Fear of Singing

Hi djdubb, I split this one off because it really deserves to be it's own topic.

I don't have any articles on this, but I approach singing the same way I do playing. I practice the hell out of it until I'm comfy.

Before you write your voice off as awful, take a week, or as long as it takes you to learn to play a song and dedicate it to singing. The first time I sing anything I sound awful, because I haven't learned it. I mean you wouldn't expect to play a solo just by hearing it once or twice, would you?

This past Riverside Jam I had to go back and woodshed some tunes because I didn't know them well enough. I couldn't get the chorus right in Summer Wages and I couldn't get the rhythm of Jimmy Olson's Blues. Last year I had to really work to get Thrill is Gone right. I practiced them just like you would a guitar lick, over and over again until I felt I could do it without thinking. What do you know, they turned out okay.

Listen to what you are about to sing, study it phrase by phrase, and your fear will melt away.

If you want an honest opinion, go see a voice teacher. They are about the same rate as guitar teachers. A couple of months of lessons will do you good.

I have seen just recently a list of what adults fear most and very near the top of that list (number 2 or 3 IIRC) was adults fear speaking in public ie.. to an audience. I would imagine singing would be in that same vane.
I have always heard the best (and maybe only) way to conquer a fear is to face it head on.
Learn a few songs and go somewhere public, like a park or town square and just start playing and singing. It will be scary at first and hard to sing with your heart in your throat like it will be but you will soon get past that and once the fear is gone your whole preformance will improve.
Couple of tips:
I don't think anyone will stone you for singing badly (depends on where you play I suppose)
Picture your audience in thier underwear (seems like I heard that one before)

Picture your audience in thier underwear (seems like I heard that one before)

Do not, under any circumstances, get confused and picture yourself in your underwear instead. This will not help.

Not knowing what your level of singing is currently at I would suggest, in roughly the following order:

#1 - Sing alot of different types of stuff in your car. As days and weeks go by, turn the sound lower so that you can actually hear yourself over what is being played. This will give you a better sense of what you sound like, and what your vocal range is currently at.

#2 - Pick songs that you know all the way through and sing them without music in the car or in an empty house. Concentrate on getting each word right.

Cars are better than empty houses for me. Even in my empty house I have a sense that someone might hear me from the other room or outside and it immediately makes me nervous. In the car, I just have to worry about people looking in the window. Its not so over crowded around here that I cant just dodge people seeing me.

#3 - Work your way up to doing some karoke. I wouldnt suggest getting completely hammered but if your of legal age then a couple drinks wont hurt. Smashed singers sound terrible. Singers with just a couple drinks sound relaxed.

Maybe get a buddy to go up and sing with you at first, work your way up to singing up there on your own.

Singing good takes time. Think about how long it takes to learn guitar, singing isnt much different. True that you dont have to fret your vocal chords but you do have to know how to control them, once you have gotten them to play nicely.

Fear is sort of a relative thing. I dont have a problem getting in front of a couple hundred people and singing. But I do have a fear of jumping out of an airplane. But it wasnt always that way. Fear is overcome by practice. Taking that first jump, and a second, and a third and so forth til you are at the point that its just something you do.

Good luck

Geoo

One other thought Geoo kind of reminded me of in a way.
Record yourself singing.
What you hear when you talk and sing is not what other people hear.
Your voice resonates in your head and some of the sound that your ears pick up is from inside and other people don't hear it.

I find that the best way to overcome the fear of anything is to develop some ability. That's what gives me the confidence anyway.

For a long time I was afraid to play guitar in front of anybody else, but that fear is slowly going away as I improve. Same with singing. I expect to take at least a year before I can face singing in front of strangers.

Nick mentions "woodshedding", but if you don't have a woodshed to vanish into then all Geoo's suggestions sound good. And the shower is traditional.

And maybe you could "woodshed" right here? You're among friends at GN, so do a short MP3 and post it here. I've done that at the SSG section and nobody sneered, they just made helpful comments.

I've recently started taking some guitar lessons and I've asked the teacher if we can concentrate on singing for a few weeks so that I feel comfortable that I'm on the right track. Basic technique, voice control, how to find the notes you want etc. Once the ability starts to come I don't think confidence will be an issue any more.

