ronws

I agree with G. And the paid part of review my singing is known from the front, as well as the request and wish by the owner, creator of this forum to have some kind of avatar of color, with exactly every new member not doing it, making me think that needs to be more emboldened. 

We concentrate on singing, here, but in all the styles you could imagine. So, is the crack about that to imply that we are not a musical community or broad enough because we have reminded you of the cost? And before you reply again with "that's not what I said," be aware that we not only can re-read, we can also read between the lines.

Now, go ahead and call me salty.To quote Robert DeNiro, "are you talking to me?"

You need to re-read and absorb Robert's reply. If you think it is horrible, why should we bother listening to it? Are you waiting for "OMG, you are the best singer ever and quit criticizing yourself"?

That's going to be a long wait, so you might order a pizza.

Instead, work on the song, make it the best that you can. One of my pet peeves is when people want to give all these conditions and disclaimers up front. Forget all that. I don't want to read about that. I want to hear you singing as best as you can. And that is what Robert is asking for. 

Might you still have some things that need work? Maybe, and those comments will happen.

I have been guilty of recording songs I liked that don't really sound right in my voice, especially in the original arrangement. So, I have been where you are. Instead, I really examine my recordings and I have a few I have worked on that I have not shared because I know it's not sounding right. I might play with them some more. Maybe not. So, my work ethic is also improving and it also explains why I have not posted anything in a while. I am becoming more choosy and there may be few here thinking "Hallelujah, about stinking time." 

So, re-think what you are doing.

Dude, that was great and also my favorite Talking Heads song. Well done.

Suit yourself. Good luck and good on you.

Then this thread would belong in the "review my singing" section.

Definitely stepping in the right direction. Now you are not crashing end notes on the siren, which I think is a great improvement. And nice to hear your progress applied to "Black Hole Sun." That song sounds good in your voice and you should keep it as both a song to have in your "set list" and as a benchmark to measure your progress. In the end, even as good as your sirens get, the song is the thing.

Welcome, David. Just a side question. Does everyone in Yukon have crazy spiked white hair as good-looking as yours or is it just you? If so, who is your stylist because that guy or gal is a genius.

There are a number of singer training programs, chief among them being the 4 Pillars of Singing, available through this forum thanks to our benefactor and author of 4 Pillars, Robert Lunte, who also gives personal lessons in whatever fashion. In person at his studio in Seattle, WA, USA or via skype.

Certainly there are a number of us amateur (unpaid) singers but really, you should consult a professional voice teacher when given a chance.

Won't play. By the way, go to the Audacity website and follow the link for the free LAME mp3 encoder. It will also work in Reaper because it also does not have an mp3 encoder because of proprietary reasons.

Anyway, so get the LAME and make sure your copy of Reaper sees it. Then mix and render in mp3. And then you can get an account at box dot com. Your file will be associated with a player page. Paste that link to a player page in a reply in this thread.

Every person I have seen, objectively, that has either had lessons with Robert or used his program successfully has benefited greatly. Not just singers who started with a great sound and improved but others who had some problems to clear up and did so. Even if it involved the quintessential tibetan monk thing of emptying your teacup mind of the tea of preconceptions you have in order to receive the new tea of enlightenment that brings the understanding you were looking for.

Someone could say, well, you have made these gains because you practiced and trained with dedication and consistency and that is true and helpful. It is even more helpful when you have the right materials and content to explain concepts and someone who is able to communicate these effectively. And that is Robert Lunte and the 4 Pillars of Singing. And, to me, the gigantic size of content, while more than pretty much another system you can get for the price or less,is great, what is more important is how effective it is. Any person could create sound files. But to organize it meaningfully is another skill. As well as the thing singular to 4P that I am not aware of in other programs, though I have not really studied those other programs, the concept of workflow.

How many times does a student say, great, I have all this stuff, what do I study and in what order? Because some people do need that. Others, please don't take offense, but I have to deal with this in my job, in different things but same concept. It is one thing to say put on socks and shoes and then tie shoes. You will have students and people that don't know what order of events to take. So, first, put on the socks, left foot first, right foot second. Then shoes. Then tie the shoes. Then they finish that and tell me they have no pants on. My fault, I did not start early enough. 

(are you telling me, Ron, that you have to tell guys how to clean themselves in the bathroom? Yes, and sometimes, literally, and that is another story ...)

So, the modern 4P has the advantage of workflow. And I think the most important work of onsets. And I am willing to bet that the dedicated work schedule combined with onsets development is what is making all parts of the range more accessible and consistent. And knowing what to work on and in what order to work it.

I write these things to applaud, of course, Robert's dedicated work but also yours, Bevin. A teacher can only do so much. The student must work, also. And I am willing to bet that any physical condition real or imagined pales in comparison to the mental acuity and flexibiilty you have had to truly evolve and release the voice that is within you.

