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Thanks @Drew_fx, that's what I'm looking for - free tips for zero outlay!
Just been practicing badly. Max is an F4.....in falsetto. Singer I am not. It was the week or TWO in A HA, the low one though. I always thought it was an E5, so I'm probably singing the whole thing an octave lower. Can just about scrape a strained E4 in my head voice and not falsetto, but it's about as reliable as my voice was when I was 14. You know that guy on X Factor...?
Worked out Mmm by Crash Test Dummies and did a couple of times through and it didn't sounds so good....until I worked out I was singing it an octave lower than it should be.
Depressing all this singing lark.
If there is anyone else like me who is struggling to come to terms with their range and octave recognition, what I've been doing is singing a note, in chest head or falsetto whatever, recording it and playing it back and then playing a sign wave in parallel, it's fairly easy to recognise what frequency is then, compared to middle C. After a while you get a sense of what everything is and the pitch of octaves.
It's tough to work out though as some people have rich reasonant voices and others, like me thin ones. I found this the best way. As I only have a musical ear as regards guitar tone.
The outlook is fairly bleak.
Mind you, on a more positive note, I can sing Death Metal without even straining my voice. Just got to learn to breath and project more. Can't swim too good for the same reason.
I wonder if good swimmers and surfers make good singers?
What I'm focusing on with these can be broken down to a few things:
Resonance in the nasal cavity (this is actually something you DO want)
Neutral larynx position - not too low, not too high. Not squeezed or constricted.
Vowel consistency - trying not to get narrow or wider the higher I go up
Brightness - what CVT calls "necessary twang" or "twanging the epiglottic funnel"
Sam, it sounds to me like you need to focus on that last one initially. Work out how to get your voice to have some twang to it. Being Aussie it should be a lot easier than for some guy from the Midlands like me
Check this out: http://completevocalinstitute.com/research/description-of-twang/
As for my recordings... I could do better. I screwed up the ordering of vowels in the bright/dark sets. I should probably learn to count.
Right, I'm coming more and more to the conclusion that everyone more or less has the same kit, but not everyone knows how to use it. But you can even teach kids with absolutely no natural ability to draw and paint, so I guess there must be hope. I'm struggling with breathing. It's also the reason why I tense up when going up the register, no matter how low I start out on.
This is the Mmmm I worked out, had enough of deeper stuff now as I don't think I am naturally that deep. I should start swimming or something I guess. Every time I have problems breathing I go for another fag.
https://soundcloud.com/user360616451/mmmm
Having been guitarist in a wedding band for 6+ years, with backing vocals but no real pressure, I am now to be thrust into the spotlight as our singer is quitting at the end of the year so I am taking over fronting the band.
Did my first ever lead vocal recordings in a studio last night, three songs to a pre-recorded backing, which will serve as a demo for prospective clients. Went better than I expected, but am still yet to cross over from the mindset that I am a guitarist having a go at singing to actually thinking of myself as a singer.
She likes you as you are. I think she'd see any step towards lily-livered pussy whippery as a sign of weakness.
Although it's a taste thing, I also think Drew's falsetto is very recordable and listenable which is fairly rare IME.
Smoke 40 fags a day, that will give you the grit you are after. Thing is at least you have it the right way around, most people have grit and struggle to produce a decent pure tone.
I was attempting to sing in B&Q today whilst getting some cement. All that came out was a peep, then I looked down and my knob was hanging out, as my flies and trousers are a bit broken and ripped at the mo. Must of been like that when I got out of the van. That didn't bother me in the least though, the singing in public did. Funny innit.
I was listening to Radio 2 today in the van for ten minutes, it strikes me that I am being overly critical on not only myself, although granted I am not very good, but everyone now. I keep thinking, if I was them I wouldn't be very happy with that. But I'm getting more of an idea of people's ranges, types of voice they use, head. chest whatever that they use and their limits, what I like and what I don't and generally being a highly critical bastard, which is kind of reassuring and a learning curve as you can break it all into logical pieces and then relate to it and learn by it.
I think a lot of what is so hard about it to us non singers, is that it is a foreign instrument with a foreign and varied tone. I mean, if you asked me what octave even something fairly regulated like a clarinet is playing at, I wouldn't have a clue. As for people's voices which are so widely varied in tone...I only know guitar tones.
So this critical thinking is kind of helping me learn I think, because a lot of it must be a mental thing associated with a new instrument I reckon.
I still think Morton Harket is a great singer with a great tone.
Dougie Maclean sings with an accent. And them was some high vocals. I'd struggle to get up to the pitch of the first track. Yu have got a great voice but I don't like those two tracks, they are too high in the register and give me a headache as I feel the soundwaves putting pressure on my brain. I'm being highly critical remember. Also it would sound better sung with an accent, but depends what region you are from, a soft Scottish accent and that pitch would sound beautiful to my mind. No one ever understands lyrics anyway. Much better than Essex/Wilshire/Oz accent, which is horrible.
That first track was outstanding.
I'd love to get some lessons to get control of my diaphragm/larynx/tongue/lungs and to pitch better.
I don't want to hog this thread as always and should start a struggling singing thread I guess, but I tried this earlier with a higher voice and this is the last audio I'II post I promise, otherwise everyone will start hating me. It's my crap attempt at pure tone. I can hit the high bit before the higher bit about 1 day out of five and the actual high bit in a strained to buggery head voice every month or so although easier if I go falsetto, but it starts getting a bit X Factor. Shame as I've always wanted to be able to sing it since I eleven. My question is though, if you get lessons and practice and perhaps smoke less and get your breathing right, can you pull these things off regularly on the dot?
Although I highly suspect Morton Harket had a fishing accident when he was in his early teens, judging by the void in his tight trousers worn on stage, he does speak and sing naturally more like a baritone, but he has this amazing ability to pull these seamless octave voice tones and blend them all into one. His falsetto at the same pitch of his belted voice is just as perfect. I'd love to be able to do that.
@DiscoStu random question, but can you swim? I even have major breathing problems playing guitar as I forget to breathe. ONe thing that struck me is that I never shout, I haven't shouted for years. I need to do more shouting.
https://soundcloud.com/user360616451/crap-on-me
I love that, the diction and the softness to your voice. I didn't like the swearing though. How rude. I think I am going to give up now after hearing that. Are you from Derry or some place like that by any chance? Love that soft rounded accent, also think you can get away with an American twang as American is basically Irish anyway. OK close, different country but hey.
My role from now on is Simon Cowell.
Way too mucho talent on here. Depressingly good. It's like not being picked for football all over again. Oh it's all coming back now, I think I will go and cry. I'm not qualified to say anything. I think I will lurk on this thread from now on like a paedophile.
@DiscoStu - I really liked that. I listened to it twice because my of question was going to be whether you recorded the vocals in one take because on first listening it seem like the body of the vocals tails off like you were tiring. Then on second listening (when not focusing so much on the vocals) the only issue is that one that electric guitar comes in either the vox need to come up slightly on the guitar down and as the song progresses the percussive sidestick is quite tiring on your ears and they start to shut down a bit. Vocals are grand though. Great work, sir.
@Cabicular - I don't know whether you were talking about the tracks particular (or you worked hard to avoid it) but I don't find too much twang in your voice. It's natural enough to not sound contrived - which for me is far worse that colloquial. I think you've hit a great balance.