Robert Lunte

Draven, Dan... thanks for your help.

Manny!  It is great to see you in here again... hope you have been well.
I actually have been coaching this song the last two weeks with another singer... I also performed this before in a choral group once.
Your Review:
- The opening sequence is pitchy and a touch shouty. I like Dan's suggestion to cover to a mixed position more.
- Given the genre, I feel like you could be more articulate on the lower parts, "softly, gently, etc.."... its sort of a lost opportunity. 
- 3:51, nice /i/.
- The last falsetto "night" was flat... NO. make sure that last note is straight on.
Overall Manny, I think it was a nice performance. I would give it a B+. You have nice interpretations and expression in here that I think a lot of people would likely miss. But the biggest point of improvement in my view would be intonation. Many of the onsets start low and scoop. They come and go quickly, but for a public performance of a theater piece like this, I think you need to get straight in on pitch on your onsets. This is an easy thing to fix.. just pay more attention to it.
Good to see you back in here.

Jesse,
The skid row song:
- ? lacking any musculature. You have to ask yourself why this is so falsetto-ish. I get the feeling that YOU don't have to do this. That you have the ability to bring more musculature / TA to bare into this entire performance. You are choosing to sing on the edges of your vocalis which is a mystery. It says more about what is going on in your head then your capabilities... that is just a gut feel. There are some fleeting moments when the vocals connect better, but then you back off to this falsetto position.
- Dan is correct about resonance, but if you bring in more musculature support, resonance will suddenly "pop" better and "sit in", in addition to intonation. As well as so many other elements in your phonation package will come together. The singing is a mess because there is no framework, no musculature support. You can't expect to sing this song, or just about any song, in pur falsetto. So what do you do to fix that? You find a good training program and teacher if you can, and you begin to workout.
- What are you doing for training? ... What training techniques are you working with on a regular basis that can help you to strengthen your belt musculature, your ability to throat shape vowels ( narrowing ) and can strengthen your ability to maintain compression?  It sounds like you are not doing any resistance training to my ears. Are you just singing songs ONLY? If so, that isn't going to cut it for you... Very few people can get by by ONLY singing songs.  The purpose of training is to hasten your physical strength and motor skills required to support singing like this. If you were my student and were using The Four Pillars of Singing, I would be putting you on these routines right here. see the video capture.
 
The Scorps:
- Honestly... the same thing. It's a mess.
 
Make a commitment to TRAIN, ... practice some vocal training techniques or no one can help you. I am really just giving you the "tough love". Protecting your feelings isn't going to help you.  Being straight up, honest and telling you like it is, is the only thing that really has a chance to help you, provided that after you get that message, you take the steps that have been recommended.

Jesse,
The skid row song:
- ? lacking any musculature. You have to ask yourself why this is so falsetto-ish. I get the feeling that YOU don't have to do this. That you have the ability to bring more musculature / TA to bare into this entire performance. You are choosing to sing on the edges of your vocalis which is a mystery. It says more about what is going on in your head then your capabilities... that is just a gut feel. There are some fleeting moments when the vocals connect better, but then you back off to this falsetto position.
- Dan is correct about resonance, but if you bring in more musculature support, resonance will suddenly "pop" better and "sit in", in addition to intonation. As well as so many other elements in your phonation package will come together. The singing is a mess because there is no framework, no musculature support. You can't expect to sing this song, or just about any song, in pur falsetto. So what do you do to fix that? You find a good training program and teacher if you can, and you begin to workout.
- What are you doing for training? ... What training techniques are you working with on a regular basis that can help you to strengthen your belt musculature, your ability to throat shape vowels ( narrowing ) and can strengthen your ability to maintain compression?  It sounds like you are not doing any resistance training to my ears. Are you just singing songs ONLY? If so, that isn't going to cut it for you... Very few people can get by by ONLY singing songs.  The purpose of training is to hasten your physical strength and motor skills required to support singing like this. If you were my student and were using The Four Pillars of Singing, I would be putting you on these routines right here. see the video capture.
 
The Scorps:
- Honestly... the same thing. It's a mess.
 
Make a commitment to TRAIN, ... practice some vocal training techniques or no one can help you. I am really just giving you the "tough love". Protecting your feelings isn't going to help you.  Being straight up, honest and telling you like it is, is the only thing that really has a chance to help you, provided that after you get that message, you take the steps that have been recommended.

