KillerKu

I wrote you a post that got removed in the transition from the old forum. Basically, I showed your self penned tune to a known Nick Drake fan and she was feeling it. I think you're closer than you think to capturing a kind of vibe that his fans would appreciate.
 
The issue basically is: Nick Drake was a very subtle guy, and subtlety was a really hard art form to be heard in those days. Nick Drake wasn't heard too much until after he died, so it was hard back then, and even harder now. In the modern age people are always moving, with a constant stream of 'stimulation' from the internet, from their phones, from work life, driving, there's constant movement, constant stimulation.
 
To catch people's attention, it usually takes a spectacle. Neon lights, loud bangs, naked people, meat dresses, frog suits, cosmetic butt surgeries. To sum up the difference to me, it feels like we live in the kind of world that is no longer fascinated by Mona Lisa's smile, but is genuinely confused why she isn't naked.
 
My thing is I hear you, and if you're content to be a subtle artist, it's cool stuff man. It sounds fulfilling and like a deeply personal journey for you. On the other hand, I hear something else in you, that maybe with a bit more hook might capture more attention. I mentioned in another thread, if Radiohead never wrote Creep, it's very possible few people or even no one would have heard Kid A, or liked it if it was released. they basically gained 'license' to do material that required a bit more effort to digest, by first gaining a fan base.
 
One way would be to try to write hookier songs at some point. Supposedly even Drake made sacrifices to try to achieve that goal, as even the folk listeners found his stuff too subtle, without major choruses, and practically booed him off the stage. I'm just wondering if there is a way you can make a bit of a bang or spectacle to catch attention in this life. It could be musical, it could be visual (dunno if Gaga has done a lizard dress yet, ).  It'd just be cool if you could capture some of Drake's inspiration and reach more audience than he could in his life. I know my friend has listened a lot to Pink Moon. She digs subte, vulnerable sounding artists.
 
But it's about what you want as an artist. You're pretty good at what you do. Either way, I'd recommend you keep writing your own tunes as well as covering 
Drake and being inspired by him. You him well, but he had enough trouble himself getting heard. At least with your own tunes, maybe people will discover you at a later date.

I had to listen to the original song, as Ronws was saying it was altered in your rendition. I wasn't familiar with the original, so I had listened to your version and it sounded like a cohesive song as is. Then I listened to the original and was almost disappointed as the melody line you chose was maybe a little closer to what I wanted.
 
Some things I noticed about your voice: for a baritone range song, your voice has abnormal clarity which is cool. I think it comes partly from twang, nasal resonance, and you also sound a bit mixed forward which works. Your resonance is actually pretty strong as is in quite a few places. As mentioned, nasal  resonance is already pretty strong. If you wanted to experiment with a little more 'booming' sound you might be able to open up the area near the back of your throat a little more? It's a bit difficult to explain accurately, but for me the sensation feels almost like the beginning of a smiling yawn that 'expands not just downward but a bit sideways comfortably.' Another way people have described it is like 'minature egg sized opening in back of throat.' You sound like you already have a comfortable amount of openness, and anymore would be to tastes, but when I'm singing with more resonance that way that's one way I do it.
 
Another thing I noticed which might be interesting is the onsets of the vowels can sometimes have a lot of glottal attack. This is cool, can work well and is used a lot in various styles, but you might find it interesting to try an invisible H. When I say invisible, I mean very small, not breathy, it's almost like a tiny cushion. This can help you ease into a note. You could compare the sounds and sensations versus initiating the vowel 'suddenly.' Just know that some sounds require more or less airflow, so focus on the sensation in your body to steer you. Right now it sounds like you're making pretty big sound without loads of excess air which is pretty effective.
 
Another thing, is I noticed you are a fellow Ronettes fan. I was stoked when I found you singing Baby, I Love You. Ronnie Spector is one of my favorites. I cover her stuff sometimes and I enjoyed your rendition that segged into Brian Wilson/Beach Boyss Don't Worry Baby.
 
Anyway, basically you've got a pretty cool rootsy, laidback sound. You can keep training it as is and imo It will improve naturally to some degree as your foundations sound solid enough. You can increase agility and precision more quickly with some isolated vowel work (scales, intervals moving smoothly between both the same and different vowels). Loads of ways to increase range, which get covered a lot here (people write whole books on that, heh), but you're already sounding pretty good down there in the baritone range.

I'm really honoured for your comment KillerKu!!!
 
