MDEW

And that advice would not be lost on me. If recording a true cover or even an original song recording go for the key that you and the song benifit from. For this song I found the Key that each of the singers where in. Elvis=Bb, Michael Buble=C, Michael Grimm and Ray Charles=E, Michael Bolton= F . I also believe that the Key itself adds its own character to the song. Bb has a melancholy feel to it where E has a more Energetic feel. I am trying to get out of my comfort zone without going too far. My tone has always lacked depth and fullness so I am trying new things. It also helps that the Key E is way easier to play on the guitar than the key of Bb. :)

Thanks for your comments Aspiring, Evidently what has been my signature sound is too high larynx, twangy, lacks support and riddled with inconsistencies. So I have been experimenting. I know this song from Elvis and only recently heard the other versions. Mainly Michael Bolton, Michael Grimm, and Ray Charles. These versions are similer in style to each other but not like Elvis' version. So my version is my memory of Elvis singing + the higher key of the others and my own natural phrasing(Good or Bad). The only real time that I put into learning the song was during the recording. About 2 1/2 hours for a 3 1/2 minute song. I am using songs like this to help me with passaggio and the higher notes. The key of D would be closer to my natural range. That would sit between Elvis' version and Ray Charles version. Thanks for the tips. It is good to know from someone else which words seem in the POCKET and Which words are lacking. It gives a good reference to the singer for improvement.

I do like the tone in your voice. I do have a few tips. If you wrote the song or not learn the words. It sounds better when you are not thinking up words on the fly. The song itself sounds pretty good. Another reason to write down the words and learn them. I like the idea of killing two birds with one stone but if you are going to record in the shower for the acoustics........ I look forward to hearing more from you. Next time put effort into the song and the singing. Yes your voice does sound pretty good but the idea of singing is to tell a story or to effect an emotion from the audience. There is more to singing than making a pleasing sound. :cool:

Thanks Ronws. I think that is my problem also with "Guy". Although I do not think Gee will work on that one Those nasty dipthongs always get in the way.

Thanks I do not have a Skype account yet. Still living in the Dark ages. But I will drop you an Email later on. I may confiscate a computer with a Camera from work soon so I can Skype. (It's OK I am the Boss. I repair broken computers) :P

I can make the sound but have not been able to extend it in a slide.

I read your comment on the Never been to Spain thread. I may have a mental block from the "real men do not Cry" mentality that I grew up with but I just cannot find that coordination. The "WHAAA" from twang I can get. The "OOOHHH" I have a tummy Ache sound I can get. But the tilted larynx from "Cry" I have not found. I think the coordination that you mean is what CVT calls "Curbing" ( Cry with a Hold). I have not been able to find that coordination in my voice.

Check out my other thread 'Never been to Spain" The top note is G#4. I just posted an updated version. That last recording was much easier to sing. I haven't figured out what is the correct sound to follow in my Vocalizes. I can slide seemlessly from C3 to C5 depending on which sound I follow. Even that is hard to explain. Like starting with a Yogibear sound ending in an Elmo sound or ending in a Witchy sound... The transition can be seemless but the chang is there. So if I am singing a melody and the note goes from a D4 to a B4 you will still have yogi singing low notes and Elmo singing high notes.(just using that as an example so you can imagine what I mean). I do not loose vocal fold connection. It does not go from Modal to Falsetto but the timber and texture changes.

I rerecorded the vocals last night because when I got to the part "Lucky Guy" it sound wonkey. Then in the part "Afraid and Shy, I let my chance GO by" I think Go was wierd because I keep hearing Elvis in my head. When He starts that phrase he sings Really Deep on it. I am playing this in the key of E and that high note is F#4 . G4 has been my breaking note. Most of the song is in my Passaggio area. I was thinking that the high note is G#4 but I just played the melody on my guitar and it is F#4.

Yes, I am working on the higher notes(passaggio area). It is getting better. I have always liked this and had only heard the Elvis Version until a few weeks ago. I knew I could not sound like Elvis. I have a TIP for you. If you like a song but do not want to emulate the singer and find your own style for it look it up on Youtube. Listen to other people singing it. I found this with Michael Bolton, Michael Buble, Michael Grimm(and that was just a few Michaels ), Nora Jones, Dianna Krall, Willy Nelson, Kenny Loggins, Harry Connick Jr and was written by Ray Charles. None of those guys or gals sounded like Elvis or used the same style of music. Why should I have to?

