ronws

That's a great rendition and your voice is strong on the louder parts. It sounded like, in the beginning, where you are singing with a softer volume that you were a little breathy. Second half, it sounded more supported on the "softer" parts. And wise choice in vowel for the transition into the song's bridge.

Sorry, Steve, I didn't mean to mispeak. The image I have in mind is contraction even if that's not what's happening. The reason being is that, to me, and I could be wrong but the image helps me mentally, is that a high not is a small note, properly resonated and supported. Most times, a contraction tightens things up. It's part of the guitar analogy, I think, that would make me think that. On a guitar, you do make the string shorter by pressing on a fret. But then, as I have mentioned before, I know the guitar is not accurate, our voices are more like variable reeds. Anyway, my bad.

I listened a 4th time and, dang it, jonpall was right. The weak spots were your vowel intonations. I couldn't put my finger on it until he mentioned. Born to speaking english, I never thought of it. Where you are strongest is when the vowell forms in the back the mouth, just about behind the sinus, counterintuitive as that may sound. It weakens when you form the vowell forward in the mouth, such as on the word "game." It is a very subtle distinction and thanks to jonpall for catching that. Man, jonpall, you've got a great ear. Maybe, as you say, due to english not being your first language, making you more sensitive to vowel changes. I speak english, german, spanish and a smattering of russian and ukrainian and I change my vowel formations for those languages without thinking, mimicking a native speaker. I never thought about it in singing. And I think your point is well taken, whether we speak english as a first language, or not. That's going to be something I watch for in myself. edited to add: I know some castillian spanish but what I often speak is what we call tex-mex, a variation of mexican spanish that includes english words converted to spanish. For example, truck in tex-mex is trucka and lunch is lunchera. Malissimo in castillian spanish becomes mala in mexican and tex-mex spanish. Some structure still remains. "Que es hora an?" stilll means "what time is it?" As of consequence from having learned some spanish on the job, some friends have named me "Oso Blanco," (white bear.)

Bon Jovi is a band name and a business name / stage name. His real name is Jon bon Giovanni. I was using his real name to speak directly of him. I didn't mean to cause confusion. Bon Jovi includes Ritchie, Tito, et al.

I liked the timbre you had in this one. Quite similar to the original. You sounded more confident in the higher parts than the lower parts. Was this mixed voice for you or head voice? As someone else put it, these terms can be confusing. I've used full head tone and others have thought of it as falsetto. Either one could be right, I guess. When I hit a full headtone, it feels like a full head tone to me but might be falsetto. Or, it might be the other person hears falsetto, even when I am in full headtone. It's enough to make you dizzy. Anyway, mixed is where you have some of your "regular" or chest voice mixed with some of the resonance of the head. I think some are calling it curbing or crying. Where as full head voice could be a tight squawk or whistle-y note in the head or behind the sinus. Nowadays, especially since coming here, I often second-guess myself, so I may not be able to accurately comment on other people, other than as a layman who hears a good sound and try to describe it in the language here, as best as I can. It's only recently, like what I did with "Holy Diver" where my solution was not to go full blast and break glass with a sonic assault. But, instead, to go softer, or with a different tone. I think there's a timbre shift when you hit the lower notes but that might be my ear failing me or a trick of the recording. I was wondering if the notes you felt shaky on might be better approached with more crying rasp than even you used in this recording. I don't know, I just liked what you did.

You have an even tone all the way through. Kind of a Steve Earle vibe is the nearest comparison I can make. You sounded hesitant in register shifts. You hit the note on pitch but held back a little. Your best transition was the use of the word "so" as a slide to the next elevation of melody. It allows you to start whereever and float up to it. I can't find any fault but I was thinking that if you went a little nasally or twangy when you transitioned to the higher parts of the melody, it would give it some bite and it might ease your transition. Either that, or slide like you did at approximately the third quarter of the song.

