Bridge over Troubled Water --- Practice

[MDEW]

I've been itching to post something for you to tear into.

MDEW with guitar. Very early in the works. I already know my timing needs work and I hate the way I pronounce water. I screwed up bigtime on the ending. I'm still working out the chords but I couldn't wait any longer.

Another thing that I noticed is the more I sing the stuffier my nose gets. I'm sure you will be able to hear it. Is it because of the way I sing? Am I doing something to cause this?

Anyway Here it is. Yell at me if you have to.

https://soundcloud.com/mdew/bridge-practice

[Nicogratouille]

Hi MDEW,

Sounds to me you are singing through your nose. Am I right?

You can check by singing while plugging your nose and without. There shouldn't be any difference in tone quality between the two. Unless this is the sound you aim for of course...

Nick

[Guest]

I can't say I heard the nasal sound. I actually liked your tone and just the way the song is right now, I could picture being at a small bar with a guy sitting there playing songs like this in the background. However that can be good and bad. It's good because it's nice and your tone is pleasant. It is bad because it is very familiar. I feel I have heard this same voice hundreds of times at small bars with a guy playing softly in the background

But for me any technical issues would only serve to change what I hear as your style. A spot or two may have lost support and broke up the line. There was one very near the end. As for the word "water." At the start you were adding air to the "w." hoowater. Also the "a" is too "ah." Like whahter. I would shade it more towards the sound of "o" in "off." It's hard for me to pick sample words for you country boys because you pronounce everything weird!!

I liked it though just the way it is as far as would I listen to it. Critiquing it is one thing. Playing that in a small venue somewhere while I was sitting with my wife having a drink is another. ;)

[MDEW]

I am not trying to sing through the nose. Trying to counter act the the stuffyness of my nose I may have opened the nasal cavities too much. I played and sang strait through. I kept messing up. I listented to it before I rerecorded. I started to sound too muffled like I was getting a cold. I tried to counter it and open up more.

Not an excuse.

Thank you for your review. I will keep an eye on that.

[MDEW]

Thank you Tommy. I just saw your post.

And I am getting a cold. :mad: I just now got the time to get my recorder out. :/

[Keith]

I don't hear a nasal sound, more a closed mouth sound - like maybe you are not opening your mouth wide enough, or you are maybe allowin your larynx to be too high. It's a tad pitchy in places too, but overall I hear improvement from the last song you posted. (Which seems like forever ago lol)

[MDEW]

I have to set up my recorder in the kitchen so its hard to find time to set it up.

This seemed to be a good song to expeirement on. It's not engrained in muscle memory so I can change things as suggested. I knew about the pitchiness especially at the end of the song. I kept goofing up on the guitar and lost concentratiion on the singing.

Any suggestions and slaps on the wrist welcomed. :)

[MDEW]

Any advice. Start over, Get a day job, Tank it? :/

Or is there not enough here to comment on? Not your cup of tea?

Or you like the original too much and you do not want to ruin your memory of it?

[OldPainless]

Laughed at the beginning I like your base tone but still sounds nasal, try opening your mouth almost as far as it will go when singing. See if you notice anything different in your sound.

[Felipe Carvalho]

Ok man, Ive listenned to it.

Feels a bit "shaped" into place you know? Like trying to make your voice go forward or into twang, instead of just placing it there. As you trade the vowels this makes your voice shift too much and it sound more spoken than sang, and a small bit nasal.

This one is tricky to solve on your own, try whistling and producing a sound at the same time, a low pitched V for example, then use this posture to sing with, relaxing it a bit and changing the vowels slowly.

The song, well, its not an easy song, at all... I would address it in pieces, listen to the original and get the melody down, its a bit guessed as it is, you know the harmony, you know the melody overall idea and you are kinda fitting the lyrics on a melody you are making up on the fly, you know?

Try using the guitar to play the melody with the song, each note. Work in the first verses to begin with.

And then, after the timmings and notes are all very defined in your head (this is important). Sink the dynamics down on the floor, the beginning is very soft, gentle, almost whispered on the first phrase, a bit stronger on the second, a crescendo to give the impression that you will explode and THEN... down again.

This sets the mood on the whole song, its crucial that you capture this idea and really abuse it. Listen to the original and notice how its worked, its a lot of info, I know, but its important. As you get these ideas down, melody, timmings and dynamics, you will slowly build a language, prety much as you have licks on a guitar that you know how to fit on many different songs.

Anyways as it is, its not really working, you will need some study to get this down. Just forget this nonsense of giving up, its really just a matter of study.

[MDEW]

:) That didn't hurt either one of us.

When you are saying nasal are you meaning Fran Dresher nasal or beginning a cold nasal. Or trying to add high end and failing? Possibly all three because I was hearing and feeling the stuffiness in my nose as I said earlier and was trying to counter that.

Should I change key a little higher or stay where it is. I am singing in the key of C. Original is D or D#.

[ronws]

"Take 4,062" - priceless

going off pitch (flat) on the word "down" whenever you get to that word. And I think it is your vowel use on high notes. You are strong on the ah sound. And you are trying to pronounce the 'w' in "down" is dragging you down because of what the mouth and lips do, with your accent, to produce the 'w'. Try singing "down" as dahn. Step away from the 'w'.

I don't really hear nasal in your voice. But then, I am used to the southern accent in the US and I have heard people speaking and singing with way more nasal than you've got, even with your cold or allergies or whatever malady at the moment.

[Guest]

They say the 4,063rd time is a charm

[MDEW]

Any suggestion for how to sing "Water". Even I hated that. :mad:

Seriously I am not averse to people telling me my sound sucks or that I am to nasal or muffled or even pitchy.

I am aware that my voice is often muffled and sounds flat to me. Not meaning pitch but lacking in mid frequencies or high end. In other words does not sound "Full" sounds hollow.

I feel as if my sinuses are either closed off or absorbing the sound instead of resonating. I may be trying to compensate on something that is not really there to begin with.

I do not know how to fix this. I want it fixed. I welcome input. Thank you.

[Felipe Carvalho]

The sinus is not something you have to worry about. They dont move. The main resonant chamber you have to ajust is your mouth.

Did you try what I described? Whistle+voice? Try to relax in this. That is as resonant as it gets, and you will feel almost nothing besides a focal point in your lips and upper front teeth.

[MDEW]

Thanks Felipe.

I will do that. It was not long ago that I read that in another post. I had wondered before if whistling and singing had anything in common.

You were correct that my melody was more of a follow the guitar than trying to recreate Garfunckles melody.

I will learn from him for now. I try to make a song my own and that does mean that I will change melody to fit my own rhythm and style. But if it doesn't work it doesn't work. :)

[MDEW]

Had to take my kitchen studio down. Any other Tips or comments while I'm preparing for my next shot at it?

[ScratchTracks]

The tone is nice... and with a little re-shaping of your mouth (open it wider), you have a very stylistic approach to the song..

I would suggest to cut back the air some what and instead of trying to project it forward (as mentioned by someone else), just smile into the sounds ... it helps to bring the sound forward naturally..

Give that a go... and after you practice some suggestions we mentioned above, redo the song and let us hear it.. I'd love to hear the progress....

thanks for your time.

[MDEW]

Thanks. As far as open mouth do you mean at the back teeth or open more in front?