thisoldroad Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 My take on Sunday Morning Coming Down: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlMavAFS52M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDEW Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 I know we are only supposed to be concerned about tone and pitch resonance and ease of singing.....All that technical stuff. In your case that sounds really good. My opininion as a listener tells me that you are trying to have a southern accent to match Kris or Johnny Cash. It does not sound natural. Your voice has the right timbre and ring to it so you do have to TRY to do anything. Sing the song as if YOU are telling the story. This is only my opinion which does not amount to a hill of beans. I am one person out of one million. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KillerKu Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 If this is the sound you're going for its cool, but it does sound a bit affected as MDEW says. Is your larynx dropped pretty low? It sounds like it is dropped pretty low to my ears. The pitch, resonance, and technique does sound good. It sounds like you're in control and singing pretty well. If you try letting the larynx rise just a little, it might sound a bit less affected and more conversational or 'storytelling' to people's ears. If you like the sound of twang, you can keep doing that, twang can sound hugely different depending on what the rest of the voice is doing so it doesn't have to sound southern. But it does sound like you are in control of this sound. So you have to ask yourself, if this is exactly the sound you're going for? Where would you want to take it? Do you have any goals? A singer that sounds a bit affected to me sometimes, is Tom Morello. Love his guitar playing, think he's a really cool guy, love the concept of the Nightwatchman, but sometimes when he dips in his low range, it sounds like he's trying to add a bit more weight. This is a good song, but the low sections, sound a bit affected to me compared to his higher sections: But 500,000 views. And lots of praise. So like MDEW says, it's like taste/preference. You should affect your voice differently depending on what your goals are. Some are more commercial, which is a consideration, but I think what feels most authentic and emotional to you is important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronws Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 I love the sound of your voice and your range. But I agree with MDEW. You could back off the "country" accent and it would be a little more natural, so to speak. Let me put it this way. Kris is from the south. So is Johnny Cash. And Willie Nelson (from my transplanted home state of Texas.) They have all covered this song with less "country twang" than you did. MDEW and I are both from the south. He lives in the southeast and I live in Texas. And we don't sound as "hick" as this. So, that was the only thing that distracted me from what was a really good take on a really good song. My opinion is not worth much. To me, this song, as written by Kris, is about a hung-over hippie, which is the intention I was going for when I recorded it. All in all, good job, I just wish you had not tried to sound so "country." Just remember, the one who wrote this song and those who have covered were country "outlaws," not traditional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisoldroad Posted February 1, 2015 Author Share Posted February 1, 2015 Thanks for the honest critique! I have been singing country material this way for a while, so I haven't been paying much attention to that twang thing, but I guess I should. I always thought little twang would add something in this context, but sounding like a "hick" is not my intention. KillerKu, great post! I will definitely do some experimenting with my voice and tone down the twang. Information like this is pure gold! Thanks again, you guys rock! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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