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aaron0326

TMV World Legacy Member
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Everything posted by aaron0326

  1. I am curious about country vocal techniques and how they relate/differ to rock or pop techniques. Am I wrong in assuming that country vocalists tend to push the sound through their noses more than others? When I try to get that nasal sound, I often find that I take away some support. Chris Young and Randy Travis seem to accomplish the nasality without sacrificing support or power. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LivzZkV2F8 How in the world do these guys do it?
  2. Sorry Robert. I made a youtube vid if that works. I have never used sound cloud or the other. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9I7xni17KQ
  3. Thanks for the response guys! I will post a file shortly. @‌‌Ronws - I have tried but I cannot get this kind of help without purchasing very expensive lessons. @‌Felipe - That actually helped a bit thanks! @‌Owen - I am doing 3-4 hour shows up to 6 times a week and have been doing so for a long time so my pipes have absolutely taken a beating. I actually feel as if a part of my voice is missing from the very bottom but it pops out occasionally. I think over time I think too much into these exercises because I am always trying to perfect them and end up hurting myself more than helping. I do think a big problem is my breath support has for some reason diminished. Rest does help but I rarely get an opportunity for rest. I have had a chronic blockage in my nasal cavity it seems. Diet is pretty usual. @‌Robert - my thoughts exactly. I have had this constant feeling like I need to release mucous from my throat but I don't believe I have an infection.
  4. Before gigging, I like to warm up with two different types of exercises that I get from Eric Arceneaux's youtube videos and from Ron Anderson's Voixtek Lite App. I have been using these exercises for a few years now but suddenly, I am having trouble articulating certain sounds in them. 1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSOn-b3V6rQ So here is a "La-ga" exercise where the jaw is open, throat relaxed, and all articulation is supposed to come from the tongue. I cannot seem to articulate the "G" sound with the back of my throat anymore. I find that my best vocal performances follow warmups where I get a pronounced and powerful "ga" but its like I don't even have access to that part of my tongue and throat. 2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUQ8NFiZ4Uk In this one, the point is to make a "ng" sound with the air coming through the nose. I used to be able to do this with the sound coming from deeper in my throat but now I can't articulate the "ng" much less get the air to come through my nose. Its like the sound cant be sustained in the front of my throat if that makes sense. It is really airy. Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated!
  5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3exySrb-V0 Jimmy Fallon is really talented at vocal impersonations.
  6. Wow I really appreciate all the help guys this has really helped! I did my best to apply these tips to my warmups on Saturday prior to playing a show and I noticed a huge difference! My resonance and range were excellent.
  7. Thank you! I think I may be actually be interpreting throat involvement for throat relaxation.. The days where I have the most full and rich tone are always the most effortless. The sound I get just sounds so much colorful and alive so I always though I was utilizing more of my throat when perhaps what is really going on is a more complete relaxation? There was a period of time when I did exercises before performing by singing scales of "eh" in bursts that ended as soon as they began(tip from Eric Arceneaux which I can no longer find on youtube). As I did them, my voice would gradually become more open and full. By the time I was ready to sing, the exercises felt really boomy inside my throat if that makes sense and it felt like a bottom layer of support was added to my voice. This "layer" added more bass, volume, and ease. I just don't feel like I even have access to that part of my voice lately and I can really do the exercises. Does this make any sense?
  8. Hmm Sarah Bareilles? "Gravity" is a beautiful song. Norah Jones does sing low but I thought you handled it well. Yes, I guess we all want what don't have haha. Singer's envy is so easy but everybody has something unique to bring to the table and that is what is important.
  9. I am confused regarding the role of the throat in producing support. I'm still a bit uneducated regarding all the mechanisms and how they coordinate but it seems like my resonance exercises are literally taking my throat out of the equation and sending all the air from my diaphragm straight to my nose. It makes me feel like voice is all empty breath. I understand there has to be to a balanced flow of air between the mouth and throat but I don't get how to send air through my mouth without placing most or all the stress on my throat. What I refer to as the "throat" element tends to attach itself to a more distorted sound which I have always thought to originate at the base of the tongue. My inability to produce it well probably discredits what I believe to be going on lol. Marcus Mumford is a really good illustration of someone who seems to sing from his throat which is essentially the opposite of how I feel after doing resonance exercises. The following link illustrates what I am referring to pretty well. Can anyone clear this up for me considering it makes any sense? Can't figure it out to save my life.
  10. Aspiring Singer, I love it! You have that smooth, jazzy voice just like Norah and it goes so very well with this song. I don't know how to use technical terms to describe this but I like the way your voice stays mellow when you go into the high notes in the song, something I've always admired in Norah's singing. I am a huge fan of her and would love to hear you do more covers of her material. I actually cover "Don't Know Why" pretty frequently. "Sunrise," "Turn Me On," and "Come Away With Me" would suit you really well. Very well done!
  11. Thanks for the referral Adolph! I did a ton of research on Robert's program and I would love to try it but it is a little out of price range at the moment.
  12. Aspiring Singer, thank you for the suggestion. That was really considerate of you and I am very appreciative.
  13. I wanted to sign up before you even responded man. Check your email and youtube vids! I went to look at your site this morning and I really appreciate both how humble you are and how focused you are on the client's need rather than getting business. All of your covers are favorite songs of mine and I really can't believe you progressed from having no voice to being as talented of a singer as you are now.
