The Wind Cries Mary Cover

[singerguy1]

Hey all!

Well - here goes nothing!

Here's my first cover on youtube as well as my first post on the forums. For the life of me, I still have trouble getting through my break. I always sang bass parts in college chorus, so it's been a long road since I started when my higher register was around E3.

It's a little rough, and some parts are a little more spoken sung - but I figured any video was better than no video. I cut the video at the end because I forgot the lyrics haha. But I love to learn about the voice and love hearing new input, feel free to critique!

http://youtu.be/pLzWfq6p1dM

Thanks in advance!

-Matt

[ronws]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLzWfq6p1dM&feature=youtu.be

[ronws]

It's neat hearing this sung in a legit sound, as opposed to Jimi's raspy blues sound.

[MDEW]

I love the fact that you took ownership of this and sang it your way.

A few things to work on yet. The higher parts at the end were sounding real good. The beginning you need to dial in the pitch a little better. It may not even be that the pitch is off, but Key Center is. It may be beacause Jimmy is doing more of a story telling thing and his voice is powerful enough that whether he is on key or not you cannot tell.

It is awesome the way it is but it can get better.

The idea that you are going for really fits. I was not thinking this is a Jimmy Hendrix song and I want to hear more of a Jimmy sound. I heard it as a song that I have never heard before and I want to hear more.

[singerguy1]

Thanks for your input guys!

I know I have to work on the pitch a little bit more. I've been really trying to stretch the palate lately and it still feels a little bit weird to me which definitely affects my singing. They're just growing pains as I see them. Thanks for your kind words! I'll have to post a follow up in the next couple of weeks or so.

As for the Jimi singing - I don't really know how he sings in the way that he does haha. I've tried to copy it before, just to do it, and I just ended up sounding like I started singing after a night of drinking. He had quite a unique voice, that's for sure!

[ronws]

Yeah, Jimi wasn't even a trained singer, had no guitar lessons to speak of. His previous job was soldier. Sgt. Hendrix, James - U S Army.

But he had this noodling thing with the guitar and what he may have lacked in range in his voice, he made up for with timing. Even his rubato stuff, like this song, still feels tight. Like every beat held back could be done no other way.

I agree with MDEW. I thought the low end had a few slightly squirrely pitches but I wasn't sure, my old computer sometimes won't play smoothly.

And that's why, even for myself, I see no song as "easy," regardless if it is in the middle part of my or another voice or not. Rules of engagement remain. Pitch control, relevant volume and usable tone. Even if it's in the part of your voice where you normally speak. I've done it myself. Go flat on a word that I could speak but go flat when singing it.

I did it in "Friends in Low Places." The song has a huge range of just about 2 octaves, with the lowest around A2 to maybe C#3, depending on your harmonic desires, to about A4 for a brief turn-around in the chorus. On the phrase - "Toasted you honey, said we may be through - you'll never hear me complain!" I went flat on "honey" because I had not really picked a spot for that one word to start. Totally within an area of my speaking voice area and I botched because of lack of foresight and hesitation.

So, when I make suggestions like concentrate or pick a line, any line, it is because I have made every mistake that ever was. So, I am reviewing myself as much as I might any other singer.

I don't hear a lot of basso quality in your voice. Though I could be wrong. Were you more of basso buffo or profundo?

[singerguy1]

Interesting! I didn't know Hendrix was a soldier, much less a Sgt! :cool:

I'd agree that the lower notes in the song could use a little work - I'm still working on audiating the notes in my head when I sing to match pitch (which I tend to lose when I play guitar at the same time, I'm much better if I don't have to play). Singing still isn't completely comfortable for me yet, when it becomes more comfortable I'm sure I'll be more relaxed playing the both of them.

It's hard to say honestly because vocal classifications are so relative to the quality of the singer's technique - but I definitely wasn't a profundo so I guess that puts me at basso buffo. My range during my chorus days was around Eb2/D2(on a good day) and up to around D4. But it's taken me a while to access my upper range mainly because my chorus teacher had an old school "you don't want ever want to strain, just flip into head voice" teaching style (which I never agreed with). Also I was one of three people that could get to F2, and the only one that could sing an Eb. The chorus needed me for the lower notes, so I didn't get much of a chance to go higher.

But it's all part of the process! Patience is a virtue :|

[ronws]

Well, that's because bassos, or someone like them, are valuable and your case would not be the first time that a guy who can sing some low notes gets drafted into bass. It's never happened to me but I understand it does happen.