ronws

Nice cover, though, in some places, the video is not quite synch'd with the produced track. As for producers, you probably won't find any, here. Cool earthquake effect. I was wondering, though, since the video and the singing are done at different times, (who actually records without a pop filter in front of the mic) could the video incorporate other visual elements? Like, standing on a hill, or in front of an old saloon, or walking along the road in a desert. Just an idea for video production. Anyway, well done.

^yes, as far as I an concerned. Bridging is not to sound like bridging but is a mindset and mechanism for getting the note accurately at whatever volume you think you need. Softer or less resonance, falsetto. Fuller resonance and a little more pressure, full. And bridging isn't necessarily audible. Unless the plan is to flip into falsetto and some people do that on purpose for good effect and literally, millions of dollars.

I didn't mean to insult you. On the bare you track, you don't really sound like him except on the word way. So, likely, it was whatever eq and assorted bells and whistles you had on it in the fuller version. But hearing it also allows me to confirm that I cannot hear any "bridging." Which does not mean that you were not bridging, just that I could not hear it. Which is a good thing, to me. Kind of a one-voice thing going on. Believe me, I get the problems with production, too. I did a cover of "Ive Just Seen a Face" by the Beatles with just one guitar and me singing at the same time. And got some pointed criticism for it not sounding like the original. Well, the original was 2 guitars and some brush drums and produced by (Sir) George Martin. My bad for doing a cover. That was the first time I posted a Beatles cover and it was the last time, so far. And that is not sour grapes. I just learned through that one experience that I should only post a Beatles cover if I make it sound as close to the original as possible, rather than my own interpretations. Lesson learned. And I do better on more obscure stuff that not a lot of people younger than I am would know of or care to hear. And as for original songs, I like the back story. Even how it came together. Recording tips and tricks. Outside of that, for hear, I usually advise against too much explanation because that just gives people something to focus on as a "problem." Better to just present it like it is and see what happens. I did that once with a guitar and single voice of "Heaven and Hell" by Black Sabbath. And one guy really liked what he thought was a "scream." It was not a scream. I had injured my voice through my own stupidity for which I constantly remind myself. Anyway, just concentrating on the pitch and letting my throat relax made for a tone he liked but my voice was not at its fullest. If I had led the thread with that explanation, I would have received criticism for singing before my voice was fully healed.

Cool song. Nothing about it reminded me of LS. On this song, your voice reminded me of that guy from Midnight Oil who went on to become a senator in Australia. "The desert lives and breathes at forty-five degrees .... How can we dance while the Earth is turning? How do we sleep while our beds are burning?" With your constant use of double and triple tracked vocals, it would be difficult to hear any changes in voice. To really hear things, we would need to hear one vocal without all the effects. Which you kind of already did with the sirens thread. And, in my opinion, bridging should not be noticable. To me, the whole idea is to sound like you have one continuous voice. Except, of course, for songs or styles where having two disparate sounds is the key. Such as King Diamond from Mercyful Fate. He has a growly low end and a piercing falsetto and he did it on purpose or through lack of training or whatever. People liked it. Maybe your bridging is getting more smooth to where it is not as noticable to you. I know that was my aim. When others talk about where they break, I can't find where I break because my aim was to get rid of breaks. Anyway, so, you should finish this song. It has that "radio-ready" kind of feel.

Also, pay attention to what Xam is doing. He is not pushing the folds. He is controlling the exhalation so that the folds can do the work more easily and any volume he is getting (no mic in close proximity) is from resonance.

