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The Mystery Date posted:What can I improve on? You "say sing" a lot. Your talking voice and your singing voice should be different entities. Am I saying that people can't have unique, special snowflake affectation heavy voices? Of course not. What I am saying is that people should have a more technical foundation to start from and build from and ultimately deviate from if they so choose. For you (and many people) it is turning diphthongs too early. If you suspend almost any word (i.e. "holding a long note") it should rest on a classical vowel. Ah, eh, ee, oh, or oo, all of which are tall and open and close to ahh. Only when the word ends should the diphthong be turned. Let's take the Whitney Houston song, I Will Always Love You. The word "I" is actually two diphthongs. Ah-yee. Slur them together and you get "I". When Whitney opens, she sings "and ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh---yee-ahhhh, will always love you..." So when she's holding the note, she's sitting on ahh, a classical vowel. (Forget the terminal ahh in that, she's just being a diva) Now in your song, you sing something like "ten years ago, on a cold da-ark night" This is you. Teh-ayne yeers ah goh, oh nah koh-oold da urk nah eet. What you want to do is hold the pure vowel sounds more, minimize any unneeded diphthongs, and elide your consonents. It should be sung more like Teh nyehs ah goh, oh nah koh-oh 'ldnah--t. You're almost always moving the last consonant of the first word onto the next word so that you spend most if not all your time on a really beautiful, full, rich classical vowel. It may feel a bit stuffy at times. Like you're singing like an uptight Englishman. But trust me, starting this way sounds way better than "say singing" which is incredibly amateur sounding. Then, when you have a good foundation about keeping your vowels tall and classical, you can start to deviate and be stylish with it. "That the killer who ran..." You're like: that the killerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr whorrrrrrrrrrrrrrran" Reign it in a little. Tha t'thah kih-lah who rah--n No need to make the R's so R'ry. "Word" is wuhhhhhh--d not werrrrrrrrrrd.
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May 7, 2010 07:50
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RobattoJesus posted:I've not recorded anything for quite some time and had the whole "drat, my voice isn't as good as I think it is" moment when I was doing the vocals for my Rockstar entry: You have a lot of potential! The beginning sounds a bit... I running out of words. Like HULK SMASH! Your attacks aren't as clean as they should be. Make sure you take deep, easy breaths. Sometimes when you get louder, your pitch wobbles. Like your tonal center isn't as steady. Ground conTROL to Major Tom... No need to stress the TROL in control. It's in an awkward position anyway. It's a downbeat, it has a natural stress. But that's not how you say control in American English. So just leave it the way it is. Sing through the word, don't smash it. One thing that sticks out is you're singing mezzoforte like the whole time (at least in the first half). Try to experiment with phrasing and dynamics. Higher highs (not too high), and lower lows. Every musical line has a destination. An arc and a direction if you will. THIS IS ground control to... No smashy.  You've really made the grade... Try to reduce the number of vowels in grade. Strike gr, get right to the ehhh and then turn it at the very end. Who's shirts you're... Whoooooo shirts not whoshhhh irts. The capsule line is "a bit pitchy, dawg". SHE KNOWS!  Some lines are really beautiful. I'd say your performance variance is a bit too much but when you get it it's so nice to listen to.  Overall you need more grace to your singing. You already to a good job most of the time. But you're adding stress when there doesn't need to be any. Just start with a nice big breath and sing.
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May 7, 2010 08:05
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MAD pitchy... Unnecessary swipes, lack of phrasing, breath control, etc. My advice, learn how to breath properly, sing taller, classical vowels, and learn to sing a cleaner version of that song with way, way less swipes. I have a really hard time believing that you have a powerful voice. There are so many fundamental errors. If you sang a simpler version of that song, or any other song really, with the right breath control, that would fix the pitchiness. And that would be a good place to start. But you have a long way to go to "powerful".
