The performance of a song requires many aspects of performance.
The first is of course the sound. This is a very professional knowledge, including breath, voice, oral cavity, way of articulating words, etc.
The second is emotion. This requires the singer to have a strong understanding of the words and melody. Many friends put all the emphasis on the sound part when singing and ignore the emotion. This will never make a good song. The reason for paying too much attention to the sound is because the singer's ability is limited. During the singing process, he always thinks about where to pay attention to his breath, where to pay attention to ventilation, and where to prepare when the high note is approaching. This is inevitable. . Therefore, if you want to sing with both voice and emotion, practicing is very important. When your voice practice matures, you will focus on your emotions when singing. There is a saying that goes well, songs are not sung with the mouth, but with the heart. If you practice your vocals to the point where you have a clear breath and perfect proficiency, you can inject emotions more freely into your singing, and your interpretation of the song will be more infectious.
The third is feeling. It is emphasized here again that the feeling of music is innate, and it is as much as you have. The musical feeling that can be compensated for in the future is very small. Pop songs need the feeling of pop songs, and folk songs need the feeling of folk songs. For example, if you ask Yan Weiwen to sing "Nothing", I guarantee that a lot of people will laugh! Singers have different feelings and handle the songs in different ways. Some handle them very plainly, and some handle them excitingly. These treatments are very subtle, such as a small breath, an emphasized accent, a long drag without breath, or a sudden ending... these can only be understood.
The fourth is rhythm and pitch. Have you ever seen a child over 3 years old who can play a fill-in rhythm after hearing a melody? Have you ever seen a 3-year-old child singing live? His father accompanies him on the accordion and changes the pitch at any time. Is the pitch he sings accurate? Have you ever seen an 8-year-old child who is asked to hum the sound of "1" in any tone such as "E flat" or "C sharp" at any time without hearing any sound? After humming, press Is the verification completely accurate? This is talent, and singing songs requires such a foundation. Although it is not as outstanding as them, it must not be weak.
The fifth is quality. This is the difference between amateur singers and professional singers. In fact, just in terms of sound, emotion, feeling, rhythm, and pitch, many amateur singers are no worse than professional singers. The difference lies in quality. Do you know your body shape and expression when you sing? You may have a vague image of what you imagined yourself to be like when you were singing, and this image is probably the image of the original singer of the song you sang. But these are all your imagination, and the image you imagine is almost perfect. Do you know what everyone sees? Have you ever filmed one of your official performances with a camera? In fact, you can tell whether you are an amateur or a professional with your first look or words on stage. The qualities mentioned here also include knowledge of music theory, knowledge of musical instruments, knowledge of music history and knowledge of music knowledge, etc. Of course, there are many professional singers who are not comprehensive, but I personally think that if you want to be a professional singer, you should implement these , must be worthy of the word "professional".
Understand the lyrics
Before learning a new song, how many times have you read the words in your head from beginning to end? How many times have you tried to figure out the writer's thoughts and the artistic conception he expressed? For a song, whether it comes with lyrics or music first, both authors carefully try to figure out the artistic conception and thoughts that the other party (the lyricist or composer) wants to express. If it comes to you, you will completely ignore their good intentions. , I don’t think it’s appropriate to just sing based on my own feelings. Some individual singers like to express themselves in this way according to their own understanding. This way is not bad (and I also like it), but I will first understand the author's intention before using it. Besides, not every song is suitable for you to play whatever you want. There are some words and music that you can't find a more suitable expression, such as the national anthem.
After you deeply understand the song, your emotional processing will be much better. If you have strong perceptive ability, you will not be able to help but emphasize a certain note and sing a certain note gently. A passionate long note will be very full...
In addition to melody, rhythm and breath, are there any other differences between speaking and singing? Yes, that's the way to pronounce words. Please feel free to pronounce "Let me love you all at once" in the way you speak, and then sing it with devotion... You will find that when singing, your mouth shape is opened to both sides, and it needs to be exaggerated.
If you feel the same, there is something wrong with your articulation. Therefore, singing should be more exaggerated than speaking, so that the words will be clearer, the breath will be smoother, and it will be better to express emotions.