I found a little translation of the song in english
 
Caruso Here where the sea shines
and the wind is strong
on an old terrace
infront of the Gulf of Sorriento(province of Naples if I'm not mistaken)
a man hugs
a girl
after he has cried
Afterwards he clears his voice
and begins again to sing
I care too much for u(Te voglio bene assaje)
but, u know, a great deal
at his point it has become a chain(e' una catena ormai)
that melts the blood in the *
veins u know
He saw the lights in the middle of the sea
he thought of the nights in America**
but they where only the lights from the boats***
and the white trace of a propeller
He felt the pain of music
got up from the piano
But when he saw the moon
that was coming out from behind a cloud
he thought that even death was sweeter
He looked into the eyes of the girl
those eyes green like the sea
then suddenly a tear came out
and he believed he was soffocating
I care too much for u(Te voglio bene assaje)
but, u know, a great deal
at his point it has become a chain(e' una catena ormai)
that melts the blood in the
veins u know
Force of the lirica where****
every drama is a false(ogni drama e' un falso)
which with a little bit of make-up(che con un po' di trucco)
and with the art of mimic
u can become someone else
but 2 eyes that are watching u(ma due occhi che di guardano)
so close and different(eyes of different people)(cosi' vicini e vari)
they make you forget the words(ti fan scordare le parole)
i get mixed up
so everything becomes small
even the nights there in America
u turn and see your own life(ti volti e vedi la tua vita)
like the trace of a propeller
but its the life that ends
But he didn't think that much
the opposite he was feeling already happy
and started again to sing
I care too much for u(Te voglio bene assaje)
but, u know, a great deal
at his point it has become a chain(e' una catena ormai)
that melts the blood in the
veins u know
*some words are in naples's dialect
**America=USA not the continent
***lampare r boats for fishing in the evening
****lirica=something between theater and opera

Taken from http://lyricstranslate.com/en/node/68187#ixzz3NDNCdzu2
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caruso_(song)
 
Thank you again for your beautiful comment :-)

I wrote you a post that got removed in the transition from the old forum. Basically, I showed your self penned tune to a known Nick Drake fan and she was feeling it. I think you're closer than you think to capturing a kind of vibe that his fans would appreciate.
 
The issue basically is: Nick Drake was a very subtle guy, and subtlety was a really hard art form to be heard in those days. Nick Drake wasn't heard too much until after he died, so it was hard back then, and even harder now. In the modern age people are always moving, with a constant stream of 'stimulation' from the internet, from their phones, from work life, driving, there's constant movement, constant stimulation.
 
To catch people's attention, it usually takes a spectacle. Neon lights, loud bangs, naked people, meat dresses, frog suits, cosmetic butt surgeries. To sum up the difference to me, it feels like we live in the kind of world that is no longer fascinated by Mona Lisa's smile, but is genuinely confused why she isn't naked.
 
My thing is I hear you, and if you're content to be a subtle artist, it's cool stuff man. It sounds fulfilling and like a deeply personal journey for you. On the other hand, I hear something else in you, that maybe with a bit more hook might capture more attention. I mentioned in another thread, if Radiohead never wrote Creep, it's very possible few people or even no one would have heard Kid A, or liked it if it was released. they basically gained 'license' to do material that required a bit more effort to digest, by first gaining a fan base.
 
One way would be to try to write hookier songs at some point. Supposedly even Drake made sacrifices to try to achieve that goal, as even the folk listeners found his stuff too subtle, without major choruses, and practically booed him off the stage. I'm just wondering if there is a way you can make a bit of a bang or spectacle to catch attention in this life. It could be musical, it could be visual (dunno if Gaga has done a lizard dress yet, ).  It'd just be cool if you could capture some of Drake's inspiration and reach more audience than he could in his life. I know my friend has listened a lot to Pink Moon. She digs subte, vulnerable sounding artists.
 
But it's about what you want as an artist. You're pretty good at what you do. Either way, I'd recommend you keep writing your own tunes as well as covering 
Drake and being inspired by him. You him well, but he had enough trouble himself getting heard. At least with your own tunes, maybe people will discover you at a later date.

Thanks for posting a native language piece in a different style. I don't have enough exposure to the language, style, or technical knowledge to give a proper critique as to how to improve it in any way (if it's possible), but it's a breath of fresh air and beautiful to hear. Maybe some more worldly members would have better skills there.
 
I wanted you to know it was listened to twice and I could feel it. It sounds passionate and it sounds good. This world wide forum could be an incredibly beautiful and informative experience. Thank you for contributing very much. People like me need to hear your the passions that inspire you whether we understand your language or not.

It's a pretty cool listen. I'm not extremely familiar with the melody, but I think acapella you're altering it. It's not out of tune, but like sounds jazzy like you might be shifting a semi tone here or there.
 
