Coaxing a good performance!

[Flat Fifth Fury]

Here's a tip: Singer Leonard Cohen's producer used to encourage him to be more expressive during tracking by saying things like "More emotion or I'll fucking kill you!" while holding a gun to Leonards head.

Just a thought, ya know!

 

[Glenn Fricker]

I'm fortunate enough to have a cousin that's an opera soprano... Her advice: stay off dairy food for a week before performing vocals. No milk, cheese, etc. When finished, celebrate by going out for pizza. Another good idea, stay away from caffiene as well. When tracking, stick with warm water or green tea. Never, and I repeat NEVER, drink anything cold. It'll tense up the muscles.

Another thing, I'll usually let vocalists borrow my copy of "the Zen of Screaming" a few weeks before tracking begins. This usually helps big time.... ...I learned the hard way: I started working with one dude & things didn't go so well. I gave him a week off & let him borrow the video. 1 week later, he came back & it was like working with a completely different vocalist. Highly recommended!

 

[Polpotkin]

Yeah, you hear that Lemmy?

 

[ThatGuitarGuy]

Yeah, I'm surprised milk worked lol...I was always told not to have dairy...it phlems up everything..

 

[Sinister Mephisto]

Yeah, I'm surprised milk worked lol...I was always told not to have dairy...it phlems up everything..

Actually it may do other things to your voice, but I remember a study that scientifically proved that it didn't cause extra phlem, it's entirely placebo effect, EXPECTING phlem. I should try the no diary thing though. To see what it DOES do. Good thread.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I'm fortunate enough to have a cousin that's an opera soprano... Her advice: stay off dairy food for a week before performing vocals. No milk, cheese, etc. When finished, celebrate by going out for pizza. Another good idea, stay away from caffiene as well. When tracking, stick with warm water or green tea. Never, and I repeat NEVER, drink anything cold. It'll tense up the muscles.

Another thing, I'll usually let vocalists borrow my copy of "the Zen of Screaming" a few weeks before tracking begins. This usually helps big time.... ...I learned the hard way: I started working with one dude & things didn't go so well. I gave him a week off & let him borrow the video. 1 week later, he came back & it was like working with a completely different vocalist. Highly recommended!

My GF is a opera singer too. She is currently looking for grad schools. Her diet is so much better than my pizza wings soda one. But on the flip side I don't take singing seriously as I am not a serious singer (I am not horrible by any means I just don't do it like frontmen do!).