Saturday Karaoke- Led Zeppelin: What is and What Should Never Be!

[IronZeppelin]

Did a bunch of songs this past Saturday during karaoke night...This one sounded the best

Keep Calm and ROCK ON!

1st Try https://soundcloud.com/ironzepplin/what-is-and-what-should-never

2nd Try https://soundcloud.com/ironzepplin/attempt-2-what-is-and-what

[Keith]

The good: You have the sharp bright voice type to sing Zepplin, good range., and pleasing tone .

The not so good, but fixable: You have some major pitch issues throughout the song. Your vibrato is unstable, and your bridge needs work. Pretty much all normal stuff for someone who is very new to singing, or just started taking lessons. Get a few skype lessons with a good coach and that will get you in the right direction.

[IronZeppelin]

Yeah, I had no singing lessons, just piano and some violin lessons... I started to do a lil karaoke to help kill the stress of work... and now school... I understand and totally agree with the issues you stated Keith. I am mostly, at the moment, trying to figure out if I should even attempt to sing, never mind improvements. I mostly try to have some fun at the mic but I do really want to get better. One of these days I will try to record something out of the bar when i get some free time.

[Vocalist Dad]

IronZeppelin, at least you are listening to and enjoying a great band and artist. Keep practicing. :cool:

[ronws]

trying to figure out if I should even attempt to sing, never mind improvements. I mostly try to have some fun at the mic but I do really want to get better. One of these days I will try to record something out of the bar when i get some free time.

We have a saying around here that I will have to paraphrase - drop a deuce or get off the commode. Another one - fish or cut bait. As in, make a decision. Yes, you have issues with the control of your voice which can be experienced by anyone, from serious pro singer to the weekend warrior like you. The difference is the commitment. Even the casual or hobbyist singers around here work or practice or whatever you want to call it at what they do.

Even though I am the king of "good job," you don't get one, here. And it's not because I am the resident Led Zep freak (which I am, by any definition.) And I truly do not care if you ever sound like Robert Plant or not. You could do a different vocal line and be as good as he is. Problem is, here, you have no defined line. It's as if you are just zinging out notes and hope that some of them stick. Like a blindfolded guy tossing darts in a room at random and just through the shear luck of chaos theory, one occasionally lands on the target.

And it's likely that you were inebriated, as you were in the last clip you presented. I am not against drinking, even though I have given it up (for other reasons.) It's been 9 days since I had a drink. But I am not against you drinking. However, you need to do your practice before you decide to have a drink. Otherwise, you are building wrong habits. Just like (I hope) you do not drink before going to work or school, you should abstain before practicing singing.

Also, you are in a forum of people who take singing seriously, whether they ever become a rock star, or not. And you already have the advice of Keith who, while going to school, is also founder and lead singer in his own band with an album released. Because he works at it every spare moment he gets. You don't have to be pro to be good. But you need to give singing the attention it deserves. At least that is how we regular members of this forum feel. And the audience cares about it, too. It sounds like you were getting the solitary single clap at the end, more for having the "guts" to get up and sing than for a good performance. Maybe that is enough for you.

For me, it would not be. I have a large enough ego that I want applause because someone thought I was powerful and emotive in the song, regardless of where it is in the range. Because that is what it means to me to be a singer.

So, the better question is, what does it mean to you to be a singer?

In here, there are some people that would comment and rip you to shreds even more harshly than I have. I am the original candy coater. However, the probably will not because if they think you are not even serious, they are wasting their time. So, if you are looking for validation from fellow singers, you've got to step up your game, a bit.

I agree with Keith and i like the tones in your voice and you've got the right range. But you need to work on pitch accuracy and a more smooth line, legato, as it were.

[IronZeppelin]

I'm sorry If I had caused any insult. I am actually working on trying to get better. I have been looking at instructional videos posted on this site and trying to get a hold of some friends in my schools chorus department to ask them for advice.

You asked "So, the better question is, what does it mean to you to be a singer?", and honesty, its the one thing in my life I can truly enjoy without the care of social approval of others. I have been involved in music almost my whole life, in a few bands back in high school but never did vocals, and after trying various instruments, I have only recently realized I love singing more than playing a guitar or the violin or anything else.

I also have a job, and go to school full time, and barely have time to go to the gym a few times a week, but on that few hours on a Saturday night I have some time to do a little singing, and I take it serious every time. I have started recording myself, not to gloat, but to listen to what I am doing wrong.

I could honestly care less about the claps in the audience as most of them don't even know the song. I know the song isn't the greatest. I was more or less looking to see what someone who actually understands music a lot better then the average idiot in a bar, to help me see the flaws that I can't hear so I know what to improve...

I was under the impression that I could come here to have my voice criticized so I can make improvements, not to be pat on the back. I have respect for all of you and hope I don't cause any insult. I am working to get better, I will get better, and when I feel I have something to show true improvement, I will post more.

For the record, I did not drink before that song, (and I hardly ever drink, just a once a week watch the game at the bar kinda thing with some friends), in hopes of doing better then my last post, but that did not seem to help at all...

[ronws]

No offense taken. Just make a commitment to work on singing and then do it. But singing is like anything. You've got to do it to get better at it. And concentrate on what you are doing.

[jonpall]

The good: You have the sharp bright voice type to sing Zepplin, good range., and pleasing tone .

The not so good, but fixable: You have some major pitch issues throughout the song. Your vibrato is unstable, and your bridge needs work. Pretty much all normal stuff for someone who is very new to singing, or just started taking lessons. Get a few skype lessons with a good coach and that will get you in the right direction.

Totally agree. You have good potential, actually. Your next step would be to work on singing in the exact same key as the song. Get a vocal coach and if it doesn't help - get a better one because they're definitely not all good.

[IronZeppelin]

Been practicing, attempted What is And What Should Never Be again... let me know if u think it is any bit better.

In the middle during the instrumental I moved my iPod causing some distortion and the part coming out of the instrumental I slipped a little on the stage, messing up a bit on the verse , thanks to people tracking in slush...

https://soundcloud.com/ironzepplin/attempt-2-what-is-and-what

[ronws]

Again, you have the style right. You've got the RP style of jazz presentation. And you have the required range, pretty much singing it as he would. However, you still have some pitchiness, mostly going flat, here and there, which is ironic as you did a pretty good "oo" sound at high pitch. Singing is not just whoops and hollers, it is also intervals, (notes have a "distance" between them.) The sense of proper interval is called "relative pitch." Pitch of notes, relative to each other.

So, I would suggest singing this first, as legitimately as possible, without the RP stylings. Once you get the notes clean and on pitch, then add the style back in.

It's either that or my ears are not hearing things correctly. It sounds like the same crowd as the last time.

[IronZeppelin]

It's either that or my ears are not hearing things correctly. It sounds like the same crowd as the last time.

Yeah karaoke usually has a pretty consistent crowd.

I understand what you are saying and I do try to break down the song on my own down but I just get into it so much I tend to forget to keep it "tamed". I'm working on the pitch flat parts, which has been a big issue for a while. Thanks Ron =)

[ronws]

Do what I do (and still have to do, sometimes, so, I am not on some high mountain looking down at you, I am in the same foxhole as you) and take a section of the song and hammer away at that one section until it's easy peasy, lemon-squeezy. And do that with all sections, easy and hard. And them put them back together in one easy song.

Then, later, when people ask you how you do that so easily, you can use my lines, sort of, "well, I have this deal with Satan ...."