AndrewWu

Thank you all for your feedback. @GuitarTrek After listening back to the song, I have to agree with you. The vocals are too soft. I usually mix my songs straight after recording them, so ear fatigue seems to play a part. This is one of those instances where the mix sounded fine when I was editing, but sounded ordinary when I listened to it with fresh ears. @Steven Fraser Very helpful and detailed analysis. Thanks! I have to admit I haven't taken any notice of the pitch that I end each line on. Now that you've brought that to my attention, I realise that I do tend to finish my phrases off with low notes most of the time. It's what comes naturally to me as a songwriter, and I think it sounds nicer ending a line with a note at the extremities of the voice rather than in the midrange. Now I guess I need to work on adding more energy to my lower notes so that they stand out.

Wow! I was completely blown away. Very well written - imaginative, creative and never dull. And to think that people like all that repetitive rubbish on the charts. Nice guitar tone and well executed technical chops. And you can sing!!! You kept the vocals confined to the quieter parts of the song, which I thought was very wise. Trying to sing over the distorted guitars on some of the heavier parts of the song would be difficult, Do you have a myspace or reverbnation page?

I forgot to mention that its a free download from my reverbnation site. And ronws, the saxophone part is being played on a keyboard (since I can't actually play the saxophone). It's actually an alto saxophone patch (from memory).

I definitely thought the second rendition was better. In the first you sound as though you're pulling your chest ranger higher than it should be. Your midrange sounds absolutely stunning. Once you become more comfortable singing in head voice, you're gonna be awesome. And your songwriting is very good.

Hello everybody, The song I would like you to listen to is 'Years from now'. You can access it on my webpage: http://www.reverbnation.com/#/andrewwu Or if you would prefer, you can also listen to it on my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Andrew-Wu/111133162267822?ref=ts It's my first attempt at adding a jazz flavour to my songs. I haven't used any jazz techniques vocally in this piece, but I have always fancied that my tone suits the style. I'd love to hear your opinions. And please, don't be afraid to criticize (as that helps me learn more than anything else). Thanks Andrew

Hi Jonpall, You can use Windows movie maker to convert your sound file into a movie file - even if that movie happens to be just a single image with a sound track. After you've opened the program, import your mp3 file and the image(s) you want to use. Drag your mp3 file into the 'audio/music' row at the bottom. Then drag your image into the 'video' row. You'll want to drag out the image so that it shows for the entirety of the song. It's pretty simple, I'm sure you won't have any trouble using the program. When you're done, go and publish the 'movie'. It will come out as a wmv file, which is compatible with YouTube. And just a tip: if possible, import your song as a wav file instead of an mp3 file. The sound quality is much better in a wav file. When the program publishes your movie, it will compress the file to a reasonable size. The audio quality is better than an mp3, even after the wav file is compressed. I hope this has been helpful. Look forward to hearing your music. Andrew

Thanks to all those who have provided feedback so far. To Steven, The photos you see are snapshots from my YouTube videos. When I am actually recording audio, I record each part separately separately and with my body upright. You're right, being slumped over the guitar does restrict the airflow a bit. I just haven't quite become comfortable at playing the guitar standing yet. To Fahim, You are one wicked guitarist! I also wanted to ask a few follow up questions: 1. Do you think that my voice is suited to the acoustic, adult contemporary and soft rock styles that I am currently involved with, or is there something else that would suit me better? I have dabbled around in rock and pop rock before and my assessment is that my voice lacks the power and brightness needed to really cut through the music. 2. With my mellow and breathy tone, am I better suited to background vocals than lead vocals? Thanks in advance

If myspace is causing problems, you can also access the song on my reverbnation page: http://www.reverbnation.com/andrewwu#

I have a friend (great musician, but not a singer) who tells me that my singing is very unclear. I do admit that my articulation could improve a fair bit, but I don't think that there are any serious problems with my projection. I have a warm and mellow voice, and I tend to think that this is the real reason why my vocals might seem to lack clarity. I would just like to hear a 'third opinion', so to speak. And please, be brutally honest if need be. The song in question is my original song 'Where have you gone now?'. I have just recently uploaded it to my webpage: http://www.myspace.com/andrewywu Thanks for your time