Thanks, Fahim. I have sung it as he performed it but it comes out wrong on my equipment. It's one of the reasons I changed the beginning and ending to falsetto. And the guitar arrangement is something I came up with, impromptu. I had not played it quite this way before. The high part near the end "Sole survivor, you're the one that's clean" was always a bit rough for me as something of a passagio. I "solved" it by making the transition in range in falsetto tone and bring in the next repetition at full voice. Some might consider that cheating but look at the results. A recording that has received a favorable review. I have not sung that song in a few months but it's part of my practice repertoire. It's also a good chance to show more tonal and vibrato qualities I have in my voice that are not often found in the staccato lyrics of say, AC/DC.

Thanks for the technical info. You know, I think back to how you sound, even on "Bat out of Hell" and there is definitely an operatic influence, even if you weren't going for that. As for having multiple ranges, I think that is more possible in pop and rock because of the style of resonance. Surely, you can tell the difference between you and Rob Halford of Judas Priest. Part of that is due to how you resonate notes. One of the best singers to ever vary resonance for different effects is Ronnie James Dio. You can see it in his face. In addition to his moves and costumes being similar to an actor in an opera, you can watch how he moves his lips and mouth to create certain tones of resonance, just as one does in opera. The proof is in the pudding, so to speak. Can you hear the difference between how you sound and how Jon bon Giovanni sounds? I was plucking on the guitar just now to get an idea of the transition you are talking about in your previous post. I think having a passagio at or around F4 is possible and I think you might be able to hit that note, seeing what I can of your different resonances and registers in your submissions. I know I could hit F4 but not softly and not with an operatic timbre. I could probably do it in full volume falsetto or even a bit of metal timbre but that might be due to my physical limitations. And my voice has changed over the years. In the beginning, to hit high C, I might have been doing a metal-type croak. Now, I can hit the note cleanly, which may sound like falsetto but certainly doesn't feel like it when I am doing it. And it's hard for me to relate to others such as yourself what it sounds like because of the limitations I have with recording equipment. In person, I know I have some overtones, even in mixed voice, that you just can't get from the recordings I have put up. Would you have the luck at say F4 that you had at high C, for example? That's a tougher question. There's a physical limit based the shortest length an adult male can contract his chords to and still make a sound. For lack of a better description, I think it's logarithmic. That is, the change from being comfortable finally at high C to being comfortable at F4 is going to be very subtle, I think. How do you get there? Sheesh, you could probably teach me about singing and technique. I just know what's worked for me. I guess what I am saying is, how important is it to get to that note? You may end up changing resonance and timbre to get it and that would take you away from the operatic sound, at least for a while. Please forgive my layman's command of the terminology.

"Holy Diver" from the phenomenal Ronnie James Dio. I don't him justice but I love this song and wanted to share it. In fact, the beginning and the ending are falsetto for the effect of emotion, rather than worrying if I sound like RJD. Blessings to the all of us aspiring vocalists and to the family and friends of Ronnie James Dio (1942 - 2010).

I lack the technical ability to describe mid tenor though I could say that it is what I think of in say, the singing of Jon bon Giovanni. As for falsetto, there are some notes I am hitting that sound like falsetto on cheap recording equipment and other times, I know it's falsetto with lots of volume, akin to Justin Hawkins of The Darkness. And I may be ill prepared or qualified to truly help you but I wanted to give my input as a layman. Again, I am not a vocal coach or professional voice teacher in any stretch of the imagination. I am an electrician who has sun "I don't believe in love" by Queensryche, a capella, while making wire junctions in a junction box. And my friend, John, a hugely devoted Queensryche fan, had no complaints. What I can say is that it depends on the material, to some extent. I believe, unless someone will correct me (which won't hurt my feelings) that some sounds and lyrics or word shapes are easier to sing in passagio than others. But really, I liked everything you did. I do listen to opera sometimes, mainly arias. One of my favorite voices in the world is Sarah Brightman. She gives me chills down my spine.

