Run to the Hills - working version

[aravindmadis]

Phew!  This is one tough song.... This is a lesson in phrasing and vowel modification.. 

 

I think my mix has become stronger, so I thought I should give this song another go..  This is one take(except the chorus, which took multiple turns!).  I can't seem to get the first "Run to the hills" correctly.  To me, the "Run for your lives" which is the D5, sounds better... 

 

This is the song with music... 

https://app.box.com/s/zjry7z5yiyhshfnei0hs6dd9bo6fjvp3

 

and this is the raw vocals... 

https://app.box.com/s/jjib0u9g3v70d6dj303qil87232fg2ug

 

 

 

[Jugulator]

Such a killer song you've selected for practice Very nice try, nevertheless. Why don't you sing the song a step or two lower? I don't think it's harmless to sing it in the original key. You should pay attention to breath support and holding back your air. This will help your vocal folds produce a more thick and stable sound.

[ronws]

Took me some adjustment. Bruce has tonality that is "wider" than yours. The only thing I think could change is in the chorus. Sing "life" as l ah f and drop the dipthong to ee. It would make that note stronger and give more of a natural flow, to me. But yeah, you definitely have the range for this song. And I like the grit you get on the pre-chorus.

[aravindmadis]

Such a killer song you've selected for practice Very nice try, nevertheless. Why don't you sing the song a step or two lower? I don't think it's harmless to sing it in the original key. You should pay attention to breath support and holding back your air. This will help your vocal folds produce a more thick and stable sound.

 

Jugulator, thanks for dropping in.  Big fan of your work BTW.  Singing a step lower causes issues for me with support.  I need to descend into my chest voice and I have a more pronounced "break".. Plus the song in the original scale is too cool to resist  

 

How can I work on learning to "hold back air"

[aravindmadis]

Took me some adjustment. Bruce has tonality that is "wider" than yours. The only thing I think could change is in the chorus. Sing "life" as l ah f and drop the dipthong to ee. It would make that note stronger and give more of a natural flow, to me. But yeah, you definitely have the range for this song. And I like the grit you get on the pre-chorus.

 

Is the wider tonality a timbre thing or is that something I can work on?  So the dipthong is L ah f eee? 

[Jugulator]

Jugulator, thanks for dropping in.  Big fan of your work BTW.  Singing a step lower causes issues for me with support.  I need to descend into my chest voice and I have a more pronounced "break".. Plus the song in the original scale is too cool to resist

 

How can I work on learning to "hold back air"

First of all, try to reduce the volume of the sound when you sing higher as though you are compressing the sound, At the same time, drop your jaw as though you are pronouncing the NG sound and a little yawning at the same time.

[ronws]

Is the wider tonality a timbre thing or is that something I can work on?  So the dipthong is L ah f eee? 

You were singing l ah ee f. That change from ah ee is making the phrasing a bit awkward.

 

I don't know if you can spread your tone wider to mimick Bruce, though some would say that you can.

[KillerKu]

First of all, try to reduce the volume of the sound when you sing higher as though you are compressing the sound, At the same time, drop your jaw as though you are pronouncing the NG sound and a little yawning at the same time.

 

Wow is that neat and precise advise, Jugulator. I'm going to remember this description for helping people.

 

Aravindmadis. I am enjoying this cover and it's probably better than I could do. Most of it sounds pretty good to me, but when you sing 'Run to the hills' It sounds like something is collapsing on the Hills, like it might be the 'short i' vowel somewhere in your range there is tripping you up. It's a narrow vowel which doesn't necesarrily sound that heavy metal.

 

You might take some time extra time and do some sirens with the short i vowel to try to get it open up a bit. You could even do scales on the hills over that point.

 

But overall, probably better than I could do. I'm not skilled at singing this style here and it's a very challenging one to sing.

[napoleonboot]

Good effort!

 

This is a great song, and a hard to sing. I think Jugulator here has posted a super version in the past. 

 

When working on it, it's tempting to focus on the "money notes" - the long high bits. That's what most of the comments are about here. 

 

But... what makes it great is not just those high parts, but the lower part where Bruce Dickinson tells the story. I think that's what you should also work on!

 

I tried singing it a couple of years back, and struggled a little with the higher bits, but I got a lot out of working on it, and really enjoyed the story telling in the lower parts. Here's a link to my effort - this cover was created from the ground up with a friend of mine, it's not an existing backing track: 

 

http://www.reverbnation.com/napoleonboot/song/21392264-run-to-the-hills

 

George

[aravindmadis]

Good effort!

 

This is a great song, and a hard to sing. I think Jugulator here has posted a super version in the past. 

 

When working on it, it's tempting to focus on the "money notes" - the long high bits. That's what most of the comments are about here. 

 

But... what makes it great is not just those high parts, but the lower part where Bruce Dickinson tells the story. I think that's what you should also work on!

 

I tried singing it a couple of years back, and struggled a little with the higher bits, but I got a lot out of working on it, and really enjoyed the story telling in the lower parts. Here's a link to my effort - this cover was created from the ground up with a friend of mine, it's not an existing backing track: 

 

http://www.reverbnation.com/napoleonboot/song/21392264-run-to-the-hills

 

George

Thanks George.. Loved your version.  Did not think that you "struggled" with the high parts.. 

 

I think you are spot on with the story telling bit.  Another song I love and would like to cover someday is "Hallowed be thy name" which also is a story... 

 

MY issue is that I just wake up one day and say that I will record this song.. I feel after I record and I keep singing through the week that follows, I actually improve a bit.  Next time I should practice for a week and then post!! LOL

[Olem]

Nice effort, one of my favourite songs by Iron Maiden. Yeah i think in some parts it sounds a little too "quacky" and what Igor described is the solution. Keep up the good work!

[Robert Lunte]

Nice work A.... stay supported.

 

 

 

Sing "life" as l ah f and drop the dipthong to ee.

 

Good point Ron...