How can you stop your voice from sounding whiney?

Question:I don't take lessons, but once I get the money I will. I like to sing showtunes and that stuff. well, anyways, when ever I record myself to hear how I sound, I sound really whiney. (btw: I'm an alto, and 14, if you needed to know.) I sound good in my head, and people say I'm good. But I want to be able to sound decent to myself. If that makes any sense. Is there anything I can do?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I don't take lessons, but once I get the money I will. I like to sing showtunes and that stuff. well, anyways, when ever I record myself to hear how I sound, I sound really whiney. (btw: I'm an alto, and 14, if you needed to know.) I sound good in my head, and people say I'm good. But I want to be able to sound decent to myself. If that makes any sense. Is there anything I can do?

good to hear that you want to take lessons! there are so many questions posted here on " how can I get better without lessons?" and the answer is, you can't.
Taking singing lessons teaches you about yourself. learning about ourselves takes a whole lifetime, anyways, doesn't it? Might as well learn some of the fringe benefits ( singing) during that time.
A very simple thing that might help the whine. Get a big enough mirror that you can see your whole head in, and take it to a place where there's good light, next to the window. Open your mouth wide, and inspect the "back wall" of your mouth. You'll see the uvula hanging down, and perhaps a bit of your tonsils peeping up from below ( if you still have them, that is) As much as you can, watch what happens when you yawn. you may not be able to see all of it.... But especially, look for the part where that uvula stretches up and nearly disappears into the roof of your mouth. Okay, now that you've had the yawn ( hard to stop it, I know) watch again, and mimic the opening part of the
yawn. You should be able to get the uvula to do its trick again. This time, by your wish. or voluntarily.
The uvula is connected to a piece of muscle know as the soft palate. When the soft palate is left inactive during singing, the sound coming up from your larynx ( voice box) takes a detour and goes straight into your nose, hence, the whiny sound. Try arching up your soft palate while singing, now that you know you can do this thing. By keeping the soft palate elevated, the sound stream continues out through your mouth, and the sound is already better.
If you are in doubt, while singing, gently pinch your nostrils shut. If the reultant sound is nasal, well, try again. if your sound keeps on flowing while holding your nose shut, that means the soft palate is up and active. this is something that your future singing teacher will bring up. it is one of the ways of telling who's had training and who hasn't: people who have learned to use the soft palate effectively are much more aware that it takes a lot more than just opening your mouth, putting your heart into it and letting sound out to sing well.
Best wishes and keep on singing

Take singing lessons.

What i do is mimic a certain voice or musician that I admire. Listen to a certain artist you prefer and try to sing along in their tone of voice. =)

maybe it's just because your young and still growing into your voice. or maybe it's because (sorry but i've never heard you) your voice sucks and everyones lying to you to be nice.

you definitely need lessons but try singing lower or it could also be your recorder making you sound like that if it ais not a good quality recorder. It could also be your natural voice and sometimes it can't be fixed without surgery.

Lessons will be beneficial when you get the time and money if you want to go far in the vocal field.

But for now, it's simply because you're young. Give your voice some time to develop, but keep singing! If you want to make a career out of it, don't imitate someone else's voice. Make your music your own!

Best of luck!

reader is 100% wrong. NEVER mimic a musician. You will always end up looking like a wannabe. Toy around with some different styles and tones until you come up with something YOU like. All the music you perform should be for you and no one else.