Painkiller - Judas Priest - please critique

[Olem]

Hello, singing folks!

I was singing this song alot a couple of years ago and it was in mickey mouse style then. I decided to try it once again to see if i could come up with a fuller head voice this time. I had to support really hard to produce some rasp up in the higher range, i don´t know if that´s how you do it, but to stay relax and produce the rasp didn´t work for me. Well, give me your opinions, folks, i welcome all critique - good as bad as long as it is constructive. Thanx in advance.

https://www.box.com/s/49c2325e8a6043dd1e42

[Keith]

God bless you for doing this one. Your verses are sang too high! Imagine that! You can sing this song too high.. Listen close to the verses and I think you will find it to be easier than what you just did .

[Nick Denison]

Ahhh!!! nice work man. Another person taking this one on! well done. What's interesting, is we both overpitched the verses! (somewhere lurking on this forum is my attempt...) no idea why... perhaps the song's epicness inherently makes you want to sing higher and higher, and with more balls than ever before?

Anyway, well done! I liked your tone, although occasionally the diction got a little vague here and there... but I guess with this kind of song, it's kind of an occupational hazard

looking forward to the next one!

[Olem]

Thanx for your repiles, Keith and Nick. Is it a half or a whole step too high? I must practise my ability to hear different pitches, it´s one of my biggest weaknesses. Well, i hope i am not very far off becasue then i will be worried. Another thing i have noticed was that my voice alters after some two hours or so of singing. I was practising this song in segments, singing one verse - then rest a little - then singing the next verse and so on. The last verses sound different than the rest, seems like my voice is a little tired in the end.

[Guest]

Nice job Olem. I tend to agree with the other two comments; well somewhat. For me, I'm not sure if it was too high as much as it was closer to a scream which caused the actual "singing" to be flatlined. If that makes any sense at all.

Halford is singing this even though he is really up there and attacking the notes. But there is still a melody. I think you tried so hard that the melody flattened out. I don't mean as in a flat note...I just mean it became less melodic and more like screaming the words. But that was a good attempt Olem, good job and I'm sure you're not far from getting this...it wasn't Mickey Mouse!! :)

[Olem]

Hello, Tommy, thanx for your reply. i completely understand what you mean. and maybe i should try to approach this with a different configuration, i have a tendency to shout more when i add rasp because i have to push more, maybe i am doing it wrong or perhaps my support isn´t good enough.

[Nick Denison]

A whole step too high on the verses there. Halford starts the melody on B (5th of E which is the underlying tonality), whereas you cranked it up to C sharp.... Will be even easier to sing when you drop it down ;)

[Olem]

Hello, Nick, a whole step? Ok, i thought he started on C and then attacked up to D. Well, as i said, i have difficulties hearing the exact pitches.

[Nick Denison]

I just had another listen to be sure.... you start somewhere between C and C sharp. We could say a rather sharp C, or a flat C sharp... I'd say closer to C sharp though. Anytime my ear goes down the toilet, and I'm feeling uncertain (does happen if you've been listening for a long time, sort of like when words lose their meaning if you say them too many times and over-think them!) I go to the piano and find the notes. Play the track and play the vocal melody at the same time on the piano to make sure I've got it right. Then you have something concrete to work with when you're doing it acapella.

[Olem]

Ok, so i tried to sing it one step lower, from B4 on the verses and i didn´t pushed so much.

https://www.box.com/s/45335f9dcb476648806a

[Guest]

Now you're cookin' with fire there boy!!!! Excellent. I loved it.

100% better. :)

[Olem]

Now you're cookin' with fire there boy!!!! Excellent. I loved it.

100% better.

Hehe, thanx Tommy!

[Snax]

MUCH better on the second version Olem! Kudos to you for even attempting that song! It's on my list of songs I'd like to try one day. You ROCKED it!!!!

[ronws]

Dude, those descending slides gave me chills.

