Please help me determine what my vocal range is prior to the 4 pillars

[voc-al]

Hey Guys.

I have just embarked on The four pillars of singing 2.0 journey, and would like to determine what my current vocal range is. Can you please help me determine that?

Thanks guys, and looking forward to hearing from you.

VA

[ronws]

It can be a bit limiting to type a voice before some concerted effort and training gets going. However, throwing caution to the wind ....

Baritone with countertenor. Basically, you could cover 95 percent of the Queensryche catalog, right now. I think you covered 2 3/4 octaves, though I didn't test it on my guitar. You could sing all the way through baritone and the nominal range of tenor. I've read a number of books, each one describing slightly differently. But, for my own simplistic needs, I think of tenor as C3 to C5. And if your top note was not a C5, it was very close. You can sing quite a bit lower than I can, plus most of the range I can sing. Usable, my range is C3 to C6.

So, at the beginning, you have a tremendous and unique instrument and I see nothing but good things coming from this. And I think 4 Pillars is perfect for you. Robert seems to excel with any voice type but in effect, I think his system really helps baritones get higher in range. I'm not saying it's only good for that. His instruction applies to tenors and sopranos, as well.

As for tessitura, or texture, you have a clean, round voice. So, please follow his advice when it comes to adding distortion later. Each voice can produce some distortion. What differs is the amount and timbre. Some can do a lot of rasp. Others, like me, can get a delicate, small rattle that sounds like Louis Armstrong on helium. Whatever you have, work with that.

But start out clean as you can make it. As Lunte says, onsets are singing, singing is onsets. Start out with the basics and the rest is garnish, accents, icing on the cake, to mix metaphors.

You already have an awesome voice. It is going to be awesome - r, in a consistent, any ole' day of the week, thing.

Lunte has mentioned, at times, using "Child in Time" and "Gethsemane" as goals. At first, it seems intimidating, daunting. But I can hear in your voice that you will be doing these songs. And making it sound easy.

So, let me share something I learned when I was teaching electrical work professionally, not just on the job, though there were some similarities. Each person learns different things at different rates. And must find his/her own understanding. It was a program for disadvantage and "at-risk" youths, 16 - 24. One student was told for most of his 17 year old life that he was stupid. But I caught what his real problem was the first time I gave a class lecture and I watched him. After the first 5 or 10 minutes, his mind went elsewhere. In most situations, people would have said he was just not paying attention. Quite the contrary. He was paying attention so fully, he got it the first time around and was already bored. Because he was actually smarter and mentally faster than most around him, including adults. He turned out to be a whiz at math, which is needed in electrical work. All it took was one person, me, to shut up and let him show what he can do. It opened up his world and he took off like a shot and his world was never the same. He could see a life beyond being a street fighter, which he was already good. He wondered if he could grasp the material and really excel. I said, "Of course. How fast do you want to go? I'll move you as fast as you can possibly stand it." And we did.

And this little story is not about me. It's about him (his name was George,) And you. It might take you a few years. It might take a year. It might take less. It's up to you. You are the only one who is ever going to hold you back. Either because you limit yourself, or you allow others to place limits on you. Yes, there is the physical work of technique, scales, vocalises. Habit is habit is habit. But it starts out with a thought.

Don't just think you can do this. Know that you can do this.

[voc-al]

Hey Ron!

Thanks for your review. Yes, I am so very pumped to get some results from the program. I am concentrating on the program almost 14 hours a day. Between reading, videos, exercises...

Regarding the range:

I was under the assumption it was 3 3/4 as I do the first octave and the last note of the first octave i do again when i start the next octave, and so on with the third. So it sounds like do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-si-do, do-re-me-fa-sol-la-si-do-do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-si-do-do-re-mi-fa.

Again, dont know what note I started it. I am thinking its c#2, which means c#2-c#3 is one octave, c#3-c#4 is two octaves, c#4-c#5 is is three octaves, and four more notes brings it to F#5 no? Am I counting it wrong? I might have gotten the notes wrong though.. Would love some clarification

Thanks

VA

[ronws]

More than likely, I got the notes wrong. Sorry to short-change you. No offense meant.

