The Bruce Dickinson sound, curbing and a few samples.

[Olem]

Maybe i have bitten off more than i could chew when i try to imitate Bruce, he´s a fantastic singer, but the higher goals you set the higher you reach people say I have sung "Run To The hills" for some time now and i could have taken on a more easy task, i know , but i like big challenges. To sound close to Bruce, i have heard that dark curbing, or a high mix with a lower larynx something, is what you aim for here. I have practised alot the crying sound with restrain but i feel something is wrong, i feel like there is too much weight ( i am getting paranoid with this pulling chest thing) behind it even if i lower the volume and it sounds kinda choked. If i add rasp (better adduction?) to it it sounds better i think. I try to lower the velocity but even if i do i can feel the larynx shooting up, maybe there is still too much breath presssure. I could lower the larynx but then it sounds too dopey. The solution is to add twang i have read, but i am a little uncertain if you could do that to all the vowels on this chorus. Which vowels could you twang? It´s pretty easy for me to add rasp and i like to add alot of rasp. Is it safe to add alot of rasp, i feel like i can´t avoid some air coming through the cords, i try to support like hell but... well, now it feels like the post has become alittle incoherent . Ok, nevermind, i give you some examples and then i would appreciate if yould could share your thoughts with me.

Curbing? http://www.box.net/shared/5ezahd7l11

http://www.box.net/shared/179xg2gunb

Dark curbing? http://www.box.net/shared/18gumg84ze

http://www.box.net/shared/ahorlc7iqn

Overdrive with rasp? http://www.box.net/shared/mvh9hmtobe

http://www.box.net/shared/c6hlpufqr9

http://www.box.net/shared/rtz4jkdnfc

Thanx in advance/ Ola

[ronws]

I could be wrong, because I mishear things, at times. But it seems to me that Bruce curbs in "run to the hills" and has a significant twang without so much curb in "run for your lives." With maybe the most twangy sound on the "eye" sound in "lives." Of course, that word is actually a melody triplet. I know he has distortion on the lower melody, such as in "galloping hard on the plain." And also some distortion in his ascending slides in the middle and end of the songs. That is, he changes effects in midstream, something that can be quite difficult to do.

[Martin H]

Olem,

You have some nice Curbing going on most of the places. Though you also use some Metal Like Neutral and Overdrive. If you want to have a darker sound colour up in that range I advice you to instead of lowering the larynx (which can make the notes very hard to reach) you should raise the soft palate. Most of your Overdrive distortion was actually Curbing with distortion. This also leads me to advice you to pay really close attention to your vowels. :)

[Olem]

Thanx for your answers Martin and Ron. I totally agree with you, Ron, you analysed the song like i did. I am a little uncertain of my twang calibration here, i beleive i should twang more on all my samples to have a more pleasant sound, but i don´t want a too bright sound if you know what i mean, i don´t want to sound like Axl Rose in "run for your lives", i have nothing against Axl´s voice it´s not that of course. I will search more for twang, i am not 100 % sure of which vowels are the best to twang. "Ee" and "Ih" i know work because you could put the back of your tongue against the molars which is good for twanging on those vowels, but is there another technique that allows you to twang on all vowels?

Ok, Martin, then i am on the right path i guess and that´s a releif. It feels like i am pulling chest, but maybe it´s just a normal tension going on when raising the pitch. Raising the soft pallate instead of lowering the larynx makes sense, higher notes require a higher larynx, especially when you deal with D5 and E5 as is the case here.

[ronws]

Thanx for your answers Martin and Ron. I totally agree with you, Ron, you analysed the song like i did. I am a little uncertain of my twang calibration here, i beleive i should twang more on all my samples to have a more pleasant sound, but i don´t want a too bright sound if you know what i mean, i don´t want to sound like Axl Rose in "run for your lives", i have nothing against Axl´s voice it´s not that of course. I will search more for twang, i am not 100 % sure of which vowels are the best to twang. "Ee" and "Ih" i know work because you could put the back of your tongue against the molars which is good for twanging on those vowels, but is there another technique that allows you to twang on all vowels?

Ok, Martin, then i am on the right path i guess and that´s a releif. It feels like i am pulling chest, but maybe it´s just a normal tension going on when raising the pitch. Raising the soft pallate instead of lowering the larynx makes sense, higher notes require a higher larynx, especially when you deal with D5 and E5 as is the case here.

Actually, I think Bruce sounds rather bright, though you're right, he does still have some dark in his voice. You could try twanging and then modify a vowel, at least as an experiment that you can cast away if it doesn't work. Use 'eh' in place of 'ai' in lives. That's such a high pitch that you can cover the vowel and most people would notice. And actually, what you would do is change the vowel as you go, without changing twang or any other part of the throat configuration. Start out as "run for your leh" and hold that leh for most of the measure and just at the last, change to "ives." The listener won't remember or hear the eh but it will sound dark and they still hear the I sound because that is the vowel sound they hear.

[Olem]

Thanx for your advice, Ron. I was wondering though, why not use the diphtong "ai" in "lives"? It feels to me a more open resonant vowel than "eh"and it´s also easy to twang.

[ronws]

Thanx for your advice, Ron. I was wondering though, why not use the diphtong "ai" in "lives", it feels to me a more open resonant vowel than "eh"and it´s also easy to twang?

Yeah, do that, for it will be brighter. See if you like that effect.

[Olem]

Sorry for my bad writing skills. Adding to that i am a little drunk:D tonight. English is also not my native language.

[akarawd]

Olem, from what I've read in his interviews he used to have a voice that was lighter as he went up and when he reached the top he'd just scream.

It was then that a producer made him belt out all songs with no screaming, just full voice all the way - but there were no extreme highs.

He's admitted that he's traded that top top part of his range for a solid, meaty full voice - not that he can't pull off a high scream - he just doesn't find it expedient.

Anyhow, if that's the sound color you're after , I'd suggest what everyone of us should do :

a) practice clean curbing or overdrive or whatever it's called (without worrying about high screams etc) for a few months.

find each vocal note of this song on a keyboard or guitar and practice it a cappella. (if you can slow it down, that'd be a great help).

c) once you've got both down perfectly, practice singing the song until you are able to add&remove the rasp at will.

You certainly have great potential and I'm pretty sure you'll be able to make it, just stick at it in a disciplined and organized way.

Kind Regards,

Thanos

[akarawd]

One more thing, if you've been trying this long enough and you're not happy with the results, see if you can sing it

on pitch with a light voice for a few weeks or months and then apply more weight.

[Olem]

Cool posts, Akarawd, i didn´t know about this Bruce story and thanx for your tips also, i am sure they are valuable.

[DJDeth]

It's difficult to find any tips on singing from Bruce Dickinson that would reveal some secrets of his style. Luckily, there are some guys that have totaly nailed his vocals. One of them is Daniel Ivan Roque from a band Alchemist (Bruce Dickinson coverband) and Tailgunner. Check out his channel on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/user/DANIELIVANROQUE#p/u/13/iCvHl2Mu-AM

That's what he wrote about getting that sound:

In the beginning I was doing cover from Ozzy, but I was admiring very much the techniques of the master Dickinson. The secret is in the training without forcing very much so that it does not damage the vocal chords. Another thing is to listen, to listen and to listen very much the albums of the Dickinson and to be trying to imitate it without haste and great effort.

Hope this helps. Cheers!