I wouldn't be prepared to know what kind of voice type you have, especially given this vocal style you've presented. People with relatively lower voice types can 'lighten their voices a great deal' and sound very 'light.' As an example, something your voice reminded me of a bit was George Michael, who in my opinion has a pretty rad voice:
 

 
He sounds realy 'light' and high, but he's not like a super light voiced tenor like Stevie Wonder, imo. It's just in that song he was singer with a lighter coordination. When he uses his voice more engaged to resonate bit 'fuller', for example singing Stevie Wonder's own song you can her a lot more weight and fullness than Stevie at a similar age likely could even do. 
 

 
Going back to W772, I'm unsure of where you want to go with your voice. So it's honestly difficult to give a direction of where to start other than 'vague training' possibly with a teacher.
 
If you were to twang this tone a bit and make it a bit less breathy, while supporting a bit better, it could get a bit more definition without necessarily losing the style. If you were to slide this town down repeatedly to your lower notes, letting it fully slip into a chest voice, you could get a better 'idea' of what kind of voice you have. There are ways you could take it more typical R n B by playing around with vowels and adding a slight moanish sound. You could learn to yell like James Hetfield, or do metal head voice like Geofff Tate.
 
But your starting tone here, is kind of just cool. I don't know if it's quite finished as is, but you could probably train, polish, maybe add some cool tweaks and make progress with this 'style.' In the meantime, I'd get a kick out of you singing George Michael. Here's my favorite of his songs "Freedom 90", in case you get the itch:
 

Thank you guys.   Jonas, is good to hear that it sounds relaxed, when I started to sing my biggest problem was that I used to squeeze and pull a lot... high notes seemed to be forbidden for me until I started to relax the muscles of my throat   Killer, thank you man. I don´t want to sound like those old people that claim that all the things were better in the past, BUT I can´t avoid feeling that before singers used to sing with more heart and truly passion. That´s why just few new songs call my attention... regarding to the "little vibrato", I have to tell you that I don't do it on pourpose, it started like a resource to come back from a high note more gently without loosing the tune... respecting the mix thing you pointed, I agree with you! fortunately I had not closed the garageband and could restore my breath to the track, if you listen again you will notice the changes.

A tribute to the king of rock & roll Elvis and to the art of the illustrator Pete Revonkorpi 

'>
 
Merry Christmas

A tribute to the great Lucio Dalla and to the voice of Enrico Caruso! For the first time I sang in my mother language :-)  

Yeah that's exactly what I noticed too. Stylistically this is actually a really successful technique. Lots of pop acts like John Mayer add loads of breath and there is a certain audience of listeners that love it. That guy breaths his way to the bank.
 
I would recommend taking Gorehax up on his lesson though. Cause even if you choose to use this effect, gaining more control over your voice is wise both for you as an artist, but also breathy voice is one of the more tiring types of phonation and if you ever were experiencing vocal fatigue you'd be able to nip it in the bud before it got out of control.
 
Overall, I get a pretty poppy vibe from these songs Rokas, presentation. It's not fully polished off yet and I feel like you still could gain a bit more mastery, but you're heading in a direction that could be successful and you're young enough to really make the younger ladies swoon.

Yeah that's exactly what I noticed too. Stylistically this is actually a really successful technique. Lots of pop acts like John Mayer add loads of breath and there is a certain audience of listeners that love it. That guy breaths his way to the bank.
 
I would recommend taking Gorehax up on his lesson though. Cause even if you choose to use this effect, gaining more control over your voice is wise both for you as an artist, but also breathy voice is one of the more tiring types of phonation and if you ever were experiencing vocal fatigue you'd be able to nip it in the bud before it got out of control.
 
Overall, I get a pretty poppy vibe from these songs Rokas, presentation. It's not fully polished off yet and I feel like you still could gain a bit more mastery, but you're heading in a direction that could be successful and you're young enough to really make the younger ladies swoon.

What I hear right out of the bat is that you tend to a breathy voice. You are letting air to pass through the folds, which prevents maaany other things to work right.  The second song is a lot more breathy than the other one.

You can notice it in your lower notes, very clearly, because you just go full leak and lose the body, ping, cut, umm.. resonance. It sounds cloudy, "pillowy". Do you understand what I mean ?

There are a lot of videos on youtube that can help you get rid of airyness, though I highly recommend a teacher. Add me on Skype and I can help you with what I can if I see you logged in, mate.  My username is Gorehax.

I think Rob is right. I can hear loads of potential in there, but it sounds like you haven't had a lot of musical training or singing training, which you yourself pretty much admit. So when you sing without a backing track, you have difficulty visualizing the pitches. Everything you want, can be trained. I can hear pitches moving up and down accordingly, they're just hazy, I can hear a relatively relaxed voice which for a beginner is better than straining. You can hear the beginnings of what could become a really polished timbre. 
 
