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Wichita Lineman

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I never in a million years would have thought to do this song.   But a producer friend of mine emailed me his version - minus the vocals.  Actually one of my fav's when I was really young so I couldn't resist.

This is version 2 in which I take the last chorus an octave up.  ( he didn't like that version, so I did another for him.  That one is also on my page )  

I concentrated on a tip from Gino Vannelli, which he got from Frank Sinatra - Make sure the high part of your vibrato is higher than the pitch you're singing.  A lot of singers keep the high part of their vibrato AT the pitch which doesn't sound quite as good.

Let me know what you think.

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=13243503

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Ron - Thanks for your comments.  Yeah this song had a big affect on me too from way back.  And every time I hear it brings back those memories and emotions.  It is a fabulous song.  I don't know why it hits me like that.

Rob - Thanks a lot for listening and the kind words.  That means a lot to me

Mdew - Thanks for listening!

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This is cool. Your voice sounds good throughout. When you said take it an octave up I was a bit hesitant given the flavor of the song, but I dug it cause it kept some of the light feel and has an almost surreal quality that made it much more interesting.

That's really interesting about vibrato. I've heard violin players recommending to go up to pitch, but not above it. When playing guitar, bend vibrato when you can come from below tends to sound less harsh to my ears than going above the pitch and back down.

I was recently looking at my voice on a program where I could see the vibrato objectively. I couldn't make heads or tails of what I preferred. You sounded good, so it works! :4:

 

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Thanks Killer!  In his studio Gino Vannelli was using Digital Performer to record us.  And he would go in and show us our vibratos and could demonstrate both ways by just editing the wave.  And we had to agree with him when the crest of vibrato goes above it sounds sweeter.  But that's really subjective.  He said Frank Sinatra did this all the time except for like one album.

I don't know if my vibrato is consistently doing this on this track, as I think a lot of times it's not.  I didn't check, but I tried.  I try to do this when I practice and it is not easy.  My default is to go up to the pitch and not over it.  I think this is what most singers do by default.  

The problem with going up to the pitch and not above is if you are accidentally singing just a little flat, it really starts to sound bad. Whereas if you are shooting for a little above, and you go flat you're still good.

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   I read somewhere that Vibrato should be above the note and Tremolo refers to when the note drops below the pitch. Usually associated in singing when the voice is a little too week to keep the note steady. A big difference in the sound and feel of a note.

   Another interesting tidbit, a slightly higher intonation gives the vice more excitement and a slightly lower intonation gives more of a somber/lazy feel. Even if the pitch itself is so close that it is otherwise imperceptable to the ears.

  Even though it has been a while since I listened to other Versions of "Wichita Lineman" Your versions sounds awesome. The music and the voice fit nicely and there was no feel of something missing.

  Edit: I must correct myself......... Tremolo is a fluctuation in volume .........  made by the pulsing of the diaphagm instead of a fluctuation in pitch ........

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Vice is always more exciting. :blush: More like Keyboard failure. I would say that my typing is faster than my brain......I use the H&p method. Hunt and peck ........ Both for typing and thinking. Singing also........ But I am getting better at all 3.

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   I read somewhere that Vibrato should be above the note and Tremolo refers to when the note drops below the pitch. Usually associated in singing when the voice is a little too week to keep the note steady. A big difference in the sound and feel of a note.

   Another interesting tidbit, a slightly higher intonation gives the vice more excitement and a slightly lower intonation gives more of a somber/lazy feel. Even if the pitch itself is so close that it is otherwise imperceptable to the ears.

  Even though it has been a while since I listened to other Versions of "Wichita Lineman" Your versions sounds awesome. The music and the voice fit nicely and there was no feel of something missing.

  Edit: I must correct myself......... Tremolo is a fluctuation in volume .........  made by the pulsing of the diaphagm instead of a fluctuation in pitch ........

you're right.  That was what Vannelli was trying to tell us.  The If the note is lower by even a very small amount, it can have an impact on the listener, even if the listener doesn't even know that it is flat.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Gino,

Nica talking to you this evening.

,I listened to the song, both recordings..

I like the higher one.  With 1 word change, it could be a response ( over the whine of the line) from the person that he wants 'for all time'

As I mentioned earlier, I used to listen to this Campbell album in High School.  The only thing I miss in your interpretation is a little of the loneliness I remember feeling from Glenn's recording...

 But that was long ago.

on a side, technical note.. The vibrato is very well xt time you record, just a bit more twang to make it more plaintive might work well.  Personal taste, I know.

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