Heaven and Hell

[ronws]

This is another of my favorites. I started out trying to sing nice and soft but stronger support carried me through. You will hear what sounds like a tamborine. That is my dog, Shadow, pictured in the video, shaking loose fur and causing his tags (id tag and rabies vaccination tag) to jingle.

For the guitar, I found chord charts but realized that it could be simplified to get that infamous Tony Iommi tri-tone and so I did that. I rehearsed against playback, before recording. And, I wrote timing notes to myself on the lyric sheet so that I wouldn't get lost. Especially in a song like this which has many repetitive phrases, musically.

"Heaven and Hell" from Black Sabbath.

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

[ronws]

I meant to add bio on Shadow. He is almost 7 years old. A male mix of Siberian Husky and Black Labrador Retriever. I had a Lab breeder appraise him and he estimated that Shadow is at least 80 percent siberian. He has 4 colors, black, brown, red, and a white undercoat. Small pointed ears that can stand up or lay down. A bushy tail carried in a curl. A deep runner's chest. I once estimated his top speed around 35 mph. 26 inches to the shoulder and about 3 feet long, not including tail but he only weighs 65 pounds, thanks to having the bone density of a Siberian Husky. His metabolism and temperment is siberian. The siberian metabolism is quite special. They eat very simple food and not a lot at one time. Their metabolism is geared to getting maximum nutrition out of very little. This pic was taken a few years ago. His eyes are iridescent amber and in direct sunlight, his coat has a prismatic visual effect. In the right light, he looks like a timberwolf and more often than not, people have asked me if he was a wolf or part wolf (wolf hybrid). He gets along great with cats and little dogs.

[ronws]

Updated version of "Heaven and Hell" from Black Sabbath. I deleted the previous one. This one has better air pressure involved.

[jonpall]

What's the bio on the dog in the second video?

[ronws]

That's Shadow, a few years ago, laying on the back porch.

[mvrasseli]

"Shadow" looks like my female dog, "Branca". If I'm you, I'd try to download some VST effects to put on Audacity to improve your records like EQ and Reverb. See you!

[ronws]

"Shadow" looks like my female dog, "Branca". If I'm you, I'd try to download some VST effects to put on Audacity to improve your records like EQ and Reverb. See you!

Actually, my copy of audacity has eq and reverb (called Gverb). I am not always satisfied with the results and I am still learning how to use those effects. When I did "Highway to Hell" I used an inverted RIAA eq pre-set. Otherwise, I tend not to use effects on the voice. But who knows, if I re-record with some softer singing volume and not overload the mic, I might get better results with those.

And Shadow is pretty. In fact, Shadow is his name on his papers but my nickname for him is "Pretty Boy," because he is. And even before I had him neutered, people thought he was a she because he is so pretty. He is prettier than I am but I have learned to live with that. :lol:

[akarawd]

You've got the range, it just seems it's based more on excitement than accuracy. I liked the low notes at the end, they give a whole new dimension to your voice.

[ronws]

You've got the range, it just seems it's based more on excitement than accuracy. I liked the low notes at the end, they give a whole new dimension to your voice.

I'm very glad. Most here are concentrated on tenor, specifically the upper part of tenor. I like that last bit, too, reminding me of gregorian monks. When I did it, I wasn't thinking, just humming and ah'ing the guitar fill. In playback, it sounded dark and foreboding, so I kept it. Sometimes successful things happen by accident.