Iron Maiden - The Trooper - raspy version

[Olem]

Hi, there!

I´ve had a break now for a month and have just started to sing again. I continue practise this excellent Iron Maiden song because i think it´s a great choice for a heavy metal singer that wants to improve - the range of A4-E5 is a big challenge and you need to have a great breath support. I fail of course. Tell me what you think and be brutally honest. The first is without music, and the second is with. I have added a little compression and delay on the vocals.

http://www.box.com/s/7d61aai8lzsfproom5ux

http://www.box.com/s/uolg7d4fbv2v5sv1o7ko

[ronws]

Very Bruce-like tone on the verses.

The "Whoa" part of the chorus is problematic only because whatever the backing voice is on that chorus, it is a different voice than yours. A problem I run into, also, with these karaoke tracks. Each voice has its own tuning, its own "sweet spot." You can be on pitch but it sounds at odds with the backing tracks, especially if the vibrato rate of your voice is different than that one, as can often be. It sounded like you were on pitch. But the center of your voice is different than the voice on the backing track. I truly wish they would quit putting those on backing tracks. I realize they do it for the drunk housewives and accountants that get up and "sing" at a bar but man, they do more harm than good.

[Keith]

Each time you record it, it gets better man. Keep up the good work!

[Olem]

Hello, Ron and Keith, thanx for taking the time to listen. Ron: Yes, the background vocals in the chorus is a little disturbing, i will see if i could find another version without it.

Keith: I feel it´s getting easier and easier to sing this song, i still need to do many retakes and it´s not possible for me to perform this song live, but, nevertheless, it is a fun song to practise.

[jonpall]

Hi Olem. Your tone was good but your pitch was a bit off. Kudos to you for tackling such a tough song.

[Olem]

Hello, Jonpall, thanx for your answer. My pitch is pretty much like Bruce sang it, i have a program called Sing and See where i could see if i am on pitch and i mostly am, there are a few spots where i am not but then it´s nothing major, nothing that sticks out.

[ronws]

At least you have a visual guide. That is why I hesitate to say you were off pitch in the choruses. From what I could barely hear, you were on pitch with music.

But the background vocals, from whomever they are, is a voice that is centered differently than yours, not to mention that those background vocals are mixed different, with different things in prominence, and not to forget that the vocals and music in a karoake track are auto-tuned, creating a sound that is nearly inachievable in 99 percent of voices, trained or otherwise. I think karaoke tracks should come without backing vocals. You either know the song, or you don't. Will that make it harder from drunk electricians to get up on the mic in a bar after 5 beers to know where they are in the song? Probably. Sorry about their luck.

And we, here, are just as much a victim of autotuning as anyone else. For now, the expectation is to have absolute perfect pitch, wihch is just not possible in most voices, including trained voices. Most singers have relative pitch, which can have a variance of perhaps 10/100ths from true pitch. And one can have that variation in a well-liked and lovely vibrato.

Being able to sing perfect pitch does not make one a great singer. Nor does hearing perfect pitch increase one's enjoyment of music. In fact, it is likely decrease enjoyment as everything will sound "off" and distract such a listener from the intent of the song. In that other thread about David Coverdale singing a unplugged version of "Here I go, again." he went a little sharp in the beginning.

And who cares? It was a great performance and the feeling is still there.

I've been told I am pitchy, which has now made me hyper-aware of that in myself and others. And in danger of obsessing on it, like others. I listen to my stuff where someone said I am pitchy and don't hear it. Then I listen to other stuff of mine that received no such criticism and hear pitchiness on a note here and there that, evidently, no one caught and I got away with it. So, perhaps, it is individual perspective on any given day.

That being said, something can sound odd based on how it was eq'd and mixed with an imported track, which is what karaoke tracks usually are. Imported into whatever recording software you are using. And that track was mastered by someone else who has no idea what your voice does.

I am reminded of one member who posted a song where he also did his own harmonized backing vocals. It was hard to tell but both were on pitch but still sounded off because the vibrato rate of the lead vocal and the vibrato rate of the backing vocal did not match, creating an odd "beat" from being out of time with each other.

My opinion and one dollar USD will get you a cup of coffee.