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May 7, 2010 23:36
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Popcorn, don't be so hard on yourself. The second recording was much more clear than the first and besides the funky accidentals near the end you're largely on pitch! Two things that would help everyone out immensely since a lot of you are doing the same thing. 1) STOP. SLIDING. I know, it's fun for everyone. But right now, it's like amateurs 101. Sing discrete pitches and stop sliding. Sliding is what the pros do and they're pros for a reason. Sliding is like a Lvl 20 technique and you're only Lvl 3. Stop it. You're sacrificing clarity and pitch for an effect that is doing more to harm your credibility than it is milking a phrase. I would rather listen to an on-pitch straight singer than a amateur who thinks it's diva night. Stop. Sliding. 2) Try a vowels only run. Doesn't matter the song. Let's take the National Anthem. Original: O'er the la-and of the free! And the home of the brave! Vowels: Oh ah ah-h ah ah ee! Eh ah oh ah ah eh! Elided: Oh tha lah-ah 'ndah vthah free! Eh nthah hoh mah vthah breh-v. The technique you use between a vowels run and an elided run should be like 99% the same. The only change is you're throwing in consonants to make the words intelligible. The key here is holding and sustaining pure vowels instead of running to the end of a word or a consonant which isn't musically pretty. The idea here is if someone froze you at any point in the song at random, you would be holding a classical vowel. And it would sound amazing. Sing every note like you're going to hold it forever. Example: Run is sang as Ruh-n. Ruhhhhhhhhhh-n. Not runnnnnnnnnnnnn. Notice how pinched and retarded singing that n sound is (provided you're not going for a special effect or something advanced). You want to milk every note over the vowel, not the consonant, hence the vowels-only exercise. Your vowels only run is the foundation of your normal singing.
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May 9, 2010 00:40
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Well it does sound like you're singing at the top of your range. Are you sticking your neck out at all when you sing like that? If you do you shouldn't be doing that. Ideally, you should be attacking a note from the top, downward, even high notes. In your internal visualization, if you're "reaching" for a note, that's bad. Don't strain. A slide would be the word "bleeding" in your second recording. It's blee--dehn. Not bleeeeaaayduhinnn... Two seperate pitches, not a gliss or a slide through all the micro pitches in between. Think piano keys and not a trombone. Trombones slide, pianos can't. An accidental is any sharp or flat. In this case I meant any note that deviates from whatever major scale the piece is in. So that's usually any key changes or fancy chords. The "black keys on the piano" in C major, if you will.
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May 9, 2010 01:06
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Accidental is the technical term. I think you hit some out of key pitches under in both recordings. Under or awkwardly. Own the chord!
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May 9, 2010 01:47
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Largely on pitch, which is great. Nice range, harmonies, etc. Bad. There are some random points (very few actually) that you don't hit the notes cleanly. I'm sure you can tell. Why not do a new take? You're pinching your sound by turning to an R sound too early. R like a pirate. Arrrrrr. "You left in angerrrrrrrrr... Sssssssssay I believe herrrrrrrrrrrrrrr." Anguh. Huh. And it's really funny, you may be eliding too much! Between phrases (it depends) you don't want to elide your consonants. You actually want a break in the sound to signify a break in the phrease. If two four measure sets are part of a larger phrase, you elide. But if one eight measure section is one verse or thought, that eight measures should end in a lift or breath or silence. Careful with your attacks, particularly your S or maybe even T. Don't hisssss through an S. Hit the consonant quickly and run to the vowel. "It's not tomorrow" currently sounds like "It's not tsumorrow". The vocals sound very legato and buttery and flat compared to the track. I think it should be more dynamic and more punctuated. More contrast. Right now everything sounds sort of the same and boring and just kind of bleh... It needs to be more present, more forward. Definitely more... "acting" I guess. Sing like you're telling a story, like you're having a conversation with someone. It just happens to be a very beautiful conversation. Right now, visually, you're like a steady stream, like a flat line. You need peaks and valleys and drama in your sound. Regarding the mix... I wish the instrumentals were dialed back. It sounds like it's overpowering you. Triple Tech fucked around with this message at 23:23 on May 13, 2010 |
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May 13, 2010 12:06
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Generally too much affectation and not enough foundation. There are multiple places where you aren't really owning the pitch and you're just sort of singing around a note. You should concentrate on singing everything as discrete tones and then later stylize them, but not at the sacrifice of the tone of the note. It sounds kinda breathy. And some of the phrasing/interpretation is kinda weird.