Sounds like your searching for different voices. Its kind of all over the place resonance wise. With some work keeping it "in the pocket" i think you would have an easier time

I'm hearing the same thing as Daniel. I especially hear a drastic difference on the higher notes. It's as if you're trying to relax by modifying your placement a lot more towards head voice, and the end result is actually causing even more tension and instabliity on those notes. Edge it forward just a bit. Focus your vowels either right at where your hard and soft palates meet, or just behind that (depending on the sound color you want). If you're feeling a lot of tension in the neck, then you need to be transfering that extra pressure to both your soft palate and pushing into your solar plexus. If you really want balance your air rpessure, relaxation, etc, try singing the song through a cocktail straw while holding your nose andrelaxing (not pushing extra air through the straw). I don't suggest doing it more than 5 minutes at a time, perhaps a few times a day, because it stretches out every single muscle you're using too. But it can be an amazing asistant to singing a great vocal balance.

I agree with Daniel. There's nothing specific to point out in any one part of the song. Overall, however, you tended to yell on the louder higher notes. Finding either a comfortable belt or strong mixed resonance for those parts (which were very prominant at the beginning), would make this song much easier for you to sing and tighten it up quite a bit.
As for not singing as long as you wanted to on the last note, if it's from running out of air, then there is one exercise you can start doing to expand your lung capacity. Breathe in by slightly tightening your abs and focusing the air into your lower back, kidneys, or glutes. This should naturally put most of the air into your obliques or lower ribs. Then make a very strong "sss" sound while pushing the air forward into your solar plexus. The "sss" is meant to be a type of compression that holds back most of the air you're trying to push out. This will compress your lung and open up all the tiny little pockets of air, effectively streching them and giving you more lung gcapacity over time. The idea is, with proper gottal/subglottal pressure balance, you should be able to sing a note at any strength for about as long as you can exhale in the lung capacity exercise. This got me up to being able to belt for 43 seconds. 
However, the tension you have in your voice on higher notes is an issue, and holding you back a lot. Focus on better placement, relaxing the tension in your neck, and solid breath support from pushing into the solar plexus. The breath support doesn't have to make you super loud. If you balance the pressure correctly, it will simply stablize the note at any volume.

It was good but pitchy in spots. I think if you could find mixed voice in a those spots it would be a little tighter.. 

Avinash,
Your kid is cute.
And I can confirm for you that she has a gift for singing. You are not delusional or just the "over zealous parent". For her to even DARE to try to sing this song at 9 years old, and then actually ... sort of pull it off, is impressive. 
It does need a lot of work, but that doesn't hide the fact that for her age, there is something here that is promising.
For example:
- Here pitch is not perfect, but for her age and the difficulty of this song, not bad. About 80% in.
- Notes such as at 1:40, are very nicely resonant and pretty. Foreshadowing what she could do with a more mature voice , more consistently. 
- She seems to have a rather darker tone to her voice which is unusual for girls. Girls tend to be very shrill and it is nice to NOT be hearing that ear piercing shrill from a little girl, but some more warmth from her sound color. Again, another hint at potential here.
As far as competing for talent shows are concerned, I think she could be competitive IF she trained and got serious. Does she have a voice coach? Without professional coaching and someone to really raise the bar to prepare for auditions, she would not be competitive. I believe she can do it, but you and your family are going to have to make a decision to commit to hard work and serious training, not just singing songs for fun. Is she ready to make singing her "job" and study it like she does homework at school?  If so, she has a chance.
I am available to help you and your daughter if you are looking for a qualified coach. I have a training program that would do a lot to clean things up and get her stronger and more serious about what she is doing. Feel free to give me a call or send me a private email.
I hope this helps.

