aravindmadis

Phew!  This is one tough song.... This is a lesson in phrasing and vowel modification..    I think my mix has become stronger, so I thought I should give this song another go..  This is one take(except the chorus, which took multiple turns!).  I can't seem to get the first "Run to the hills" correctly.  To me, the "Run for your lives" which is the D5, sounds better...    This is the song with music...  https://app.box.com/s/zjry7z5yiyhshfnei0hs6dd9bo6fjvp3   and this is the raw vocals...  https://app.box.com/s/jjib0u9g3v70d6dj303qil87232fg2ug      

@Gneetapp.. Thank you for your kind words.. It is a very slow progress for me and it has taken me nearly 2 years to get to where I am today, especially with a full time job that does not involve music!  Yes, there are some spots where the pitch is not exactly in the center. The amount of effort & skill required for perfection is out of my reach now..    Yes, I plan to redo my earlier songs.. 

  I think this forum has some of the toughest critics.  I mean this in positive way.  SexyBeast I am sure has the right things in his mind when he is critical about his impression of my singing and his feedback in the past has been really helpful for me to sort out some of my problems.     Having said that I think the perception of nasality varies across cultures.  Where I live for example, this would not be considered nasal at all.  There are very popular singers who are much more nasal than me.  The issue is that here the focus on singing is as much on the right pronunciation as it is on whether the note is exactly at center.  Vowel modification of any sort is really frowned upon in our music.  I would for e.g. get blasted for being too anglicized if I were to sing traditional Indian songs.  We all at this forum know that singing across a big range without vowel modification is physiologically impossible and western music is more accommodating of accents and modified sounds than for e.g. traditional Indian music would be.     Because the focus is a lot on proper pronunciation, we tend to be more forgiving of nasality, especially when it comes to sounds that are more nasal like "m" and "ng".. I guess the key for singers is to focus on what the audience wants.  And audiences tend to want different things... 

  It is so weird that you say this, because the visualization that I had singing this song(it actually came from the video) was like this.  I found the part with the old man saying goodbye to his wife(presumably of many years) the most touching.  To me it felt that he had to remove her from life support and if she gave the slightest indication of any life in her, he would do anything in his ability to keep her alive and yes, it included fighting really hard even if things get dirty   I am a big fan of singers who can emote.  I will always prefer a singer with flaws if he can emote over a technically pitch perfect singer who cannot convey sadness/joy in his singing.     Killer I was most impressed in a recent post of yours when said something on the lines of Piano having 5 octaves and for range, you can have instruments, but only a human voice can express emotion in a note(unlike an instrument where you need a series of notes to actually feel emotion).. I couldn't agree more with you on the value of emotions in singing

singing high has nothing to do with voice fach.  it is a skill that needs to be learned.  It is not like tenors can sing high notes just because they happen to be tenors.  They have to train hard too..    Voice fach is only reflective of the timbre of the singer in a specific range and is not at all indicative of the range a person can sing. 

Killer.. Here is the soundcloud link   I actually liked Bono's version more than the original.  He has a "softness" in his voice that works very well.  My emotion in singing here I think is more raw and strong.  I guess there are different ways to bring emotion..    Ronws, I could live with that  

Hi folks.. Did a cover of this song.. Heard the version done by Bono before I heard the original and have since been hooked on to the song..    Lot of emotion in the song and the lyrics and I love to sing these kind of songs..    https://app.box.com/s/3q33lx11j48cz41iwjy8gyswmcqkymg5

  MDEW, I had the same issue in the exact specific range for a long time.  I have recently found ways to correct it(although not fully) and the key for me as is pointed out is embracing the voice I was born with and working towards building a proper connection while bridging. It has taken me a while, a certain degree of maturity and my voice had to develop a certain degree of strength before I could solve this problem.     Let me try to explain this slightly differently.  In the passagio, our voice has to find an optimal mix of chest and head resonance to sound best.  I have a much deeper voice than say Steve Perry and if I try to sound like Steve in the passagio, it is going to cause problem.  He can adopt a much lighter tone and still have a proper connection from his chest while bridging and connecting.  For me, I cannot get the lighter tone without veering towards more heady mix, which results in a weaker and unstable voice.  I can sing all the notes now in E4-A4 region with more stability now, but it is only possible with the self-realization that I have a voice that will sound a specific way.  Once I forgot about the original singer, I could focus on finding the right mix for "MY" voice and I am able to see better results.... Ironically, I find it really tough now to do songs that I know very well, since I have built muscle memory with bad habits built in them..    My suggestion would be to try songs sung by female. Since we cannot, as males mimic the female tone, it helps us find out voice more effectively.  It is an idea that has helped me in the past for sure.. 