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May 17, 2010 06:04
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Pedricko posted:I suppose I'd like more 'body' behind my voice? I know that a better mic would help, but especially live, my voice seems to get lost in the mix. Any tips? You're not a trained singer, right? It doesn't sound like it. You need to hold actual pitches and for longer. Right now it's very hokey dokey sing songy and you don't have a steady tonal center. You're mostly say-singing your way through the piece. Only on the longest most dramatic notes do we hear some actual singing. And you need to be doing that all the way through. If you ever see someone, particularly a thin/young female perform the National Anthem, notice how when they hit the lowest notes in the song, it sounds completely different. All the high notes sound beautiful and sustained while the low notes sound similar to their speaking voice. That's really bad. That's essentially what you're doing. You're not committing to the actual act of singing enough. You need to own and sing the song, instead of just singing along with it. Vocal lessons. Near the end, when you say "it's a small... crime" it's super, super obvious what's lacking. Triple Tech fucked around with this message at 04:54 on May 20, 2010 |
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May 20, 2010 04:49
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Hmm hmm, mixed bag! The second Veil definitely sounds like you're "singing" more. The first one sounds so hokey dokey in comparison. But the bad news is the pitch problems are more apparent. You're doing a great job sustaining notes on better vowels, but you just have to make sure you're supported and in tune. She's Got a Way was better pitch wise, but you're dropping the ball on something. Imagine if you will firing a rocket across a football field. Or a parabola in math, same thing. See how it makes a beautiful, natural arc. It's smooth and gradual, and there are no interruptions. That's what you want the majority of your 8 measure phrases so sound like. Like an arc. Something with an apex and a destination. In She's Got a Way, you start each phrase sorta good, and by the end, you're dropping the ball. The rocket is smashing into a wall. And you're not letting the arc finish beautifully. Anything you start you have to finish equally well. You can't just "say sing" the end of phrases. You work hard throughout to make it sound beautiful, from beginning to end. I say whatever delta/change/work you put into making Veil sound different, do that even more. Keep that as the foundation of your technique/sound. And then deviate from it once you've got it down. And be mindful of staying on pitch for sustained notes (all notes, really). But you're doing great! Keep working at it!
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May 28, 2010 05:42
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99% of everything that's wrong can be solved with proper breath support, as AriTheDog pointed out. Your sustained notes are mad pitchy/flat. And as I was mentioning to before, it doesn't sound very musical. It sounds so breathy. Like your singing is done from the neck up with weakness and tension. Which is the complete opposite of what should be happening. Singing should come from deep within, from your diaphragm. You're trying to produce the "loudest", maximum amount of sound with the least amount of air. Right now you have very poor efficiency. You're expending a lot of air for very little sound, and that's where that breathy quality comes from. I don't know how to communicate this over text... Maybe try this, imitate an opera singer, like for comedy option. You have this big, rounded tone and you fill your stomach with air. Consequently, that's how real singing is done, but just not as comically. It needs to be as supported as that big opera singer dude. You don't hear air coming out of singers mouths (minus when the special effect calls for it). Your musicality will grow leaps and bounds once you find out how to support your sound. Edit: Things that help enable a clear sound. Stand up straight, one foot in front of the other, knees slightly bent. Pretend there's a pole through your entire body, keeping everything straight like you're a stick of meat on a BBQ. Raise your hands and arms above your head and that will elevate the rib cage. Lower your arms but don't lower your chest. Keep it up and open. Release any tension in your shoulders/mouth/face/etc. Keep water near by. I prefer to sing on an empty stomach. None of these things are directly related to your problem but they help reduce variation and afford consistency in your production. Triple Tech fucked around with this message at 20:02 on May 28, 2010 |
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May 28, 2010 19:57
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Porcupine Hunted posted:Well, I've been lurking in the musician's lounge for a while now - mostly due to spending more and more time playing music/singing. AriTheDog already touched on this. You need to sing your vowels longer and your consonants shorter. And elide (detailed elsewhere in this thread). Regarding your pitch, you sound fine. I'd actually tune you back up since the lower ranges sound kind of homogenous and boring (happens to many people, myself included). By the way, the word "father" is never sung "fah THURRRRRRRRR". It's "fah thuh".
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Jun 6, 2010 22:55
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Veggie Patties posted:The feedback in this thread is pretty interesting and helpful. I'd like to learn to sing better, so it would be awesome if you could apply your ears to this singing sample of mine and tell me how I can improve. It just needs to be more classical. Taller, clearer. More vowels, more consonants. Like the word "thing" is more "thih" and less "INNNNGGG". The NG doesn't come until the very very end of the note. Some of your pickups into phrases are not as strong as the middle of the phrase. The phrase should have a good attack, all the way through to the end. And I think I heard some awkward breathes. Don't breathe in the middle of a musical phrase.