Taking lessons with Rob or one of the other vocal experts would accelerate growth into these aspects. Without lessons, you can still learn, but you'll have to be really diligent with your musicianship and and voice both. You mentioned 8 months in being good enough to sing for ensemble? If you have a time limit imposed on reaching a certain standard of quality, I'd definitely recommend the lessons.
 
Self discovery is a beautiful journey, but without a professional who knows exactly how to guide you it's definitely slower. Things you could do right now, imo would be to find an instrument. And if you can't find an instrument, download a free trial of maybe fruity loops and try the piano roll. Try to reproduce Frank's melodies, with the instrument, then match your voice to an instrument.
 
With your voice, you can work on breath support exercises to more engage the diaphragm. My favorite is to inhale through a real or invisible straw, and then hiss an ssss for as long as you can. It should be pretty relaxing and make you light headed at first, but if you do it right you'll feel the area above the stomach and below the chest 'engage.' That's an area when singing that often has engagement. 
 
The problem you've got basically, is self discovery is slow. No one will be there with a highly trained ear to help you each step of the way. The best analogy I have, is wandering in the wilderness, vs having a trained 'travel guide' through the forest. Both journeys are valuable, but if you feel like you want to get there faster, and be guaranteed to reach your destination (some people become lost in the wilderness!) having a highly educated guide will help you most.
 
And even if you were to take someone like me, who 'can sing some,' someone like me might be able to throw you enough bones to get somewhere, someday. 8 months to sing in a group? It's possible, but most groups would like to hear some unison and harmony of pitches. Groups are often more more demanding, cause if you're doing something a litlte off key the whole group can suffer. That said there are groups that are more interested in training for humanitarian reasons. I have one near me. They don't sound like the most highly polished choirs because they take folks from all walks of life, any age, any experience, any ethnicity, any economic status, don't judge, and go on the singing journey together and 'help' along the way. It's like a hippie choir!
 
I feel like if it's an urgent destination, and it's at all affordable for you to get qualified experts with proven success as teachers, who can train you into your goals it's your best bet.  I'm all about self discovery and think it's a really valuable artistic journey, but you take a walk in that wilderness, there's no guarantee you'll even get out, much less in 8 months.

I think Rob is right. I can hear loads of potential in there, but it sounds like you haven't had a lot of musical training or singing training, which you yourself pretty much admit. So when you sing without a backing track, you have difficulty visualizing the pitches. Everything you want, can be trained. I can hear pitches moving up and down accordingly, they're just hazy, I can hear a relatively relaxed voice which for a beginner is better than straining. You can hear the beginnings of what could become a really polished timbre. 
 
Taking lessons with Rob or one of the other vocal experts would accelerate growth into these aspects. Without lessons, you can still learn, but you'll have to be really diligent with your musicianship and and voice both. You mentioned 8 months in being good enough to sing for ensemble? If you have a time limit imposed on reaching a certain standard of quality, I'd definitely recommend the lessons.
 
Self discovery is a beautiful journey, but without a professional who knows exactly how to guide you it's definitely slower. Things you could do right now, imo would be to find an instrument. And if you can't find an instrument, download a free trial of maybe fruity loops and try the piano roll. Try to reproduce Frank's melodies, with the instrument, then match your voice to an instrument.
 
With your voice, you can work on breath support exercises to more engage the diaphragm. My favorite is to inhale through a real or invisible straw, and then hiss an ssss for as long as you can. It should be pretty relaxing and make you light headed at first, but if you do it right you'll feel the area above the stomach and below the chest 'engage.' That's an area when singing that often has engagement. 
 
The problem you've got basically, is self discovery is slow. No one will be there with a highly trained ear to help you each step of the way. The best analogy I have, is wandering in the wilderness, vs having a trained 'travel guide' through the forest. Both journeys are valuable, but if you feel like you want to get there faster, and be guaranteed to reach your destination (some people become lost in the wilderness!) having a highly educated guide will help you most.
 
And even if you were to take someone like me, who 'can sing some,' someone like me might be able to throw you enough bones to get somewhere, someday. 8 months to sing in a group? It's possible, but most groups would like to hear some unison and harmony of pitches. Groups are often more more demanding, cause if you're doing something a litlte off key the whole group can suffer. That said there are groups that are more interested in training for humanitarian reasons. I have one near me. They don't sound like the most highly polished choirs because they take folks from all walks of life, any age, any experience, any ethnicity, any economic status, don't judge, and go on the singing journey together and 'help' along the way. It's like a hippie choir!
 