What an awesome range. You realize, of course, as you build some confidence, you really need to do a cover of "Silent Lucidity." I can't do the low notes in that song but I still want to do it, even it is to provide comedy relief for others. Hey, I'm a giver!

[voc-al]

More than likely, I got the notes wrong. Sorry to short-change you. No offense meant.

What an awesome range. You realize, of course, as you build some confidence, you really need to do a cover of "Silent Lucidity." I can't do the low notes in that song but I still want to do it, even it is to provide comedy relief for others. Hey, I'm a giver!

Hey Ronws, No offence taken especially, since I have no idea if I am correct. If you do get a chance to try with your guitar, i would be very glad to hear what you really think my range is.

Regarding Silent Lucidity. I gotta listen to it. Sorry, not really familiar with that genre of music although I wouldn't mind singing some good songs no matter what the style!

Also, anyone else ? Am I right, or am I blowing smoke up my ass?

Thanks

VA

[ronws]

or am I blowing smoke up my ass?

VA

That gave me an image that is going to stick for a while. Let me grab my guitar and see if I can figure it out. (the range, not the image you just presented.)

[ronws]

You were right, Al.

My guitar is in standard tuning. And I do that by first tuning the first string (small one) at the 5th fret to A440.

Then I tune the guitar backwards from there.

So, in standard tuning, the lowest note of the guitar is E2. And you started below that and I estimate you are correct. Your bottom note is a C#2. And yes, the top note was an F#5. Right on the money. And so, yes, C#2 to C#5 would be 3 octaves. So, F#5 is half an octave above that. Technically "half" an octave is deceiving. For some notes are only 1/2 step apart, like B and C and E and F.

Technically, you went from baritone to above tenor, or in soprano. So, 3.5 octaves. And I bet, after while, you will approach C6.

[Keith]

You most likely will not notice an increase in range (as such) . What happened with me is I was singing a song that I normally could not sing because there was a note or two that were too high.. And suddenly, I could sing those notes. Also, my vocal break moved.. It used to be around E4, now it's around A4. While doing a siren , I don't hear a break, but I feel one lol.

[gilad]

Hey Keith.

Changed user from Voc-al to Gilad Using my real name now.

Anyways, my current break from what I noticed is at E5. I wonder if its just a coincidence or is that note kind of a break point always? I just do everything fine and then once i get to E5 there goes the tone and all that is left is air. then i go above it, and again I have the tone.. Weird feeling. I am assuming it is considered my break.

[ronws]

I like your new id, Gilad. E5 is not really a break. It's a tonal shift, even for tenors. The fundamental is such a short wavelength that the resonating spaces that can hold that note are not big enough to carry the overtones that give the different vowel sounds. That's why the vowels start to sound the same up there. And because the only spaces that are small enough to properly resonate that note in the head, it feels like "head voice" to just about everyone.

Anyway, you are already great and you are fast on the way to being awesome. Like, a singer's singer. I don't say that just to be friendly or mushy. It's a foregone conclusion. You have the best modern singing coach (yes, I said that out loud) and every student he has helped is phenomenal.

Period, paragraph, new book.

[ronws]

Hey, Gilad. Here's the original artist, Queensryche (with Geoff Tate) doing "Silent Lucidity."

Also, in the review section, Keith started a Queensryche cover thread and you will find some beautiful covers of that song in there.

http://themodernvocalist.punbb-hosting.com/viewtopic.php?id=4706

I would love to do the song but I just don't have the low end to do it as originally sung.

I really need to come up with a suitable light tenor version. It's my wife's favorite QR song.

Anyway, you could totally rock this song. And will.

[gilad]

Hey Ron.

Very nice song, although not the style I usually sing.

Anyways, had my first skype lesson with Robert yesterday and it was great!

I have alot of work ahead of me.

Cheers!