Robert does not have videos where he tells you how to sing like a famous singer, or sound like them. He teaches you so that you will be the next iconic and famous singer.

So, what is the background or creds of a good teacher? I think it is not as easy as pointing to a piece of paper or even past history. It would not matter if Robert had done nothing else in life but sing. He has done many things. What matters is that he is good at this, now.

For example, I have other skills and accomplishments outside of singing. I have been doing electrical work since 1983, studying electricity and physics and math since 1975. I have a master electrician license in Texas. I am operations manager for an electrical contractor.

I have studied 6 martial arts styles. Of those, I have formal class instruction on three of them, Tae Kwon Do, Aiki-jujutsu, Kenpo Karate. (It started with Kenpo in 1977.) I have received informal training from a friend who was a SEAL.

I have received formal and informal training in firearms, mostly revolver and shotgun and basic competence in long gun or rifle. I once had a special permit to carry a gun and my last re-qualification at the range at 50' was 145 points out of 150, shooting 30 rounds. 2 in the head, 3 in the heart. That earned me a master marksman pin on handgun. The instructor used his sight glass to follow the dirt puffs behind the target because I was going through the same holes. Smith and Wesson .357 Magnum, Model 19 k-frame with ivory overgrips and shooting 125 grain .38 ammo. It weighed a little over 3 pounds, which actually helps dampen the re-coil.

I have been a bodyguard and bouncer, armed and unarmed. I once was bodyguard to Natalie Cole for a show in Dallas. Bodyguard to the son of the Shah of Iran. (He had business in Dallas. Sometimes the best deterrent is a guard like me, 6' 6", armed to the teeth with weaponry including hands and feet.)

Point of all this is to show that having these other interests and abilities does not make me less of a singer. Nor would have concentrating only on singing and nothing else in life necessarily make me a better singer.

And so, for Robert, even if he did not spend the last 20 or 25 years singing for a famous band or two, or have loads of high-selling albums, or has had other careers does not prevent him from being the successful and effective teacher that he is now. This is thing is his skill set. The proof is in the pudding.

So, not only has he done well in providing the thing you needed, you have done well in choosing it and working with it and I can only see you being awesome and the only limits are those that you place upon yourself.

Yes, it helps and may be a superficial selling point, icing on the cake, as it were, that Robert sings well on everything he does and he could do that without being a teacher, although being a teacher causes the teacher to learn as much as does the student. And I know because I have also been a teacher, informally and formally, teaching electrical trade skills.

But Robert being an effective teacher is a separate skill set from being a singer. It is a different skill set than having all the content and materials he has, even though they are comprehensive, extensive, and helpful. It still comes down to the talent and skill of Robert, in written and spoken word, to communicate.

Again, brava to you, Beven, and bravo to Robert for the dedicated work you both do.

Okay, those links worked. You are off pitch and it is not just a matter of singing a song relative to itself but in a different key. There is no consistency to suggest another key. That is important because instead of a deficiency in hearing the key of the song which might make you consistently a half-tone away in either direction, what it means is that you are not hearing yourself and your notes in relation to the music. So, you need to work on that. If you do not have access to an instrument you can find tone files online. And you may have to continue to record yourself and listen back. Are you listening back now and can you not hear the difference between what you are singing and what the music is?

It's been said that there are no tone-deaf people. I try to stay from such grandiose statements.

Second, articulation. Singing is different than speaking, forever and amen and I don't care how stubbornly someone else may want to hold on to the idea that it is and they would easily and in dedicated fashion beat their head against a brick wall until it is a bloody, pulpy mess, having died proud and mistaken, this is not the hill one should die on. Give it up. So, that means quit reciting the lyrics but sing them as notes of a musical instrument. You are not hear to sing as a kiwi, aussie, or a proper brit. Can others do it? Yes, and a big woohoo for them. For others, it is best start plain and simple and bring the fancy stuff back in later.

And stay away from the harsh consonants and fricatives.

Your k sound is actually, to my ears, a ch sound. It is so pronounced in the chorus "walk away" and it is distracting. You need to soften that to more of a g or softer, even,

Awesome. Please tell her it was awesome. She followed the line like a laser. Every note right in the zone.

A little slice of life. I like it. Made me think of Talking Heads with a higher range.

mp2 not playable. See if you can save it as mp3 or 4.

Just now looked at the link and my first thought was;

"Travelling in a fried-out combie. On a hippie trail, head full of zombie ..."

I would say that there is a little too much nasality and volume, which could easily cause you to miss the pitch you actually need to be on.

Everyone here has already offered better advice.

4 hours ago, 2 cats in a dust bin said:

Sorry I dont do social media sites; yes I use the net a lot but you wont wind my real name on google search 

 

What exactly can I get out of a teacher that will help me improve this song?

And do you think I have the potential to get the song to a professional standard?