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Jun 6, 2010 23:00
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Mitthrawnuruodo posted:As for a contribution, I'd like to offer up a song I wrote last year. I know there's problems with it (the line 'past the city...' is particularly embarrassing), but I think there's plenty about it that works well. Trouble is, I'm not sure how to go about improving it, and I'm currently very strapped for cash so a teacher isn't much of an option. Hmm, touch and go. I like it a lot. But you're not really owning all of the key changes and accidentals. Musically, they're great. But sometimes it takes you too long to tune. Or the vocal phrase leads into the key change earlier than the arpeggios, so it sounds wrong. Also in general, some of the sustained notes just sound pitchy. Know the upcoming key and own it! Also, on your crescendos on "we stay", it sounds like you're muscling your way through the dynamic. I'd rather have a more beautiful growth than you being like OH poo poo FORTE TIME. Same advice as nearly everyone in this thread, it wouldn't hurt to be more tall, more clear, more classical.
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Jun 6, 2010 23:06
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I like the recording. It's so clear! But I feel bad. You get the same advice as everyone else. Because I think it goes so far! More classical. Taller vowels. The right vowels. You do so many things right. And nothing really sticks out as horribly wrong. Except for the few times you hold the wrong vowel or make an R stick out. Classical vowels sound way more beautiful and are less prone to "say singing", which sounds hokey, as I've mentioned many times before.I feel like I need to give a seminar or something on how to sing classically... But you did good! I liked it. PS - I love your range, it sounds so nice. But the beginning sounds a bit schmaltzy at times... But still good overall!
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Jun 7, 2010 22:58
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Pigstomper posted:Honestly this recording makes it impossible to critique you. It's so affected and hidden away by the other instruments. Also, it sounds a bit homogenous compared to the other textures. It took my a while to even notice someone was singing, I thought it was another instrument. If you really want some pointers, isolate the vocal (ehhh) or choose another song/recording (yes).
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Jun 8, 2010 03:31
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General notes. You're doin great!!! You need a more classical "ee" sound as in "heals meeee". Smile real wide and say "ee" like you're a little kid in a picture going CHEESE! That's wrong. Purse your lips like you're singing a classical oooo sound, tall, dark, and egg-like in the mouth. Then, with minimal movement (there will be some), sing ee, while still retaining that oo shape. Through this conduit is the classical ee. It's darker and not as bright. Not as "The Nanny" if you will. General musicality... (and I'm not saying this is easy) Every phrase should look like an arc. Know where you're warming up, know where the payload is, and keep strong until the end. Remember, you're singing to a point, which is usually the loudest and or highest note in a given set of measures. The beginnings and ends are softer, and the apex is obviously the loudest. Make a nice pretty arc and bring us from beginning to end beautifully. General musicality #2... Held notes die naturally, and I mean that in a bad way. So you need to be there to hold it up. It's like a controlled coil or spiralling out. You aren't going out of control but you want to get louder at the end of the note, unless it's a natural diminuendo (like a fade out at the end of a song). But usually the held notes that are between two phrases, you want a steady sound at a flat or rising dynamic. Remember, all held notes die, so you need to be there every time. You're not running out of air or gasping as the note ends. You should be ready to sing more, even if there isn't any. Don't show us your lack of breath. General musicality #3... Repeated notes, or even repeated devices NEED to sound different. Otherwise it's just really boring. Although both this song and your singing are done beautifully, the fact that it's largely the same each time, mezzoforte, blah blah... It's very drab. Purposefully make some verses darker or brighter or louder or something. Paint us a picture of contrast. Cuz right now we're in flatland. Remember, every note has to be musical. In some phrases, you have a tendency (like many women singing the National Anthem) to just say sing your way through the notes that are before the payload/apex. Those are part of the musical phrase! Don't rush through them. Make them beautiful and have sustained pitches. Speaking of pitches... Largely good. Your second "turned around" got sharp in the middle. Wom wom. Also, you gotta own those key changes. There's what I'd say pretty simple modulation going on. Sometimes it is foreshadowed in the guitar, sometimes it's you. And it sounds like you're leaning on the guitar. Don't get me wrong, I do that too. But if you're the one signalling the key change first, you really have to own it and just know it and be there. The guitar is the one that's never going out of tune, so the onus is all on you. Own the key changes. Sing through/practice the modulations so they become pedestrian to you. You are on your way, my friend. I love listening to your tracks, even just for funzies. Keep on keepin on and you will do great things. Keep pushing that classical envelope! Taller, rounder, more phrasey!