[DJDeth]

Hi Olem! I agree, you're getting better and better on this song, and it's a tuff one! Congratulations.

The tone and the rasp is great, I especially liked the highest part of the last verse "we were ment to fight another day!". Beautiful:)

It sounds a bit odd in the chorus though. When you sing over harmonised backing vocals you have to be especially carefull when it comes to pitch and rhythm. What you can get away with when there's only one vocal line will stand out when the vocals are layered. So if te backing vocals are already there and suposingly are on pitch, then there are few things you can do to make it sound killer.

Firstly, watch out for the attack, ie the onset of each note (in this particular chorus you have only two attacks, the rest you sing legato). I can hear that you start to sing these notes a little off pitch and then do a quick slide up to match the pitch you are looking for with a "w" sound, and then release it to a vowel. Sing it immediately on the vowel and on the right pitch thinking "top down", or as if you wanted to hammer a nail to a wall. Make it a glottal attack, which shall also add power to the phrase.

Secondly, watch out for the last but one note in each chorus, you sing it about a semi-tone flat.

Sustain the last note - the moment you end a note may be just as important as the moment you start singing it. That's especially important in epic heavy metal like Maiden where there's a lot of layered vocals:) Everything has to be spot on, otherwise will come out sounding wierd.

When you sustain the last note, add some vibrato and match it's rate to the tempo of the song (which is also the vibrato rate of the backing vocals).

Hope this helps.

[ronws]

One can also take the section of the chorus that you want to harmonize and dupe it to a new track and eq that track differently than the lead vocals.

[jonpall]

Olem, I wouldn't trust a program to tell you if you're on pitch or not. It can only tell you so much. DJDeath also has great pitch and he's telling you that you're a bit off pitch, so it's your choice - you can go with the program or an actual living audience that's checking out your vocals . You're not GREATLY off pitch, so that's good news. But like I said, the tone you've got going is very cool and it's quite tough to pull off a raspy sound on such high pitches. Very cool!

[Olem]

Hi Olem! I agree, you're getting better and better on this song, and it's a tuff one! Congratulations.

The tone and the rasp is great, I especially liked the highest part of the last verse "we were ment to fight another day!". Beautiful:)

It sounds a bit odd in the chorus though. When you sing over harmonised backing vocals you have to be especially carefull when it comes to pitch and rhythm. What you can get away with when there's only one vocal line will stand out when the vocals are layered. So if te backing vocals are already there and suposingly are on pitch, then there are few things you can do to make it sound killer.

Firstly, watch out for the attack, ie the onset of each note (in this particular chorus you have only two attacks, the rest you sing legato). I can hear that you start to sing these notes a little off pitch and then do a quick slide up to match the pitch you are looking for with a "w" sound, and then release it to a vowel. Sing it immediately on the vowel and on the right pitch thinking "top down", or as if you wanted to hammer a nail to a wall. Make it a glottal attack, which shall also add power to the phrase.

Secondly, watch out for the last but one note in each chorus, you sing it about a semi-tone flat.

Sustain the last note - the moment you end a note may be just as important as the moment you start singing it. That's especially important in epic heavy metal like Maiden where there's a lot of layered vocals:) Everything has to be spot on, otherwise will come out sounding wierd.

When you sustain the last note, add some vibrato and match it's rate to the tempo of the song (which is also the vibrato rate of the backing vocals).

Hope this helps.

Yes, the chorus sounds a little strange, partly due to a backing vocal that is not my own but also because of my own deficits and you described them pretty weil DjDeth. Thanx for your tips about the chorus DjDeth and Ron. God bless you.

[Olem]

Olem, I wouldn't trust a program to tell you if you're on pitch or not. It can only tell you so much. DJDeath also has great pitch and he's telling you that you're a bit off pitch, so it's your choice - you can go with the program or an actual living audience that's checking out your vocals . You're not GREATLY off pitch, so that's good news. But like I said, the tone you've got going is very cool and it's quite tough to pull off a raspy sound on such high pitches. Very cool!

Well, the program is trustworthy, but it also says that sometimes, like DjDeth said, the attack and the pitch is a little off, so you are also right, i am a little off pitch, but i compared my vocals with Bruces in this program and it showed quite similair graphic so that should mean that i am mostly on pitch.