Don't let me down - please critique!

[dbass]

Hello!

I'm new to this forum, and I'm also new to singing. I've been playing bass for a long time, now I would like to learn to sing, but I realize how hard it is. I started to take some lessons, and I'm trying to work hard.

I posted this song... a cover from The Beatles, Don't Let me Down..

I would appreciate to receive comments, critiques to my singing, because I know how hard it will be to become a good singer and I am open to listen to critiques and humbly work hard on my singing.

So please comment!

Thanks everybody

http://soundcloud.com/dbass1/dont-let-me-down-the-beatles

[Guest]

That is a great song and I have always wanted to sing it. That and "Oh Darling." But my voice isn't for that I don't think. Your version wasn't bad, but it needs work to make it really sing This is typical of many new singers posting here. You have the right tone, stay on pitch and have the voice potential but poor technique. It is like someone who can fight very well and in a bar can win every fight he gets into. However if he got into a professional boxing ring he would lose. Why? Technique. His punches would be too wide, his head may be exposed, his footwork poor. There are sort of rules for singing. Singing without them might get you by with some listeners, but it isn't right.

I can hear a pronunciation problem also, that I know is because English isn't your first language. It doesn't matter because it detracts from the song and it makes it airy. For example near the beginning "Nobody ever really loved me." You pronounce ever as hever. That's giving an H sound that shouldn't be there as well as a "breath." Small details like this make a difference. I too am learning all these things so it is very common

Good job.

[ronws]

Good effort. You sound like a young John Lennon, and I don't think that it's just because of the song. You might want to ease up on the consonants, just a little. Make the 'd' sound a little softer. Or, maybe it was the mix. I've changed the entire perception of consonants and even note onsets just what settings on compressor and eq, in post-recording editing.

Most important, you've got the right feel for this song.

[dbass]

Thank you very much Tommy for you constructive critique. I feel I have lots of problems with sound emission, technique is poor and that's what I will be focusing on. Now I'm seriously approaching to singing as a proper "instrument", just as I did with bass guitar, but it takes years of practice, I know.

English is not my first language, that's true I'm italian, however I will try to pay more attention to these pronunciation nuances, but I don't think it is a big problem..I am more concerned about my singing technique, and I would appreciate to know from you in which moments of the song you sensed specific technical mistakes (emission, "throat-singing", out of pitch, etc..), because of the lack of experience it's still hard for me to detect all the mistakes I do, but surely you can.

Thanks ronws I will try to soften up on the consonants, I don't think it is a mixing problem, it's still my imprecise english pronunciation. I really appreciate what you said about the feel for the song, to me is as equally fundamental as technique.

[Guest]

Mind you I am not an instructor but only a student and I'm really not the technical type But what I hear is this. On the verse at 31 seconds in until 56 secs, it sounds thin and weak, very gravel sounding at points and not rasp for effect but more like a vocal fry. I think it may be a support issue. Then on the chorus you are slightly cutting "let" it becomes "don't leme down" (slightly) which rushes the phrase. phrasing is everything. This type of thing goes on through out the song repeating on all verses and chorus.

When you say "Don't you know it's gonna last" the "don't" gets that vocal fry again. That phrases is a bit low in the original song but it has support and enough airflow to not give it that vocal fry sound you are. Then the phrase wobbles a bit and isn't as controlled at 133 - 145, the last word there at around 145 the note drops.

I think it would be a good idea to learn good breath support and voice placement so you don't sink down to the throat. Your pronunciation isn't bad and I know you think it isn't that big of a deal but it is. If you add an "h" sound to the beginning of words and phrases (as an example) it ruins the phrase and at times makes a song too breathy. Also depending on the emotion or feel of a phrase or word, it changes it. How you attack (or don't) consonants is important to a note. Onsets.

Also a lot of singing and "singing the notes" (not just hitting them) depends on vowel placement and modification as well as enunciation and pronunciation. Very important. Again, it's the small details that count. In my opinion you have to pay attention to the small details. If you get the small things correct and second nature then the big things become easy. Fundamentals my friend. It takes many small things to make a big thing.

One of my saying used to be "You can't move a mountain, but you can move a stone. Move enough stones and you have moved a mountain."

Again....These are just my thoughts, and I am really not the guy who really knows about much of this. I'm learning too. Always learning as it is a continuous path and a forever changing one.

Not bad though....keep working

[KillerKu]

I like it. It's raw. If you're comfortable, I don't know if I would change it 'drastically' from this style.

Polish, tweaks, basically breath support and placing it slightly out of the throat as Tommy said, while keeping a kind of similar flavor would basically polish you off, imo.

Your tone tends to sometimes thin out into kind of weak fry. I think he's spot on there.