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ronws

TMV World Legacy Member
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Everything posted by ronws

  1. I would say it is not a matter of drills. And other than general conditioning any singer might engage to be able to sing for an hour or so, it is a matter of teaching yourself to NOT sing over the other instruments. Which means learning how to adjust your hearing from using IEMs or any other monitoring system. I already know how to sing acoustically in a room. But singing with ear monitor or even a stage wedge or headphones, that is a different perspective because now you hearing it in your ears instead of just feeling the buzzes in your body. You need a balance of gain for your voice against that of the band. The main reason singers, even those who have training, get injured or worn out in live situations and band events is because they are pushing too hard in order to compete with the volume of the other instruments. My favored guitar is my Hondo Flying V, going through my Roland GS-6 processor and jacked into my Fender 85 combo amp. The amp is rated for 200 watts rms. That is more than loud enough for most average night club venues. It's got a 60 lb magnet in the 15" speaker and can move a lot of air. A drum kit, even without mics into a pa, can generate 90 dB of sound loudness. On average, the kick drum is 22 to 24 inches, that is moving a lot of air. Bass guitar, making notes at 120 Hz and lower, has omnipresent volume because the nature of the note moves a lot of air and the sound is everywhere. Your vocal folds diameter is no bigger than your thumb to first knuckle and can be smaller than that. And the thickness averages the thickness of a fingernail, more or less. So, your instrument is actually smaller than your thumb. And is competing against amplified instruments that are also physically bigger. YOU NEED AMPLIFICATION. And that is a huge reason to follow Robert Lunte's advice about practicing with a hot mic in hand. You simply have to get used to how you sound coming through monitors and mains, especially against other instruments. And if you can't hear, turn it up. Also, with IEM, you will need to adjust eq of your voice and that of the rest of the band so that your voice has prominence. That is the way to do it, not really any choice. Anyone who disagrees with that is simply wrong and no amount of chest-beating, tree-swinging, banana-stealing, and shrieking is going to change that.
  2. Short answer, yes. And I don' think it matters too much the word, though obviously, for any person, one vowel or another is going to be more stable, especially when beginning. But yes, you were mixing voice and even the high note, which some might consider head voice can still sound a little mixed and that is okay. In the end, does it sound good for the song, regardless of how people want to describe it?
  3. Pardon me while I chortle and guffaw and accidently spew bits of popcorn because I just munched a handful. I find it ironic that a some people mention having had lessons before even joining this forum. And it turns out those lessons didn't help or were not received well or agreed with. And if that is the case, then what is the value of seeking a teacher? And what is the measure of their worth? If they say what you want to hear? "get in front of a good teacher" is good advice. So define good teacher. I may have an idea what is a good teacher and you may disagree in part or in whole. One mistake I can see happening is thinking that if you go to a teacher, you will sound like that teacher, especially if you admire that teacher's voice. Your voice will not sound like theirs, it is impossible. That is because of genetics and differences great and small in physical structure, even for singing the same note at the same level of intensity. You could sound similar, more or less. And sure, grandiose statements are often followed by the "exception to the rule." I think we also have here differences in needs and perspectives. For some people getting lessons with a teacher or series of teachers IS the way. And others bristle at this notion, thinking that it is necessary for everyone, and it is not. But there is a hard-to-define distinction between "natural talent" and "unstoppable desire to practice and develope," Tiger Woods is a great example. Holding a club since he could hold onto a toy. Of course he could not play well consistently. But he had the desire. And along the way learned from his family, then from teachers in school. Never spending much time with out a club in his hands. Not one of these things, including lessons, make him a golf genius. All together they do. And that is all he does well is golf. His personal life is a shambles, he has problems dealing with people. But man, he can take any driver and get the ball on the green from the tee. So, was he a natural at golf or did his genius that we can see take shape and evolve over the years of playing, learning, getting lessons from whereever? Same with singers and other musicians. You can have some natural talent, even a natural sound that serves you well. But any skill takes work whether you are self-taught or always have direct and in-person lessons. And you have to realize that lessons and studying and thinking about singing 24/7 is not going to make you sound like a particular singer if you don't already sound like them. Half a dozen people have noted that I sound like Glenn Hughes. You know what I do to sound like him? Absolutely nothing. A former member, Snax, is from Great Britain, from the same area is Rob Halford. And sounds so much like him I accused him of being mr Halford and using the identify of this Snax guy from Canada. You know what Snax did to sound like Halford? Nothing. They simply came from the same part of England, difference was Snax moved to Canada and Halford moved to the US (Arizona, to be exact.) They are also separated by about 10 years or so of time, Snax being younger. What if a guy came in who was naturally a strohbass and he wanted to sound like or close to Glenn Hughes. First, I could not teach him even though I have that sound. How do I teach people to sound like myself, or even Glenn, born and raised