aldertate

I really like tracks 10, 6, and 5. You seem to have a great feel for this style. It was a pleasure to listen to. The only thing I didn't like about Leroy Brown is that I'm not sold on the vocal effects you're using on that song... Yeah... not much of a critique here.. guys more knowledgeable about this style might be able to give you some tips, but... they sound really good to me... Have a greeeeaaaaattt shoooowwww.. as they say. :)

Glad you liked them.. the gritty stuff is primarily just a studio style, to capture more energy, cause I wasn't happy with my initial versions of those songs.. I'd done them in a classical context.. but the style was sooooo different that they sounded like shyt to my ears. So.. I redid them, and punched them up. Funny enough though.. in doing that I tripped onto the FVF thingy.. and it was pretty fun. It's weird trying to find the optimal balance... I'm sure it's a singer's preference kind of thing.. The stat notes are something I've been doing live for a long time. I've done Maiden tributes forever it seems... When I was in Eddy's Revenge we'd do a 135minutes to 150minute show (and there'd be strat notes throughout the whole show). When I had the time and was deeply involved in studying classical voice I'd normally pound away a good 2hrs+ a day singing.. and that'd be essentially a solid 2hrs of singing, I don't take breaks... 1hr in the morning warming up and some vocalizing, and another hour later on... Currently my warmup is about 20-30minutes long, and my overall daily singing time has dropped.. though some days it's longer. I'm really focusing on smoothing out the passagio and diction.

I checked your profile and couldn't find anything.. help?

exactly... breathing too deeply can throw off the necessary balance during onset and lead to all sorts of interesting things.. trust me... I've found most of them haha Visualize taking a sip of tea from a teacup... drink in the small amount of air.. if done correctly you'll notice that your body automatically engages the right muscle groups, and it helps to prevent a singer from engaging throat muscles (I've notice my larynx descends when I try to 'breath' properly). It also encourages a 'quiet' breath. it also helps to prevent the soft palate from dropping, etc... etc.. etc... feel like you're breathing at/above the hard palate.. Anyways.. that's teacup breathing in a nutshell. It's a very powerful tool for all styles of singing.

The reason your pitchy is due to tension... and it ties into breath and your desire to 'sing' rather than speak on pitch. Now it could be an ear issue.... however it's not pitchy in your lower register.. but it is in your passagio.. which leads me to believe it's all due to tension.. no biggee.. Quick thoughts... 1. teacup breathing... that's all you need.. it will help fix your breath.. which will help fix your onsets and help set up your lines.. 2. falsetto... work on descending from your free falsetto range through your passagio (I don't know your fach... but I'm thinking you're either a tenor or a baritone).. 3. vowel space... your resonance is shifting... I'm guessing that your jaw is moving a lot too.. but the jaw isn't necessary in singing, it just gets in the way.. tip your head back and relax your jaw... don't force it open... just let of flop to it's comfortable spot when your looking at the ceiling... notice that room.. that's all you need (for the most part). 4. put your fingers in front of your mouth (almost, but not touching your lips)... and speak normally... feel the air... notice there's hardly any movement... .. now sing.... if there's a difference.. your pushing too much.. switch back and forth... we can thank Garcia for that trick.. though he used candles. Once you find your 'pocket of resonance'... aka 'dome'... you'll really grasp how interrelated these things are, and how they work together.. But you seem to have a good understanding of the style and you've got a pleasing sound. But we're only hearing a part of your real voice. Once you gel onto these concepts you'll find that you have an even more unique and beautiful sound inside of you just waiting to come out. Unlock your potential... and unleash your art.. set it free.. Good luck!!!

hey there Jonpall.. I like your U2. Especially your lower register singing a lot.. focus on vowels, they're not all centered yet (trust me, I can relate). .. and in the chorus.. ..shorten the consonants and focus on how the focal point in your hard pallet shift as it's moving to the upper notes. Those are upper register notes (B4-F#4 me thinks)...and you're pushing them into the front registers a bit. Twang is great for keeping the pitch from falling back, however it also doesn't prevent the pitch from moving forward.. I think you could have a warmer sound in your upper voice. In fact, I hear a sweet tenor sound... ala early Carerras. (and that's a wonderful thing) The fact is you have B4's is awesome...... Gigli only had a B4 and he is renowned for his voice (one of the greats). FWIW stay away from Melissa Cross. Just ignore her. A dvd will never be a substitute for a trained set of ears. Don't worry about weight, power, or any of that stuff.. feel the energy of the lower note ascend to the upper. The warmth comes from balancing the pitch.. here.. check out Bjorling's Ingemisco... This is arguably the greatest tenor of the past century.. and he's singing a real bastard of a piece. Bjorlings balance throughout his range allowed him to have 'One Vocal' sound throughout his range. That gave him unbelievable freedom. The center of vibration is going to shift more towards the mask as well as move a bit higher.. that's normal.. completely and totally normal. However, it will maintain more of the consistency with your lower register... In all honestly, you're not using a good chunk of your voice, and you'd have a good bit more resonance and a sweeter sound once you get that balance hooked up. It will get more resonant and have more shimmer (due to the overtones). Granted, you're not singing opera, however.. the same rules apply. You have a wonderful voice, and you could have a lot of fun with it. However, if you're not balanced in the upper register, then your passagio is also unbalanced.... over time....the things that unbalance the voice may damage it if you sing a lot. But nice job.. take care of your voice. You've got a sweet instrument there, and it's truly a gift. I'd recommend finding a good teacher in the area... and by a good teacher.. find one that's familiar with the tenor voice and has had proven success in training them. Work through your passagio with them. The key to the upper register lies in safely navigating the passagio. But good luck! ps... stay away from grit as much as you can.. no offense to anyone.. using it as an 'effect', or in the studio..is common... but minimize its usage in the live arenas. It's a cool effect when used in moderation, but dangerous if used too much.

Ah! mes amis is my dream aria! Mattinata, Mamma, Ingemisco, etc... are all faves as well. Bjorling's Carnegie Hall Recital, and Wunderlich's song cycles (Die Schone mullerin and Dichterliebe) are some of my favorite recordings of all time.

Thanks everyone... your words are too kind and very accurate (especially about the top.. I need to relax more) I just hope to be able help create some beautiful music. From Angra to Maiden, from Rhapsody to Priest, it's all good to me... I'm a huge fan of operatic tenors.. and have pretty much a 0% chance of ever doing that hahaha. :)

I'm in an Iron Maiden/Judas Priest tribute and we just finished up recording a demo. Here's our version of Wasted Years: http://rhzenvironmental.com/WastedYears.mp3 Here's a short clip of fun power metal singing: http://rhzenvironmental.com/roadclip.mp3 I love classical music, and am more than a bit surprised that the only successful studio recordings have come when I've sung like those clips.. though.. I love the strat range and have been doing that forever. Anyways.. would love some feedback... big question: Why is this style of singing more successful than when I've sung this stuff clean? Live, I sing the maiden clean and it goes over well. But it sounded uninspired and well.. like crap in the studio.. lmao.. Help!!!

I love your mention of twang in the upper register (above the passagio). That's a great analogy... it keep pps from trying to muscle and force the sound, and lets it bloom... I like it! If you don't mind I'll tell my teacher the 'twang' idea... Seems the biggest key to teaching voice is communication. The twang idea resonated immediately with me... thanks!