This is "Come, Sail Away" by Styx. One of my favorites of theirs. I came up with this arrangement for guitar, pretty much on the spot. Then put acoustic eq on it. Nothing on the voice. But partially through, I backed off the mic a bit, which sounds like a volume change. The last note sounds like falsetto at full volume and kind of felt like it. Immediately after I was done I thought of a grittier note but oh well, nothing like maxing out the mic and the channel waveguide. Many people thought Tommy Shaw sang this. He did not. He was more of gritty singer. It was the other guy, Dennis DeYoung, who also sang "Mr. Roboto." Tommy Shaw sang on songs like "Renegade."

My version of "Long way to the Top (if you want to rock and roll)" by AC/DC. It's an easier song to sing than most. Essentially, a recitative over the music. Please excuse the timing. I did each track in one take and I'm used to playing and singing at the same time. And the tempo changed. I should fire that guitar player. Wait a minute, that was me. This song is for all you people here, whether you plan to be the next Rob Halford or just enjoy making music.

Here's my version of "Highway to Hell." I like to call it the Texas hick version because I sound like a country boy hick on it, I think, from the way we pronounce the word "highway" in Texas. I don't sound like Bon Scott or Brian Johnson. I do have to admit some of the tones, thanks to me overdriving the mic, are similar to that of Justin Hawkins. That doesn't offend me. And I don't know how to sing this song softly in order to get the rasp or grit that others get. I do get my own grit, though. This song has always sounded to me to a rough song, not refined, worn and loose at the edges, indeed, on the highway to hell. the laconic beat, even Scott's "devil may care" attitude. Angus's solo is slow and lazy. Those are the emotions I'm trying to convey. I used an acoustic eq on the guitar track and an inverted RIAA eq on the voice. Sometimes the eq helps, sometimes it doesn't. For example, I think the inverted RIAA made me sound breathy on this, when I actually wasn't. More often than not, I end up leaving the voice like it is but I wanted to experiment with this one and see how it translates from 32 bit 41k down to 16 bit wav and over to what youtube can play.

Empty Chairs - Great emotion in your voice. I understand how it felt or sounded different in your head than it sounded in recording. I found that effect when I did "Sweet Child of Mine." For me, most of that song was mixed, with the higher parts being head tone, but I think I was still mixing a little. In playback, I couldn't hear any passagio or transition, which I guess, is success. In that case, your instincts maybe what is needed to accomplish the range. When I was younger, I would try and match timbre. But it helps to remember that a high note is a small note with a different resonance and resonating space than say a basso profundo grumble. That is, to access the higher end of your range may require a resonance different than that which you may have at, say, B2. For example, if you could D5, I doubt you're going to sound like you do at middle C. Don't let that scare you off.

This Town Ain't Big Enough - First off, even in falsetto tone, for we all know falsetto is a tone, not a range, it is difficult to pull off a split-arpeggiated melody with staccato lyrics that include full gutteral and labial stops. And that was in mid-tenor, no less. Man, you've got some chops. Someone should pimp-slap Andrew Lloyd Weber and his compatriots for doing things like that. Anyway, your only weak spot was the ending note. And not because it was out of range. But because you backed off the breath. As Graham Hewitt once said, if you can sing it soft, you can sing it loud. It just depends on the air pressure, the resonance, and the proper tension on the right part of the vocal chords. I noticed your timbre was more open-throated on this song, less bel canto. So, in traditional opera, you may be baritone to mid-tenor but I think in pop music and contemporary theater, you might be full tenor. And I think you are having an easier time in pop tenor because the shape of the mouth is more open an lax, where the vowels are shaped in the back of the mouth rather than with the mandibular muscles and the lips. In fact, I bet it's harder for you to sing pop baritone since you are so used to the bel canto in that range. Next time you do this song, hit the last note with a gut punch, like your swinging to bat the ball out of the park (center field into the parking lot and knock out someone's windshield.)