in the Midlands of England, aka, the black country? Second, he is probably not going to get that sound exactly, other than as a scientific exercise. If you could distill it to just the fundamental and some partials, you still have to have enough structure or control over structure to emphasize just those parts. Which cannot always happen, regardless of whatever magical technique you have learned. That is why Phil Anselmo and I could sing the same note and it is going to sound different. Not only do our folds create the same note but with individual partials because of our own folds' operation, but also how our bodies function to resonate. Never the twain shall meet, except by totally random genetic shuffle, and there is no way to "train" that. And so is that a way of saying some people are going to have "it" and others are not? In the professional music biz, that is exactly it. Gonna cry foul and unfair? Go right ahead. It won't get you any farther, it won't prove me wrong, but you might cry yourself to sleep and then wake up from your nap time in time for another bottle and diaper change. And even after that being said, can you be a success even if you don't have a "famous" voice? Yes you can. Whether or A&R people like your voice your not, you are the only person stopping you from being a success. Especially these days. You don't need an A&R person passing judgement on you. Home recording and digital distribution puts in literally the hands of everyone. A gift and a curse. Anyone can record and release. So, now, you are in a sea of thousands instead of hundreds. You have to find your own way to stand out. Good luck and may the Farce be with you, always. Sure, some of my statements may seem grandiose and far-reaching. And? And?
  4. The phrase acoustic coupling gives me a totally different image. Sorry, just had to get that out of the way. I am all about learning to manage the breath. And I am also agreeing with Tristan, air flow rate can change depending on what you are doing. And it can change as a matter of course in a bout of good singing. Which does not discount the need for training or practice. Singing is playing instrument, though you cannot put your hands and fingers on it, it is like playing any instrument. Anyone can sit with any instrument and make some noise, even get a few notes together in the right fashion. But it will take a while of stumbling around while learning other concepts before some competence developes. So, at first, a singer has to really concentrate on things. As they become habit or more coordinated, it becomes a trained skill. But remember, the main difference between speaking and singing is breath management and resonance. the muscular actions are not very different. And that is another reason that you already have a great voice in you. You just have to quit tripping on your own feet and get out of your own way and unleash this voice and you do it by managing air flow and resonance. period, paragraph, end of book, forever, amen.
  5. And you could have paralysis by analysis. You found a way to sing with a tone you found more pleasing and now you are worrying about other definitions and maybe ask yourself, "I am doing this right?" Rule #1 - if it does not hurt and you can sing with endurance and a pleasing sound, it is probably good. I have seen any number of debates and I have lots (I mean lots) of books on singing. And every single one of them is based on the semantics of a word, as well as the personal musical prejudices of whoever is the author. In fact, I have seen armchair experts crap all over Celine Dion (and no, I don't really care if anyone here is a fan of her music, or not,) and she sings fine and has plenty of gold records to show the fact that a large number of people paid hard-earned money to hear her sing.
  6. I like best what Mivke said about the difference between what you understand and what you don't understand. And it takes humility to realize when you don't understand and seek help, instruction, or, in the case of Daniel's example, asking others you admire or work with what they are doing. Or at least, what is their thought process. That might have mixed results. One of my favorite Ron-isms came from an early interview with Bob Dylan. Bob Dylan said he was trying to sound like Woody Guthrie. My added thought was, well, he missed the mark. There has been a number of times I have learned something from someone younger and even less experienced than I am, and not just in singing. And on my best days, I put aside any grand illusion that my years bring me expert status. Instead, I say, wow, I did not think of it that way, and then learned something new and valuable that changed me for the better. For example, Tae Kwon Do, during the free sparring section of class. I would have to spar against women. So, here I am, twice a lady's size, way stronger (I was butterflying 110 lbs freeweights,) taller, and had conceivably been practicing and studying martial arts longer. And they would kick my butt. Because they don't rely on brute strength and size. They make up for it in accuracy and speed. So, instead of getting all macho, I paid attention until I could match the fastest lady. And it improved my abilities across the board, including being able to read an opponent in the midst of combat. Which is harder to do than to say it. I have been playing guitar, it seems like, forever. But I saw a guy less than half my age explain the best focus or approach to speed picking that I never thought of and, ka-boom, Yngwie's in my rear view mirror. Granted, these were instant insights and revelations and my prior experience or exercises didn't lead to these shifts of paradigm, but they made the implimentation easier. And it started with realizing that I do not know everything. As for singing, I have been singing longer than a number of young people here have been alive. The pitfall of years and experience is that you can have something wrong rehearsed very well. So years of doing it can be, in fact, years of doing things wrong. And I could learn something new and improve tomorrow, regardless of the source of insight. So, while the teacher brings the expertise, exercises, whatever, the student needs to bring some humility.