Avinash,
Your kid is cute.
And I can confirm for you that she has a gift for singing. You are not delusional or just the "over zealous parent". For her to even DARE to try to sing this song at 9 years old, and then actually ... sort of pull it off, is impressive. 
It does need a lot of work, but that doesn't hide the fact that for her age, there is something here that is promising.
For example:
- Here pitch is not perfect, but for her age and the difficulty of this song, not bad. About 80% in.
- Notes such as at 1:40, are very nicely resonant and pretty. Foreshadowing what she could do with a more mature voice , more consistently. 
- She seems to have a rather darker tone to her voice which is unusual for girls. Girls tend to be very shrill and it is nice to NOT be hearing that ear piercing shrill from a little girl, but some more warmth from her sound color. Again, another hint at potential here.
As far as competing for talent shows are concerned, I think she could be competitive IF she trained and got serious. Does she have a voice coach? Without professional coaching and someone to really raise the bar to prepare for auditions, she would not be competitive. I believe she can do it, but you and your family are going to have to make a decision to commit to hard work and serious training, not just singing songs for fun. Is she ready to make singing her "job" and study it like she does homework at school?  If so, she has a chance.
I am available to help you and your daughter if you are looking for a qualified coach. I have a training program that would do a lot to clean things up and get her stronger and more serious about what she is doing. Feel free to give me a call or send me a private email.
I hope this helps.

Avinash,
Your kid is cute.
And I can confirm for you that she has a gift for singing. You are not delusional or just the "over zealous parent". For her to even DARE to try to sing this song at 9 years old, and then actually ... sort of pull it off, is impressive. 
It does need a lot of work, but that doesn't hide the fact that for her age, there is something here that is promising.
For example:
- Here pitch is not perfect, but for her age and the difficulty of this song, not bad. About 80% in.
- Notes such as at 1:40, are very nicely resonant and pretty. Foreshadowing what she could do with a more mature voice , more consistently. 
- She seems to have a rather darker tone to her voice which is unusual for girls. Girls tend to be very shrill and it is nice to NOT be hearing that ear piercing shrill from a little girl, but some more warmth from her sound color. Again, another hint at potential here.
As far as competing for talent shows are concerned, I think she could be competitive IF she trained and got serious. Does she have a voice coach? Without professional coaching and someone to really raise the bar to prepare for auditions, she would not be competitive. I believe she can do it, but you and your family are going to have to make a decision to commit to hard work and serious training, not just singing songs for fun. Is she ready to make singing her "job" and study it like she does homework at school?  If so, she has a chance.
I am available to help you and your daughter if you are looking for a qualified coach. I have a training program that would do a lot to clean things up and get her stronger and more serious about what she is doing. Feel free to give me a call or send me a private email.
I hope this helps.

No worries. Please take your time. 
Avinash
 

Hi, 
My daughter is 9 yrs old, likes to sing, she tries her best to take part in any singing opportunity that she gets.
I would like to get some valuable and honest inputs from experts here about her singing.
what can be done to improve here singing ability and voice quality. 
What kind of songs should she be singing  when it comes to competition / performances, specially the songs that  can increase her chance of securing better position in  singing competition.
Looking forward for your valuable inputs.
Thanks,
Avinash
 
 
 
 

Thanks Draven, I have embraced my identity more as a story teller than a singer. Jim Croce, James Taylor, Jackson Browne along with Dylan and John Prine. 
I dropped the key from Bb or B to G so the highest note as I sing it is G4 staying away from the dreaded passaggio.  As I mentioned above after watching other people perform this on acoustic I thought I had been singing it a bit too heavy. With any luck I will be able to rerecord this evening with the suggestions that you and Robert made along with my original approach before being influenced by the way others have presented this.
  I have been trying to get a handle on my dipthongs for some time now.  I grew up with Bluegrass/Country gospel. Part of their appeal is a thin piercing sound. It goes well with the Banjo and fiddle but leaves a little to be desired for other types of music.

Thanks for listening. To be honest I ran through this song quite a few times trying different things. My first approach was heavier and more matter of fact rather than soft. I viewed a few covers by other people to get a handle on the acoustic guitar rhythm. Most of the other singers used a lighter approach and I guess I let myself be influenced by them. I will rerecord this and see how it goes.

I've never heard this song so light. Very cool!
Watch your diphthongs in your accent. If you focus more on the main vowel to sing out, then pitch, accent, and timbre will lock in more often. Another thing to watch out for is anticipating the next note or over-relaxing at the ends of your phrases, both causing the note to fall. Again, that will start to go away when you focus on singing out your main vowels. What Robert mentioned, singing with a bit more weight, might also help stabilize the issues I mentioned.
 

