u/backdoorbitch

I'm not black/white/American but I love this song and I practice it more than most. I even posted a recording here singing it in my bedroom (https://www.reddit.com/r/singing/s/M3qDTyg8hy) though it didn't really get feedback.

Is it okay to sing it given its lyrics? Definitely don't mean to besmirch it in any way

Might be a newbie question.

I record myself to track progress and hear how I really sound. I noticed that when my phone is a few inches away from me (like how far you would hold a phone when using it), I sound pretty bad. But when I turn the volume to max or put it near my ear, I sound about 2-3x better. Anyone else?

Doesn't matter what I'm singing, how loudly I'm singing it, I always sound better when the recording is loud / through a mic than through a recording device.

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The part of my voice I dislike the most is its "stuffy" quality, like I have a clogged nose. I attributed this to not having my soft palate high enough (mostly only true when singing contemporary songs), but when I pinch my nose the tone doesn't really change (except for nasal sounds), implying that the air doesn't really enter the nose when it doesn't need to.

Listening back, I realized that my voice leans so dark and unbalanced with lightness that it \*sounds\* nasal. I looked it up and it says it could be due to "over-opening" and "pharyngeal darkness", as well as the lack of forward resonance— all things I've been told I have issues with.

What do you think? What could be the fix for this? If you need a practical example, my account has clips of my singing for your reference. I still don't really know what to make of this.

When I sing I almost always sound like I have a stuffy nose. I have audio clips on my profile for reference. I found that keeping the soft palate raised lessens this quality, but it's still so obvious and it sounds like I'm sick. Help?

I'm 20M and have not received formal lessons. I see a lot that singing classically (particularly opera) is something you grow into and not for the untrained voice. I've also been told that my voice in particular would probably continue to change and settle in my thirties and forties.

So then, what do young classical singers do before their voice is ripe? I take it that they develop the fundamentals first, improve on exercises, and sing beginner repertoire, but is that really it for years?

I used to believe that I could never sing, and how I was just going to have to get used to never liking the sound of my voice.

But things really started speeding up one year ago and so much progress was made. Now I'm able to hear myself and not absolutely hate myself for how I sound. I learned so much and I'm still continuing to learn. I'm so proud of how much progress I made in a year, it still feels so surreal.

I used to think that I'd be perfectly fine with just being "decent." But now I know that I can definitely go past that, and I really want to! I've never wanted to sing and learn as much as I am right now.

I'm excited for the future.

And for how long?

Yesterday I tried out an old mic/amp set and found myself sounding better than I usually do in recordings..Note though that I didn't record myself at all, just used the speaker sound as feedback.

Anyway, I even found myself resorting to old habits. Some breathiness, maybe less support, etc. since I was amplified anyway. Even so I sounded better or just as good as when I record myself.

Singing bel canto taught me that I have to sound good with just my own power, but when I tested out that mic for a few hours I don't know what this says about me anymore.

Hi, as of now I haven't really focused on raising the ceiling because I had a lot more fundamental problems. Now that I'm making progress at them though, I would like to try training/practicing to expand my range upwards.

Context: I enter head voice at around F3 and my highest comfortable pitch is C4. Above that takes more / falsetto. I have recordings on my profile in case an audio reference helps. I'm also concerned that I transition to head voice so low, and am looking to address that via this.

I've never really done this before so how fast can I expect results if I practice every day? Got any tips for me as I do this? Your input is very appreciated.

Edit: Corrected a typo. I enter head voice at F3 and highest comfortable is C4.

https://voca.ro/13ku1AA0d98R

Not acting so far, but narrating in just one take in my natural, regular cadence. In other words just my voice as it is.

I have so many questions, and I'm also learning how to sing and develop my voice so I need all the help I can get. Here's what I wanna ask:

• What does my voice sound like? What qualities does it have?

• Do I sound low energy? I struggle with projection, even in singing

• Do I sound gay? I've gotten this one a few times but it's been a long time ago. Just wanna know for transparency.

I appreciate all the advice/help I can get. Please do consider commenting if you have thoughts — thank you.

Edit: English is not my first language

I have such a big issue with projection. Not only is my voice naturally quiet (audible in my recordings on my account), but all this time I've also been recording with the phone about 10 inches to my face. Doesn't sound right.

How far do you place your phone when recording?

Does fixing core closure solve projection issues, or does it only support it? What should I target if I can't project as much asI should?

Received this feedback several times and I never consciously noticed until people pointed it out.

When I watch videos on YouTube of teachers demonstrating weak vs strained vs balanced cord closure, they seem so exaggerated, so I don't see the road forward as clearly. As in I don't know what I should sound like - maybe it will only click once I get it?

Been told that in my case it's weak and causes my sound to be too quiet/weak. Would appreciate your insights.