  7. Cmdr. Data (manning the helm during the imminent crash of the Enterprise saucer section) - "Oh, s**t!"
  8. You will have to excuse my friend, Spock. Too much LDS in the seventies.
  9. I would say that it was a fairly obscure reference, suitable only for nerds like me.
  10. I have that album on CD and always enjoyed it, even more than the Malmsteen album I have that is mostly him noodling 132nd notes in phrygian.
  11. a reference to the first Star Trek movie. An alien intelligence kept calling a probe VGER, thinking that was the creator of it. It turned out to be the first Voyager probe coming back.
  12. I can tongue trill easier than I can lip bubble but I have not had the problem you encountered, Gneetapp, so, I don't know if I can help.
  13. I was born the year the Beatles came to America, the year the Ford Mustang came out (it was introduced as a half-year model.) And many considered George Martin the "fifth beatle" because his input was so valuable to their studio sound. Paul had the choir boy voice, John had the rocker voice. The Beatles were the boys you brought home to meet your mother. The Rolling Stones were the boys your mother warned you about. The evolution of the Beatles was the model followed by nearly every other band since then. First one to be replaced? The drummer. It was somehow decided that original Beatles drummer Pete Best either was not the sound they wanted or was unwilling to travel. So, they brought in Ringo Starr, who was considered less of a technical drummer than Pete but he had the right personality to fit in. Of course, he aged well, like fine wine. George Harrison was the quietest and, to me, the "philosopher" of their merry little adventure. But it was John who drew the ire of religious people when he pointed out honestly and correctly, at the time, that they were bigger (or more popular) than Jesus. Most of us wish a band would stay together forever when it helps to remember that the group as you knew them, was really a happenstance thing and you are lucky if it lasted two years and a few albums. Again, imagine the people you work with now and you were with them 24/7 for years. I have liked everything the Beatles ever did. As well as the work of their solo careers and later collabs. For example, George Harrison working with the Traveling Wilburys. Paul McCartney and Wings. John on his solo stuff. Ringo has worked with so many people, it would be easier to count with whom he has NOT worked. And of course, his bits of acting, here and there. I never got to see them in person but I did get to see the next best thing, the tribute band, The Fab Four. One of my bosses gave me tickets he received for giving a huge donation to the local public radio station, KERA. So, we got to see the Fab Four at the Majestic Theater in Dallas, Texas, about the size of an opera house and built like one. Our seats were P12 and P13. that means the pit, as in the very first row and stage right. I could literally lean forward and touch the rail of the stage. And those guys really play. The drummer had a riser for his kit and that whole thing was bouncing and vibrating with his playing. And before the show, I got to take a pic of my wife with the band. Anyway, if I could write one song as well as the Beatles, I could retire.
  14. It was fifty years ago today that Sargeant Pepper taught the band to play.
  15. Thanks, I have it downloaded, which will make it easier to deal with. Just got to find the time, now.
  16. Is there any way to get the backing track as an mp3, just for singing along with? 75 MB is huge. You can keep the wav with you, of course.