I feel like if it's an urgent destination, and it's at all affordable for you to get qualified experts with proven success as teachers, who can train you into your goals it's your best bet.  I'm all about self discovery and think it's a really valuable artistic journey, but you take a walk in that wilderness, there's no guarantee you'll even get out, much less in 8 months.

I think Rob is right. I can hear loads of potential in there, but it sounds like you haven't had a lot of musical training or singing training, which you yourself pretty much admit. So when you sing without a backing track, you have difficulty visualizing the pitches. Everything you want, can be trained. I can hear pitches moving up and down accordingly, they're just hazy, I can hear a relatively relaxed voice which for a beginner is better than straining. You can hear the beginnings of what could become a really polished timbre. 
 
Taking lessons with Rob or one of the other vocal experts would accelerate growth into these aspects. Without lessons, you can still learn, but you'll have to be really diligent with your musicianship and and voice both. You mentioned 8 months in being good enough to sing for ensemble? If you have a time limit imposed on reaching a certain standard of quality, I'd definitely recommend the lessons.
 
Self discovery is a beautiful journey, but without a professional who knows exactly how to guide you it's definitely slower. Things you could do right now, imo would be to find an instrument. And if you can't find an instrument, download a free trial of maybe fruity loops and try the piano roll. Try to reproduce Frank's melodies, with the instrument, then match your voice to an instrument.
 
With your voice, you can work on breath support exercises to more engage the diaphragm. My favorite is to inhale through a real or invisible straw, and then hiss an ssss for as long as you can. It should be pretty relaxing and make you light headed at first, but if you do it right you'll feel the area above the stomach and below the chest 'engage.' That's an area when singing that often has engagement. 
 
The problem you've got basically, is self discovery is slow. No one will be there with a highly trained ear to help you each step of the way. The best analogy I have, is wandering in the wilderness, vs having a trained 'travel guide' through the forest. Both journeys are valuable, but if you feel like you want to get there faster, and be guaranteed to reach your destination (some people become lost in the wilderness!) having a highly educated guide will help you most.
 
And even if you were to take someone like me, who 'can sing some,' someone like me might be able to throw you enough bones to get somewhere, someday. 8 months to sing in a group? It's possible, but most groups would like to hear some unison and harmony of pitches. Groups are often more more demanding, cause if you're doing something a litlte off key the whole group can suffer. That said there are groups that are more interested in training for humanitarian reasons. I have one near me. They don't sound like the most highly polished choirs because they take folks from all walks of life, any age, any experience, any ethnicity, any economic status, don't judge, and go on the singing journey together and 'help' along the way. It's like a hippie choir!
 
I feel like if it's an urgent destination, and it's at all affordable for you to get qualified experts with proven success as teachers, who can train you into your goals it's your best bet.  I'm all about self discovery and think it's a really valuable artistic journey, but you take a walk in that wilderness, there's no guarantee you'll even get out, much less in 8 months.

I like a lot of your thoughts on these subjects. For me, whenever I critique things, I personally don't think there is a true definitive standard 'good or bad' or 'right or wrong.' People have different opinions, but to me those are 'subjective standards' placed on art. I think it's destructive to art to make a value judgment in this way. I'm a staunch non conformist when it comes to 'socially enforced' standards of 'proper' artforms. It's Stalinist. I'm a rebel to the bone. 
 
I think it's fair to say some sounds are more commercial or popular. It's fair to say some sounds resonate with me more emotionally. It's fair to say whether someone is using a known techniques skillfully. It's fair to say if a note sounds more less out of tune. It's fair to say if it is too much or too little for you.
 
But there is a point in critique where something transcends feedback, to becoming a 'value judgment.' And for American Idol, this value judgment aspect has a little more credibility, mainly because they have to finance you, market you, and record your stuff.
 
I listen to Lou Reed every week. I'm a fan of some of the Velvet stuff, self titled, Berlin, Transformer, Coney Island Baby, He's of my favorites and a big part is because he doesn't sing with perfect turning. But on the flip side, I've never listened to a single American Idol CD. It doesn't connect with me at all. It's how I hear things.
 
Something I wanted point out that is strange, is Bono chimed here, and a lot of times I'm more for like dirtier, grungier, looser, rawer, artistic stuff. And  you took my tastes, a lot of times it leans heavily into the artistic side of commercial music. He was pretty polished, honestly. He's more skilled than I am, imo. A little accent here and there. Maybe American Idol would be xenophobic, but Argentinan Idol, would at least accept his first audition. Range, power, on key, emoting. But at the same time, I was the guy that responded to him. I guess he kind of slipped into obscurity, maybe randomly. I got a listen to the guy, and he had some 80s drums going on maybe, it wasn't an 80s night.
 