 

Thanks

Yeah, actually, an avatar of anything is in the info you get when you sign up for this forum. so, I gave you some hair from Beaker from Sesame Street.

Enjoy.

Thanks.

What I have noticed, across, albeit, just a few covers is that Jeremy has this thing, away of infusing some kind of good feeling, a kind of happiness in the face of all that life is, in his voice. I have a feeling he could sing "Beds Are Burning" by Midnight Oil and it would sound like a party. Or, "City of Angels" by RHCP and it would be a solitude to which we are all invited, a sweet irony.

And yeah, I think he could do some impersonations. I could imagine a spot-on Christopher Walken, "I need more cowbell." Because, let's face it, you can never have too much cowbell. "I've got a fever. And the cure is more cowbell!"

Although, Collin, I think you could do a great Walken and maybe a splash of De Niro. I hear some northeast in your accent. maybe a little Yonkers, a little Brooklyn or Flatbush. Somewhere around the Big Apple.

Where as,my voice has the dusty sound of Clint Eastwood with the accent of Bill Paxton. In fact, I used to do a pretty good Clint.

"Now I know, you've got to be asking yourself one question. Did he shoot six, or was it only five? Well, in all the excitement, I kind of lost count, myself. 

Now, being that this is a forty-four magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and could blow your head clean off, you have to be asking yourself one question -

Do I feel lucky? Well? Do you, punk?"

Actually, Collin, I think you are getting what I was talking about, with this. You have a better flow in this. Granted, it is more of a speaky kind of song with a dense pack of lyrics but I think you sang this, instead of speaking it.

Thanks, Bzean. considering I was overloading the mic, singing so loud. It is also my favorite part of the song. The rest of the song, I feel like I am holding back but during that part, the G-F-C progression, I can let go and get it out.

"Talk, Talk

I felt the coldness of my winter.

I never thought you would ever go.

I felt the gloom that set upon us, upon us

But I know that I love you so ..."

The recording and mix stinks but the playing was much easier when I scaled back the guitar part to just guitar.

"Rain Song" # 2 by Led Zeppelin

http://www.box.com/s/09def48d0af59a258e5b

Well, a perfect example of what I am talking about in simplifying is in playing and singing the "Rain Song" by Led Zeppelin. Having heard the song, I learned to play it from manuscript, which is a full arrangement, not just the guitar part. And the full arrangement is guitar, bass, melatron, drums, strings. I was tying my hands in notes trying to get chord voicings that accounted for everything.

However, another song, "Dust in the Wind," really is played with two guitars (a duet of Rich Williams and Kerry Livgren) but I had figured out how to play it on one and tend to keep it that way.

By all means, keep the rhythm and meter of the song in mind. In fact, I have re-arranged chord shapes around what the vocals need to do.

Another thing, change how you play a chord to fit the song. For "Highway to Hell," I play the A chord with just the middle finger across the strings at the second fret. this sets up my had to play the first inversion D chord that follows and alternate F# and G for what is essentially a harmonic bass line, though it is not the bass guitar playing this. In fact, the bass guitar only comes in at the choruses.

Normally, I might play A the way that I learned it from Mel Bay's Book of Chords, which was first finger on A, middle finger on F# just below, and ring finger on C# just above.

"Land Down Under," I start with Bm chord and use the pinky for the floating melody and move to A with the first finger across the second fret and the pinkie finger on the 5th fret and kind of arpeggiate the chord, just a smidge.

"Travelling in a fried out combie. On a hippie trail, head full of zombie."

(combie is australian slang for an RV or caravan type of vehicle and zombie was a slang for funny cigarettes.)

12 hours ago, MDEW said:

I wish I would have come up with the idea to make a living by lounging on the beach and singing party songs. There must be a downside to it somewhere. Can you really get tired of looking at beautiful women in bikinis on the beach? It would be a bummer if something like that got old and boring.

The same problem as any other entertainer. Travelling all of the time and living out of a suitcase and you don't have as much time for the beach, at least if you are going to make money. And these days, with less income from recordings, live shows are what is left for making money. Your family grows up while you are on the road.

"Don't know the reason, stayed here all season.

Nothing to show but this brand new tattoo.

But it's a real beauty, a mexican cutey.

How it got here I haven't a clue ..."

Something else I learned in guitar playing. Simplify, don't try to play a whole band arrangement on one guitar. Especially if you are singing along with the guitar in a live situation.

Another thing I have found through harsh experience and study of others, keep simplifying parts when recording. Otherwise, you can wind up with a shredded mash that is too busy. A song is not about how many parts you can put in it but about how the story gets told.

And I think between us three guitar pickers, we ought to figure out "Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffet.

"Blew out my flip-flop. stepped on a flower pot. Cut my heel, had to cruise on back home.

But there's booze in the blender and soon it will render that frozen concoction that helps me hang on."

As good as the original and in some ways, preferrable to the original. You have the right tone for this song and vice versa.