Good luck. :D

my singing mentor along time ago said somethin i have never forgotten - when you sing in the shower and you sound good to yourself, if someone could hear you then, they would agree. I fig this is because, 1) you are relaxed 2) good acoustics. Try to create these 2 scenarios when you sing and you WILL sound as good as in the shower. There are many techniques to help one relax in performance - imagining a naked audience etc, but the main one I use is to sing for myself. turn my awareness inward and just let go. practise really helps. I use an ipod in a good echoey room with one headphone partially off. This seems to get a sort of resonant effect with your air cavity, the tune and the room, almost like a great PA in a great room. keeping your throat open will give you a bigger resonant cavity and it really makes a big difference. cheers mate, and break a leg!
PS there is always the good ol echoplex....
:wink:

What if there was a really hot bird in the front row when you were imagining them naked, surely pitching a tent in public would be equally as embarressing.... erm... anyway...

I am terrified of singing in public, my voice is bad and i know it, its not the worst of the worst but its definately down there with the lower tier of vocal specialists no doubt.

I suppose all you can do is practice, which i will, just tried that Doh ray me thing and my god i failed :lol: :(

Just being comfortable and daring to let go..
Just let it go..
LET GO!

I honestly think there are lots of good (or potentially good) singers out there, they just feel too uncomfortable singing.

If you can't afford a teacher, my best tip is to practice singing anything you can. Then, when you're more comfortable with your singing efforts, step it up a notch. Sing for someone you don't know, anonymously (like here, post mp3's asking about vocal advice) or someone you know and trust (who'll also be honest, of course).

Worked for me, at least.
Lots of good tips here by the way, smart people
8)

man:)

Fear is sort of a relative thing. I dont have a problem getting in front of a couple hundred people and singing. But I do have a fear of jumping out of an airplane. But it wasnt always that way. Fear is overcome by practice. Taking that first jump, and a second, and a third and so forth til you are at the point that its just something you do.

Good luck

Geoo

LMAO, As a former paratrooper I can honestly say the second jump was worse than the first cause you knew what was coming. But it gets easier after that. :P

djdubb

I have never had the fear of singing, so this might not help.

All I know is this. I love to sing and have always wanted to sing. And I am not going to let a FEELING stop me. I am going to sing.

I think my greatest influence singing was Neil Young and Bob Dylan. Man, I listened to them and thought these guys don't have a voice at all, yet both are terrific singers that I love to listen to. Two of my very favorites in fact.

It is not always the beauty of your voice. It is the feeling and sincerety. That is what people pick up on.

You have to discover your own voice and sing in that voice. That is what Neil Young and Bob Dylan do. And it is awesome.

Practice brings confidence. So sing the songs you love. Record them and listen back. Work out the things you don't like.

Do not worry if you cannot sing like your favorite artist. Everybody has a different voice and range. Find songs that are very natural for you.

Do not sing songs that are clearly out of your range.

Don't let fear stop you. Get out there and sing baby! :D

I don't really know how true this story is, but I've heard it a few times fron different sources....

Apparently, when Mott the Hoople released "All the Young Dudes", Paul Rodgers...then with Free...asked Ian Hunter (singer with MTH) why he even bothered singing because he had a crappy voice....Ian's reply was along the lines of, "Well it might be crap, but they're my songs, and I'm gonna sing 'em"........and if you don't like it......well you can guess the rest.......

(Both bands were on the Island Record label at the time, legend has it Muff Winwood....brother of Steve...broke the fight up....)

As I said, I can't vouch for the veracity of this, but ....if it ain't true it ought to be!!!!

:D :D :D

Vic

I think finding the right forum to sing live in is very important. Someone mentioned Karaoke and that is perfectly suitable. I my case, I had lots of experience singing backup in bands. But always in the comfort zone of a well rehearsed band. never sang lead or solo. I started by recording songs so my wife could hear me. They came out well and she played them for everybody. Then I began sing for her live. But then recently there was a gaping hole left in our praise band at church when our lead male vocalist and guitarist left. That left me being the only guy in the group. With the encouragement of the others I began singing on a few tunes. Last week
I led the congregation as co-lead vocalist. Was I scared- yes. But I found a safe place to do it and felt that singing for a higher purpose, it wasn't about me anyway. My confidence has soared.
My point is finding the place that you can do it. For everyone it is different.
Bear in mind my singing fright is not something recent for me. I am 51 years old and am just now finding myself able. Don't give up.
Peace :)

I'm sorry- I posted the previous under guest. I forgot to log in. :oops: