Xamedhi

Well, practicing singing in a ver low volume is another kind of training also. Full breath support training. But yeah, MDEW is right, in your current stage you should sing loud and explore your range. Release also the higher you go, and it doesn't matter if you go a little breathy as long as you don't try to go louder. The idea is to start feeling that your "chest" and "head" voice are connected and in fact, just one. You just have to find the muscular balance, which takes A LOT of time. Good luck, mate!

Hey! I liked it It seems that you're on the right track technically. You're vowels are good, and your twang is very balanced. Your AHs ( which I think is the most difficult vowel, at least for me haha ) is very good. The only thing I'd say, is that in these type of songs, where range is not that demanding or it doesn't have "power runs" or something, haha, you should emphasize a lot more the dymanics. Sing a lot more louder and powerful some words or phrases, and a bit more intimate some others with more "feeling". And exaggerate the twang ( a la Amy Winehouse ) if you like that monkey sound to emphasize a word. Things like that. Just get creative and feel the song. The more you sing it, the more loose you will feel :3 Keep up the good work!

I wrote to you in your SoundCloud, Hazel! :P

Your voice fits perfectly with this style, Garnet, it would be awesome if you did more rock/metal covers!

MDEW is right, in a live situation there are other things to think of. Things relative to pitch are just serious nitpicking, and not really relevant. The vowel and formant thing is, though ( recording-wise, not live ), because it was not intended and it contrasts with the previous "mine"s that you sang.

Forgot to mention that in one of the sustained belts. The "MINE" from 3:34 to 3:39. It seems that you didn't keep the vowel completely still, so it was modified from an AH to an UH to an AH to an UH and then you sustained an AH till the end of it. The note goes according to those changes, a bit flat-then ok-bit flat-then ok, and I noticed it because unlike pitch, the change in the vowel is more noticeable because it changes your formant and your harmonic spectrum, so the "sound image" and our ears percieve it in contrast. Be careful with that :P

Hey, I loved it! I have never heard the original so I have nothing to compare it with, though. The harmonies where cool, too. Now to the nitpicking, haha, just for the sake of it, cus of boredom, and a good oportunity to train my ear. lol On the first entrance in "I put a spell on you" it is supposed to be : ( by sillable ) C-C-C-D#-C-C isn't it? You did the first Cs correctly, but the vowel could use more brightness so it is a very precise C. It is a teeeny bit flat ( and I am talking like 1% or even less, idk, so don't worry ) "Spell" was a bit bit sharp. Also you notice the "you" is not the same pitch as the first words Thats because of what I said before. In "because your mine" in the trill that happens in "mine", there was a little slope in there. You do a C-G-F-F-D#-C . And in the last C there was a wobble of the vibrato that went lower than the rest, with decreased support, so it was a millisec that sounded lower in energy, but then you kept the rest of the "mine" good Now.. I noticed this because it's the first phrase in the song, because for the rest of it I just closed my eyes and concentrated on the interpretative and musical side. Other than that, I have no other technical observations. There might be other cases like this throughout the song, but honestly it's not important to me. The harmonies where awesome, and the high belts sounded so cool. Although for the extra goosebump I would have aranged the end a bit differently. The part between 3:10 and 3:40, before you come back down again to finish the song. There is a gap between 3:30 and 3:34 that takes away some of the energy. My idea is that we contrast as much as we can the high belts and sheer passion with the coming back down, and more intimate place, so the listener gets tired with you and then releases the tension and sights when you are singing the last phrases. In that 3-4 secs pause, the listener has time to rest, that's the thing, so... "belty stuff waaaa.... rest.. and then move the energy higher again to keep belting waaaaaa" it's kind of .. weird. Better to build up the belts, then "belt belt belt BEEELT AND MIX A CRAZY G5 IN THERE TOWARDS THE END OF THE BELTS AND THEN releeeeaase when you come back down again, and the listener sights and says *pheww* "crazy stuff :'D" falling on their knees more exhausted emotionally than you, haha. That would have been my approach. Pretty hard to describe with words, but if you read through that a couple of times you might be able to understand me haha. Tell me what you think :D

