May 2015 Challenge - 'Highway Star' by Deep Purple

[ronws]

I agree with Jabroni. Kind of a jazzy feel on that one.

[Pekka]

Yes that was pretty groovy GSoul82. Sounds good.

[Gsoul82]

Hmmm. Never saw that coming. Any idea as to what made it sound "jazzy"? I was going for something else.

[Robert Lunte]

Here's a rough acapella snippet, as promised. Sang all three verses

 

​GSoul...

I thought I owed you some feedback on this... for starters, way to step up and lead by example on the campaign... that alone is admirable.

Ok...

You need to compress the vocal folds "G"! This is, for practical purposes, Falsetto... the vocal folds are open and respiration is escaping, making the sound color "windy"... I think this sound works a lot with soul and R&B... but if you want to get this rock/metal sound color... you need to torque down on the glottis brother... a lot more... so... 

You need to maintain good, strong TA engagement up to the G#4 and then sing "through" that configuration/anchored position... not easy! lol...

Try getting a good onset that compresses the vocal folds; Q&R, D&R, or T&R onsets approximately a melodic 5th or octave below the G#4. To get into this configuration, ... start lower... the siren & "pull" up to the G#4, not letting the compression/adduction blow open... do so with the following vowel modification formula that might help.

eh < > ou (would) 

The narrowed vowel will help support or maintain the musculature anchoring and keep you twanging into M2/head.... Remember, when you narrow vowels, (and relevant to frequency as well... ), you need to lower the acoustic mass to keep it resonating and connected. Don't "pull" to the G#4 with the same mass as the more open, singer friendly "eh" vowel... so as you go higher... the vowel narrows and the acoustic mass lowers to keep the physics (formant) aligned and amplified. It is going to be harder then hell at first...

Here is a little routine I would advise trying:

• First just work on the onset and pull and keep the configuration and then sustain at the top note/s... just to get a feel for it.

 

• Then, onset > siren > G#4 > SLOWLY begin to articulate the lyrics and get a feel for maintaining that configuration as you phonate through the "chaos" of consonants and other vowels to accommodate the lyrics.

 

• Then work up your speed until your musculature is solid and understand how to remain anchored and your articulators learn how to articulate the consonants without shitting out your configuration.

... simply put, this is twanging like hell in the head voice, while balancing the mass of the narrowed vowels... it might take about a week or so before you can really get this to work... but you'll get a lot out of this for all songs and styles of singing.. Routines like this are inside my training program, "The Four Pillars of Singing"... This is 1 of 8 specialized onsets that are in the program that TVS students learn about to help them train and trouble-shoot vocal challenges... Let me know if it helps. 

This is not a demonstration of the routine above, but it is a demonstration of an onset that I think will help you to get into a good connected, fold compressed configuration that you can then siren/"pull" to the G#4.

 

BTW... I don't think it sounds Jazzy at all? I don't get that... I think it just sounds like you need more musculature engagement... namely, the TA and Vocalis... with practice holding narrowed vowel positions. 

[Gsoul82]

Here's a rough acapella snippet, as promised. Sang all three verses

 

​GSoul...

I thought I owed you some feedback on this... for starters, way to step up and lead by example on the campaign... that alone is admirable.

Ok...

You need to compress the vocal folds "G"! This is, for practical purposes, Falsetto... the vocal folds are open and respiration is escaping, making the sound color "windy"... I think this sound works a lot with soul and R&B... but if you want to get this rock/metal sound color... you need to torque down on the glottis brother... a lot more... so... 

You need to maintain good, strong TA engagement up to the G#4 and then sing "through" that configuration/anchored position... not easy! lol...

Try getting a good onset that compresses the vocal folds; Q&R, D&R, or T&R onsets approximately a melodic 5th or octave below the G#4. To get into this configuration, ... start lower... the siren & "pull" up to the G#4, not letting the compression/adduction blow open... do so with the following vowel modification formula that might help.

eh < > ou (would) 

The narrowed vowel will help support or maintain the musculature anchoring and keep you twanging into M2/head.... Remember, when you narrow vowels, (and relevant to frequency as well... ), you need to lower the acoustic mass to keep it resonating and connected. Don't "pull" to the G#4 with the same mass as the more open, singer friendly "eh" vowel... so as you go higher... the vowel narrows and the acoustic mass lowers to keep the physics (formant) aligned and amplified. It is going to be harder then hell at first...

Here is a little routine I would advise trying:

• First just work on the onset and pull and keep the configuration and then sustain at the top note/s... just to get a feel for it.