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Jun 15, 2010 03:15
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Dawg... Dawg. Mad pitchy. Like all over the place. And the styling is just... A mess. You have a couple things working against you. One, it's a jazz standard. Like a super, super popular jazz standard. The rule of thumb is, the more common the song, the harder to sing. Even people who aren't trained musicians will if something is out of place if it is a song they are familiar with. Which makes things like the National Anthem so daunting. Two, you are clearly in someone's shadow, probably Frankie's. Given that, you will always be short. No one will ever sing like him. You attempting to "be jazzy" is coming across like a poor imitation of Sinatra. So no bonus points there. Again, going back to the classics here. Right now it feels like karaoke hour. Given your other clips, we know you're capable of way more than that. It would have been less jarring if you would have just sung the song "straight" and upright without all the jazz trimmings because then you could concentrate on things like tone and technique. When you're all schmaltzed up and imitating someone, all that technique goes out the window. And it shows. Being a bit more robotic and less jazzy would help, I think. Maybe slower, less swingy. I realize this is super hard to do because again it is a jazz standard and everyone knows it. It's hard to NOT sing it like Frankie because he's so iconic. But you just have to go against the grain. Only after you have a solid, more personal connection with the song (sung properly and upright and all that) should you add your own swing and styling to it. Maybe if you could redo the guitar arrangement... Something way more mellow... Somber? Just so there's more you and less swing-a-ling... Vowels. Lot's of say-singing going on. Like lots. Gotta always be upright and proper for now. Again, super difficult given the high level of familiarity with this song. If you don't feel like if you have stick up your rear end, you're probably not putting enough effort into shaping your vowels correctly. More pitch problems, 1:10, 1:15, not really owning those resolutions... 1:50, not sure where the tone was, guitar or voice. 1:55, slipping on the descent. More before and after 2:04... The chord change on 2:17. And the ending was just weird in general. Your attacks are generally very punchy. Ka-chunk-a-chunk. No real beauty or softness. Very karaoke. The 0:29 "Let me see what spring", the "let me" could have been an easy launcher for a phrase but you're just punching it. Let. Me. Instead of a classical leh-t'me. Hmm. I dunno. Hard to really go into anything more specific. It's just swinging all over the place. And it doesn't need to. Gonna listen to your older stuff to make myself feel better. 
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Jun 18, 2010 23:41
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I'll be the first to admit, that will probably never happen. It's a combination of I don't have any clips to show (I'm all choir) and I don't know how to record. Even if I did know, I probably wouldn't post anything because I'm too embarassed. If that's a shade too hypocritical, I completely understand and am more than willing to stop posting if it pleases the thread.
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Jun 19, 2010 01:04
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The first track is all about the seams coming apart. Maybe you've heard the adage that good art doesn't show how it is constructed. In many parts in both tracks, we can hear how poorly constructed it is. Under constructed, whatever. I'm not going to comment on the punk timbre, I actually kind of like it (I like Yellowcard/Ocean Avenue a whole bunch). So I'm still talking about technique and things like that. The first eight bars sounds pretty okay. You're setting the stage for the song and you're going for that punk vibe. Then when more instruments come in on the next eight, your technique starts to slip and slip all the way through the end of the song. Maybe you did all of this in one take? "I DEH monstrate in the mirror AT THE..." You can already hear breathy, whiny attacks on demonstrate and at the. I get that punk is supposed to be really affected and whiny at times, but there is a limit. And you're crossing it. You're showing us the seams. It's falling past punk into whiny singing. The way to counter against this is to again still think classically in the framework you're in. Don't slide up to held high notes unless it's a conscious decision (a la R&B). Also, don't drop the support of notes on the end of phrases like an anvil. You still have to sing through them beautifully. The duet sections I like in theory but in execution something is just missing. You're not really nailing those intervals. By the time we get to 3:40, it's super super clear that you're out of breath. It's like you're running a marathon and you're on the last lap and you're really tired. Don't show us that in the recording! There isn't a lot of musical complexity in this song... You can pretty much tell where every verse and chorus is going and you reuse a lot of devices/rhythms... That being said, your intervals have to be spot on. The listener is going to habitualize what the correct phrase sounds like and if you deviate from that, it will show. Sometimes you were a little flat. Also, if the song is going to be so predictable and homogenous, something has to give. Something has to be different. If the text is something more intimate and direct, you can act on it more and sing it less, a sort of mix between spoken text and singing. You just need to paint more contrast because right now it's the same the same the same, besides the bridge or whatever. The second track I think needs more annunciation. It's hard to make out the lyrics. Also something about the execution is bothering me. It's just not atmosphery enough. Like you're too present and it's cutting through the affectation.