  17. You must be a victim of socialized medicine, like Obamacare, which is forcing some insurance companies to fold and others to pull out of markets, leaving a monopoly for single insurer throughout the western states. Thanks, Obama ... The reason I say that is if you had a good doctor who was not hampered by govt guidelines on what he or she can say or do, they would be able to give you a little more information. But the problem with socialists, such as Obama, is that they are not capable of adding one plus one and having it equal two. They simply cannot do it, it is not in their ability, it is like adopting that philosophy costs you some brain cells and actually changes your DNA to match. Expecting a socialist to perform 1+1=2 correctly is like expecting my dog, who has not been to medical school, to perform open heat surgery and have the patient live well. Just not gonna happen ... But I digress. Also, while this may be a forum of singers and a few of us geeks have learned a few points of anatomy. pretty much absolutely none of us is medically qualified in any form or fashion outside of my first aid merit badge in boy scouts and later, my CPR training card when I was a teacher. But because your doctor, trained and paid by Obamacare, is so crappy, and why should he or she be better, they already have a guaranteed reimbursement thanks to my tax dollars? Do they even know what false vocal folds are? Or is it just a matter of paying a fee and swearing allegiance to Satan to get a license to practice medicine? Is there, like, any testing for these people? How could they leave a patient like you with questions? I mean seriously. They should have taken care of you to the level that we could ask you questions instead of you asking us, a bunch of singers, none of whom are specialized in internal medicine. Again, thanks Obama .... The false vocal folds are a misnomer. They are not vibrating folds or tissue in any regard, whatsoever. They are membranes that are a bump above the true vocal folds and their main job is to release mucus onto the folds to keep the folds supple and pliant and not dry out. Now, of course, the size of FVF varies in each person, as does any structure, based on genetics. Some guys are going to have FVF that are more prominent and intrude upon the airway when producing sound. Like Louis Armstrong. It is a genetic mutation and Louis did not have to do or train anything to get that sound. Others, like myself, have smaller protusions than normal, barely there. So, I can squeeze all I want to to "engage the FVF" and just not get it, though I tried twice and hurt myself twice and gave myself partial laryngitis, twice. I have become just barely smarter than that since then. If someone has some prominent FVF then they will have a natural rattle or rasp that seems effortless because, well, it is. But you will find many a person, including singing teachers who will take your money talk about FVF distortion like it is something that can be trained. Very few teachers give a nod to genetic and structural differences. Why are you still hurting? Well that depends. Have you followed the directions you were given? Really, honestly? I remember the wisdom of Dr House, MD, (as played by actor Hugh Laurie.) - "Patients lie." Let's say whatever doctor you went to was good in spite of all odds. Have you followed the regimen given for recovery? Are you just being impatient? Have you gone back for a follow-up or to show that you are still experiencing symptoms? Point being, can they help you better than I can, which is not very much, albeit.
  18. And no, doing a lot of falsetto does not hurt your voice, it's another aspect of training. Some guys, after learning some stuff feel that falsetto goes away, as they now work on and prefer the full sound up top and get their habits changed away from doing falsetto, But it can still be done.
  19. And Bob and Adolph are 10 years older than I am. There is no age limit to start with vocal lessons. As for rasp, I am in the same boat as you. And the few times I have tried to create a rasp or rattle, I hurt myself. So, not worth trying it and I don't care who calls me lazy for that and in fact, even at the stage of my advance decrepitude, I would like to slap those who would call me lazy for not "pursuing" rasp farther, All I need is to take some ibuprofen and a little warm-up (like some arm swings, hip rotation, maybe a few squats, I could be dealing with someone shorter than I am, which is most of humanity.) And yes, I have noticed famous singers who have rasp have it throughout their voices. So, maybe you or the band won't make it if you cannot do the rasp that they want. Oh well, find another band and another style. Or quit. Those are your choices. If you don't already have the timbre and naturally raspy voices of Steven Tyler or Brian Johnson, for example, then there is no way to get it and trying to do what their voices do is going to lead to damage and every single teacher and resource I know of on singing says that and only other singing students and amateurs think otherwise. Now, you could decide to go against that wisdom and observation at your own risk. And so, if you really want to go somewhere in music, you need to do original work, which depends on your voice.
  20. Quite an analysis. Don had said he wrote it about the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Jimmy Valens, and the Big Bopper.
  21. That was my thinking, too. Funny thing is, there's some grown-ups running around that still need the belt taken to them, as the injury to their pride might actually achieve a correction of behavior. Or not. Some people cannot learn, the easy or the hard way. So, they just keep hammering through life, being oblivious, until it kills them. Or not, Life is often unfair and I have heard it said that you can make God laugh by making a plan. Any plan.
  22. Hey Rockstar, didn't you have a band and an album out a year or so ago? I might be thinking of someone else.
  23. Here is where fach is important. When standing in front of a casting director for an opera or some kind of stage production involving singing, but mostly, opera. And the role you would audition for would either be a really low range, such as bass, something a little lighter baritone. Or high range, tenor. And within those are some shadings depending directly on the libretto and the desired effect. And does the actor sound good at that range and can he do it a few times a week for 6 weeks or 8 weeks. Fine, then he is whatever fach that is for that run. Because he could be cast different in the next show or take a role meant for a different fach but he has the sound the director wants to hear. Happens all the time. Read the memoirs of Renee Fleming .Her fach would change when she changed teachers and these were teachers with decades of reputation and experience and skill in training opera singers.
  24. I've been to the edge. And I stood and looked down. I lost a lot of friends there, baby, Ain't got no time to mess around. If you want it, got to plead for it, baby.
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