  14. Thank you for the compliments, ronws! Hah.. any appearance of fitness is a fading memory of a life before I traded sports for education. I was a serious hockey player my entire life and had an infinite reserve of energy at all times. A few years of sitting on my ass and drinking cheap beer has put that in the history books to say the least. The analogy surely applies to my music career and I could not agree more that no two performances are the same. I suppose what I should have said was that I have been straining so much to sing that it has been wearing me down. My voice doesn't necessarily get tired but the energy I am having to force it with is exhausting. What really bugs me is that I will randomly have nights where my voice is exponentially better than usual and those nights are always effortless. It rolls right on out and I can almost always predict them based on how my warmups/exercises sound. I don't expect to be able to sing the same every night but I do know that I am not giving my voice what it needs and I'm sure it boils down to misunderstanding of technique. If anything I want to learn how to sing with less effort consistently.
  15. I really enjoyed this, mvrasseli! I've always thought this song would sound great if it were slowed down or romanticized a little and you nailed it. I love the classical spin you added as well. Is that considered flamenco style guitar or am I mistaken? Your vocals are smooth and soothing. Thanks for the upload!
  16. I have been performing most nights of the week for nearly four years now(throughout college) as a solo guitarist/singer. I have experimented with many different methods and through much trial and error, I now stick to the following rules religiously : 1) What you drink before you sing is much more important than what you drink while you sing. Every day you have to perform, down an entire bottle of water immediately upon waking up and continuously hydrate yourself until it is time to sing. You are naturally dehydrated when you wake up so it is really important to start hydrating right away. If you walk into a show well hydrated, your voice will be well enough supported for you to make it through without having to worry about it. If you begin your performance dehydrated however, the smallest bit of effort is going to be a huge struggle and you wont be able to catch up with it until you are done performing. 2) Acid reflux has to be avoided. If you are sensitive in this area, you really have to be careful because so many random things can set it off. The most common ways to get acid reflux are eating too much at once, consuming citrus foods or drinks, high-fat foods, and particular kinds of alcohol. I tried using lemon juice in my water after reading some supportive material a while back and it literally destroyed my voice temporarily. Everyone has different triggers with acid reflux so if you know something will stir it up, avoid it. I have even found that getting acid reflux the night before a show can have an impact. 3) I always take a shot of honey whiskey before I start and depending on how I feel I usually take 2 or 3 more over the course of a 3 hour show. Whiskey shots in general clear my throat very well without irritating it and I have heard the same from a number of other singers. Between the shots I like sip on a beer and as long as I start off hydrated, I never any issue with it. Everyone feels differently about drinking during a performance and surely no one ever hurt themselves by avoiding it. When you are singing in front of a big crowd it is really easy to focus on everyone around you rather than your performance and I find that a few shots can really get me into my element without sacrificing coordination. 4) There is a product named "Clear Voice" which is a flavored throat spray that works wonders if you are in need of a quick fix during a gig. It is definitely not a solution but if you need something to get you through those last few songs it can really help. Honorable mention - Excuse me for straying away from drinks but I have to include pre-show exercise. I went through a phase where I jogged a mile or two before every show and it worked wonders. I wish I could say I still do that every time... :/ Hope this was helpful!
  17. Haha I apologize for the vague question. I suppose I am comparing how I sing on a normal basis to how I have been able to sing on particular occasions. Once every two months maybe I have a show where I can comfortably sing with maximum volume which is significantly more than the norm. On those days I will have complete control on the low/high ends, rich tone/articulation, effortless delivery, and an unusual range extension on both ends of the spectrum. Unfortunately, my voice is usually a small fraction of that and I cannot figure out how to have more consistent good days to save my life. I know this sounds silly but I play an average of 4 to 5 shows a week and have been since I was a sophomore in college which was a couple of years ago now so I struggle with this on almost a daily basis. I didn't really start singing until I started performing live and the only guidance I've had has been youtube videos. I am seriously considering getting a coach which was why I posted on this forum. You are definitely correct about basic vocal health principles! It's always the simple things eh?
  18. Dave Matthews is a very non-traditional singer but his voice is nothing short of supernatural in my opinion. The falsetto intro and ending to this song give me the chills and I have always wondered how he gets such a throaty and powerful tone. Any ideas? Here is another example of a similar and incredible falsetto from a fellow named Matt Andersen. Talk about power! The part I am referring to starts around 2:11. Are there methods I can use to build a falsetto like this?
  19. Thank you very much that meant so much to me! Yes the recording was not the greatest sound quality and I am so beat today from playing the past few nights that I could only bear to record something comfortable. I have a very odd voice in that I can go from singing Sinatra and Johny Cash comfortably one day to singing John Mayer and Bruno Mars the next. As I begin to play, I never know how my voice is going to open up. Volume is definitely not one of my strong points because I often feel like not enough of my voice is available to put considerable volume into it. There are some days when my I happen to have that access though and I am able to sing with considerably more volume. Here are some other vids if you care to take a look at them
  20. My voice is really thin and my range is wanting to say the least. I am hoping this video may shine some light on how I can improve. If anyone can help me I would be very much appreciative! I am not sensitive so let it rain if you'de like. - this is a cover of an Amos Lee tune I really enjoy. He is an amazing singer and I would love to be able to do it better justice.
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