Yes, you were bridging, and fairly well and it was great, the second link where you do descending sirens for two octaves, except for the last, which was three octaves, even cooler. (more cool? cool-ier? pesky English, and I was born in America.) And certainly those make for good transitions and provide some coordination. In my humble opinion, what should be important to notice is the sense of support or of holding back. Granted, when some singers talk about not needing this or understanding it, it is because they had it naturally all along. Others have to learn it or, more specifically, unlearn something they picked up in learning language and dialect where they live. And that includes americans, having several distinct accents and accents within accents. For example, a southern accent depends on what part of the South someone is from. Someone from Georgia sounds different than someone from Texas. Telling either person to sing "ah" without understanding the local accent could result in a longer training session or one that is not as productive. Another thing to do is work on a song that is in the middle of that range, around the transition or bridging point. I don't know if you are ready or what your teacher says, I only know what I do. Part of the reason I can sing any song by Boston when I want to is not just having a high centered voice but it is because I practice singing songs by Boston with the idea in my mind that it should sound free and easy, just like Brad Delp did it. ("Cause in my mind, deep in my mind, I can't forget about you, no ...good times, places that remind me, yeah...got to keep on chasing my dreams or I may never find them, I never look behind me....Taking my time I'm just moving along. You'll forget about me after I've been gone. I take what I find, I don't want no more. It's just outside of your front door. I said hell yeah, It's been such a long time, It's been such a long time." That involves learning to not push the folds to hard so that they last longer in a day or a singing session. And, for me, that involved learning to manage the breath to take the strain off the folds. Others may not have needed to learn that but I did. We are all individuals. And you don't have to pick a song quite that high. The end part of "Stairway to Heaven" ends on an A4. Plant was more concerned with tone than the highest note ever emitted by a human and he has sang higher than that song. So, I am not wanting to interrupt whatever work flow you have. Just that, at some point, the training exercises should somehow translate into singing a song. With relative ease and repeatability.

To quote Waylon Jennings, "I don't think Hank done it this-a-way." But it would be very close, as if this were a modern recording but the same sound voice some what. I like your version better. The problem with Hank's recordings was not just tech limits it was his full on nasal sound that was okay in small doses but grew to be overbearing very quickly. Whereas, you have a pleasing voice for a southern gentleman. So, what would have caused you to move from Ole Miss to So Cal? School? Affairs of the heart? Extradition policies?

Yes. I think your voice is tres bon, sehr gut, ausgezeichnet, muy bueno. I forget how to say it in japanese and chinese.

All I have right now is a bb gun. But I know someone who has a .380 I could borrow ... Just kidding. My ideas about songwriting are always centered on the message I want and a dead-simple chorus with a hook that will make you curse my name because you cannot ever forget it once you have heard it. But I am likely to go afield in arrangement, especially on instruments that I don't have a lot of experience with, such as drums.

Yeah, when I get stuck I remember the circle of 5ths and use it, literally. Pick a chord. play the V from that. And then the V from that second chord. And, at any point, any of the chords other than the tonic I, can be sus2 or 4, dim or aug 7, 9, 13 and it doesn't have to be a strummed chord, it can be arpeggiated, like Garth Brooks intro to "Friends in Low Places." "Blame it all on my roots.I showed up in boots. And ruined your black-tie affair. The last one to know, the last one to show. The last one you thought you'd see there. I could see the surprise, and the fear in his eyes As I took his glass of champagne Toasted you, said "Honey we may be through, You'll never hear me complain " Basically the lyrics are a bit more arpeggiated, then the chorus is strummed to give it an even keel that even a drunk audience can follow "I've got friends in low places where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases my blues away, I'll be okay. And I'm not big on social graces, think I'll slip on down the Oasis 'Cause I've got friends in low places." Other ways to experiment. In "Message in a Bottle" by the Police, Sting sings the verses high and the chorus low. Not only is it a nifty change, it also puts the chorus within the range of untrained singer who now feels like he could sing for the Police, so he goes and buys the album because he feels good about himself. For whatever reason, when the audience latches on to what you are singing, you can do no wrong.

No one is actually tone-deaf. Can you hear the difference between two notes? If so, you are not tone deaf. As for singing off pitch, that is something you can fix by a few means. First, quit thinking that you will sing like you speak. Just stop it. If the stupid idiotic and detrimental idea of singing like you will speak where a thing to reach on the table, I would slap your hand every time you reached for it until you eventually either stopped because it seeped into your brain that your hands feel better when I am not slapping them, or the hands would fall off. So, just stop it. Quit acting like you will sing like you speak. You have to view everything, from breathing to vowel formation to articulation differently. If you cannot accept that, you cannot be a singer.That is step one, the hardest because it means changing your mind, something more resilient than aluminum cutting through steel, more stubborn than a donkey. Step two is way easier. Match your pitch to what you hear. First, listen, really listen to the note that is to be matched. Second,play your voice like a musical instrument until it matches. Easy peasy lemon squeasy.