So it's not really 'silence means you're half a step off key all the time, and would be laughed off stage, stop sucking or go home!'
 
As an artist and a listener, I don't care about rules. If I was going to put a million dollars into marketing a singer, nationally and risk losing it, I might care more about rules too. So to me, critique has more to do with what an artist wants, how I hear it, how these might be different, but for others maybe it's Idol or nothin. It's an interesting topic, Ronws, and I agree being able to take constructive feedback is good, even if you simply discard it and form the new Velvet Underground.
 
I'm in a pretty good place at the moment to be able to hear it. Awhile back, I had health problems and literally couldn't speak much, much less sing so at the time it was too heart breaking and I just left. But I got those health problems partially addressed enough, I can at least sing. There are still barriers here and there.
 
So if I want to cover Lou Reed, no one responds, or is like 'get out here out tune guy!!' I can take it dude. I'll probably still cover my Lou Reed tunes. I just took a little Walk on the wild side recently, personally. If they were to criticize my health, I'll try to let it roll off, but it hurts. Stick with the singing, right? That's what I'm trying to do.

Tough love or sugar-coat?   How does one give a review? If the whole thing has problems, a reviewer has a few choices.   First option is to not respond at all. Let it go to obscurity as newer posts come along. Assuming that option is not chosen and someone chooses to comment ...   I think there is tough love without having to be rude. We can be as choosy as Simon Cowell without the acerbic wit, which was more for tv ratings than to help. "Even if you were the only one to enter this competition, you would not win" is my favorite Simon zinger.   So, someone puts up a song. And everything is out of tune. Either he is carrying a melody line that is not relating to the music or there is no good interval and the melody line would not match anything in any key. Nothing wrong with saying, "Dude, you are all over the place." Followed by advice ranging from exact procedures to the simple advice to get a coach and some lessons.   What I am saying is don't hold back on an important piece of advice but also, be as accurate as possible. Granted, we are not all singing experts and may lack enough vocabulary to express an advice, but give an idea, if possible, what can be done to help and improve.   And I am not against tough love, which I prefer to see as honesty but I think I can do so without being offensive, at least intentionally. I think, in times past, I have given advice and probably came off as pompous and that was not my intent but even I perceive that, accurate or not, when I read some of my old posts. And wonder some times, if I had hurt feelings doing so.   Personally, I am one of those people who, the more I learn, the more I realize what I don't know. But anyway, so, if a person's performance is unredeemable, I think it helps to remember, for me, that not everyone will agree with my review.   And that is okay. Let it go. Everyone has an opinion. What if I give a review and the singer doesn't like it or gets defensive or says, fine, but I am still going to do this? What then?   Don't argue. You, or I, have already given an opinion. That being said, I am not a singing expert and I don't have reputation to uphold as a reviewer. Plenty of people have thought me to be right, or wrong, and still the world turns.   And if someone puts up a really good effort, it is okay to applaud that, it really is. Just because someone posts here does not mean he needs something fixed. That is, as a review, your or I don't have to post a response only if we can find something wrong that needs fixing.   As far as not responding, there are plenty of songs I have not commented on. Either I am not into the style, or I don't care for the song in any form or fashion. Or, it is so problematic and I don't know where to start and hope that the lack of response is, of itself, a critique by means of embarrassing silence, followed by the sound of chirpping crickets.   Or, I don't have the time. Something I should have included in how to receive a review is to address impatient posters who post a song and an hour later are throwing the equivalent of a fit by wondering why no one has commented?   Some, like myself, have busy lives with work and personal life and just don't have the time to listen to or read everything.   Also, and I get tripped up by this, too, try to remember that not everyone understands your words and what they meant. Maybe English is not your first language. People may not understand your use of it. English is my first language and I still can have problems with it.   So, maybe it's a fine balance. TOS would prohibit character assassination or ad hominem attacks. Ad hominem is where you can't answer the question and attack the character of another as proof his point is wrong.   Some discussion was made a year or so ago that giving sugar-coated reviews was doing a disservice to singing. Telling someone they were doing fine was not helping to improve that person or to maintain standards of singing. To that, I would say, I don't think I have seen much of any sugar-coated review that was completely erroneus. That is, it is okay, I think, to mention what seemed right, as well as what seemed wrong. I won't bore peole with operant conditioning, again. That did hurt some feelings.   Point being, we learn faster not only by being told no or stop, but also what direction to go in.   If I give a review and there were some problems, the singer may ask in response for some help or ideas. Well, now, it is upon me, at least in my sense of responsibility, to to respond to that in as helpful a manner as I can manage. I gave the review, the least I can do is try to help. It beats the daylights out him, the other guy, getting defensive.   And then, let it go. Someone may disagree with my review in bits or in its entirety. That's okay, too. Let it go.

