Nervous about singing

[Fingers n thumbs]

Hey all

I sang for the first time in a folk club about 5 months ago i was dead nervous. Being of the confrontational end of the human spectrum i decided to go one worse and sing to my wife the songs that i planned to do after the folk club open spot.

I found it more difficult that proposing!!! - but after that the folk club didn't seem such a bad experience.

Not that proposing was bad you understand ;D

Yours in a teacup

Rogf

[Jon Freeman]

Glad you got through it OK.

I always seem to get nervous doing anything in front of others but even though I do rather more playing (in sessions - all join in together and I can find that relaxing) than singing, in a situation like doing a floor spot, I find singing much the easier option.

a) I don't have shaky hands which sometimes seem to have a mind of their own to contend with.

b) I usually have more time. I can still loose a song completely but I forget a few words, sometimes, I have the time to invent some nonsense, or maybe I can take a longer pause between verses to gather my thoughts, etc. I don't find I have the same "recovery" options available to me if I'm playing and often, once I've made a mistake, if I get through, I can feel like I've been playing a constant game of catch up from where I went wrong, really struggling to hold the 6/8 (or whatever) beat together.

I wonder how others here who both sing and play find this sort of thing?

[Danny]

Singing and playing at the same time has always alluded me completely. 'Course with my singing voice that's probably a good thing

[Jon Freeman]

I do find that if I'm trying to sing and play at the same time, I can focus more on one activity than the other and maybe feel I might have sung (or visa versa) a bit better had I not been playing.

That said, if doing both, I'm most likely just strumming 3 chords on guitar and (not that I can do much else on guitar), I don't find that too distracting.

One I did eventually manage with a couple of bits (I forget what now and haven't tried in ages) and found really difficult is singing one melody line while playing another. Again, I guess people are different, but I think it's easier to say attempt having a conversation while playing a familiar tune, eg. Harvest Home than to have two melodies running around in my head.

Doubtless some though would not even find say playing one line on harmony line on mandolin, singing another harmony while keeping track of the main melody easy but I'm lost even just thinking about it.

[Danny]

That last sentance just scared me Jon, and what's with this 'Guest' malarkey? Join up properly

[vagabanjo]

I find singing with the banjo (frailing) helps, shame my singing isn't good, but I do sing along in the local witout a problem, think this is to do with the beer and confidence etc... Anyone know any utube that give tips on singing?, Pat has said don't sing through your nose, feel it in the chest (or something ike that), Ifound that very usefull (shame the wife doesn't think so).

[goldtopia]

Fear of singing is being afraid of others judgments. On X factor run by Simon Cowell there were some really atrocious people who could not sing to save their life, and they thought they were gods gift to music. If you can stand in front of a firing squad and live, you have nothing to fear. I bet you feel confident already.

[dick miles]

ok ,take deep breaths before you sing ,it serves two purposes,allows more oxygen to brain,and calms nerves .
try and sing from the diaphragm ,rather than the throat .
if singing unaccompanied ,take a note to get your pitch .

[Danny]

Good advice, cheers Dick

[nat]

I've recently started attempting to sing whilst playing the 5 string banjo. Although thus far, only when everyone else is out of the house!
I've always had a huge phobia of singing in front of people.

This past year I started an MA theatre degree and although the focus isn't on performing, we have to take acting and voice classes. They're mainly focused on the speaking voice, rather than singing though. I think they only teach that to the proper acting students!

Even so, I've found that the voice classes have helped tremendously with freeing up my voice and have found that I can hold a tune reasonably well and can put a bit of belt into it when necessary.
What's been bugging me though, is that despite all that, my voice just seems to lack a certain natural quality that makes it sound "good". Does that make sense to anyone else?

I know that's not really the point of folk music but it still kind of bothers me, you know?

[Fingers n thumbs]

Hi Nat

I think it's a case of practice and more practice. 6 months on from my original post i am getting better at learning a new song to sing and play - as is Duggy K (we jam together). Some one told me that you need to play a song till you are really fed up with it to get it good - then you can devote more attention to your voice.

I have started recording myself and playing it back after each time trying to alter the sound to see where it goes. I also get a copy of the tune and sing along on the drive to work .

And yes most of the time it's when everyone else is out - my 'i will survive' was recorded at 1 am and i was paranoid about the neighbours hearing me singing it over and over.

Keep chuggin

Roj

[plunknplinkntwang]

The only place I sing out of the bathroom is church. Amazingly most people there don't sing at all. But I take the approach that I'm just going to sing anyway- if others don't like it they can sing louder and better.


This coming from a bloke who makes Lee Marvin sound good - I waas booorn underr a wundring starRR -

;D

[tylercornett86]

I heard that to this day B.B. King cannot sing and play at the same time. Probably not because he's nervous though...