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Jun 20, 2010 07:38
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Pitchy. Sounds like you're imitating someone.
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Jun 21, 2010 23:02
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Mystery Date. You know I'm one of your biggest fans. Both tracks, still mad pitchy. It was actually better the second time around (previous posting). One step forward and one step back. Your eliding and vowels are generally better, but the pithces are just taking a huge hit. The good news is that it's systemic. So I think it's a breathing problem. Which accounts for the flatness. Some intervals and accidentals you didn't nail, but that's something else. Make sure you're singing upright, preferably standing. Big breath of air "using a belt of noses around your waist". Sing from your diaphragm, not your throat. You sounded tired. Don't wear your tiredness/sadness on your face when you sing. Smile, be loose. Also, don't blow your load on sustained notes. Give them room to grow. Even if you're already forte, you can artificially create room by starting soft and then getting louder. You generally don't want to start held notes loud because there's no where to go except "blasty" and that's for 7 year olds. A good diaphragm exercise someone posted earlier is to make a tssssss sound. Your teeth are closed together and your lips are open. You're concentration the hiss at a point like you're forcing air through a straw. Direct the energy to a single point and you should be using your diaphragm. Another good exercise for posture is to raise your arms up and get on your tippy toes. Then, flatten back out and put your hands down, but keep your rib cage/chest up and open the way it was when your arms were up. One foot in front of the other, front foot slightly more weight. Also visualization exercise. When you sing phrases or held notes, try using your hands. Conduct yourself. Just engage your body. Be the dynamic. See the dynamic. Embody the arc. Pull the notes like taffy. "Way" is sung wehhhhh-ee not wayyyyyyyyyy. You got it right the second time. Smile isn't ssssmile. It's smile. The SM is one quick strike. Don't lead in with a sssssssss. Vowels are what you sing. The consonants are just in the way.
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Jun 23, 2010 05:06
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ruinedhero posted:It's a bad habit I am trying to break. I spoke to my vocal coach about that and he says it is a bad habit many singers have at first, told me about singers who all the sudden have a British accent when they sing a Beatles song. I have a long ways to go, next practice is next Thursday so I will work on the pithiness/emulating issues over the next week. Thanx When you learn to sing classically, it makes you feel like an rear end in a top hat. You're like, wow, I sound like a stuck up Englishman. But that's actually good, because the vowels you learn in classical singing produce the best sound. It's easy to tell the difference between a trained singer and someone who's just banging their way through notes by the vowel sounds they produce. What you speak and what you sing are totally different. There's a formulaic way of interpreting English text that makes it beautiful to sing. When singers imitate other singers, even good classical/well-produced singers, the imitation lives in that singer's shadow, at the expense of technique. The best covers, in my opinion, are ones produced by the person without regard to someone's rendition. It is under these conditions that they are most conscious of technique, which is why I say it's good to actually see lyrics and sheet music. You're actually performing music instead of just mimicking someone off the top of your head.
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Jun 23, 2010 05:15
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Synonamess Botch. The attack on your T's is a little sloppy. tssuuuuu as opposed to a straight T/D. "Just misunderstood" should be elided more. "Jah smih sun dah". You can afford to grow more on your sustained notes. "Fast asleep", "fah stah sleep" not "fasssssstah sleep". Try to minimize your terminal R's. "cold dohh". "Only me" could stand to be a little taller, more classical since it's a super bright eeeeee. At which point the words start getting a little lax. Taller taller taller. The mix of the background vocals is a bit much... But regarding you, generally very good! We're nitpicking. I wish I could be in the studio with some of you guys... I think it'd be so much fun! By fun I probably just mean a power trip for me.