Is it that bad or just no interest because it is not Iron Maden, Foreigner or DIO? Maybe next time I will Take it up a few more keys and try to sing it like Michael Jackson. I am writing to myself here anyway......:| anybody have an emoticon for crickets chirping? :cool:

Yes, I also played the guitars and Bass. I found a long time ago that whatever consists of my "Style" good or bad is usually worse when I try to match the beat of someone else. I played Bass for a Country/Rock band for several years in my younger days. I should have learned to sing back then but no one was willing to Help. They already had 3 singers so it was easier for them to keep me concentrating on Bass and they were already competing with each other for the spotlight.

Yes, this is an Elvis Presley song. But you need not worry about me trying to sound like Elvis. I am Playing and singing 4 notes higher than him. More in the pitch area of Michael Grimm, Ray Charles and Michael Bolton. Any tips or comments welcome.

I rerecorded the lead Vocals on this. For some reason Sound cloud increases the volume on recordings. Turn your speakers down before starting. I have noticed that my recordings are a little voice heavy so I tried to keep the vocals lower in the mix. I may be too quiet this time. :/

If you just discovered this coordination forget that I wrote anything. It is from learning a new coordination that you are not used to yet. It will get better. It is part of the process. Sorry to confuse you..... just trying to help. :)

I'm having a hard time trying to explain what I mean. Something in the tone is creating the elusion of pitchiness. It may be too much twang, uncentered vowels or support issue. But when listening closely to your pitch I do not hear that you are actully off pitch. The SOUND is what is off. I cannot explain it any better than that. I wish I could. I hear this often enough that it must be some kind of adjustment like larynx position or tongue position or soft palate......... OR I am just a crazy old man hearing things and should be ignored. That is possible too. :o

I don't know what to tell you to correct this but you seem to have intonation problems. Your pitch is so close to being correct that it is not an ability problem. I want to clarify what I mean because otherwise you have a very good sound. Even though your pitch may be correct it sounds flat do to overtones that are not tuned in. Take for example a guitar chord is made up of at least 3 notes. Strike them all together and you get one harmonious sound but if one note is off the chord doesn't sound correct. It may be more of a tone problem than pitch problem. It happens with the lower notes also and if you get the lower notes straightened out it should help with the higher notes also.

Any time you are trying a new sound or style there is a bit of Emulation to get you started. Just remember to relax into the new coordinations. Keep singing this song while you are away from the recorder or any instruments. In a few weeks Record it again using the natural intonations and inflections of your own style and see what happens.

It is no wonder that some songs never made to the top 10. Millions of people call in for a song Titled "Major Tom". DJ sais "sorry there is no "Major Tom" in my list".......... John Denver wrote Annies' Song...... There is no mention of Annie in the song. Whatever the name is, you did a good job on this. I am not as good as others in pointing out things to improve on, but I do believe that with you exploring your lower notes your whole voice is improving.

I would not change the way you sing the high stuff. But if you want fuller sound work on your mid range.something between B3 and D4. It seemed that when you did sing lower you had an odd sound there. Let us hear how you sound in that range.

Sounding good Ronws. That always seemed a little too complicated for me. I would have had to brake it up and learn it as 3 or 4 different songs. You flowed pretty easy from one segment into another. I liked the Vibrato in the beginning.

Sounded Pretty good to me. I don't know if you were actually trying to sound like Elvis or not but I think Elvis has more of a classical sound. He starts his notes in a low registration but lets the notes ring in his head. I was also going to post an Elvis song. I still may. I will in no way be trying to sound like Elvis. The Vibrato comes in easier for me in the lower registration. I think that Vibrato has everything to do with a balance. The proper amount of Air and air pressure to the amount of cord closure. Anyway... Good job. :cool:

A lot of times people who post here will sing way too soft and without energy. You can not really tell anything like this. It is not Range that denotes a Baritone or Tenor but the power and sound of a range. Once you work on technique and get stronger in your singing your range may expand. Singing usually takes at least as much energy as if you are scolding someone or having someone hear you across the room. Even a soft melody should be louder than your speaking volume.

It sounded pretty solid to me. There may have been a few spots that could have used more confidence. No need to fear it now. :cool:

Patience.... Sounded pretty good over all. there were a few places that sounded odd. 1:41 and 2:00. I am not that familier with the song but I do like your tone. I get impatient too when I post a song. The last one took two or three days and I thought the post died a slow and horrible death and then I got like 5 comments in a day. Sometimes we just don't get a chance to listen to everything.