-- Posted by PapaMooCow at 6:25 pm on July 28, 2008 So I'm a guy. I've never taken voice lessons or really sang before this year. I'm not in a choir or ever have been. Just a quick background. Anyway, I love Guns N Roses because I play guitar and Slash is the best guitarist in history. You can argue with me on that but whatever. So, I've been trying to sing Guns N Roses when I'm not playing along and trying to match Axl... problem is I can reach the notes pretty easily when he sings high, but it just sounds like notes and not words. You really can't tell what I'm singing, just "Ah ah ah la uh." Pretty much. Anyone have any ideas how I can make myself more clear while singing in an unnatural singing area? Don't tell me it's impossible to sing that high or anything, just any help will be great =) -- Posted by Baron Samedi at 6:26 pm on July 28, 2008 Clench your ass like you're crushing diamonds in there. -- Posted by Hontoshimu at 6:26 pm on July 28, 2008 this is just one of those do it more and youll get better things -- Posted by muahzxox3 at 6:26 pm on July 28, 2008 Quote: from Baron Samedi at 6:26 pm on July 28, 2008 Clench your ass like you're crushing diamonds in there. lmfao. -- Posted by Solitude at 6:27 pm on July 28, 2008 high notes? drugs! -- Posted by GenericUsername182 at 6:27 pm on July 28, 2008 Sing an octave down. Same notes but lower. That way it'll still be in tune but you can be understood! It's not that hard to do and is easy once you get started! -- Posted by Soul Sista at 6:27 pm on July 28, 2008 When you go higher, do you go up an octave or do you stay in the same octave and just go for a higher note? Going up an octave or two can help. -- Posted by adiddy92 at 6:29 pm on July 28, 2008 Quote: from GenericUsername182 at 2:27 am on July 29, 2008 Sing an octave down. Same notes but lower. That way it'll still be in tune but you can be understood! It's not that hard to do and is easy once you get started! i do that   -- Posted by HannahBEE at 6:29 pm on July 28, 2008 Guns N Roses rules, Slash is best ever. If you have the range, good for you. That means you're a tenor. If you don't plan on taking even a few months of voice lessons just to clear up your clarity, then just try practicing at home. You may slack on your diction in real life, so try to make your articulation as clear as possible. Take some time out at home to do some of those stupid warm ups that most choirs do, and articulate your words as clear as daylight.  If you spit, that means you're doing well. "Diction is done with the tip of the tongue and the teeth" "The quick brown dog jumped over the lazy fox" "One big bug bled blue blood while the other big bug bled black" "Red leather, yellow leather, red leather, yellow leather, blue" Start out in a comfortable note range, and move up note by note until you can't reach any higher. -- Posted by LoveAlwaysAndi at 6:30 pm on July 28, 2008 dont stress or force it youll lose your voice and hurt your self practice make perfect exercise your voice every day -- Posted by Evolutionism at 6:31 pm on July 28, 2008 Try warming up before you sing and sing from the diaphragm, not your chest. If not, then you may have to expand your range. -- Posted by PapaMooCow at 6:32 pm on July 28, 2008 Quote: from HannahBEE at 6:29 pm on July 28, 2008 Guns N Roses rules, Slash is best ever. If you have the range, good for you.  That means you're a tenor.  If you don't plan on taking even a few months of voice lessons just to clear up your clarity, then just try practicing at home.   You may slack on your diction in real life, so try to make your articulation as clear as possible.  Take some time out at home to do some of those stupid warm ups that most choirs do, and articulate your words as clear as daylight.  If you spit, that means you're doing well. "Diction is done with the tip of the tongue and the teeth" "The quick brown dog jumped over the lazy fox" "One big bug bled blue blood while the other big bug bled black" "Red leather, yellow leather, red leather, yellow leather, blue" Start out in a comfortable note range, and move up note by note until you can't reach any higher. Thank you for that feedback. When you say do it with the tip of my tongue, what exactly does that mean? That's the only thing that sounds a little confusing...might be one of those things you can't explain over the internet though >.< -- Posted by HannahBEE at 6:37 pm on July 28, 2008 Quote: from PapaMooCow at 9:32 pm on July 28, 2008 Quote: from HannahBEE at 6:29 pm on July 28, 2008 Guns N Roses rules, Slash is best ever.    If you have the range, good for you. That means you're a tenor. If you don't plan on taking even a few months of voice lessons just to clear up your clarity, then just try practicing at home.      You may slack on your diction in real life, so try to make your articulation as clear as possible. Take some time out at home to do some of those stupid warm ups that most choirs do, and articulate your words as clear as daylight. If you spit, that means you're doing well.      "Diction is done with the tip of the tongue and the teeth"    "The quick brown dog jumped over the lazy fox"    "One big bug bled blue blood while the other big bug bled black"    "Red leather, yellow leather, red leather, yellow leather, blue"    Start out in a comfortable note range, and move up note by note until you can't reach any higher. Thank you for that feedback. When you say do it with the tip of my tongue, what exactly does that mean? That's the only thing that sounds a little confusing...might be one of those things you can't explain over the internet though >.< It's just a warm up, the Diction is done with the tip of the tongue and the teeth. But, it is true that, especially with your T's, you should press the tip of your tongue on the back of your teeth, and push your tongue off and downish to get that clear "T" sound. But either way, the expression "Diction is done with the tip of the tongue and the teeth" because if you ever looked up the word Diction, it means choice of words.  It should be "Articulation is done with the tip of the tongue and the teeth" -- Posted by PapaMooCow at 6:37 pm on July 28, 2008 Quote: from peace love sunshine at 6:27 pm on July 28, 2008 When you go higher, do you go up an octave or do you stay in the same octave and just go for a higher note? Going up an octave or two can help. Normally there are parts where the octaves change and I stay within the octave. I think there might be 3 songs where Axl does a short, 4 seconds, part where he goes for a high note above the octave he normally sings...those I'm still working on, but if I just sing within the octave, the notes are easy, just the clarity is off. -- Posted by Medicated Smile at 1:43 am on Aug. 31, 2008 I could help you were you female. I have guy in my adv. choir and music theory AP course who focuses all of his time on singing high.  Sings a soprano C.