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Jun 24, 2010 04:31
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exquisite tea posted:Well I suppose it's only fair for me to post something now. Actually it was just an excuse to do something productive today and record one of my favorite songs to play. Oh such a pleasure to listen to. Everyone take note! The best vocal performance posted in the thread thusfar. Super good fundamentals, phrasing, dynamics, pitch. It's all there. Now, one can (if they choose) to start nitpicking about things like "emotion" and all that non-technical garbage. I love it!Edit: Another important thing to note about exquisite tea's performance is that it does not mimic the rendition from the Decemberists. The guy from the Decemberists sounds really distinctive and takes a lot of liberties with the song's melody. But exquisite tea doesn't immitate him. He sings it classically and takes a very conservative, non-flashy, middle-of-the-road interpretation of the melody. And it sounds so wonderful. I love it to pieces. Triple Tech fucked around with this message at 04:42 on Jun 24, 2010 |
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Jun 24, 2010 04:35
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Largely good. The guitar is a bit loud... And in one or two parts, you blow out the microphone? I don't know what the proper term is but the sound is bleh. I'm not sure what the kids are supposed to do these days but I've never been a fan of "you" sung as "chu". Classically, "but you" is "bahh tyuu" instead of "buh chu". Chew sounds so unrefined... I think you even sing "reach you" detached as "you". Some slides are okay, others aren't. I think don't lead in with one? Where "with you" or something with an H becomes "hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhyuuu". More vowels, less consonants. "I get the feeling" attacked properly. Not, "hhhhhhhhhaaa get the feelin". One of the notes on the end and one of the descents in the middle was a little suspicious. But largely on pitch. Good voice, really clear and present. I'd like more contrast. It's very blah and predictable right now. It's good song, but it's just okay. It's not great or wowzers. Higher highs, lower lows, etc. (It might just be the guitar that's overshadowing the dynamic changes you're already making) And there's something missing... I think you could be a lot more robust on your held pitches. Bolder. Something. More breath? More body (in the sound).
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Jun 24, 2010 21:31
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The quickest way to get low and awesome is to drink/smoke (so I've heard) or simply get a cold! All dudes sound cool when sick and groggy in the morning.
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Jul 16, 2010 14:46
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Super whiny... Sounds like a typical R&B immitation.
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Jul 20, 2010 09:28
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Konstruct posted:Would love feedback on strengthening and polishing my voice. Really sing-songy... You can easily visualize pumping your arm left to right on that one. You're not singing enough. Taller, longer, more elegant. "When" is sung as wehhhhhhhh-nuh. Not wennnnnnnnnnnnnnnn. "Kiss me" is Kih smee. Not kiss. Me.
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Aug 4, 2010 14:51
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Han Solo posted:I would love if you could criticize my voice and give me some constructive advice. I'm not sure if you permanently sound like this or are going for an effect but it just sounds sort of breathy... Or not supported. A little... weak? Could you sing more chesty I guess? Breathy is the wrong word. It just doesn't sound strong.
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Aug 4, 2010 14:55
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DeathBySpoon posted:I'm having trouble with a song I'm working on and I don't know what to do. I don't think the vocals are working and I'd really appreciate some constructive criticism on how to improve. Here's the link: I get that this is an intense sounding song and would likewise be paired with some intense sounding vocals... But I don't think you have a solid enough melodic structure with the vocals. Like you're too distracting by trying to make it sound all tough and intense. Which again is a fine affect for this song, but you're sacrificing accuracy. Be more concious of what notes you're hitting and hit actual notes for a discernible length of time. Sometimes you're just punching words and losing the pitch, which is a shame. Also, there were some rough spots so make sure you're absolutely 100% confident about pithces and melody and what not and re-record the vocals. Still intense, but more muscality and less punchy.