The singing of Mandarin songs is still standard. For example, the difference between "Z, C, S" and "an, ang" and "L, N" is easily confused. Hong Kong and Taiwan singers sometimes deliberately sing certain words without rolling or curling their tongues, either because their tongues can't hit them, or because they think it sounds unpleasant, or they simply don't know the pronunciation. When we cover these songs of theirs, I don’t have a clear claim. It’s just for the sake of imitation, and it doesn’t matter if I don’t correct it. But if you want to sing your own style or competition, you need to make corrections.
As for Cantonese songs, I advise you to learn to sing them before singing, otherwise it will be very easy to be funny. Just like when I sang Cantonese songs before, I thought I was standard, but now I realize there is a gap. Cantonese also has subtle differences similar to "Z, C, S" and "an, ang" in Mandarin. If you don't learn it carefully, you won't learn it well.
Breathe
When talking about this topic, I feel a little confused, because it is the hardest thing to express in words. Before I started singing, I practiced bel canto for two years, which gave me a deep understanding. The basics of breath helped me a lot. Generally speaking, people who have never learned vocal music have a very flat voice, and they pronounce it in the position where they usually speak (throat). We call it "white" sound, without color or filter. Below I will describe the method of practicing bel canto.
The sound should originate from the lower abdomen. Imagine that the sound passes through the back of the spine, to the back of the head, and to the back of the mouth. The entire sound should be upright and backward. Please look for this feeling: you take a big bite of an apple, expose your upper teeth, and make a "hmm" sound while biting it down. Feel the sound at the back of the mouth and the upper part of the nasal cavity. This is one of the bel canto sounds. ***Ming point. Next, lower your breath, expand your lower abdomen, press your lower abdomen slightly, and speak at the same position. For male voices, press the Adam's apple. For female voices, focus on the position of the voice at the back of the head. You will find that the sound is louder than before. Regular practice against the wall will help your voice, because leaning against the wall can contact your back spine, making it easier for you to find the feeling, and the sound of the chest can vibrate with the wall, making it easier for you to find the chest. *Ming feeling. Start with the practice of "Mi~Ma" and gradually increase it, which will help you practice high-pitched breath; then practice from high to low, repeat this way, and one day you will find the feeling. Bel Canto pays attention to "transparency", and often imagines that one's voice is upright, not flat; it also pays attention to the "sound". After the sound passes through the chest or the chest above the chest, it will be very round and round. full. To experience the humming sound, you can do this: close your mouth and make a "hmm" sound with a slightly affectionate feeling. If the "hmm" is longer, you will feel your head and chest vibrating. If your breath is good, This kind of ringing will add a lot of color to your voice. If you listen carefully to the speeches of some tall Americans, you will know what chest ringing is (the chest structure of foreigners is more likely to produce chest ringing).
Another thing I want to mention is lung capacity. Singers need a large lung capacity to sing, such as some very long and breathless melodies. Don't end up with red faces and heavy breathing after singing. Lung capacity requires regular exercise to maintain. In addition, mastering certain skills can make up for some lack of lung capacity. First of all, you need to practice your breath. A good vocal method can control the flow of sound through the voice. For example, when singing the sentence "...I'm not afraid of you betraying me...", a singer with unstable breath may suddenly say "Afraid" "The sound of the word was sung in an explosive way, and the air that was originally insufficient in the lungs was released immediately. It would be strange if there was a long sentence that did not allow for breathing, and it would not suffocate him to death. And singers with good breath skills can control the flow of these pops, and there will be no flapping sound in the microphone when singing. So I suggest you put a candle in front of your mouth when practicing your voice, and try to keep the candle from shaking while practicing! This way your Qi will remain in your body for a longer period of time. Think about it, do you hold it in for a long time by exhaling all the time, or hold it in and hold it in for a long time? Of course, this also requires the singer to relax and not be nervous. When you are nervous, your heart beats faster and your breath becomes even more unstable.
I can only say so much here, these are all based on perception. However, I would like to remind you that voice training is the basis for singing pop songs. Do not use voice training methods to perform pop songs directly. That will be too artificial, and you will be like Yan Weiwen singing "nothing".
As for the use of voice in popular songs, my point of view is that as long as it fits the artistic conception of the song, it is okay to shout or break, but these are absolutely prohibited in bel canto, so we have to learn from each other's strengths, because we are not for We practice bel canto to sing bel canto. We practice bel canto in order to sing popular songs well, just like martial arts requires practicing horse stance. Have you ever seen someone squatting on horse stance during a fight?
