Any comments on a newbie's clips?

[eunice_hairburger]

Hi

Here are some of my home recorded "karaoke-style" vocal clips...

www.soundclick.com/germpatterson

And here's one on Youtube (no visual except a pic of a cat. lol), which is me trying to sing louder *sigh*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jedkCswoH4Y

Any feedback at all would be very much appreciated - good, bad and everything in between.

I am aware, since I started recording myself, that I have issues with belting, chest voice / mixed voice, and getting a strong and powerful sound.

I am on my journey to fix these problems!!

[akarawd]

Hi and welcome,

These are some amazing songs you've got there, truly excellent music.

I get the feeling you've been singing for a long time and your voice sounds really good and suits the songs nicely.

I do hear some wavering in some low notes but it's nothing better support can't cure.

I'm an amateur myself and not knowing about your warm up routine etc makes me apprehensive to elaborate further but

all in all I found your approach extremely pleasing.

PS. I really liked your twang in "Maria" and the various vocal expressions.

[eunice_hairburger]

Oh no! LMAO Maria was actually a joke song. That's not intended to be taken seriously as a proper song. I was just fooling around, being silly one day. Made myself laugh the whole time, heheh. (though actually, speaking of twang, I'd love to work out how to use twang in NORMAL singing, so it doesn't sound so extreme, you know? I think it'd really help me)

Anyway, thank you so much for the post! I was hoping my thread wouldn't just sit here for weeks on end, ignored or found too boring or bland...I don't think there're many other girls on this forum, and a lot of the threads seem to contain more rock or heavy metal type of songs...NOT me at all! lol

Anyway, I don't have a warm up routine. I can safely say that all those songs on my Soundclick were recorded on a "virgin" voice for that day. I tend to come home from work, think about what song I'd like to have a go at singing, and then just do it. Nothing else.

Please elaborate further!! I need feedback!

[akarawd]

That twang will give you a sharper tone and a lot of forum members practice it for the same reason. Of course you don't have to go to that extreme on normal songs

but it could be claimed that it is a good idea to practice it that way till you own it.

As I said before I feel your voice fits the songs nicely, but in some points you kinda lack confidence and breath support could help you in that direction.

Additionally, a warm up routine - to me at least - is of paramount importance. It will give you consistency and make your voice stronger.

Search this forum and you will soon have concrete questions, if not answers.

Best,

Thanos

[ronws]

Thanos is giving good advice. Though I must say that I disagree with him on your low notes. They are just fine and you totally nailed it on the Carpenter's song. You sounded just like Karen Carpenter. On all by myself, you hit some notes that reminded me of Sarah Brightman and if you knew me, you would know what a high compliment that is.

The warm-ups I use right now is using soft lip bubbles while singing scales at a relatively low volume. And I like to get my twang on by singing the chorus from "Cielito Lindo." Singing scales through lip bubbles (sounds like imitating the sound of a motor on a small boat) helps regulate air pressure and helps maintain note placement, which should be in the soft palate. It sounds like you are doing fine and I personally think you should do nothing to change the sound of your voice. My mother would have given her right arm or my right arm, even, to sound like Karen Carpenter. And to me, Sarah Brightman is the epitome of singing. I have defined hers as the most perfect singing voice, ever. And you have elements of both of them. Anyway, the reason for the exercises I mentioned is that they doing everything for helping you to maintain proper air pressure and note placement so that you won't lose what you have.

It also depends on the material you sing. For example, I put a number of songs in here that are not heavy metal. And most of the people here are deep into hard rock and heavy metal. So, for example, I never received any comments on "Brandy" by Looking Glass, or "Land Down Under" by Men at Work. And it could very well be that many won't comment because they are not familiar with the song or the genre, such as balladic pop and folk, such as some of your songs are. But, for example, if you sang something from Evanescence, they would be all over that, here.

"Bring me to Life" by Evanescence.

In this song, her vocal melody has about the same meter as what you have been sing, in spite of the band playing a double tempo to what she is doing. Or, to put it another way, she's singing half as fast as the band is playing. And she's not pushing. In fact, she starts out in a nasal whine. It's about placement and resonance, supported by but not overpowered by breath support.

I think you have a voice as majestic as that of Amy, the singer in the band. Tone-wise, I think you have aspects of Karen Carpenter in the low end and Sarah Brightman in the high end and do whatever you can to keep that.

[eunice_hairburger]

Thank you so much!!

I’ve been told by someone on another forum that they thought I sounded like Sarah Brightman (I was singing a song she actually did, but can’t remember which one now), and also Karen Carpenter.

Yeah, I don’t want to lose what I sound like now…I still want to retain the sweetness and light heady-ness and all that…but I want to be able to do MORE. What I KNOW my voice can do if I can just get more power and a less head-based sound (when I want to).

[ronws]

The quickest way to a meatier or less flutely sound in head voice is to incorporate twang and vowel color.

[eunice_hairburger]

Yes, but how? How!? lol

[eunice_hairburger]

On all by myself, you hit some notes that reminded me of Sarah Brightman and if you knew me, you would know what a high compliment that is..

Just for fun, get a look at this!

That's Sarah Brightman in there, her first known song. LOL

[eunice_hairburger]

Actually, again speaking of Sarah Brightman, here's my version of All I Ask Of You...I do both the man and woman parts. lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5AWDxgCC8w

Right at the end, be warned - I forgot where I was in terms of octaves and sang a whole octave higher than I meant to. EEP! I left it in there in the end.

Oh, and also, I'm not used to this movie version, which is faster than the original one, so...there are some slight timing issues.(excuses excuses! lol) "A poor singer always blames her karaoke tracks!" - proverb

[eunice_hairburger]

Nobody cares for my thread anymore? LOL

[ronws]

Outstanding. I don't think I could ever offer you criticism or pointers. With a voice like Sarah Brightman's and the skills to match. For me, Sarah is the perfect voice, as I have mentioned in other threads. I have two of her cd's and they are usually in my car. It helps me de-stress from work. You have an excellent command of your whistle register.

And that was really rich, seeing Sarah do disco, with Andrew Lloyd Weber stage choreography. Actually, she used to be married to Weber. I noticed in the mix they were trying to make her sound like Olivia Newton-John from the "Xanadu" era.

[ronws]

Twanging is a subtle control of shaping the throat for resonance, usually a brighter resonance. If you have ever heard the mexican folk song "Cielito Lindo," that is what helps me work on twang. Vowel coloring is changing the sound of the vowel, by changing pronunciation. For example, singing "eh" instead of "ah." "O" instead of "oo".

[eunice_hairburger]

Oh wow, thank you. I don't think I'm beyond criticism or constructive feedback. I know I've got vocal issues and problems and many things I want to change and improve, but I really appreciate your kind and supportive words.