MDEW

    I think the formant battle is the key. You and Ronws utilise different vowel mod stratagies. Vowels are defined by formants. Singing harmony is a skill unto itself. Pretty much like another post you made about pitch and Barbershop quartets using math based harmonies. When two voices come together in harmony you can usually hear the third harmony from the mixing of the two.

   That is what was getting me confused. I would hear Ron sing a word or two and then hear you finish or vice versa. It is my own opinion but it seems that something in the vocal harmonies is causing a distraction. They are low enough in the mix that you really cannot hear them but I sense some kind of dissonance.     Overall I like what you did with this.

   Is that Killer singing the first verse? I can tell that Ron is singing the High part later in the song.   I like what you did with the double lead on the guitar.

   Just listened to this Aravindmadis.  Very emotional. 

 Not too many people here know the genius of John Prine.     You sound pretty good. A lot of the pitch issues are smoothing out.     This singing thing is a little tougher than you thought isn't it?     You've come a long way on the guitar pickin too, it is sounding real good.

   Thanks Killer, I am posting the new recording here.    I also added a new drum track but had to pick from a preset so it is not the proper beat for this.    I am using the same bass line in this post but I did record one with a more country bass line. This one fit my voice better with the changes in my tone.     The first G4 is a little flat.           To be honest the first recording I did felt more relaxed and expressive. I was very happy with the tone of the final verse in the first recording. That bridge does need work though.      Edit: listening to both of them back to back the first one sounds better.   

   Thanks Killer, I don't think my issues are from bad advice but from misunderstanding on my part.  I know that all vocal production is a manipulation of some sort.    When going higher into the Passaggio range I think I have been using that nasal tone thinking that I am dropping weight on the folds and singing in a mix  when what I am doing is raising the larynx and pushing the sound into my nose.    I rerecorded the vocals and am preparing to copy it to the computer. We will find out if it sounds any better.    Thanks for responding.

    Thanks for the advice.     Here again is the sticking point...we are encouraged to use our own voice, not imitate others....on the other hand we are told our voice is not the right voice....we must change it in some degree to achieve our own unique voice......     Believe me I am not arguing, I know something is wrong with my tone. I am only pointing out the irony of it.     Sing like yourself just not the way you are singing now.     Clear as day. 

     Thanks Sexy,       Years of reading books on singing says the voice should be free easy and unmanipulated. When you are doing something to change the sound it is manipulation.For me the unmanipulated sound is Nasal. I can deepen by manipulating. I guess that is the part that gets confusing when reading from books and not having someone to set you straight. In the books they should have said After you manipulate the way we tell you to, Then do not further manipulate on your own.        I am going to rerecord the vocals on this tonight with all the suggestions.      Thank you for your input.

  Thanks Sexy,      I think that is a by product of trying to be louder and keeping the sound from being caught in my throat. I speak low and throaty most of the time. Maybe I am aiming the sound a little too high.    This sounds like a speaking range song but the body of it is between E3 and G4 The heart of Passaggio.    I thought the last verse sounded more grounded than the others. Is that one also too nasal?  That bridge with the high note was too nasal, I did notice that. It was the only take that I actually sang that G4.

    I reworked the bass line and the lead guitar track. I may try to Rerecord the vocals. I will post the results later on.    Thanks Ron. I am not sure what to call those vowels I used but they worked enough to let me post the song.

     Thanks Ronws.    Cowbell is great for Mississippi Queen and Gimme 3 steps. I just don't think it will work on " Something".     Any other observations? Things that are messing me up Vocally?

     The bad thing about using a click track is that you are forced to stay with the beat. A live drummer will some times have a style that allows for a tempo change in certain areas. When I tried to play the bass line like Paul did I would land on the ending note  before or after the beat, so I had to alter things to not lose timing.      That little walk down in the bridge has 6 steady beats, I have a 4 beat click track and had to alter the timing to make it fit.        Georges lead did not fit the beat either so the whole song has a different feel to it.      I miss read your post, I was thinking you had said that it already has a country feel to it. It would not be too hard to make it a little more country  Just alter the bass line a little more than I did already and rework the lead guitar.   Thanks for listening.

