m.i.r.

Sleeper you are on the right track. Actually today I took the time to see what I really do, since it is just habit now, and what some other singers do. I sung half of the song you are working on up unto the musical break. I believe the combo of short mini breaths, mixed with the cough off refill is the way to go there. You will feel tension building slighting singing that full voice. When you feel the first hint, the next gap in the phrase that is where the cough off refill needs to happen relieve anything before it builds a problem. Followed by a tiny inhale, then cough off ect, kind of like a tag team thing. Just remember, its not actually a cough, I just use that as an analogy. You just release the folds after a phrase but not support, then the remaining air is gone, then the body resets then auto fills, one seemless event. Just the first part including the big belt, I counted 4 "cough offs", and one mini non "cough". There was enough time in between the phrases to have a brief relaxing moment. No point to push it unless you just have to. Also having the right amount of air is hugely important. When your body senses the pressure starts to drop, it tenses the throat, slowly activating the false folds as well as the swallowing muscles, almost like a grunt. There is a scientifical name of this, and its brain farted out of my mind. Just remember an ounce of air that is used with max efficiency of fold closure and compression goes a long ass way. And if you are only taking in that small amount of air, it increases fold closure. As well as only taking a brief moment to inhale it. You can sneak phrase sustaining air in almost in break.

Sleeper....from the boston clip you posted, he isnt really pulling "chest" pursay. But he is in a very compressed mixed head voice tone. You can hear him distort at some points because he is so compressed, keeping himself in the mix so be wont flip to pure head. Only time he goes to the head/twang config is on the high belts, one for a brief second on the second wave after the first big belt. You are quite close to the original. I actually liked your original clip better than any of the other ones you posted. Also as killer fu said, some of that is eq, compressor/limiter, but he is def preventing himself from flipping over completely, just hanging out in the middle ground pushing it to the max. My opinion is still the same even after hearing your new clips. I really just think you are running out of air in the middle of the phrases. I actually start feeling stiff when hearing it, because i am like breath man lol! Your voice just starts getting tired and more quiet. Then when you have a chance to totally reset after a brief break, you are back to powerful again. I already wrote a thing earlier on with breathing and fold closure. I really think if you work on that, and adding more twang and closure to the high belts then you will be dead on with the original. Just remember, the configuration he is singing in, with keeping himself from flipping into full head voice. That requires firm fold closure, and just enough support to power the voice. You over support with too lose of folds, blow to much air and ruin the phrase 3 quarters through. Undersupport with too tight of fold closure, pinched sound that sounds thin, plus a chance of injury if done to much. Its that lovely balance that drives you nuts looking for it. Oh and forgot to say on the original recording, there are a couple spots where its a some what light head voice. Its just layered big time to give it beef.

Terrible...sounded like two cats screwing on a tin roof. Actually it was great. I just wanted to be that one ass hole on youtube that hit dislike for no reason, besides being an insecure, self hating, d#%# hole ha ha. Once again though, awesome cover, great tone. Maybe you can quit your day job....unless your day job is singing, then dont quit lol.

Hmm sounds interesting, I shall def flirt with the idea of this. It def makes me jealious how some singers get this effortless clean distortion, like felipes for example. He doesnt have a ton, but it is there in the back ground. Just a tiny amount of hair around a clean tone. It makes me wonder if heavier voiced people are cursed with more difficult distortion. Though at the same time felipe is not really small voiced at all, so I dunno. However, his distortion isnt monstrous either.

Isnt that the case Killerfu. I have always wanted distortion, I have some pretty cool stuff after b4 I can use if wanted. But anything before I sound like a goon. I have one way I can, but I will prob last one song before I break something ha ha. So yes I just had to except I am a clean tone singer for the most part, just like you had to except what you were speaking of. I just focused on building a strength i already had. I know alot of people wish they could do some of the stuff I can do. But as i have said before, a dog will always want to meow and a cat to bark ha ha. But as killer said, search man and keep searching. The more tricks you have in the bag the more creative you can be.