Some friends said that this kind of expression is difficult to understand. If you want me to tell you who among the pop singers has a clear breath, it is easier to understand based on your feelings. This is also an effective method. Personally, I think that female singers should listen more to "Zhang Huimei", she has a naturally transparent breath; male singers should listen more to "Man Wenjun", he really relies on breath to sing. In addition, Jacky Cheung The atmosphere is very good, but for teaching, Man Wenjun is more suitable.
Treble
This is a question my friends like to ask the most, because in their words, the treble is "striking enough", haha! Let me add again, good singing needs to take into account many aspects. It cannot be said that the higher the treble, the better the singing. Indeed, good treble can add power to the climax of the song, but I advise friends not to only know the value of treble and ignore the mid-bass. In fact, the full mid-bass is also very contagious.
When singing high notes, the breath must be based on the lower abdomen and Dantian. The "Dantian Qi" in Beijing accent also refers to this vocal position.
Looking for feelings 1: If you were a girl and suddenly there was a mouse on your shoes, what would you do? It is estimated that there will be a long "ah~" sound, and there will also be a "false voice" sound position. After you calm down, if you "Ah~" you look at it for a moment, most of the time you won't be able to "Ah" again. Why? Because the moment you receive the fright, your lower abdomen is tense (think about the feeling of being frightened, are the muscles in the whole body tense?). Because of this foundation and a strong airflow (understandable) It smells like singing), it goes straight to the throat, it's strange that the voice is not high. Therefore, you can interpret the feeling of hitting a high note as "tension" and "invigoration". Remember, everything is based on the lower abdomen. To sing a high note is not to raise your head and pull it up, but to feel the rebound force of the center of gravity downward.
Feeling 2: Have you ever seen a rubber water pipe? What should I do if I want the water in the water pipe to surge further? Tighten the front end of the water pipe. If the gap is small, the pressure will increase and the water will rush farther. In fact, high notes do not necessarily have to be very loud. Some singers sing very loudly when they sing high notes. We say that they are singing with strength and lung capacity, not with breath and skills. If you imagine the faucet theory, you should be able to understand some truth.
Look for the feeling 3: There is a big stone on the ground, lift it up. You bend down and count in your mouth: "One, two, three, go..." I think you must have used your breath for the word "go". I won’t say more, just feel it, there is something heavy around you... Haha! These are just some methods I created to let you feel the breath. They are informal, but very effective.
I would also like to tell you that the ability to express high notes is related to the condition of your own voice. If you have a naturally high voice, it is a great advantage. For example, "Sun Nan" is a typical high voice, and the performance of high notes will not be so strenuous. . Singers with poor voice conditions must rely on a lot of breath and methods, but no matter whether the voice condition is good or not, the sound is sung through breath, just like a cigarette passing through a filter, and the sound will be more beautiful if it is filtered.
In addition, I also tell you a psychological method. When you hit a high note, imagine that you are singing in front of the vast sea, and you can't see the sea and sky. Isn't this kind of scenery worthy of your shouting?
Mid-bass
Mid-bass should generally be full and soulful. But just like the treble, many people lack the sound of the mid-bass. Bass can only be reflected by the chest cavity and broad voice structure, and it is relatively congenital. Based on my experience, it is very difficult to practice a voice that cannot reach a lower bass level. It would be good to be able to go down a few steps. If you must record a song with rich bass, if you record it directly in the morning without brushing your teeth or washing your face, the sound will drop a lot. Therefore, people who lack mid-bass should try to avoid such songs and use their strengths to avoid weaknesses. Similarly, people with rich mid-bass must give full play to their potential. Singing well in mid-bass is very charming!
When singing bass, you need to relax your chest and throat. Sighing can intensify some vocal sounds. If it is really low, you can add some breath to produce oral vocal sounds, which will make the sound richer. But no matter what, people with naturally strong voices have much more room to express themselves.
Singing alto should be polished more, including articulating words and breathing, which is aesthetic. Of course, this is related to feeling the singing skills. Listen more to "Tsai Qin" for alto.
Overall and style
Many singers only pay attention to the details of sentences and sentences, and put the detailed unit of singing on the "sentence" instead of the entire song.
Draw an undulating line throughout the song, and you will know where to be low-key and where to be high-pitched. Take a higher view, just like the sense of position on the football field. How can you effectively coordinate long-pass attacks by focusing on the local area?