Sea Fever - Well done. Your voice is entrancing in that one. Obviously, of course, you were in your element, material-wise. If you were having a crack or weakness, I couldn't hear it. As for the effect of upper range becoming easier to manage, that can happen. From 1974 to 1987, I thought I was baritone. Then I started studying voice and learning about resonance and breath control and found out I was a tenor. At least in my favorite genres, hard rock and heavy metal, with a smattering of pop, which I think is reflected in the submissions I have put up so far in the critique section. I think part of the difference is the expected venues for different types of music. Bel Canto opera, your style, is designed for the singer to sing in an acoustically shaped hall with no electronic amplification. As opposed to "Bat" which is often song into a microphone and indeed, many pop singers are kind of weak and thready in the upper range and the lack is hidden in the amplification and the equalization applied to the vocal mic. It's also not uncommon, I think, for someone to be capable of two ranges. I can go from high tenor down to baritone and once in a while, I can hit upper bass. Especially if I have a cold.

I listened to "Bat out of Hell" first, as the piece is most accessible to me as a cultural reference, though I have seen Ol' Misery, too. Maybe I have lived a sheltered life but I had not really heard an opera singer do "Bat". Though I appreciate that "Bat out of Hell" is essentially a rock opera. Indeed, Meatloaf (Michael Aday) certainly looked a crazed opera singer in the edwardian tux shirt, hankerchief in one hand. I'm not exactly sure where you are resonating most of your range. It sounded chest for baritone and lower tenor. Mixed for mid tenor and you had to change resonance for the upper tenor and that you were a little uncomfortable with it, not because it was impossible for you to do but because it took you out of the bel canto technique. Which may be problematic because of the lyrics at that part of the melody. That is, you were on pitch, like a true singer, doing what it takes to hit the note, but at a cost of leaving behind the resonance you were used to using. Is the question how to achieve that part of the range while still using the bel canto technique? I just know how I hit that range if I want the full tone (depends on the effect of the song). Which is full head tone, with the back of the tongue curled to bolster the resonating space. You might start that note in falsetto and approach full as you become comfortable in how to resonate and still have your distinctive sound. Sure, you will sound weak at first. But it's the way I teach helpers how to bend pipe. You take a bender and a pipe and knock yourself out making a metal pretzel out of it. In so doing, you become comfortable with how the bender does what it does. By the end of a couple of sticks, you can bend anything you desire, rather than just by accident. In the same vein, I would say, experiment with that in falsetto, until you become comfortable with where the note is in whereever you are resonating. Then you can make minute adjustments and get back to that "Pavarotti does Mozart's Requiem" vibe that was going on.

Modern because the lyrics and melody are contemporary, rather than from the 1930s or 40s. Torch singer because many of the songs are of unrequited love or love gone astray, where the singer, as the solitary actor in the story of the song, still carries a torch for the loved one. It's from an old american phrase "to carry a torch" which is to hold onto a love or still love someone or something long after it seems such a relationship is is useless or none-forthcoming. Ergo, modern torch song singer.

You and some of the other singers here already have talent and the ability to be making records. It just takes a little push. But I see that you are already out there. I listen to all types of music and I think there is definitely space out there for you.

And thank you for the kind words. I'm not a vocal teacher or anything like that. I am, by profession and trade, an electrician. But I have been playing guitar for a really long time and singing for a really long time and I can remember the hurdles I have crossed and some I still cross. For example, when I am teaching a helper how to bend pipe and I see him or her about to do something that won't bring them success, I stop and think to myself, what I am doing that's right that I haven't taught them? Well, it appears that I can hear what someone is doing and relate it to a problem that I have had and got through. At the same time, I can have a problem and read someone else's viewpoint and think, yeah, that's it, now I understand. Once in a while, I even manage to learn from myself. Or try something different to get around the limitations of my recording equipment. AC/DC songs sound like they were made for belting. But really, I think, you can achieve what you want to achieve whether it's in fully resonated head voice or belted chest voice. One of the best analogies I have found is that the voice can be thought of like a guitar string. A high note is a shortened string (by pressing near a fret on the neck) and stouter pick attack (controlled and applied air pressure) and resonated in the chamber of the guitar (whichever applicable resonating space in your body, such as behind the nasal cavity. What I have also found helps to support the head voice resonating chamber is to allow the back of your tongue to curl a bit. This creates a resonating space. It's part of the inner "smile" you create when you smile big. Many people think Axl Rose's grimace is for stage effect of emotion. It is not, it is to move the muscles in the back of throat to create the right resonating space. Be confident that you can do it because, believe it or not, you are already there, just use that confidence to "unleash the beast."