Hey! Well, you need to work a LOT on your sense of pitch and your ability to reproduce it, man. And also your phrasing is kind of weird. This makes me think that you are not a good listener, and that is the most important skill one needs to learn I think. So practice your listening. Really, it's just practice. Some people just ear stuff, they skim through the "noise", but really dig into it, concentrate, and listen to all the details, all the instruments. Try to picture images in your head.. organizing or drawing the melodies, so you get better at recognizing pitch. I don't know how other's minds work, but at least I am very visual. Every sound I hear translates into an image. Then, while you practice that, you should also explore your resonance. Try to open your throat, in your palate, pharynx and larynx. The stage where you are at now is of discovery. I suggest you really get the hang of your instrument. Try not to constrict anything, and it doesn't matter if it is quiet or a little breathy because you need to learn how to release. That will give you more freedom and ease to reproduce pitch. I hope my ideas help, man

And btw, by the Axl Rose thing, haha, I just mean that your voice reminded me of him. Maybe in the brightness of the sound, idk. You don't sound like if you were trying to imitate anyone, if that's your concern, heheh. You sound very "yourself" so just keep singing the way you feel like.

It's nice to know that it's working for you, man. I need to clarify that there's nothing wrong with being light, if it's done right and you are giving your full energy and effort, then it's only a matter of time that the muscles gain strength and develop. But tone and pitch are more skill inclined. Practice imitating lots of sounds so you get more used to shaping your cavities. You could try imitating ( in a cartoonish way ) Cher, Tom Jones, Patrick Star (lol ), Fabio Lione and on the other side of the spectrum, Spongebob, Axl Rose, Geddy Lee. And having those contrasts will give you the sensation of the extremes so it will be easier and easier to find your balance.

Hey, Gneetapp. What I hear is: ( haha ) In the verses, the tone is mostly good. I think it's just your personality that makes it sound, well, like you. It's hard to explain, haha ( it reminds me somewhat of Axl Rose, don't know why ) And in the Chorus, the thing is, just like Garnet said, it sounds shouty. Thin, but shouty, which is pretty weird, haha. When I discovered the coordination for headvoice I tended to round and "OH/UH/OO"-ed everything, because it is the easiest way to stay in that mix. And that is also what I hear in Bruce Dickinson or Fabio Lione, (who are the most operatical guys I've heard in the metal scene, btw ) and I tried to imitate their sound colour to sound "big", even though fold-ly ( haha ) I was not heavy or as adducted. I suggest, practice the hell out of the coordination, and use more closed vowels so it is easier to stay in mix and it sounds like curbing or metal-like neutral. Then when you got a hold of it, start giving it more and more weight ( At least that is what I've done in my learning process, and it has worked for me So just my two cents n.n )

Thank you very much, Garnet I've been training since November, so I have a looong road ahead, haha. Steady but solid Funny thing, I had just commented on your thread when I saw the notification that you wrote to me heh I'd really like to develop a very powerful headvoice, like Bruce Dickinson on the metal side, or Adam Lambert on the pop haha I'll surely send you a PM. Thanks again :)

Wow. I loved your high range, Garnet! It sounds very cool, your belts sound big and dark. When I heard your whistle I was like "w00t?" Are you really self taught?

Hey guys! I've been working lately on carrying more and more weight to my higher notes. I would really appreciate if you could leave some input here. Been working quite a bit on vowel modifications, so anything that you hear, please point it out hehe Here is the playlist: ( Note that I am not following the time signatures in the Karnivool songs. I'm doing what I can and what I remember but, without music, it's incredibly difficult haha I forgot some parts in the Karnivool songs so I skipped them, lol ) To the people that could tell me "record it with music " I must say, I will start recording with the music in the background the next time I practice, haha.

You remind me of Ron on your post, haha. Well, you sound good to me. I don't know the original, but if I heard it with your voice I'd probably say, "man, this is cool". If you want to deepen your tone a bit there are a few adjustments you can do. Try to do scales on an octave using "Bub, bub, bub", or "Mum, mum, mum" trying to lean more into the mouth, and to lower the larynx a bit. To sound more like Patrick Star. The screams are cool, I wouldn't change their resonance or larynx too much, just try to balance the nasal with the mouth/pharyngeal resonance, but keep the larynx high so you keep the metal and ring of the scream. On the lower notes in here it sounds like you have a very high larynx, tending probably to activate some swallowing muscles, that's why you feel you sound "squeezed". I think there is where sensation of the "bub, bub" will help you.