How to receive criticism.   This is more for myself than anyone else, though I hope it helps others. There are many aspects to what a criticism means. And every bit of it has to do with how you, the recipient of the review, react to it.   At times, I have reacted to a criticism by explaining things I thought may not have been apparent to the reviewer. And realized later that not only did I seem defensive but I was missing a key point. Though I may have thought it was great, others did not.    The audience only hears what he or she hears. And it doesn't matter if the "audience" doesn't have the right appreciation or attitude toward your music, or does. Which also leads to the flip side of the coin . I can very well be filtering what I hear in the present, as well as in playback, through my own mentality, imagination, what have you. What really brought this realization home is that in this year of 2014, I have spent quite a bit of time watching the failures and rejections on shows like X Factor, BGT, AGT, AI, etcetera. More than once, a judge said, "maybe they were hearing themselves differently than we hear them."   I have imagined, as maybe we all have, being there and doing our thing. I would certainly be shot down in flames.   And that could happen, even in playback of a recording. That is, even though it is said that you should record and play back, sometimes your, or maybe my own, psychology may still be influencing perception. What am I hearing? And does it bear any relation to what others are hearing? You cannot hear yourself as others hear you and it is not just because you hear yourself with bone conduction.   And what about song choice? I am more guilty than anyone of choosing songs to do that are not a match to my voice, especially if considering the original singer of a well-known song. There is no escaping comparison and to wish that others would not compare is a fool's errand. Which has not stopped me from doing so.   I have the range to do just about any song I care to do. But that does not mean that  I should, other than just the enjoyment of singing. But, joking aside, I am trying to avoid using my voice as an assault weapon. Ron - AR15 - ws. (with a 30 round mag and a 50x laser sight.)    Is there a standard of singing against which to compare everyone? Who's standard and by who's definition? Lou Reed has been on pitch a few times, probably by accident, yet he is being inducted into the RARHOF.   But for the sake of this forum and this post, let us say there are some standards of singing to be expected here. Pitch accuracy and appropriate tone. Don't be surprised if you get judged according to those. Because you don't have to be here. I don't have to be here. I don't have to post a single recording. And many valuable members here do not post recordings where as I have lost count of how many things I have posted since May 2010.   First, let's err on the side of the singer. Let us say that you sang well and still got panned, or maybe no reaction at all. Okay, doesn't mean that you won't be a success somewhere else. Consider the audience. Maybe you or I want the approval and applause of fellow nit-picky singers, a forum full of Simons, Sharons, Louises. That's good, too, though not always a predictor of success in the world of professional recording and release.   Or vice versa. I usually get applause when singing live for friends and strangers. Then, again, to be fair, they are not singing experts, many are not even musicians as I am. Probably half the time, they are in various states of inebriation, since I have played at parties, karaoke, warming up for a band who's members were friends of mine while they were setting up the rest of their gear. Or applause just because I have the chutzpah to get up and sing.   At least I didn't get run off. But, as you can see by my pic, maybe they are afraid and are waiting for me to get tired and go away, without confrontation. Or, a case of it's not amazing that a bear dances a waltz, but that the bear dances, at all.    As opposed to here. Only two people from this forum have met me in person. Former moderator Aaron. He has family here in Texas and we got to meet and make his mother think I ran over the dog! (Long story, some other time.) The rest of you do not know me and will never be able to hear me singing in the same room with you, in case I wanted to blame it on mics, my atrocious recording and mixing skills (which I am working on improving, please believe me,) and whatever else. All that you can hear is what is in the recording and whatever you are listening to for a file player.   The other person is my real brother, slstone, because we grew up together though it has been many years since we have visited and we live in different areas of the country.   And rather than blame whatever critique on the state of technology and the lossy format of mp3, I certainly need to account for that.   Someone says you are off pitch, whether you thought you were, or not. It is what they are hearing. Maybe you had good pitch but the tonality was different and the only thing they know how to say is "pitchy." Doesn't matter. They are hearing something that you have not heard. Fix it, or don't, as you see fit. Because here is the most important part.   You do not have to get defensive. And I point the finger at myself more than I would anyone else. How could someone not appreciate the awesomeness of my singing? Quite easily, apparently, from time to time. Getting defensive doesn't help. It doesn't make someone like your singing, now. It doesn't help you improve or change, assuming you need improvement or changing.   All the times someone argued with Simon Cowell, not once did it make him now appreciate their singing or noise. And to be fair, he is a good judge of talent. His odds-on favorite was Adam Lambert, who did not win, but has gone on to success with solo albums and now being the legitimate singer for Queen. And all the other winners don't have near the notoriety or are in the public eye past the end of the show's season.   Or, you take the advice of the review. Make some changes. And a lot of times, that works to your benefit. Some of my better achievements have been from taking advice and actually using it. One time, it was to raise the key and that worked out well. Another time, it was to lower the key and that also worked out well. Even though we pride ourselves as singers to sing in the original key of the song, pro production is about getting the right sound from your voice. Bzean linked in a free audit course on recording production and the award-winning producer, who has also been a judge on some of these talent shows said, right of the bat, they will try a song for an album in different keys until he hears something in the singer's voice that sounds right. It's not about getting the highest note ever by a human, unless that is what the particular song needs.   Other times, the advice has been, at least to me, to choose wisely what song and arrangment I am going to use, which can also involve key change. And that has worked out well and I continue to work on being more choosy. Just because I like singing a song does not mean that my performance is going to work for it, even to my own satisfaction, as I have been discovering with a few songs I have worked on recently.   And for that, I have been taking the advice of recording professionals. First, record as best you can and then leave it alone. Your ears have become saturated. Come back another time and mix. Let it set. Come back another time and pretend you have just turned on the radio. Does it sound right? I have done all those things and the song is still not sounding right but at least I am taking past critiques to heart.   Which will not save me from receiving poor reviews, later. But I am learning.   Third option, discard all the advice. What you or I did was just fine. Not everyone will be a fan, here or out in the big wide world.   In any case, I have found that best response in myself and others is to thank people for their review and the time they took to listen. Or more precisely, to even comment. Many is the time I posted a song and received one or two comments, usually good and be happy with that.   Other times, no comments at all. That is okay. Sometimes, "no news is good news." Nothing was so bad for someone to say, "please, for the sake of humanity, stop that."  