It has been a while since I have presented anything. I still have not found time for true practice but I have improved since receiving the FOUR PILLARS OF SINGING. 
Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks
 

Speaking as a big fan of Dio, this does not sound great at all. Take lessons!

Have fun. We tried to help. Let me know when you're serious about getting feedback.

Uh,...Ya, ... its not better.
One of the things you learn as you evolve into a conscientious singer that is serious, is you get a lot of practice shelving your ego and exercising the courage to humble yourself, especially when you get feedback you don't want to swallow. Being humbled from time to time is part of the lifestyle of being a singer. For everyone, at all levels. Until you can be open to this, it won't happen for you.
At the moment, you are sort of... pretending to be a singer. To be clear, If you sounded exactly the same, but were being accountable by taking our advice, you would appear to be more real to me. Your attitude, not your singing, is what weakens your credibility at this early stage.
Either you are a bit delusional or this is a joke. Maybe this is a joke? I suppose its possible, but I fear it isn't.
I don't feel like protecting your feelings. I feel like giving you the tough love truth, because that is what you are going to need to make any kind of progress. I did my part.
Good luck on your journey.

Its better then the last sample you shared a couple days ago, but it is still a complete mess. Honestly, its not good enough to capture an audience. Just being honest with you so that you will take action.
You need to train, you need to practice, you need to learn how to sing.
Stop trying to 'wing it'... if you really want to become a singer, you have to take it seriously with lessons and training. Not much is going to change until you do. This is how you are going to sing, which is not good, until you choose to do something about it.
Although I do give you an A for courage in your decision to share your singing with us and trying. That IS the first step, so take the next step.
This will help you immensely. For you, this would transform your singing forever.  If you do the routines and what it teaches you to do. You have just about everything you need to become 95% better in about 30 to 90 days. The choice is now yours... how important is singing to you?
Is it worth $197 and approx. 90 days of hard work? Only you can answer that question.
https://thevocaliststudio.com/the-four-pillars-of-singing/
 

Uh,...Ya, ... its not better.
One of the things you learn as you evolve into a conscientious singer that is serious, is you get a lot of practice shelving your ego and exercising the courage to humble yourself, especially when you get feedback you don't want to swallow. Being humbled from time to time is part of the lifestyle of being a singer. For everyone, at all levels. Until you can be open to this, it won't happen for you.
At the moment, you are sort of... pretending to be a singer. To be clear, If you sounded exactly the same, but were being accountable by taking our advice, you would appear to be more real to me. Your attitude, not your singing, is what weakens your credibility at this early stage.
Either you are a bit delusional or this is a joke. Maybe this is a joke? I suppose its possible, but I fear it isn't.
I don't feel like protecting your feelings. I feel like giving you the tough love truth, because that is what you are going to need to make any kind of progress. I did my part.
Good luck on your journey.

I agree 100% with Robert.
To be straight: You're yelling, not singing, especially on the verses. It doesn't have to be loud to be yelling. Yelling is a vocal configuration/mode. Sometimes you sing out some notes here and there, but it's very inconsistent in placement, timbre, support, and pitch.
What's your goal in singing? Are you just doing this for fun and to sing at Karaoke bars? Or do you want to be taken seriously and sound professional?
If it's the latter, then you need a coach and training routine. Hell, if it's the former, you would still benefit highly from training. You can't simply will yourself into being a good singer. If you think you're good now, start taking feedback seriously (from the audience, your friends, coaches like us, peers, etc), and see what others think. As a performer, it ultimately doesn't matter what you think about yourself, but rather what your audience thinks about you. You can become a MUCH better singer than you are now, but it likely won't happen until you listen to others' feedback and start correctly training proven techniques.

Hello
 
I just sang this in a karaoke bar yesterday but i didnt receive any applause. I wonder why because in my ears i sound good.
 

Draven, Ellise joined our community about four years ago and from the get go, was posting songs of her singing. She's our little sister here. We have literally witnessed her growth and maturity in the forum.
We've watched you grow up in this forum Ellise. From a girl with potential to a young woman who sings great. It's pretty cool.
Ellise is a good example of what can happen when you work hard at singing and never give up. Ellise is the real deal.
Congrats to your family, your coach down there and to you.