Yeah, what I hear as major diminished sounds are a result of the whole arrangement, not just you playing a diminshed chord on a guitar or synth. For example, on "Dead or Alive." while the bland plays a modal D, Jon makes it a D major by singing on F#4, thereby creating a major chord with the entire group.

Well, I don't have any critique technique-wise and criticizing an original just gets feelings hurt. That being said, this a good song but, like Rosa, I am suffering a disconnect in perception. The words are meant to be melodramatic but the whole song is major and major diminished sounds, so it seems different than the lyrical intent. The lyrical intent of longing, even unrequited, reminded me of this:

First thing, Elvis didn't write this song. Actually, he never really wrote songs. This song is most identified with Simon and Garfunkel. You sound nothing like Elvis. However, you sound very much like David Bowie. I would rather hear you try "Space Oddity." Also, watch your pitch. It wavers now and then and don't push your vibrato, let it happen naturally.

I liked it and don't really have any technical points to add or pointed critique about "artistic choices." What is interesting is that while one would most expect to hear Miles on this, you voice, to me, as sound similar to Kiske and a few others with meaty voices. Which I mean as a good thing.

Reviews of singing is a premium service. In the banner area of each section is a link to take you to the details for subscription. Also, get ahold of Robert Lunte or Adolph Namlik if you need help with that.

Then, keep going and never quit. My tag is "winners never quit." Winners may fail many times and, on average, fail more often than non-winners. The difference being that winners win, eventually, because they did not quit when things were difficult or slow to materialize.

So, if you are recording professionally and we have seen you performing in front of audiences, is it safe to assume that you are a pro? Getting paid for singing?

I think it all sounded good. Great tone and I don't think you need a lot of grit in the high note. But it did seem to me like the video was not quite synchronized.

Yes, it would be nice, wouldn't it? I am used to hearing Justin's soft and raspy voice singing this. And I like the guy. He is funny, fun-spirited and he is pretty good on the drums, too. He has such a tongue-in-cheek delivery and so his version, the original, sounds more sarcastic. Whereas your version is more plaintive and heart-broken. And I like your version. You have such a bright voice. I wonder if there is a way to make the recording "warmer," which means some of the high partials are rolled off. Do you have someone mixing your recordings?

I have only listened to this second version and I liked it. Remember, and I had to learn for myself, recording is NOT like live performance. Recording different parts with rests in between is how it is usually done. Live, you would change the arrangement, anyway. I like the tones in your voice. Bits of Peter Cetera and Michael Bolton in there make it soul-icious.

I remember the original (of course, darn it.) And I also liked it and agree with Gneetapp's comments, otherwise. You could really do this right. Maybe simplify the vocal melody to something more managable. And, I really liked the guitar work.

Here is what I don't understand about Soundcloud. I get it, they want to help protect copyright. Here's the deal about copyright. If you buy a karaoke track from a legitimate retailer, you have paid copyright for use of what is basically a pre-master stem. You only have to pay additional royalties if you want to sell that recording of yours as a single or part of an album or collection of songs. Because selling that recording you made involves what is called mechanical rights. (reproduction of the material in a medium to be used by others. If there is no cost, I don't see what the problem is. A company that owns a bar pays a blanket fee to ASCAP to play whatever music on the jukebox or however they are playing music. Because then, the music is part of the environment the owner is "selling" to the public.

Take it easy, just a little pin-prick. There'll be no more "ahhh!" but you may feel a little sick Can you stand up? I hear you're feeling down. But I can ease your pain. Get you on your feet again. There is no pain you are receding. A distant ship's smoke on the horizon ....

I agree with Gneetapp and I also wander how a high-speaking guy sings bass. That should be interesting.