MIR, Something that helps me with rasp is to try to place the sound 'higher.' It's not a very good hint. But when I got my voice back, and rediscovered my rasp, it was really like Tom Waits ish and felt like it was rumbling my larynx. It felt too 'deep' like my throat was rumbling.
 
Something that helped me get more control was to sit down with Ray Charles. I tried to 'lift' it up and out of the throat. It wasn't entirely different from the Tom Waits thing, but it felt 'lightened,' less destructive, and was more the sound I was going for all at the same time. It only took me a couple of days messing around from the Tom waits starting point, but I'm sure it's different for everyone. 
 
Sorry for the horrific pseudo science, but for me now I just let rasp come and go depending on when an emotion summons it. It hasn't sent me hoarse yet, and I can always go right back to a clean tone. You can probably learn rasp in the lower range, just go easy on the Tom Waitish stuff. If it feels too 'full' it probably is.

To my ears Brad Delp rides the exact line between what I'd think of as like a 'metal' type head voice and the kind of falsetto I more typically listen to and more frequently sing (Eddie Kendricks).
 
You've done a pretty good job here, though it sounds like you're still searching on either side of the spectrum. Sometimes you'll get a metallic cut, other times you'll get less cut and body than Eddie Kendricks, as I can hear the exploration.
 
I can almost guarantee you'll find what you want (by that I mean what resonates most with you as an artist) on either side of it, but it's just gonna take time.
 
Don't feel bad for exploring for the sound and not having it dialed in yet. My best friend asked me if I could sing metal.... I was like nope. But she was like, but what happens if you try?' So I put on my best Geoff Tate impression as I'm a fan of the Operation Mindcrime album and there are an abundance of metal singers here and heard my share. Even though I'm a fan of this song, to me it sounds like I joke when I was exploring for this sound:
 
https://soundcloud.com/killerku/attemptsmetalvoice
 
Personally, I never found it. It's not just the technique. There isn't an ounce of me in there. It was like I was doing a terrible Geoff Tate impression that I quickly abandoned. But it doesn't sound like a joke when you're looking for your sound, man, on either side of the spectrum, even when you mess up and aren't dialed into the ideal sound you're looking for. That's the key thing. That's why you're going to get it, why I never did, and why and it will be good when you do, because it's an authentic pursuit, imo.

Oh man, all of our musical advice on teaching you improvisation is gone with the forum update, Joshua. If you didn't get it, let me know and I'll try to recap for you. Ronws, MDEW, and I all  were ready to give you enough information to build you into a jazz soloist on your piano while singing like a pro on top!  When you come back, let me know if you got any of our info. You're gonna surprise yourself.