Trying to work out a cover with some problems

[Consumingfire39]

Unfortunately, I can't record anything at the moment but maybe someone can help me with this.

This is David Phelp's version of Bring Him Home. I understand how to sing most of the song but there are some thing that I just cannot grasp.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMITOdi96RU

The first thing is "the summers die" at 1:32. I just don't understand how he is singing the word "die" and getting that attack and resonance.

The word "give" at 2:33. That is right in the passaggio but it perfectly balanced with vibrato. He is doing something different on his connection there but I just can't figure out what it is.

Finally the word "home" at 3:32. I am pretty sure that is just beyond my technical ability but it is just crazy how he never has a problem with vocal weight or support.

[Owen Korzec]

On "die" he is just singing it open instead of covering, thus the brighter resonance more like F1/H3 if you are familiar with formant tunings. I don't hear anything funky about the attack it's just a well produced "d".

Can't help you on "give"...I'm not an expert at vibrato.

On "home", that is pretty much just a pure head tone, shouldn't be too hard. Even as a baritone I can make that sound, minus half the beauty lol. But it requires more than anything a drop of the weight and a commitment to having the head voice musculature dominant in the mix. And then resonance wise, the trick with David Phelps' great tone on the top, and Steve Fraser has mentioned this, is how he tunes F2/H3. In vowel modification terms he is modifying the home more toward a narrow schwa "uh". It's the same tuning most of the great opera singers do on high notes and creates the sound we know as head resonance. As for how to support it I couldn't exactly explain it to you at this point. I just kinda practiced the vowel tuning and the support came intuitively.

If your brain can handle it I highly recommend doing a little research into formant tuning...when you do, you will understand a lot more about these moments of beautiful resonance and what's happening in them. There's almost always a concrete scientific explanation for it. Though I understand many students just aren't into that way of thinking and that's totally fine. Vowel mods under the direction of a private teacher will get you there too.

[Consumingfire39]

Thanks guys.

I need to learn more about tuning. I think I do it quite a bit automatically but I don't understand the science.

[Consumingfire39]

I've got the first two things I was dealing with down pat now. I love singing that "give" now that I understand it. It is so well placed for that heavy vibrato. I have not really trained that vowel much at all and now it is my favorite.

The final "home" is still beyond my technical ability. I understand how to start the note better now because I just realized how far away the mic was at the start of the note. He is still starting low volume (for him) but it is not nearly as low as I first thought it was. My crescendo is fine but I just can't hold the note straight for that long and then add the vibrato for that long. It is going to require more work to get right.

[Owen Korzec]

I still dont think the home should be that difficult...have you at least tried doing it by removing a good amount of weight and volume, starting in the same manner as the "bring him"? What if the volume on home came mostly from the resonant tuning? I can't say for sure but its possible. He does increase the weight too but I'm not sure how much.

[Consumingfire39]

I still dont think the home should be that difficult...have you at least tried doing it by removing a good amount of weight and volume, starting in the same manner as the "bring him"? What if the volume on home came mostly from the resonant tuning? I can't say for sure but its possible. He does increase the weight too but I'm not sure how much.

Matching the pitch and resonance on home is very easy. The problems are with the varying degrees of support throughout the word. I can sing the word with a straight tone on pitch fine and hold it, or with vibrato and hold it. I can also start the note straight (Like Phelps) and then add the vibrato but holding the straight part as long as he does and then holding the vibrato at the end for that long of period of time is just too difficult. That late in the note I have started to build up some tensions so the vibrato cannot be that free for that long afterwards.

I think I am fine as far as the onset, tuning, crescendo and I can keep the same amount of weight as Phelps does.