Snax

A part of me will always want to be a rock star but to be honest I much prefer being my own boss and keeping my own schedule. Fame and fortune comes at a price I'm not willing to pay. Hearing all the great comments here is praise enough to keep me forging ahead on my own personal quest for heavy metal vocal perfection! I'm sure Jens or Martin would kick ass on these songs too! (Hint,hint guys!)

I'm really glad it helped you! I used the very same technique today when I recorded the song "Devils Child" by Judas Priest. There's a few parts in that song that really need you to focus and control your air pressure and amount of release. The more I've spend time on these forums the better a singer I've become. You ALL rock! :cool:

Thanks everyone for such nice comments. I feel like a star here! lol:cool: I just posted another Judas Priest song in the review and critique thread so please check it out and let me know what you think.

Well, I tried a Priest song that I NEVER thought I'd ever pull off before my tonsillectomy. Having those huge suckers removed was the BEST thing I've ever done for my singing! This another really tough one vocally and I'm the first to admit that there's a ton of takes all pasted together to make the final track. I actually managed to feel pretty happy with the way it turned out and I'm a stubborn perfectionist when it comes to my own singing. Enough preamble.Here's the song... https://files.me.com/muskysnax/wrla04.mp3

I think once I master my own air velocity I'll have a much easier time with the Priest songs. I tend to want to push too much air on some of the notes to get the grit although I know I shouldn't. There's so many nuances to this song that are apparent until you record yourself doing it and try to match Halford. I might freak a few old metal heads out if I sang this at a karaoke bar! lol

Here's the first part of the song just my bare vocals. I hear a bunch of pitchy notes and plan on redoing all the bits that need to be fixed. I'd love to hear Halfords bare vocal track for this song actually! https://files.me.com/muskysnax/kv2gob.mp3

There's very few singers who I do put on a pedestal and Halford,Dio and Bruce Dickinson are definitely on the list. Not only did they sing the way they did but they created those melodies and screams in the first place. Awe inspiring and to me untouchable. I really appreciate your comments though and it makes me want to do even better next time to live up to your high regard. Maybe I'll post just the bare vocal track with no reverb or delays etc so you can hear what I REALY sound like! You might just change your view. lol

Ha,ha, you're much too kind jonpall! I will say that I do prefer my version to Ripper Owens but that's because I do naturally sound more like Halford and Judas Priest just doesn't sound right without that sound. I wish I had this voice 20 years ago when I was singing in bands and wanted to pursue music as a career. Damn tonsils! lol Cheers right back at ya buddy! :cool:

Thanks Jonpall, but Halford is unbelievable on this track! He sounds like a demon possessed as he shrieks the lyrics. Gives me chills every time I play it! I'm but a pale imitation...but I can live with that. ;)

Thanks Basil! I bet none of you know that one of the other singers who has been a big influence on me is Engelbert Humperdinck! There's nothing like singing a beautiful love song to a room full of ladies!

Damn, you sure know how to make a guy feel proud Ron! Thanks so much for the kind words buddy! By all means post your version of Breaking The Law Ron. I'd really dig listening to it.

This song was a real bitch to sing! lol The more Judas Priest songs I attempt to sing the more respect I have for Rob Halford for creating such awesome vocals! Here's my attempt... https://files.me.com/muskysnax/84lo5t.mp3

It did, thanks! :)

You have a wicked growly tone in your chest voice dude! I can see that you are starting to learn how to place your voice for the higher parts now too. Have patience and keep practising my friend. You have made some good improvements already. :cool: I think that you might still be using too much breath pressure on the high stuff. Think of how tiny the vocal folds are and that you only need a small amount of air to actually create those notes. The volume and tone will come from the resonation and twang not by pushing that air flow. Here's a tip for you... Exhale all your air and then only take a short tiny breath in. Now sing the line "Run for you're liiiiives". Did you get the feeling that it was easier or less of a strain? Hopefully the answer will be yes. Now you'll try to remember that sensation every time you sing that part of the chorus. I'm bad for trying to breath in way more air than I need when I sing stuff like this too so I understand what you are experiencing. My mental image now when I sing is that my voice is an instrument and I'm "playing" my vocal folds. You wouldn't blow into a flute with all your might to reach higher notes and you don't need to do so with your voice. Keep on rocking!!!

Thanks for the info jonpall. Now I understand what curbing is! Now don't ask me to try to understand "metal like neutral". lol

Like most things in life, getting good takes some work and dedication. If you really love to sing then be prepared for a little hard work and occasional set back before you'll really see results. Unless someone actually has a physical handicap, there's no reason at all why anyone can't learn to sing well enough for others to enjoy. What has been revelation to me lately is that after lots of hard work and learning how to coordinate my vocal muscles I can "play" my voice like it's an instrument and have a lot of artistic freedom and choices in tone, distortion, breathiness etc. It's something you can't really learn overnight but once you come to understand how our voices actually function and learn certain coordinations such as twanging and how to maintain vocal compression etc you will have all the potential in the world at your fingers...er...throat. ;)

Man you have a full sounding head voice! GREAT JOB!!!

Sounding good Ron! Better than I sound trying it for certain! Bon has such a hard sound to emulate and for me I end up constricting too much. It sounds like you have a much easier time on this version. Keep rocking' buddy!

The thing I had to learn for myself about singing in head voice as opposed to pulling chest is that you have to trust that your voice can still sound powerful. The sensations of chest voice are strong and when you go into head it can feel (to you) that all the power is gone from your voice but it's not to the audience's ears. You just need to learn and understand how to support that head voice with breath control and also how to place it in your head so as to maximize your resonance. Then you'll sound really powerful without much effort at all compared to the way you sing it now. Take a listen to my recent post where I sang Victim of Change by Judas Priest. Scroll down the thread to where I posted an updated version of it. Most of that song is in my head voice but it sounds really powerful and resonant. It took me time and patience to learn how to do it the right way but the payoff is worth it my friend!

Wow stan, you do an awesome job on the Chris Cornell voice! Keep it up bro!

Ah yes, curbing is the term I should have used instead of "mix". Bruce has a very intense curbing that has a ton of power. It's really tough to criticize anyone who attempts to sing like one of the most powerful chesty sounding belters ever!

I had to stop listening during the first chorus as it kind of fell apart right there. I think you will do well with this song if you spend some time on breath support and singing in a strong "mix" voice. I don't know what other term to use than "mix" but it would give you more range without pulling chest as you are doing. You have a good tone and the potential to sing it well so don't worry too much. That is a damn tough song to pull off even for singers with the range to do it. I look forward to hearing it again after you have trained your voice in those passagio areas.

Let me say that you have an awesome tone! Once you get the little technical issues worked out there will be no stopping you! Keep singing and thanks for sharing this with us.

You have a great singing voice akarawd! Just keep on tearing up those metal songs and you'll do just fine. ;)

LOVE it ALL!!! Great voice indeed and it sounds like you have excellent technique to boot!