It is slow to do the cough off at first. And that is totally ok, it is good to really get the feeling of the relaxation, removing all the air, and then the body automatically refilling. Also the fact you use the word gasp, tells me you are taking in way too much air and over supporting. Whenever you live on small amount of air, and learn complete fold closure, it only takes a small amount of air to create big sound. As I said last post, making sure you close your vocal folds close first then begin support will really help you align that. Also will help you sing long phrases with out having to re tank. Act like you are about to say something then stop, hold that feeling and breath, you will notice the onset of sound. That is the basic feeling of closing, then sound. As for time frame it takes, when you get things balanced, you can complete the exhale then inhale at the same time or quicker than a regular inhale only. I know it is quicker for me now, than just trying to inhale. I dont have to think about breathing, there are just certain spots in the piece that i know i will need to breath(obviously from being familiar with the piece). You really dont need any more air to sing than speaking, its just more compressed. I just add the quick little exhale and relaxation at the end of a selected phrase. So for example i would say baaaabbbbyyyyyy the yyyy is compressed then, when I am ready to end the sound, I just release the folds but keep the compression. So sound stops, the rest of the air is quickly released(its only a tiny amount because you only need a small amount, and you have already expelled some from the phrase) then the body has no air, so it refills automatically. Plus during all this, you have that moment of relaxation, and your system gets to "reset". You can hear good opera singers do this all the time, Pavarotti for example. Even some of the power house contemporary singers do it, they just no how to either add it to their style, or hide it all together. I used pavarotti as an example because he is slightly obvious when he does it. All of this blends in at the end of a phrase, and when the timing is down it takes less time than tanking. Also relieves constriction and helps you stay relaxed, so you are fresh for the next phrase. As for breathing points right now on that song, I would handle them a little differently. However, i would focus on your balance first. Just remember, a little can make ALOT singing, and relaxation is golden. Oh and I already said something about the soft palate in your thread about the soft palate

It sounds good especially the first part. However parts of the second parts sounds like you are running out of air, or running out of stamina. Maybe I would look at your breath points in the song, make sure you are taking time to breath. Also, make sure you are giving your folds time to close before the onset of sound. It almost sounds to me like you are exhaling then closing the folds, then they are having to use alot of muscle to catch up with the air and seal it. That can effect stamina as well as pitch control. Also another thing I would try if you wanted to experiment with it, is the cough off. Its an old classical trick for long dramatic legato lines sung with power at the upper range like this. It really helps with those times when it feels like your folds get stiff and just stop listening. Almost like you jam up on those lines, and you slowly get quieter,stiff, and lose range until you rest for a sec. The classical world says the breath stacks up on you because you never fully exhale before inhaling again. However, that to me makes no sense really. My theory backed by pseudo science is that its a fact your muscles that control the diaphragm and larnyx are made from muscle tissue like your heart, made to resist fatigue. The pseudo part is, I think your muscles have to contract and release like they are designed to, just like the heart. Imagine what would happen to the heart if instead of pump pump, it would pump then hold that pump for 4 seconds then release. It would prob equal a heart attack pretty shortly. I believe the same holds true for the singing muscles. They are made to contract and release, especially the diaphragm. So on long phrases you are screwing with what their code built them to do. So what once was free and basically impervious to fatigue sudden gets pissed off real quick and quits working right. Sorry for the babble there lol. Anyways my whole point, the cough off is easy. When you breath between phrases, instead of holding whatever breath you didnt use and inhaling on top off it, just exhale it quickly then inhale. Then your body will basically auto inflate, because that is the natural reaction for it to do so. No air equals must put air back. Its almost like a little cough. Or that exhale when you are releaved, and everything is done and ok, when your whole body relaxes. This will also help you from tanking up on way to much air inbetween phrases, which that in itself will cause constriction. It will help you live on tiny breaths and help with easy fold closure. I know it sounds simple, but its a great trick. I know some time ago, I would die out on long dramatic phrases. Start out great, but slowly fade out, even if i thought i was taking in enough air, its like things just stopped listening. This is one of the big things that stopped that. Oh and you have to make sure an relax fully for a brief second during this brief cough off. Its like it auto resets everything, and lets your whole singing system stay on the normal routine it likes and wants. Wow sorry for ranting and raving lol.

Felipe.....Awesome man, I actually went back and listened to the original first before i even listened to your voice in it. I can actually say i like your voice in it better, I think if the backing vocals werent so loud and your voice covered that broad spectrum your vocals would pop even more. My only thing to say which really isnt much, i feel you have lost connect with your chest voice, not a huge deal really however i think if you started working on your lows to match your highs, not much could touch you. However, when you get past your mid range your voice really comes alive and it just keeps on the higher you get. I am also jealious of your small natural rasp you have, such a cool effect. I can also hear the opera you studied when you kick in your vibrato, it is smooth, wide, but not wobble very pleasing. Keep them coming...