Tips on Doing Well in Rock Band Vocals

**Oxi** · Joined: 17 Jul 2007 Posts: 224 Location: Montreal, Canada

On the octave cheat subject, there are tons of them in Dani California (though i guess that's stating the obvious). That eyebrow thing does work, it's pretty funny :o

**BBQchicken** · Joined: 15 Jan 2008 Posts: 56

Wow, I can't believe that raising your eyebrows actually worked! thanks

**DevilMayAsian** · Joined: 09 Oct 2006 Posts: 1380

Does frowning work for those who are sharp? :P
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**BizCasFri** · Joined: 01 Feb 2007 Posts: 1833 Location: Winnipeg, MB

I've heard that sort of singing the talky parts in the tonic note helps as well. I have noticed this in a few songs, but I now prefer to "rub out the phrase" now.

**CowShark** · Joined: 30 Nov 2007 Posts: 325 Location: DFW - Texas

If I notice that my pitch arrow is just barely off of the note that I'm supposed to be on (and it's a long enough note to do this), I'll just make different shapes with my mouth rather than try to alter my pitch from my vocal chords. This is like the eyebrow thing, but without the eyebrows.

O shape or just opening really wide gets me a touch lower.

E (well, the shape of your mouth when you make the letter E) shape or just tightening the lips gets me a touch higher.

**duo797** · Joined: 02 Mar 2008 Posts: 80

Just to clarify why it's better to stand than sit when you're singing, when you're sitting you're compressing the amount of space you have available in your chest cavity. Slouching is actually detrimental to just about every brass and woodwind instrument along with vocals. If you're standing up, or at least sitting upright, you have more room to fill up your lungs with air, so you can sustain notes longer and provide the air necessary to hit higher notes.

That's the core reason that music teachers throughout secondary education levels constantly (or should, anyways) harp on students for poor posture. Tone and lung capacity improve if you're sitting correctly (or standing, for that matter).

**Joe857** · Joined: 05 Jan 2008 Posts: 5

I've found that if you pull the mic further away from yourself than you normally sing, i makes the talky parts a lot easier. Also, emphasize each individual sound; for example, if you're saying "that", make sure you say "ah" and make the "tuh" sound at the end.

**pmswedge** · Joined: 27 Jun 2007 Posts: 427 Location: San Francisco, CA

**BizCasFri** · Joined: 01 Feb 2007 Posts: 1833 Location: Winnipeg, MB

Many people notice that singing higher, or with a falsetto helps. Allow me to clarify, from an acoustical POV. It's very simple, actually. Our brains are naturally more sensitive to pitch in a higher register than a lower register.

Here's an example: It's a lot easier to hear when an instrument like an oboe or flute is out of tune than it is to hear when an instrument like a tuba is out of tune because of their registers.

It's just the way our ears and brains work with one another. So if you can comfortably sing any part up an octave and, chances are, your pitch will be better.
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**NumberCruncher** · Joined: 07 Dec 2007 Posts: 93

**Joe857** · Joined: 05 Jan 2008 Posts: 5

**LUIGI074** · Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2008 3:35 am Post subject:

I'm not sure if anyone else has said this, but if you're not feeling well, especially when you have a cold or sore throat, don't sing. It'll just make your voice in worse condition. Wait until you've recovered before singing again.

Also, if you still don't like standing and singing and want to sit down and sing, make sure you are sitting up straight with your feet flat on the floor. While this helps, it is still advisable that you stand and sing.
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**mdouet** · Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 353 Location: Houston, TX

Just curious why alcohol is bad for your voice? I just completed the endless set while drinking beers between songs and during breaks. I did notice my vocal scores going down towards the end, but I figured it was because of fatigue.
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