ronws

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

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.

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.

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. It has been really fun working with you Bevin and giving you the "tough love" to shape you into shape. I appreciate your patience and fortitude to stick it out. Keep going, you are now on the cusp of really getting this method in your head so you can train freely with a clear understanding of what you are doing and what you need to do. Focus on building the TA muscle strength and narrowing of the acoustics... you are close... stick with it!!
Coach

Ok 100% totally lied, after practicing Attack and Release tonight, I hit a D6 with no ugly break, no awful notes.
A D-FREAKING-6 (before I stopped because the dog was looking at me funny).
Wahoo!!!

I've now had a few wonderful lessons with Robert and I'm still working through my lessons  So much material in The Four Pillars. Seriously good stuff.
When I started, after years of singing classically in mostly head register, I had an extremely limited belt range (for a woman). So limited that I was only able to hit G4 or so in belt. 
I've been at this for 3 or so weeks now, and I'm up to a solid D5 in a strong belt using the onset and sirens, and today on a few sirens I was able to bridge up to my F#5 smoothly and cleanly with almost zero tonal change. I still have a LOT of work to do, but holy shnikes. I'm not solid yet - I have a lot more practicing to do but I have to say I'm pleased.

I'll keep going with the log, so that progress can be seen and heard, but I'm super happy so far!!!

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

Hi Cody, welcome to the forum. I think you sound good overall. In the beginning, you sounded too heady and nasal for my taste (personal opinion), but when you start singing with more "pressure" it gets so much better. If I may humbly suggest you to check the gain levels on your microphone because the sound was distorting a bit when you started to get loud. I also missed some tasty effects on your voice, such as EQ, compression and reverb. Good job. Cheers

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.

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?"

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?"

haha I'm elated to hear you say that, or read you type that or whatever!  I realized what you were saying was mostly about about being an artist and having fun with it.

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.

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

 

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

 

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.)

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.)

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.)

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.

Oh I meant I can't play it properly, as in if you gave me a guitar today, and asked me to play a few songs with your band, I can't even wrap my mind around what I would need to do to prepare for it. I would not even say its being humble, I can see how I am just terribly naive on it. I've mentioned that because if you use this technique with someone that is more experienced on the instrument and can play with a good sense of flow, rhythm, etc, it really sounds great ( I will record something in this setup soon with the help of the guitarrist that works with me).
But you know what, mdew said something in the lines of begin from the basics, and I've been doing that , its part of my daily routine now to pick the guitar and study something on it for at least 30 minutes. Let's see what happens a few months from now!