B4 is one-half step below C5, the top of the tenor range. Anything above C5 is gravy on biscuits or icing on a cake, so to speak. You are singing at the top of tenor range. In addition, in concert, the band drops 1/2 step from the studio version. And your backing harmonies are still up in the stratosphere. You are doing something 98 percent of singers cannot do. Even "Nessun Dorma," an operatic tenor classic has only one C5 note, at the end, as a climax. Whereas, you are hovering around that for the most of the length of this piece. You sang it the way that Halford does.

In interviews, recently, he has pointed to this as his favorite song to perform. And also the most challenging to sing because it's all up there.

Well done, o mighty heavy metal god.

( insert genuflection smiley here )

[Keith]

I think I just pooped myself. That my friend was sooooo much better than the first one. A few tiny off key parts, but overall friggin impressive!

[Olem]

Thanx Keith, Ron and Snax for your kind words. I am nowhere near mr Halfords effort here but i´m just glad that i could make an attempt without making a complete fool out of myself. Snax, i really hope you try this song because i think your attempt would be a killer and something to be remembered. By the way, here is my attempt from 2009 when i hadn´t sing for a long time, just for the fun of it:

https://www.box.com/s/0bcbefa89b0c64cbe755

[Robert Lunte]

Balls to you Olem for working on this bud... I listened to the 2nd take...

Its good... I would try leveraging your tongue more in an effort to get your larynx dampened... we need for 2nd formant in the overtones... make the vocal tract a big fatter so we can get some rounder overtones in the color... make it less quacky and add more beef... also, adding overlay distortion will also add "weight" the phonation.

I think its good... if you can add more aesthetic weight to the phonation, it could be great... do that by lowering your larynx and/or adding some distortion like Halford did.

[Olem]

Thanx, for listening and for your tips, Robert. I will try to focus on leveraging my tongue the next time.

[Enander]

I, for one, fell for your oldest attempt! I liked the rough, ripping sound.

However, I can see why you changed it, and it sounds like you've got the foundation right. As Robert Lunte pointed out already, just needs some final distortion!

By the way, I had totally forgotten this tune. It's great! Need to do something with it myself, so thanks for reminding me!

[DJDeth]

Hey Olem, good work on this tune. The latest attempt was definitely your best. One thing I would recommend is to pay more attention to the melody of the chorus. Notice how it almost strictly follows the guitar chords.

It's a tuff songs, I tried to pull it off a few times , but always give up. I've just had another take and realised again how difficult it is, that's why I came here to give you thumbs up:)

[Daug Poland]

Great man!

Your on your way for a killer curbing. Screams are insane :)

[Olem]

Thanx for listening, Enander, DjDeth and Daug. Enander: One day i hope i could add distortion without pushing and straining, i think i must practise it more and focus on relaxing. DjDeth: Yes, you are right, the timing is a bit off. Daug: I really hope so :)

[Felipe Carvalho]

Olem I like it, still your voice sounds restrainned, the focal point sounds directed to the top of your head instead of out, kinda kills all the effort your are putting on it, and makes you work more for less.

How do you feel support working on these sections?

[Olem]

Hello, Felipe, thanx for your answer. I feel the tone is directed to the back of my head, i also feel the lower regions are working, i try to resist and keep it expanded but it is very exhausting.

[Felipe Carvalho]

Hey man.

Ok, try this with a lot of caution please:

On your chest voice, comfortable tone where you have volume, close your mouth and say "NEE" internaly. Try to relax your jaw and tongue as much as possible. To help relax them, place your hands on the sides of your jaw before phonating and try to mentally prevent it from moving (do not HOLD the jaw with your hands, just feel the position).

Feel this humming against your upper teeth. After you get it going, refine the exercise, now aim to make this humming project directly from the back of you head into your front teeth. Its ok to put some energy in it, just dont scream. Slowly remove any feelings you have on your throat.

Try doing it a few times, slowly, while making this humming with a progressevily more "annoying" sound, and then proceed into singing one of these phrases as you normaly would. It may help to think about keeping the ringing on your upper teeth while you enter in head voice.

GL!