Don’t talk about style unless you have a certain level of strength. In the early stage of a singer, I agree with imitating, but don’t be single-minded. Sing more songs by singers of various styles, and you can master some initial experience of singing, singing and breath. This is a good thing. When you mature, you can add your own It’s a matter of course to practice your voice, gain insights, and then discover your own style.
Singing requires investment, but the investment must be at a certain level. It does not require you to put in "hard" or be overly sad or joyful. On the basis of understanding the meaning of the words, you can put in a measured amount. For example, there are some words similar to: "...How can you let me be sad...", I have seen people singing in extreme pain, which is not contagious, but feels funny. But I have also seen a friend who was really lovelorn singing this song at karaoke. His face was expressionless and he sang very calmly, his voice was vicissitudes of life, and the helplessness and loneliness conveyed in the singing infected everyone present. I think this is just the right balance, and there is no need to cry. But how many people can perform this well at any time? This depends on the singer’s musical experience.
Let me give you another example: when imitating a singer, some friends unconsciously exaggerate the characteristics of the star. For example, when imitating Jacky Cheung, they will over-press their throat to make that weird, thick voice. (One of Jacky Cheung’s early characteristics at that time seems to be rare now); when imitating Leslie Cheung, he would exaggerate his big tongue-like smacking sound behind his back; when imitating Faye Wong, it is even more funny. The strange tongue-tied sound. In fact, if you listen carefully to the original song, it's not that exaggerated. I once heard a friend of mine sing who sounded very much like Jacky Cheung. Every time he sang Jacky Cheung's songs, he was not sure of the right tone. Later, I persuaded him to be more authentic, so that he sounded more like the original singer. In fact, sometimes the beholder knows better, and it would be helpful to ask more friends for their opinions.
In addition, people with rich emotions sing better than people with dull emotions. To resonate with the emotions in the song also requires the singer to have rich life experience. The more you experience, the more you understand.
Douyin
This is something that many friends are pursuing, haha! I think it’s not professional or cool enough without vibrato. As everyone knows, vibrato is just a way of expression in songs. Can't you sing well without vibrato?
Vibrato is essentially the vibration caused by the powerful airflow hitting the back of the mouth and nasal cavity when performing a song with breath, and the pressure of the breath given by the lower abdomen creates airflow. I don't agree that pop music must use such a rigid method to produce vibrato. Some singers "make" vibrato by shaking their Adam's apple (Andy Lau) and tightening and relaxing their throats (Xinzhe Zhang). These are little tricks or a style, but in many of the climaxes they also have the vibrato of powerful airflow. So, again, the breath is fundamental. When you use your breath, the impact of airflow will naturally produce vibrato. For pop songs, there are some low-key parts where you don’t need to focus on the breath like singing folk songs. Sometimes it is like a whisper, sometimes like a helpless sigh, and there will be no strong airflow to support your vibrato. At this time, You need to use some small skills to modify your tail. I think the vibrato performance of pop songs does not rely entirely on the breath. Sometimes it is not a bad idea to shake the Adam's apple and control the sound in the throat, as long as the whole thing is within the atmosphere of the song. Just don't be affected.
If friends who don’t have vibrato are determined to salivate over vibrato, let’s start by imitating it – imitating an ambulance call. Funny, right? This is just a method of self-examination without a vocal teacher around. It is certainly not a regular vocal practice.
Make the "Woo" glide in sequence (slightly faster) and let you feel the shaking of your Adam's apple. Slowly change the pronunciation of "Woo" into the pronunciation of "Uh huh", and then slowly change it to "Uh huh". The pronunciation becomes "you~", and then sing some songs that end with "you"... Haha, this is just a way of vibrato to feel the vibration of the Adam's apple, which is different from the breath sound. I'm sure the vocal teacher will be pissed off after seeing it! But everything needs to be done step by step and slowly figured out. You might as well give it a try.
Finally, let me express my opinion again. If we take a higher view, the singing method that emphasizes vibrato was popular during this historical period. Maybe in five years' time, the singing method that emphasizes vibrato will no longer be popular. Why bother with no vibrato? Although vibrato can effectively enhance the atmosphere of a song and is deep and penetrating, I would also like to listen to some simple and pure sounds. So, just sing with your heart, maybe you will be more distinctive