   I thought this would be a good song to work on that G4 which gives me trouble. I have been playing the song since the late 70s so I am familiar with it but this is the first time I really worked on it.....Well this recording session all of three hours or more.  Sorry about the click track. It is the only beat I could find that fit. At least it is a high hat and not cowbells.  Know any good drummers?   Yes that is me playing the instruments. I do a better job at that than singing.     Any comments welcome.  

Mayonnaise.......  Maon ehs allot oh sangers rown heah.............

   I agree with Ronws about Accents being about vowels and Cadence. Vowels being a throat shape and Cadence is a particular rhythm to the words and phrases.    A throat shape to me is How you hold your mouth,tongue, larynx position,facial expression and  soft palate....Some accents are better suited to holding your teeth together and speeking without movin them too much.....Some use a closed off nasal passage and using only the back of the tongue to produce words so something like "What's this all about?" will come out like  "Whut is oy Bow" .   Cadence would be that some languages are fast paced and bouncy(mixture of high and low notes in the phrases) while others are slow and more monotone. There is a rhythm to speech.

 Now that is my kind of music and singing.    

  Another great song and Video.........Welcome back......Keep them coming..

The only thing I could add is maybe you are hitting the RR in Girl a little to hard. I may be projecting my own problem into this while listening. I know that I have problems when the rr sound shows up. I know the rr sound is made different in other languages. I make that sound with my top teeth resting on my lower lip and that may be why I have trouble with it. I believe other languages use a curled tongue to make that sound. Everything sounds good to me in this. I do not have enough experience to pick out subtle things that could help your progress.

     Shout it!    ........ Yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh..........

    I love "Come to my Window". It is one of my Goals to be able to sing that and really sell it.    You did an awesome job. I loved every minute of it.     Bonnie Raitt Has some Killer songs also...... 

  I have the hair,,,,,,,Well the top front is kind of letting me down lately.   You are starting the verses off good and on pitch and melody......"People say I'm No Good, Crazy as a Loon" The next lines should be the same melody starting on the same pitch but you drop to a lower melody. More of a harmony to the first. "Cause I get drunk". This dropping of the melody is what is causing the droning or lack of energy.   I am not saying  that it sounds bad or that you did anything wrong by not singing it exactly like Charley did, Only That Charley is creating the Energy by starting each phrase on a higher pitch. And that a lot of people who know this song will hear that it is different.   If you were purposely changing the melody that is OK. If you were meaning to sing the same melody as Charley then what you need to do is sing each phrase of the verse the Same(or close) as you do when starting the verse.   You have come a long way and are sounding better every time I hear you.

   Sounds good Robert, can't wait for more.

    Good Points, but that is not the same "Fake" that I am meaning, That is part of the Magic of recording. Also as Jens has pointed out all "Singing Voices" are fake until they become infused into our own  natural expression.    My attempts at the Johnny Cash sound were unbalanced and highly noticable that I was "Trying" for a Johnny Cash sound.    "Fake it till you make it" is still a good point of view. With time I may have been able to improve that sound.    The whole recording process and production is fake in a sense.....Cutting unwanted frequencies....Boosting others...... compressing, limiting, over dubbing.....whatever is needed to enhance the product...... And now they have that blasted autotune, the bane of a good singers exsistence......... .    Not only that but you also have distortion and octave doubling effects for the voice now.....There are many people who are trying to copy the sounds of their favorite singer and not realising that the sound is from a box not from his/her voice.

     Thanks Killer, With my speaking voice I can imitate all kinds of characters. Finding which elements to add to a singing voice is not as instinctive as you would expect. I haven't really had time to explore your suggestions to any extent yet. I hope to have time today to record a little and maybe provide a few samples of "Voices" that I have available.