How to Break a Glass with Your Voice
The cassette tape company Memorex seared the image of Ella Fitzgerald shattering a glass with her voice into many people’s collective memory in a television commercial that ran in the 1980s. With the right tools, good pitch, and a strong voice (or an amplifier), you can do this at home.
- Put on Safety Goggles to protect your eyes when the glass shatters. Use ear protection to protect your ears.
- Plug your microphone into an amplifier.
- Turn on your microphone and turn the volume on your amplifier to a high level.
- Place a crystal glass (see Tips) right in front of the speaker of the amplifier.
- Tap the glass and listen carefully to the ringing sound. You can also moisten your finger and rub the tip along the rim until the glass hums. Make note of this pitch and use it as a starting point in the next step. Read more
How to Sing Karaoke with Confidence
Here’s how to sing karaoke with confidence in 11 steps.
- So does Renee Grant-Williams. She’s a singing coach for some, oh, pretty good singers like Faith Hill and the Dixie Chicks. But it doesn’t mean she doesn’t know how to help the vocally challenged among us.
- “Hey, why don’t you get up and sing one next?” someone yells. Suddenly all eyes turn toward you and someone hands you the microphone. Your mind turns to jelly. Your knees go weak. Sure, you sing along with your favorite songs on the radio, but in front of everyone?
- It’s only natural to have a pang of anxiety any time you’re in the spotlight. But singing with karaoke isn’t about giving a perfect performance. It’s about having fun with your friends. People want to hear you. If they wanted to hear Alicia Keys, they’d buy the CD. Besides, what’s the worst thing that can happen? The worst thing that can happen is that you sit there and don’t even try. A potential karaoke moment may be lurking anywhere—at a dance, a wedding reception, or a Sweet Sixteen party—so why not be prepared?
- Here are some tips straight from Renee that will help make you shine the next time you’re in the spotlight:
- Pick two or three of your favorite songs to learn. Choose well-known songs that are in your range. Can you reach the high notes without screaming? Can you reach the low notes? Make sure the melody is easy to hum and that you can feel the rhythm easily. Learn the melody and study it as thoroughly as you would study any other subject. Record yourself and listen back. Taking time to write out all the words will help you memorize them quickly. Read more
How to Confirm Your Voice Range
When singing a song out of your range, you may find yourself straining to sing some notes. Use this guide to figure out what songs are in your range.
- Use an accompanist and a recently tuned piano to identify the top and bottom pitches. The person sitting in front of the piano needs good ears to be able to tell whether or not you are hitting the right notes. It is very difficult to tell where your own voice is without training. Also, keep in mind that you must trust what your friend/pianist is telling you. If they say ‘you’re not hitting that last note right’, then you’re really not hitting it.
- Sing the first five notes of the D-major scale going up and down, using the words, “one-two-three-four-five-four-three-two-one.” Or an alternative (to learn the scale degrees rather than just singing nonsense); “one, two, three, four, five, six, sev, eight” (Sev being short for seven)
- Breathe deeply and be relaxed. Sing the same pitches on “me-oh-my-oh-meee-oh-my-oh-meeee.” Hold the top and the final pitch. Be at ease. Read more