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Aug 4, 2010 14:58
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hmmxkrazee posted:If you don't mind, can you be more specific? My genre of choice is probably R&B/Pop so I guess I do put a little bit of that twist which might not come off as being natural. And looking back, I did sing it a little bit too much like Jason Derulo. R&B is really hard to sing properly because it's so stylized and the most popular artists tend to be quite the characters themselves. 99% of the time, if you're trying to imitate someone, you're heading down a very dark path. 1) You probably don't have the talent to back up the person that you're imitating, so you're already at a loss. 2) Even if you did, at best you would appear on America's Got Talent in the final round and become a one hit wonder. The best anyone can do in situations like these is to learn the actual song, minus all the R&B stylings and sing it straight in your own voice. It wouldn't sound as cool or as fun, but it won't sound as wrong either. Then, when you have a personal grip on the song, feel free to go all diva. But use your inner diva, not someone elses. People imitating R&B stars are The. Worst. Because they're usually people who've never done any structured singing in their life. Being able to whine like Usher does not a singer make. Nor does being an uppity classical student. But I'm willing to bet the farm on the student than the radio star.
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Aug 4, 2010 15:04
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I like it. The foundation is all there. I'd say be conscious that the swingy nature if your instrumentals isn't making your vocals sound boring or predictable. Mix it up, keep it varied. Have confidence, you're a strong singer. I like the second track more since you're way more out there. Remember, repeated structures/devices/phrases shouldn't sound exactly the same! Otherwise people start to tune out. Edit: Circus is "suh kih suh" not "sirrrrrrr kisss"
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Aug 4, 2010 15:45
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drat AriTheDog, nailed it in the first paragraph. Came to post the exact same sentiment. Regarding technique... I'm a big fan. And not just in the musical sense. For any facet of life. Martial arts, programming, art... Technique won't guarantee success, but it will improve your odds of performing consistently, how about that. You won't sound out of breath if you learn how to breathe properly, etc. You won't hurt yourself if you know how to control your dynamic vs screaming, etc.
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Aug 5, 2010 20:58
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Family Photo posted:My first thought was oh poo poo, one of my favorite songs... Here we go...  Absolutely beautiful! Some criticisms... Hold those long notes longer. My god, it was so beautiful, you're like cheapening the experience. Sing on, brotha! The "I know I know" section was totally bland and robotic... Specifically, it was too legato and there wasn't enough variation. I think there were like 12+ iterations and only one of them got louder. Needs more punctuation and syncopation to break up the evenness. *I* know I *know* *I* know *I* know I-know, or similar.Everything else is... Really beautiful. A great rendition and a lot of soul to one of my favorite songs of all time. Thank you. Triple Tech fucked around with this message at 16:00 on Aug 9, 2010 |
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Aug 9, 2010 15:56
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Vainglory posted:I've never recorded myself before. I barely ever sing, actually. I heard "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd tonight though and decided to give it a shot after reading this thread for the first time. I think it sounds alright, but I'm sure someone can pick it apart! Largely on pitch. Needs more duration (aka actual singing) and more efficient use of breath. You're leaking air everywhere. All these things come from, you guessed it, technique.
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Aug 9, 2010 16:20
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Arashikage posted:Eli teh Infamous Barrow Boy You kinda sound like Lurch... The one rhythmic thing you do that is drastically different from other renditions is you clip the duration of the penultimate note of some of the lines. Like instead ofCraaaaaah-yihhhhhhhn You sing Cryiiiiiiiiin It's too quick. And those are some of the best opportunities to milk the phrase and you're subverting the device. So it sounds weird. Granted, you could make the case that that's the style you're going for and it's a conscious decision in your rendition, but something tells me that isn't the case. Technique, duration, better vowel sounds would go a long way. And it sounds like you're at the bottom of your range. Especially the last note, which you didn't quite make. Bump it up to your midrange and you should be fine.
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Aug 9, 2010 16:29
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I guess after years of hearing the same thing over and over, it's gotten pretty simple... I think the challenge is how to sing words in a classical way. Like... father - fah-thur becomes fah-thuh We learn that terminal R's aren't pretty and should be minimized. As for specific exercises, I dunno. Everything is ahh, ehh, eu, oh, and oo. Very tall. Everything converges to an ahh because it's the tallest. Nothing beats live instruction... Plus practice.
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Aug 9, 2010 18:23
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The first recording is rough. But you get the same as everyone else. Learn how to elide properly and sing taller, more classical vowels. Technique goes a long way... It sounds sing songy right now because you're pinching the sound when it isn't held on an open vowel.
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Aug 14, 2010 21:44
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 12:56 |
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The guitar is drowning you out. You need to hold notes for longer. Try doing the song in slow motion.
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Aug 16, 2010 01:14
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