 

• Then, onset > siren > G#4 > SLOWLY begin to articulate the lyrics and get a feel for maintaining that configuration as you phonate through the "chaos" of consonants and other vowels to accommodate the lyrics.

 

• Then work up your speed until your musculature is solid and understand how to remain anchored and your articulators learn how to articulate the consonants without shitting out your configuration.

... simply put, this is twanging like hell in the head voice, while balancing the mass of the narrowed vowels... it might take about a week or so before you can really get this to work... but you'll get a lot out of this for all songs and styles of singing.. Routines like this are inside my training program, "The Four Pillars of Singing"... This is 1 of 8 specialized onsets that are in the program that TVS students learn about to help them train and trouble-shoot vocal challenges... Let me know if it helps. 

This is not a demonstration of the routine above, but it is a demonstration of an onset that I think will help you to get into a good connected, fold compressed configuration that you can then siren/"pull" to the G#4.

 

​

Wow,  Rob. I really appreciate you taking the time to come in and coach me on this kind of thing. I really want to get this stuff down and there's nobody better to get advice from. I guess this is what I'm missing. I wanted to use some rasp for this song, which I get by experimenting with twang, but it naturally comes out lighter and higher. This also made me realize, I haven't really experimented with this kind of thing in chest. I'm going to work on this.

[Robert Lunte]

@ G... ok... 

See your PM inbox... work on it for real...  

Thanks for managing these cool "singing challenges" for the community, we all really appreciate it... 

[KillerKu]

I did like the groove there, GSoul, and dig your falsetto, but watch when you transition to chest voice. It sounded a bit squeezed or pinched on the "I love it. I need it." . Even if you're going to go for like a  DeAngelo interpretation or whatnot you should work on that bridging area to keep it smooth.

 

For a quick fix you could give a slight yawn and let that note relax. But Rob is right, if you want to sing more in the original style you're gonna need to start with chest and keep some of the closure. I also think your rasp might be vocal fry in falsetto. I'm not sure about that. I'd work on the chest and try to keep strength in head voice if you want to go this route. I am an Eddie Kendricks fan, and I feel like your current path if refined could go down that route:

 

 

 

 

[Gsoul82]

I did like the groove there, GSoul, and dig your falsetto, but watch when you transition to chest voice. It sounded a bit squeezed or pinched on the "I love it. I need it." . Even if you're going to go for like a  DeAngelo interpretation or whatnot you should work on that bridging area to keep it smooth.

 

For a quick fix you could give a slight yawn and let that note relax. But Rob is right, if you want to sing more in the original style you're gonna need to start with chest and keep some of the closure. I also think your rasp might be vocal fry in falsetto. I'm not sure about that. I'd work on the chest and try to keep strength in head voice if you want to go this route. I am an Eddie Kendricks fan, and I feel like your current path if refined could go down that route:

 

 

 

 

​Hey Killer, was wondering when you were going to pop back up. Yeah, D'angelo was not what I was going for, so this needs refinement.

On the "I love it" part, it's kind of hard to explain. Kind of like I jumped into falsetto, going into it, and I did something different on they way back down. It sounded cool and didn't hurt, so I let it rock.

The rasp actually turns out to be something a little different and I use it in head voice. I tried to use vocal fry to get a similar effect around a year ago, but it didn't happen. I just get into this certain placement and it comes out. It can be more or less depending on how I manipulate it.

I want to get this style down though, so I need to work on more compression. Eddie sounds good, but he sounds a bit like what I'm used to, and I'm trying to work on being able to get away from that if I choose to. I think you were the one who first told me that the placement I was using for this kind of thing before sounds similar to Al Green sometimes.

How are you coming along with this, Killer? I know the last thing you said you were doing was working on interpreting the song.

[Gsoul82]

@ G... ok... 

See your PM inbox... work on it for real...  

Thanks for managing these cool "singing challenges" for the community, we all really appreciate it... 

Alright, Rob. Will do.

No problem. I think it's easier for people to learn and get involved with things, in general, when other people are working on the same thing.

 

[Gsoul82]

Just a reminder for everyone, we will start voting on next month's genre on the 26th. It's been decided that we'll be doing two challenges at the same time next month. The two genres with the most votes will be chosen. Everyone is encouraged to get involved with both. Remember, your submission does not have to be anything very specific. It could even be an acapella recording. Its encouraged to use production software and a backing track, because production is a very valuable skill to have if your seriously considering pursuing music as a career, or even a hobby. It's also a skill that several of us will be working on developing here, so it's all the more encouraged that people do try to use software and put something together.