One of my favorite songs.. There are some timing issues(beginning).. I would like a little more ease during the chorus and little less shouty feel..    https://app.box.com/s/s60opbedndd03kmpgwfpcwmgkbes6g9u    

Sounds great... Can't believe this was done using a cellphone..  Love the life in your singing.. 

  Steven, thank you very much for the patience to explain in detail.  This is very useful to me.  I have always sung from instinct, probably from lack of formal training.  Only I after spending a lot of time here do I know and understand the value of approaching a song like a surgeon approaches an operation!  This feedback not only helps me to look out for the weak spots in my singing which were not obvious to me, but also gives me a problem solving approach... Thank you once again.. 

Thanks Bono.. I think I have a few areas to improve, like Steven says not losing "twang compression" on descending

Bono, I can totally relate when you say "It happens that before starting to study vocal technique with a modern method I thought I was a baritone, not a tenor"... I always thought that I was a "low" voice.  Never learned any singing formally so I was note even aware of terms like "Baritone" and "Tenor" till last year.  I started using the internet to improve(how I wish it was there when i was in my teens/twenties).  Now I believe that I have a much "lighter" and "higher" voice than I originally thought, before I learnt what "head voice" & "Bridging and connecting" meant.. If I listen to my recordings from even six months earlier,let alone a year or so ago, I know I have come a long way and I still have a long way to improve.     It is amazing what Rob has done through setting up this forum and allowing singers from all over the world to interact.  Also it is refreshing to find people with similar passion and willingness to help without any monetary benefit.  Who would've thought in an ultra-competitive world it was even possible.   

Hi Folks.. I think the problem in the song seems to be in the chorus(obviously).. I think I understand what you are trying to say even when I don't always understand the technical details.     Steven, thanks for your feedback.. "The upper ones twang fine, but as you approach the passagio from the topside, it gets lost".. I think I know what you mean.  I interpret this as a configuration that helps me to reach the higher notes, I seem to lose that configuration when I descend.  I have to find a way to stay "up" there, whatever twang means.. I have always had this problem and you have explained my issue in a way it makes sense to me! Thank you very much..    Please listen to this short version.  It is an experiment based on your feedback.. I think I like the "I have been waiting" at 0:11 and the "yeah waiting" at 0:30.. I understand what you nice folks mean when you say it sounds "disconnected" and "not full".   Also why we should work to make each note seemingly flow from the previous note like a river flowing and not jumpy....    https://app.box.com/s/o5f7d9fcjdl7otm5477tx5vbr7dzdjip   I am not straining here.  I guess that makes make me a high voice albeit one that is heavier than Lou Gramm.. Somehow in my subconscious, when I have approached the chorus, I have tried to mimic Lou Gramm's voice and the tone and not tried to sing in my own voice.  This is the most difficult part about singing covers for me!! 

Hi Folks,    This is a second take of this song.  I have been down with throat infection and cough again in the last 10 days and my voice is not in the best shape.     I have been meaning to do this for a while, since my skills have improved.. This is, like some of my recent recordings, a single take.  To me it sounds a little unpolished...    This is a very difficult song for me.  I am unsure how much air I need to use and I feel dangerously close to flipping from head voice into falsetto!     I seem to have problem with the pitch(just a little shaky).. What do I need to do to improve pitch accuracy(obviously talking about live singing here where we don't have luxury of multiple takes)..    http://vocaroo.com/i/s0JOC0jOmpnN

  Thisoldroad.  For me not using falsetto is a sylistic choice(perhaps because my falsetto is quite bad LOL).. The integration of falsetto into a song is something very specific for a singer and I feel I will veer towards sounding funny if I try to replicate someone else's falsetto..    Also, whenever I can sing full, my preference is always to sing full.. 

