Against all Odds

[MDEW]

I thought I would give this a shot. Another one out of my league but I am still progressing.

Any tips on how to navigate the chorus is helpful.

I probably did myself a disservice by dropping the key a whole step.

[Gneetapp]

Hi MDEW, I think this song and your tone complement each other. I think it was a good idea dropping the key a whole step, so you can practice the high notes in a more comfortable range. I am pretty sure this key is in your range, even though you were not able to hit the highest notes this time. Have you tried adding the cry or twang on those spots? Also, don't push or you'll choke. Just so you know, I am no teacher, but I am making some progress using the cry and twang to reach my higher range. Good job overall, but I'll be waiting for the improved version that I'm sure you are capable of doing in a few weeks. :cool:

[AmirMaor]

Great voice you have (can be even better), sound good, again, Mastering can be improve i think. :)

[ronws]

I knew to the song would be a match for you. But I have no tips for improvement.

[MDEW]

Thanks everyone. The high note here is supposed to be a G#4 in the key I am playing. I don't think I quite made it But the note I sang sorta fits.

Mixing was not a priority for me as you can tell. I mainly just wanted to see if I could sing it. I had to sing the chorus by itself quite a few times to even have it sound OK. That jump at "There's nuthin' "LEFT HERE" to remind me" always created problems. Each time I tried that part it came out different. I just don't know how to sing it yet.

Thanks Ronws for the incouragement to try this.

[ronws]

I also want to applaud you changing keys to suit you. I was not looking for a tribute. And while I think you have the right voice for this song, I do not think you sound like a clone of Phil Collins. Nor do I care if you do, or not. Then, again, I am kind of odd, that way.

You settled into a good groove on the second half of the song. That is, your accent faded and the strength and power came through.

[analog]

Thanks everyone. The high note here is supposed to be a G#4 in the key I am playing. I don't think I quite made it But the note I sang sorta fits.

Mixing was not a priority for me as you can tell. I mainly just wanted to see if I could sing it. I had to sing the chorus by itself quite a few times to even have it sound OK. That jump at "There's nuthin' "LEFT HERE" to remind me" always created problems. Each time I tried that part it came out different. I just don't know how to sing it yet.

Thanks Ronws for the incouragement to try this.

MDEW,

your voice really does fit this song! As far as hitting the note, well, you have to keep the vowel the same(EH vowel) and go for it(of course, way easier said than done that's why we train and all that.) It can be tough at first to "allow the volume" so to speak, especially if you've been suppressing your voice your whole life. But, it's what needs to happen.

I found a live version with Phil tuned down to the same key. Watch his body and what he does with the mic on those high notes:

[MDEW]

Thanks Analog,

I had found another instance of Phil dropping the key. I was at work at the time and could not analize it. The main version that I listened to was a live recording where he plays the piano and he screwed up a few times on the piano and you can hear him flub a line or two. It helped build my confidence to see that even Phil can flub up a little and get away with it.

I have to admit that in the last lines of the final chorus I rerecorded a half hour after the rest of the song. I sang it with a different approach and it felt a lot better to me.

I actually rerecorded the choruses several times. Even though I did not change the settings you can tell from the recording that I did not sing this straight through in one take. I cheated.

[ronws]

Thanks for sharing that, Analog.

MDEW, why didn't you say you were playing bass behind Phil? That looks like you with beard extensions,

As for flubbing lines, Rob Halford does it all the time. And gets bad notes. And rates himself to the audience. If he knows he botched one, he holds out a thumb down. If he did okay, a thumb up.