 

See this link for backing tracks:

http://www.karaoke-version.com/?aff=548

 

We will learn together.

[MDEW]

I'm glad you gave this a shot Gsoul, Not bad for the first steps into the Rock world.

I am going to need some LOUD time to even attempt the singing on this. I may be able to put a few guitar parts down in a few days.

I have a few thoughts on how I want to attack this.....It sure sounds like fun.......Can't wait to get started.....

[ronws]

Hmmm. Never saw that coming. Any idea as to what made it sound "jazzy"? I was going for something else.

​Your delivery was, to me, soft and laid back. Like I was in a piano bar listening to a smoky singer while sipping on scotch (with a soda chaser.)

[Gsoul82]

Hmmm. Never saw that coming. Any idea as to what made it sound "jazzy"? I was going for something else.

​Your delivery was, to me, soft and laid back. Like I was in a piano bar listening to a smoky singer while sipping on scotch (with a soda chaser.)

​Hmmm. Yeah, that sounds like it would be solved by fixing the compression. Thank you.

[Gsoul82]

I'm glad you gave this a shot Gsoul, Not bad for the first steps into the Rock world.

I am going to need some LOUD time to even attempt the singing on this. I may be able to put a few guitar parts down in a few days.

I have a few thoughts on how I want to attack this.....It sure sounds like fun.......Can't wait to get started.....

​Thanks a lot, Dew. Can't wait to see what you end up with.

[ronws]

Here is my attempt, also at trying to mix for a good balance of music with voice.

https://app.box.com/s/em0tqq2maxoxp5kllc7wwz89a986oci7

 

[slstone]

Hey bro, your mixing skills are getting better. Nice use of chorus. Only advice is on your mix, when you hit the high notes, edit them to lower the volume a little(I don't know if your DAW will allow you to edit just those parts without affecting the whole track). That way, they are no louder than any other note. They are just a little hot in the mix.

[ronws]

Thanks, Scott. I was thinking about that, even if I had to use an automation envelope.

Edited to add: I think I fixed it. Not automation, which I could have done. But what I did do was snip around each time of the high part of the chorus, making it a separate item and reduced volume in just those particular items. Easy fix and I should have thought of it before but you, Scott, commenting on it got me to thinking. So, again, thanks. Nice save.

 

[MDEW]

   Sounds good Ronws,    I like it, I love It, Can't get enough of it...........You're a Highway Star........

[Gsoul82]

Here is my attempt, also at trying to mix for a good balance of music with voice.

https://app.box.com/s/em0tqq2maxoxp5kllc7wwz89a986oci7

 

​Damn, this is great. Makes me really want to learn this stuff. Take 2 for me is coming soon.

 

By the way, voting starts in about 24 hours for next months genres.

[slstone]

You're welcome bro. having mixed a lot of music myself, I cringe at my own voice when its too loud. an easier way to do it is to record your high parts on a separate track.

Then you can edit all the high parts at once giving them consistency. The trick is that since we push more air to reach higher notes, our volume output tends to be more, thus

making them much louder than lower parts. Also, when on separate tracks, it makes it easier if you need to record a part over. You just end up doing that part and not the whole song over and over, if its all recorded on one track. It is time consuming, but it pays off in the long run. Anyway, glad to help.

 

[ronws]

You're welcome bro. having mixed a lot of music myself, I cringe at my own voice when its too loud. an easier way to do it is to record your high parts on a separate track.

Then you can edit all the high parts at once giving them consistency. The trick is that since we push more air to reach higher notes, our volume output tends to be more, thus

making them much louder than lower parts. Also, when on separate tracks, it makes it easier if you need to record a part over. You just end up doing that part and not the whole song over and over, if its all recorded on one track. It is time consuming, but it pays off in the long run. Anyway, glad to help.

 

​Gracias, Hermano. I recorded this differently than I have before. Each section was recorded separately and moved to another track. So, each chorus is a separate media item that I can do stuff to.

[ronws]

And thanks, guys, for the good comments. I actually describe what I did in my thread on Reaper. I have sang this song for many years but can still mess up while recording.

[Gneetapp]

Well done Ronws! Awesome singing! I liked your tone, and it kind of reminded me of ZZ Top! I just think you need to tighten your timing in a couple of parts. Keep on Rocking!

[Gneetapp]

Here's a rough acapella snippet, as promised. Sang all three verses

 

​Hey GSoul, I could not even see the attached file. It shows an empty window in my screen. What am I doing wrong?

[Pekka]

Ron that was very good, i like your version.