. You don't want a phlegm-y voice. Milk will do that to ya! lol. I had a whole list on things to do for your voice. I'll have to find it for you. Keep on singin'!

heres a tip: if you know you tend to sing a little flat or a little sharp, think about it when ur singing and try to compensate for it. for instance, if you're a half-step sharp (too high), try singing the way you think it would be a half-step flat (lower).

I've found out that I can either sing in tune or with emotion. If I have to think about singing it right, I don't sing it well (my drummer says I sound like a robot). But if I throw all my attention into style, the result is off-key. I have to work on bringing the two together.

I'll have to try the dr pepper thing. I also heard that exercise helps a lot. Do you guys think that the bands I listen to affect the way I sing (even if I don't try to sing like them)? I'm learning alot about vocals and I'm excited about singing/ yelling/ whatever it is I do.

Yeah I'm a little sad that dairy products mess up my voice. I put cheese on almost anything!

Yeah, I was about to suggest Chester when I started reading. He was the first thing that came to mind along with East West.

Actually you don't sing with your "stomach" you sing with your diaphram. Or well, unless you sing in head voice.

^ yup, good to point the technical stuff out eowyn. :) of course, when singing in your "head voice" you still use your diaphram for support (just like you would when singing in your "chest voice").

i think the bands you listen to can show in your own musical endeavor...if you like the way someone sings or plays their instrument, you might either a) try to copy it or b) take enough of it and yet, twist it around with your own style. and yet, that's not always the case. just because i really like Skillet doesn't mean that i try to sound just like john or korey. and i don't try to mimic their sound either.

ok, sorry. enough rambling for one post. :P

and yet, that's not always the case. just because i really like Skillet doesn't mean that i try to sound just like john or korey. and i don't try to mimic their sound either.& yet, i find similarities between Noisemaker & Alkeme. not anything bad, but i still hear it. ;)

Alkeme, huh? wow. gonna have to listen to that one.

as far as good/bad screaming...

um, sorry to say this, but all screaming is bad for your vocal cords. if you do it too much you could develop calluses on your cords, and then they can progress to blisters, and if they burst...well, then you won't be able to speak, much less sing/scream. and even if you stop once calluses develop...they seldom go away. (Mark Stuart from Audio A has had to have operations on his throat...notice how scratchy his speaking voice is compared to several years ago?)

so...be careful.

really? huh, well that's cool. :P

ok, so even though i have not listened to that cd in awhile, some influences crept in (?). ;)

oh, and yeah, i agree with my sis' post above me about the whole screaming ordeal. i knew a girl in high school who's voice isn't the same anymore because she used her voice so much (cheerleading, choir, on the school's student councel...and just talking with friends, etc.). it's sad because she had a really nice voice...now it's scratchy.

wow thats some crazy stuff about losing your voice from using it too much/screaming. i will be careful... or just stop being a vocalist. i'm at a camp-type atmosphere for the next few weeks, so my posts will be few and far between (if it'd make a difference to anyone).

(have fun at your camp thingy.)

and yes, be careful. that goes to all vocalists.