Looking for advice on my voice (Seether - Tonight)

[smparsons]

Hey there! This would be my first post. I have been singing for a little while, probably about a year. Right now I'm using Kevin Richard's singing program "Breaking the Chains". I haven't really got feedback on my voice, aside from my family and different vocal teachers. I think the tone of my voice is okay... although I would like to hear the opinion of some other people. What do you think about my technique? The song I'm singing is called "Tonight" by Seether. I've always thought Seether was a pretty cool band haha.

I did this in one take, and felt I only needed to record up to the bridge of the song so you could get the jist of my voice. I sang this without any background music either:

http://soundcloud.com/samuelmparsons/seether-tonight

I do desire to work on vocal distortion, kind of like the distortion that Shaun gets, however it is a bit of an advanced technique and is very difficult to do if it isn't naturally part of your voice. I am looking into the different techniques into getting that to work in my voice without ruining it lol. But for now, this is just sung clean.

Thanks a lot! :)

[Guest]

I thought you sounded good, nice tone. I really wish you would have sang to a backing track though. At points, it sounded a bit tight maybe a little pushed or strained slightly (stretched?). A little airy in other parts. I think work on those points would be good. Sometimes when I listen to singing examples I get the impression or picture in my mind- based on the sound- that the singer is stretching their neck and heed up. When I feel that then I feel tense. If I feel tense then I feel there must be tension in the singer also.

But overall that was nice. Add some music though :)

[smparsons]

Thank you! Yeah, I have a tendency to strain slightly starting on the F#4 lol... It takes a bit of practice.

I didn't add any background music so you guys could really hear what my voice sounds like, however if it does help, I'll upload something soon that does have background music.

Thanks again. :)

[Guest]

I was thinking about my post right after posting it and I would like to clarify something. I mentioned "airy." I am assuming you are looking for a certain sound and I know a lot of folks here don't prefer an airy sound or lack of support. While I am totally in agreement with connectivity and support, at the same time, for the style of singing "I" prefer, I actually purposely add a little airiness to my vocals for the sake of effect.

[smparsons]

Oh yeah, the falsetto effect was only used for stylistic purposes. But I do agree, it would definitely become a problem if you have to sing like that, however I am only doing it for effect.

EDIT: Oh, I forgot to mention, would you guys say I'm more of a baritone or a tenor? I know it really doesn't matter because we can all learn to sing high with the proper technique, however I have always been curious on the matter because people do say my timbre is a bit higher than a normal baritone.

Thanks again.

[Singers Advice]

Hi,

You've got some nice tone coming through there. Lovely song. You just maybe need some work on technique. Check out my free singing lessons. I've just launched the first three. http://singersadvice.com

Forget about distortion?!! You've got a nice voice that could become even better with some work. Finding your own true voice is much better than trying to sound like someone else.

Sarah

[smparsons]

Hi,

You've got some nice tone coming through there. Lovely song. You just maybe need some work on technique. Check out my free singing lessons. I've just launched the first three. http://singersadvice.com

Forget about distortion?!! You've got a nice voice that could become even better with some work. Finding your own true voice is much better than trying to sound like someone else.

Sarah

Yeah, I'm definitely still working on technique. Thanks for the compliment!

I think you misunderstood me though. Believe me, I would hate to sound like somebody I am not. That is one thing that I try to stay away from because it makes singers sound very mediocre, when they try to sound exactly like other singers that they admire. It's okay to be inspired, but some people take that to a whole new level.

Rock is one of my influences. I didn't say I wanted to sound like Shaun, but instead I just want to learn distortion as a stylistic effect, kind of like the way he does it. I do not desire to use that all the time when I'm singing.