  SexyBeast, I know I am hijacking from pointers given to another singer on another song, But..    I could so relate to what you have mentioned here.. I am finding that the stronger sound is actually helping my mid high notes around the passagio. I had the same misconception about the "heavy" tone.  I used to lack power, consistency and pitch issues until(very recently), I discovered that I could produce the same notes with a "stronger", "heavier" sound without having to resort to belting.  I always used to have issues with certain notes which have to be belted in certain songs.  There was a clear disconnect between the "lighter/headier" tone and the belt which was more chest heavy and I used to find switching the configuration very very difficult.  Using this approach, I am able to sing songs which I have always had huge difficulty singing(like Bon Jovi's "always") and I am able to get the delicate balance which leads to a more uniform loudness, even when belting certain high notes..    Also when you say "Yes you are right trying to hold back the volume is a bad idea, if you are a little loud that's fine as long as it's free not pushed or yelled", it is again an issue that I used to have.  Like I said when I had to switch between a headier tone and a belted sound.  I have started singing louder since I am more connected with my chest tone. But the volume is from a "connected" place and it does not feel shouty and when I actually do parts of songs that tend to veer towards "shouty", it gels a lot better..      This along with your comments on some of my other songs are among the most valuable bit of advice I have got in this forum.  

@Ronws, thank you for your detailed explanation on the mix.  I use a high pass filter and used to remove everything below 160-170Hz.  I read it up somewhere as a mixing rule.  Next time I will try using a lower value like 100Hz.  I will keep your recommendations in mind next time.     It also has to be said that the lower frequencies have started coming out in my recordings more due to technical improvements.  I have found ways to access those frequencies when I sing notes even that are higher.  I simply did not know how to do this earlier OR did not think it was important.  Obviously, I was very very wrong!! 

Hi Folks.   I sang this is my college days nearly 13 years ago.  I sang it that time before knowing that something called "head voice" existed.  I am a much more knowledgeable about singing.     I have long wanted to cover this song.  This is a single take.  So there are few instances where i am not bang on the center of the note and some places where I run out of breath.  At some level I like the authenticity of a live performance, which is the kind of singing I am training myself for.  This is a very difficult song for me and sits smack on my passagio.  I always seem to get into trouble singing "For tonaaayt, Ahell sleeep on a baaaaaaaad'onaaaaaaayls".  I have used a lighter onset singing that particular line, hopefully it does not distort the colour of the tone       Thank you for your feedback.  

  Thanks for the kind words Killer.  That is really encouraging.  A lot of credit actually goes to the posters who give valuable feedback(which includes you ) 

  Thanks for the feedback Ron.  To me the most difficult thing to do is to get the right onset when singing across two octaves.  I find that I can approach the passagio either from top or from the bottom.  When I approach from top, I get more control and less power on the highest notes.  When I approach from the chest, I get a low of easy power, but it tends to get shouty.. Getting the perfect mix is so unique to each song.  Kinda like driving a different car each time.  You know what it will work, but you need to spend a short time getting used to that particular song.     Can you please elaborate on what is a "darker mix"?  I can keep that in mind for my future songs.. 

I had some interesting feedback on the last version.  Like "cartoonish" voice, inconsistency in the tone of the bridge, too much chest pulling etc..    Tried something different in recording this time.  Is this light mass co-ordination, I am not sure.  But I started at a point with full confidence that I can sing all notes, tried to sing closest to spoken voice and used a lighter tone in the bridge..    I am finding that getting chest into my voice really helps, but I am finding that there is a fine line between doing too much "chest pull" and having just enough chest to retain the character of the voice..    Thank you for your time and comments   http://vocaroo.com/i/s0CH6UFS8rxf

Too good.. Not familiar with the song, but you have great control and emotion..  At 3.25, not sure if it is a mixing issue but I thought the loud parts of the song did not gel with the rest of song.. They felt a little jumpy.. Not in terms of pitch, but just in terms of the loudness..   But all in all, fabulous job.. 

Awesome      I would love to struggle and sound like this when I sing in my mixed voice      

Hi Folks,  To me this is one of the most beautiful songs ever written by Queen.  It has a special place in my heart.  This was the first queen song I heard in my life.  It was in the year 96(yes it was that late) and I thought at that time that the was the most amazing song I had ever heard, a view that has remain unchanged over the years.     This is an amazing performance by Freddie and to me is one of his most complete songs.  We can see the full range of emotions and tones he was able to deliver.     I skipped the intro part since I could not get it to work in my "non-studio" setup with limited mixing skills.  I was in two minds whether to make multiple attempts and make a "cleaner" version.. But for me being able to sing a passable version of this song was a big milestone(since this song has given me a lot of grief over the years)..    I know everyone in this forum will not share my excitement.  As always, a big thank you for those who give a listen and comment.