su_tiff

Ah, well, I can help with that. Monitoring through head phones produces an overbearing "near-field" effect. Things sound more bass than they really are and your ears are trying to follow that. Whereever you are singing, there will be a wall closer to one side than the other. Take that headphone off. For me, a wall is closer on my left than on my right. So, I take the left headphone off. Next, make the playback a little more treble than bass and pan it hard right. This will keep your voice from my trying to pull down with the bassier sound. And so, also , sing this with a backing track. Wait until you have perfect pitch before doing a capella. How do you do that? By realizing what relative pitch is.

Relative pitch, which a lot of people have, is pitch relative to other pitches. So, a person can sing with good intervals between pitches and still be "off pitch" compared to the key, or any key. The way to get perfect pitch is to adjust to the right pitch and memorize that feeling. It will have a certain feeling in your head. Memorize that, learn that "feeling." You sing by feel, not by "hearing."

Ya exactly that's the feeling I get! My ears go all loopy on me and I get a little confused. Wow thanks so much for the advice I wouldve never ever thought of that. Im going to try that tomorrow after school. Thanks again if this works for me itll be life saving !!!!

Well, it seems that you stay in the key for the duration of a section - like the verse. You're doing that well. Then when it gets to a transition, you are singing in a different key. And the chorus as well. I think to get this down, you should plunk the starting note of each section on a keyboard to get you started at the beginning of each section. If you don't have a keyboard, download a piano app on your smart phone. That is really handy. They also have Tuner apps which you can download. You can sing into your phone and it tells you what pitch you are singing. This would be another good tool. This would give you instant feedback if you're singing the right note or not.

It's all about pitch awareness. For some people it is harder. If you want to progress as a singer, you're going to need to develop this. It may take some serious work on your part.

Oh thats such a great idea! I have a keyboard so I will do that. And the tuner app sounds like its going to save me hahaha!!!! Looks like I got to really get to work this month and focus on pitch! Thanks so much for the advice, I really appreciate it!!!! :D

You are not tone deaf. You just need to hear yourself with the music. It is something you need to get used to doing. It will come.

Thats a huge relief! haha! Thanks alot!

The fact that you know you are flat is a step in the right direction. Can you tell that you are flat while singing with the music or do you have to be told.

If you know that you are flat, practicing with the music will help. Just keep replayng that phrase until you get it. Stop the music find your note then resing with the music.

You have to tune the way you hear yourself while the music is playing.

Nope! I don't need to be told right away I realize I'm flat. Its kind of depressing...but that means I'm not tone deaf right? Lol I always freak out thinking I could be tone deaf. Haha but I guess practice makes perfect!! I got to really work on it.

Can I just you play the keyboard like really well. I second Keith!! Its so hard to play and sing!!! I really like your voice it really clear. I just think you seem a little tense one of the high notes. I really liked the ending and your emotion is just wow :D

su_tiff - your voice is beautiful. You've got really nice tone and rhythmical phrasing. You can hear the emotion in your voice. I think you nailed the "feel" and style of Demi Lovato

The only issue is pitch. After listening Demi's version I can tell you are altering the tonal center at times. You are switching, or transposing the key at different parts of the song. Not sure if you are aware of that? You may be fine with backup tracks. Can you record with backing tracks?

Thank you so so much!!!!!! Im so glad to hear that, I really like Demi alot. So its like such a huge compliment. Thanks alot!!!!

No :/ i wasnt aware of that. I do know I altered purposely the line before the chorus cause I didnt like the way it went kinda like flat, i think it sounds nice with the instrumental but without it I sounded kinda weird.

Ah..I do have trouble with recording with backing tracks I tend to go flat. My old vocal instructor noticed I have a problem with singing high notes with people. I have no idea why. She would show me the key, I would do it without music fine, and then the second I was trying to sing the artist I would fail miserably. :/ I dont know why that is either.

I'm kind of really weak with recognizing what key a song is in, and Im terrible at recognizing if the high note is like a c5 or g5 or whatever. If someone tells me than I can match it, if not I'm lost. But I'm not musically trained and cant read music or play any instruments. So I think that's one of my issues.

Do you have any suggestions? You seem to know alot about musical theory @_@

Thanks again for your time and honesty!

Thank you all so much for your time. It really means alot to me. <3

Its really cool to have a bunch of skilled singers comment and tell me Im not a total loss.

Thanks again Im going to practice hard and hopefully Ill make auditions!!!

I agree with Phil. And usually, I am the good job guy, the sing in your own voice guy. Maybe others will listen to him because he is an expert and a teacher and I am not, at least of singing. I have been a teacher and expert in a field totally different than singing, so I can appreciate when a good teacher like Phil comes along.

