Nicogratouille Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 I just started playing with this so please be nice! Basically I'm trying to get that light sound. Brian McKnight uses it a lot, so does vocal coach Eric Arceneaux if you've ever checked him out. So here's a little sample of me singing "Never Felt This Way" by Brian McKnight. Btw: I know I'm slowly drifting from Eb major to E major (among other things ). https://www.box.com/s/ktu8t796jsu80csrulw9 To me it feels like being constantly on the edge of breaking. I also feel that whatever coordination I'm using is a little weak and hard to keep around C4 - A4 but becomes easier/more natural/opens up higher up. My question is simple: Do I have the right approach here and will it become more balanced/polished/better sounding and easier the more I do it? Or am I just completely wrong? Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Korzec Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Wow sounds great. Yeah that's right. Only suggestion I could make is be careful not to go too heavy on the bottom. A couple times you went back into a heavy chest voice for the lowest note or so making the bridge more obvious. Other times it was good. A couple of times the opposite happened too where you pulled head down to low. Sometimes you bridged in the perfect spot so I know you can do it. So just be careful to get into a light chest voice at the bottom, starting somewhere around a3 to c#4 probably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicogratouille Posted June 13, 2013 Author Share Posted June 13, 2013 Thanks for listening Owen Actually I sometimes went a little heavy on the bottom for effect. For the head voice pulled down that's probably not on purpose! But I agree: I don't have complete control over this yet. I just hope some day I will Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Korzec Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Thanks for listening Owen Actually I sometimes went a little heavy on the bottom for effect. For the head voice pulled down that's probably not on purpose! But I agree: I don't have complete control over this yet. I just hope some day I will Nick Don't be down on yourself though, from D4-ish upwards it sounds amazing...I would kill to have that kind of great light mass tone...I am more of a heavy singer myself, been working lighter recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicogratouille Posted June 13, 2013 Author Share Posted June 13, 2013 I would kill to have that kind of great light mass tone... No no no... Don't do that! Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronws Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 I liked it and your bottom note did not sound too heavy but it was a nice effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicogratouille Posted June 15, 2013 Author Share Posted June 15, 2013 Thanks Ron I had to remove the clip because I'm a little ashamed of it really... Wish it sounded better. I'll see if I can practice some more and post a better version Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Korzec Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 Thanks Ron I had to remove the clip because I'm a little ashamed of it really... Wish it sounded better. I'll see if I can practice some more and post a better version Nick Seriously? The clip sounded really good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 aww, I didn't get to hear it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicogratouille Posted June 17, 2013 Author Share Posted June 17, 2013 aww, I didn't get to hear it. Hi Seth, I just put it back for you. Won't be leaving this online very long though so be quick! https://www.box.com/s/2znvcc8eo4zo19enw8y7 Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasterBlaster Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 You are singing in falsetto not head voice. I assume you want a light head voice like McKnight and Arceneaux. This is will be very challenging. You need a well trained CT muscle (the vocal fold stretcher ) to achieve that sound. The lighter and higher a person can sing the more the CT muscle is involved. So train your head voice. Check out Frisell descending falsetto exercises. http://books.google.ca/books?id=4wNVqRG99b4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=frisella+head+voice+training&hl=en&sa=X&ei=UYW_UdO2NtTA4AOblYCoCQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Korzec Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 MasterBlaster working the CT muscle will not convert falsetto into head voice though. It will probably just improve overall coordination in the register. So it would definitely help nonetheless. But IME to actually get the better adduction in the head voice which is what distinguishes between falsetto and a thicker, more twang-like vocal mode most commonly just called "head voice", in a reasonable period of time (Frisell advocates patience...) you're better off practice beefing up the head voice by doing exactly that, practice beefing it up. The TVS method has a great way of training that and although the sounds Rob demonstrates are more suited for rock or metal, if you just take the same overall technique and make a few tweaks such as applying it to narrower vowels, bam, a nice connected light head voice suited for R&B and pop etc. And MasterBlaster's right actually I missed the fact that you are singing airy, what you are singing is probably more accurately defined as falsetto. I was distracted by the great tone of your lowered larynx and narrower vowel shadings so I just thought, well it sounds great. So do keep that tonal quality, you've really nailed it and it's helping create some beauty in the tone. But if you feel you want to get some more ring/ping/buzz in the tone and go deeper into connected head voice land instead of falsetto, you just need a little twang compression to take out some of the airiness and you're there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicogratouille Posted June 20, 2013 Author Share Posted June 20, 2013 Thanks MasterBlaster, you are probably right! Btw here's a clip of my normal singing voice for comparison: https://www.box.com/s/0wiatn7jvco4j10eza8r Still I'd like to do the other thing as well to have more colors available... Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forest_gimp Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 I liked it too. What you are doing on " Never felt this way " combines very light phonation with a quite low larynx, producing a soft, countertenorish tone. I am not a RnB listener, but i think many singers will prefer a mixed voice ( "curbing" in CVT terms ). But you can also keep this countertenor quality and work "top down", meaning what Owen sugested : beef up this head voice, especially vocal folds abduction. The rendition could also be great with this techique. Then it is a matter of aesthetical taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicogratouille Posted June 20, 2013 Author Share Posted June 20, 2013 I am not a RnB listener, but i think many singers will prefer a mixed voice ( "curbing" in CVT terms ). Thanks Forest, this is probably what I'm doing in the other clip I just posted. At least I think so. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forest_gimp Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 Thanks Forest, this is probably what I'm doing in the other clip I just posted. At least I think so. Nick Yes, i think so too. Your second clip is also " light ", but it definitely is a different configuration. I think one good option you have is to lighten up this mix on your high/midnotes and to beef up your head tones for the highest notes. It will allow you to display an homogenenous tone throughout your range. You doesn't seem too far away from it. With the propper training you can make both ends meet and it will sound great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicogratouille Posted June 20, 2013 Author Share Posted June 20, 2013 Yes, i think so too. Your second clip is also " light ", but it definitely is a different configuration. I think one good option you have is to lighten up this mix on your high/midnotes and to beef up your head tones for the highest notes. This would be my medium to loud volume. Doesn't really feel light to me but maybe it is. I'm going to get some more lessons soon so hopefully I can learn to sing more heady/light, but still sounding like myself and without disconnecting. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Korzec Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 Well Nick you have a very lyric voice. It enables your vibrato to be nice and fast and also gives you the agility necessary for the riffs you were doing. At 0:29 that was such a killer run that I wouldn't be able to sing that fast without a lot more training. You just have that light and agile kind of voice... So even when you are singing full, you will still sound kinda light. And there's no problem with that. Enjoy the extra freedom it brings you, and how coincidentally in R&B there is a stylistic preference for lighter singing. It should also make it easier to blend registers I think so you should be able to merge those two configurations pretty quickly after maybe a couple months of training. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicogratouille Posted June 20, 2013 Author Share Posted June 20, 2013 Thanks Owen Btw: Just deleted the first clip again. I'll try this song again once I get more training. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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