Practicing Singing - How Long? Help!?
 

:band:

My friends and I have started a band, and I'm replacing the last singer they had, which was a tenor, and I am a bass. My band myspace link is @ myspace com . /godsblack45 .

We have been practicing a bunch, but I have been trying to get better at learning and recreating the songs and sounding good. Now our guitarist is pretty crazy and whacked out, he pretty much wants me to sound exactly like the last singer, Dan. He's also set on everyone practicing - especially me five hours a day. Now I've been doing some research online lately, and I've found out it's not good whatsoever to practice extensively for that long.

I've even read that it's better to practice for 20 minutes a day correctly, than hours at a time not really knowing what you are doing, or singing the wrong way.

I've been going to vocal lessons lately, and I've been getting a bit better, and even my vocal coach told me that I am improving a good deal. I asked my vocal coach how long I should practice and he said an hour a day is plenty sufficient. But, again I tell our guitarist (which is pretty much the idea behind the band) that I should only practice around an hour a day, and not try to throw my voice out and novices don't need that amount of practice.

I'm just looking for advice, any comments would be greatly appreciated. I would just like to know about how long I should practice, especially for me being a bass and wanting to sound higher and clearer and hitting the notes properly. And if it's even humanly possible.

A couple of my sources were:

-I could'nt post my sources because I can't post URL's yet - But PM me for them if you would like. They were just on yahoo answers, dummies.com, and some other vocal sites that were talking about singing practice

Like I said before, I've been taking lessons, but I want to know if it's even worth it to put my time and money into this when it's going to take years and years to perfect when we are trying to get this up and running very soon.

Thanks again.

Sorry if this is the wrong forum, I didn't know which really to post it in.

Tell your guitarist to quit being a control freak asshole and people who know more than him say otherwise. You're just going to lose your voice if you practice for five hours a day and the forcing yourself to sing after that is just going to damage your vocal cords.

the fact that you feel it necessary to state this is cause for concern. like SJFD says, you're guitar player is a control freak. if he wants you to sound like the other guy you're being setup as a scapegoat. have you had any gigs yet? $20 says that regardless of how the first one goes he throws a temper tantrum and blames everyone else in the band / or you get booted.

besides, from the mp3s on that site it sounds like an angry teenager trying too hard to be controversial while ripping off the pixies - poorly.

thanks for the replies guys, I appreciate it.

Well its a muscle - you got to work out. For me...its taken years to get better - simple by virtue that my ears have gotten better with tones the longer I've listened/played music whereas some of my friends seemed to naturally have it.

Just yawn everytime he attempts a guitar solo

you have to attack the music with your own style in your comfort zone. You should warm up vocally but all within your respected range, if you stay outside of your comfort zone for a long period of time you can do serious damage as mentioned by some in this thread. New singer = new style, so I say either write new songs or make the old songs work for you. If the guitarist doesn't approve, tough ****.