Hey I am only familiar with Two Way Street, so I'll write based on that one. The only thing I hear when you sing Two Way Street is that your volume does not change very much throughout the excerpt, pitch and vibrato is ok :B What I find awesome about her is that she goes back and forth between low whispered stuff, to belt, then back to a low volume intimate tone and then a twangy middle register thing for the groovy feel. Try to watch her live videos and see what she is doing with her mouth, and what relation does that have with the sound. Pay attention to the dynamics she uses in her songs. A very good one to study is Withdraw. :P

Well, it sounds good. At this point you just can't sing bad, or unpleasantly. The thing is that you are not providing the listener with the effect you probably want. If you want a deeper and lower sound you will have to train your chest voice, which a lot of women ( mostly the ones that sing classical ) neglect. I think if you do train the hell out of your chest voice your sound will change a lot, for the better. Your highs will be a lot more powerful, with either classical or rock style, and your middle and lower range will be killer. I don't listen to many female vocals :/ But what I have heard has been mostly on Ayreon. The composer uses a lot of different girls in his various albums, and some of them have quite low or big voices. In 101101101 ( or whatever ) there is a vocalist with a huge voice that I thought was a guy. And check out Nina Hagen's early stuff, haha. It's very interesting.

I liked it pretty much. But I am very, very used to hear LaBrie's vowel modifications and musically I think they sound so appropriate. It is so weird to hear "heart of it" instead of "heart of eht" or "mislead so easily" instead of "mislead so easehleh". But meh, it's just a matter of taste I think.

I recorded that with an mp4 player I have. With my laptop playing the song, haha.

Hey all, this was recorded one year ago, before I started training seriously and on a regular basis. I thought it would be fun to post it and hear what you guys think. I love this song in so many ways. It's so sad and thoughtful. https://app.box.com/s/2tr30teb26qk55gxcec5

No problem I am really glad I was of help. I have been learning by myself and taking the sporadic lesson here and there, so I know how you feel. I recommend you to look up these channels and names in youtube: Kevin Richards Jesse Nemitz Daniel Formica Vocal Power Mark Baxter Phil Moufarrege and of course Robert Lunte Look for all the material you can find of Kevin Richards, Jesse Nemitz and Mark Baxter ( these are the guys that helped me the most to find certain coordinations ) and if you have trouble understanding something they talk about, send me an email. I'll be happy to help. I am no vocal coach, but I have walked more or less the same path and problems you are experiencing now.

I was watching your other videos and got to this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NISn47tL-wc&list=UU5UOwg_f-Ly3H5czb_aVVvA Here you speak a little at the start, and your resonance is much more balanced than when you sing. Try to keep more "mouthy" resonance when singing, and a bit of the vocal fry sensation you get when saying some words. It may help you to get better adduction on the start of some words.

It sounds very, very nasal to me. Some people can get away with it, but in your voice, honestly, it was kind of annoying :c And I don't want to be mean at all, I just want to adress that you should work on it asap. I'd really like to hear other's opinions on the matter. Now, one way to fix that is to experiment with different kinds of "voices". Try to imitate Sylvester Stallone, or talk like when you have a cold. Or pinch your nose and try that the sound doesn't change much. After you've experienced the different sensations try to find a balance. It is more noticeable on your lower notes, and the nasality makes some consonants to sound weird. Can you make a recording of you speaking the song? Maybe you are getting too much into "singing mode" and that could be a problem? Idk, just waiting for your reply to see better what is going on :)

Thanks for the input guys! Well, I have been trying to blend more each phrase to the next one, so it sounds more "musical" as I don't have a backing track, haha. Is that what you mean? Or you are referring to a thing between syllables more than from word to word? Also CunoDante told me to practice onsets ( in my scales and in songs ) with a slight fry, because I was very used to do glottals, which are risky for my adduction I think ( I could blow too much air(?)). It helps me carry more weight to the high notes. And you can definitely hear that when I do glottals high, they are not as adducted as they could be from a fry, or having a lower phrase before. Now, I am trying to "bridge" as high as I can, while singing. For now it is between the G and the G#, and I can blend better the tone quality. I can do pure chest A's and A#s, with very good adduction, but they sound shouty as hell, and twanged like Amy Winehouse, lol, and it is very tyring over time. I try overall to not think about a bridge though, and only think about modifying the vowels correctly and bringing more weight higher and higher. Though when I am tired, like in Worldchanger, I "bridge" or lighten up too early. Thanks again, guys :)

Haha, you mean, like any other song? Singing for example, Open Arms with the style of another singer? That sounds like a cool exercise.