Listen to him.

You are going to have fans and people who are not fans. As far as changing key, don't worry about it. Sometimes, it's the thing to do. In fact, a person here advised that I change the key of song that was actually too low for me. i raised it a half-step and it made it a lot better, for me. And I have raised the key on a few other songs, before. So, if you raise or lower the key, don't worry. Singing to be believable, which you did here, IS the thing to do. I like the belting quality you did in the mid range. I bet you could knock it out of the park (to borrow from baseball) with "Beautiful." You've got the same belty voice she has and a softer side to yours. That would be awesome, if you take requests. But don't do it on my account. Do it because your voice and the song fit together.

I learn, just like anyone else, that songs you choose to do need to be believable by the audience. For example, I can sing along with "For Those About to Rock" and match Brian Johnson, note for note. But I do not sound like him and I don't want to sound like him. And so I don't record it for sharing with others, especially those who are expecting that rattly sound that he has.

Now, if others on youtube, that vast resource of "musical knowledge," said your alignment was wrong and that you sang horribly, they were wrong. Pure and simple.

I agree with Phil. When you know you did the right note and the right feel, accept that within yourself. It is not arrogance, it is being good at your craft. I have done some songs I never even put in this forum for review. I know I did them well and it didn't need "fixing." Because often, the temptation here is to fix something and if nothing is broken, then the question is asked, "what do you think needs fixing" so that others can "fix" it. Which leads you to second-guess yourself.

I know because I have second-guessed myself on some things.

What Phil said has also been described by teacher Mark Baxter. Sing to "blue." (To choose a color or description of a genre of music.) You like blue, you sing blue, so sing to people who like blue. Sometimes, they bring along their friends who are more into chartreuse or mauve but don't mind a diversion into blue, now and then.

And then, there are the people who are not fans and still feel the need to demean, criticize, or mold you into their vision of singing. I winder how they know about your alignment when your vid is just a picture and not an actual motion picture. Most, if not all of them, never having been a performing or recording artist of any kind. But a keyboard and the internet makes us all "experts." I remember the peaceful days of smoke signals from hilltop to hilltop.

The other part of singer development that is needed is developing a tough hide. Believe in what you are doing. Sometimes, that will be the only thing to carry you through. Aerosmith was rejected by every label they applied to, some rejected them twice.

It's not just a legend, Jewel really did live in her car, for a while.

The members of Guns and Roses alternately slept on the couch at Slash's grandmother's house or in the storage unit where they kept their equipment.

Annie Mae Bullock left her husband and had simply a few dollars in her pocket. But she kept her stage name, Tina Turner, and started all over, from scratch.

You don't have to go through these hardships but you do need to believe in yourself as strongly as they believed in themselves.

Wow. I cant thank you enough for your time. You and Phil and everyone on here made me feel so much better. Like I cant even express it. Seriously I got teary eyed. I always loved singing but I quit it because I was too scared and thought I was really bad and my voice was terrible. I just have such bad confidence, my vocal instructor told me that was my biggest flaw. Its really comforting to hear people reiterating what she said. Im going to work harder and for once im going to record something without having someone try to fix every single thing. Once again thank you, you really made such a difference.

Out of curiosity you didnt mention the artist are you talking about the song "Beauitful" by Bethany Dillon or Christina Aguilera?

Thank you all for your comments, I cant thank you enough. Seriously. Im going to practice more and audition. I wont quit :D

I did not know the song. So I listened to you first. That way I would not be jaded by the original.

Most of the time when an amateur sings without music it sounds dull and lifeless. Your singing sounded beautiful and full of energy. Yes there are things to learn but you have a great start.

Thank you so so much. It means alot to me. Especially the full of energy part I was always worried I sounded dull. Thanks for your time and honesty!

Your voice is definitely NOT AWFUL, it's beautiful.

Thank you so much you don't know how much that means to me!!! I deff wont quit now.

Ah really? I need to really learn how to sing in the right key!! Thanks so much for the advice! :)

Hello!

So im auditioning for an acapella group. :/ as you know from my last questions i dont have the best confidence. anyway i wanted to do demi- skyscraper.

I recorded a clip of me singing the first verse, first chorus, and second verse. can you please take a listen to the whole thing and tell me if its decent or not? Especially the second verse i dont know if the high notes were ok.

Please tell me what i could work on, I sang it similar to the live performance she did because i liked the high notes from it.

Here is the link of me singing:

and here is the living link of her singing:

Thank you for your time!!

I got a reply on yahoo answers, and they said it sounded really awful and i needed to drop my jaw alot more. can you please expand more on it. i really need help! thank you.