Snejk's songs...

[Snejk]

So, I figured since I'm the centre of the universe I should make a thread where I put the stuff I've made so far... Both good and bad... All songs are original work, no covers...

- The best singing and melodies I've done so far...

- Latest I made, a bit emotional ballad...

- Metal ballad... I manage to get some semi high notes in the chorus which I like and some cool harmonies :3

- Metal.. Thingy.. A bit rougher, wanted to try to sing with some rasp, a bit more attitude..

- A ballad I made called Bitch Please xD I like it

- World of Warcraft-song! I think it's pretty good :3

- A song me and a friend made :3 Happy rune, sad lyrics :3

- First song I ever wrote.. I couldn't sing at ALL back then.. In Swedish.. Very sad...

- First song I ever recorded On a computer mic, these $2 thingies

I will update this thread whenever I make something new.. Which I hope will be very soon...

I hope someone will enjoy something here and feel free to comment on whatever you want to comment on! ;D

Much love

/Patrik

[KillerKu]

Snejk, I saw your post there in the other thread, my honest opinion: I don't think you use that much twang. That doesn't mean you use none, as it can vary in amounts. To my ears, your tone is a bit breathier, rounder, and smoother.

When you want to twang, basically the tip of your tongue lays at your bottom front row of teeth. Then arches up in a slightly concave kind of 'ramp' and widens near the back molars, kind of like you are mashing a pea on the roof of your mouth with your tongue, then the rest slips down in a relaxed way into your throat. You'll know if you are in the ballpark here, when the tone gets quackier or witch cacklish and/or you sound more like Geoff Tate.

Otherwise, nice job on your songs, dude. Hope that helps some. Somebody else with more experience could probably explain how it helps adduct head voice and achieve a belt like chest voice configuration too.

Or if you read the Lunte's book, or the CVT, you would probably get a better understanding than I. Getting lessons with someone who knows twang inside/out like Lunte, might be the best idea to make sure you isolate only the necessary muscles to achieve it. My understanding is it's pretty easy to involve more muscles than is necessary to achieve this which would defeat the purpose of the technique, as it's supposed to increase range/power and reduce strain.

Personally, I don't use much, both because while in a healthy voice, it's supposed to help with many aspects of singing at achieving certain sounds, yet with my voice problem I find it more uncomfortable, but I also prefer artistically to have a voice with less noticeable twang, as it works well for some voices/identities, but doesn't really work well for me to go all out. It's not 'me.'

I've heard people refer to "necessary' and 'distinct' twang, essentially referring to using either a minimum to sustain a note comfortably, or a maximum that sounds very pronounced, so gaining control over it doesn't mean you have to use a whole bunch.

[Snejk]

Thanks for the reply killer. Yeah I mostly sing a little breathier because I don't think my voice sounds pleasant when applying more cord closure... Not saying that air flows through in an unhealthy manner Am I right in assuming that twang is applies in higher registers? What separates it from overdrive? I overdrive a lot on notes between G4-F5 but to be honest, while it's never the least bit breathy, that sound is limited to certain vowels and the voice gets screamy (the chorus in the third song would be a good example, though I only go to a C5 there). Is there any twang there? o_O

Also I'm a bit curious about what "twang can do for me". I've heard about the witch cackle and to be frank I would never use it while singing. But much like crying and other sounds help in developing technique and not actually the sounds used while singing, I am obviously missing something here...

[KillerKu]

Hmmm... Twang is a tricky one, Snejk. It helps with both lower, and higher notes, but it also alters tonal colors in ways that isn't always favorable. I managed to get two notes lower than I had ever been before, post injury, just by twanging a lot (down to F1).

You should ask Rob or Steven Frasier for better explanations of the physical action, all I know, is when you move your tongue in this way, it supposedly narrows the aryepiglottic sphincter, increases singers formant, and increases the strength of vocal cord closure by engaging the Thyroarytenoid muscle.

From what I understand of CVT terms, where you twang in the voice, it will do different things. In head voice, or neutral, it can become metal like neutral and get a piercing, more pronounced sharp sound. In (chest voice) or overdrive, it can make both lower and higher notes easier to maintain with less effort. It is also involved in belting (edge) I think they call it. I'm not an expert, but that's a lot of sounds, and capabilities. You need the right vowel modifications depending on where you are in the voice too.

But yes, you're right that it is a bit like cry, which is the cricothyroid muscle engaging which controls the vocal cords in a different way. Between these two muscles, you can get a lot of control over your voice, but you also have to be very careful because it's possible to create too much tension or pressure or misuse a voice. This is why I think lessons are very important when you get to the is stage in singing that starts to involve muscular coordination you've never used before in something as delicate as the voice.

I'm pretty sure getting one of these more comprehensive books (Rob's, CVT, etc) would really help a singer out, that goes into all of the details. I would pick one up myself, if I was healthy enough to use one. I'm not, so I only know what I've absorbed from the books that I do have (some of which aren't great, but Singing and the Actor was my favorite of the ones I have), and the forums I've read where I've picked up some understanding over the years lurking on and off.

By the way, Overdrive in CVT is a specific mode, that is metallic (no air in tone), and shouty. It needs to gravitate towards Eh and Oh as you ascend, and peaks out at somewhere near C5, so it's a bit unlikely you were taking that mode that far. You're likely bridging into something else.

Oh and in your third song, it actually does sound a bit twanged up there, but not super twanged, it still has a round edge to it, sounds like maybe necessary twang, rather than distinct twang.

When I think of hypertwang, I usually think of:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt4Im6Tjbu8

I love this song (from Empire) and the entire Operation Mindcrime album from Queensryche! You should check out that band a bit, Rob Lunte is very inspired by them.

Notice how it 'cuts' almost like a bird squawking? That's one of the things that twang can do, the tone sounds more piercing and less round. I think if the nasality is handled differently, it can go country too, but that might be a different kind of twang.

Bottom line though, having a little bit is often a good idea for singing and may not be so noticeable. The witch's cackle/duck quack are just there to help people learn the motion, and you can control the amount later.

[ronws]

Thanks for the reply killer. Yeah I mostly sing a little breathier because I don't think my voice sounds pleasant when applying more cord closure... Not saying that air flows through in an unhealthy manner .

Sounds like a matter of perspective, to me. You think it sounds wrong, so you don't do it. Whether it actually sounds wrong to others, or not.

As Spock would say, "fascinating."

[Snejk]

Sounds like a matter of perspective, to me. You think it sounds wrong, so you don't do it. Whether it actually sounds wrong to others, or not.

As Spock would say, "fascinating."

Yeah... But I don't know really, people always tell me that it sounds much more emotional when I sing breathy I happen to agree :P

[devaitis]

Thank you Snake for this.

Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice. Singing is a form of emotional expression, form of sharing your emotions.

You did it Snake.

I liked it very very much.

[Snejk]

Hey Devaitis, that warms my heart very much!! Glad you appreciate it :D