Good analogy, the bagpipes. I have found that breath control, along with resonance, leads to volume control. And, counter-intuitive as it sounds, sometimes resonating behind the sinus leads to getting away from nasal sounds. Just like, a high note is a small note with limited and controlled air, rather than an elevated larynx and marine drill sgt. hoarse shout.

I wanted to highlight your point so that it doesn't get lost, accidently. The Bon Scott and Brian Johnson sound is an integral part of AC/DC. I have "Highway to Hell" as a ringtone on my cellphone. That being said, Bon Scott was not a trained singer and his range was limited, albeit in the high end. But the sound he had fit the unpolished sound that was needed. Brian Johnson actually accomplished more range but has struggled to stay in the tenor range. But he, too, has a tone that is more important than being a technically accurate singer. I totally agree, Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson are better singers but their sound would not have fit AC/DC. Just as the sound of the original singer for Iron Maiden was a punk rock singer and not really suited for the neo-classical song construction of Glen Tipton and K.K. Downing. Bruce coming along was just what they needed. And, yes, I believe in having fun. I wouldn't rule out music as a career for me, but it will be on my terms. So, I agree with you, this should always be for fun. As Ronnie James Dio said, "I get to do what I love to do, every single day. It doesn't get any better than that." When I sing "Highway to Hell" and "Longway to the Top," I don't try to imitate the timbres of Scott or Johnson. I don't think I could, really. I concentrate on hitting the notes, usually with full volume, as I am often singing over my own guitar.

The gospel link kept throwing me to the login page but the jazz link went right to that one. And I liked it. Your voice has the velvety smoothness of Roberta Flack and the range of Sarah Vaughan. You even have some of that Sarah edge and sensibility, yet it's all your own. I also like your transitions from full tone to falsetto and back, again. I think, in opera, it's called sotto voce. One of my prize items is an original ceramic pressing of "Lady Sings the Blues" by Billie Holliday. You make me think of that and I could easily see you as a modern torch singer, as Rod Stewart has become these days. I would say keep on with what you've get, get yourself recorded and start selling albums. Don't bother with meat grinders like American Idol or other "talent manufacturing" mills. You have a professional sound.

I think you sang it stronger than Klaus Meine. In the original version, his is more nasal, with a full head voice but "wasting air" which pulls back on the volume and gives him the rasp he was going for, whereas you were belting in mixed voice, a testament to you being a natural tenor, at least in sound, and giving it a sonic blast. That is, you were singing properly and fully resonated. It is Klaus who may have been using the crying resonance to reach that range at the soft volume he was creating for the song.

I think you nailed it. Much better pitch control because you had diaphragmic pressure matching the ends of the range you are in. Definitely the thing to do in varying the outputed volume in recording, rather than trying to pull back on your own physical volume. I couldn't hear any pitch or resonance problems at all and I think you were wise to stay in head voice, where you could control your resonance. The echo only helped. Some may think echo is a crutch. It is not. If you were off pitch, the echo would have highlighted that. Instead, it gave the fullness to your notes. Don't worry if you sound just a smidge different than Johnson. That's a good thing. Jesse Dupree of Jackal has a similar sound and I could see, as a member of the buying public, buying your stuff. Even for myself, I can't figure who I sound like. On my own song, "Time," I think I sound a little like Ronnie Van Zandt from .38 Special. On "Highway to Hell," I sometimes sound like a hick. I think that's from the way we pronounce the word "highway" in Texas. Speaking of which, I've been meaning to redo that song through Audacity to see if I can get a better version. You will find that I don't sound like either Brian Johnson or Bon Scott. But I admire the tone or timbre you have built in these recordings.