Michael Bolton- training

[Pekka]

GSoul82 force me out of my comfort zone ( choirboy/ falsetto ) singing, thanks  my first take on this song but i will/ need to practise a lot to make this sound good

 

 

[Gsoul82]

Haha, thanks for the shout-out, man. It's great to get out of your comfort zone. You'd be surprised what you can do, because many would classify Bolton as an R&B kind of guy, but here you are as a Rock guy and you're not having much trouble besides temporary range limitations while doing Bolton stuff.

I heard more of what I heard in that BeeGee's cover that reminded me of Michael Bolton. Like how you started with the "I could hardly believe it", and a few other places throughout. Keep working at it. Keep working on increasing your range and this song will get easier, as well as many others. I know you could probably name a bunch of rock singers with big ranges. You were already told that your range started to improve already in that other topic, so keep working on it

By the way, you may want to consider getting involved with the monthly challenge that I just started running, along with the rest of us.This month, we're doing Highway Star by Deep Purple. The whole point of it is for all of us to get out of our comfort zones and attempt something new. We voted on Rock this month and decided on Highway Star, because it isn't an easy song to do. The genre will change each month and we'll do something new. It's not a competition, so there's no pressure. A lot of us are going to be learning how to use production software, as well as how to approach these songs.

[Pekka]

Many thanks bro  i´ve been practising and i can say that a year ago i couldn´t manage this song like i did today. So maybe in the near future i can do even better

[Sexy Beast]

Hey Pekka, you are overdarkening your voice in places. Don't try to sing it like Michael Bolton, sing it with your voice. Also your tone and pitch are very inconsistent. That said, I think you will be able to do that song with some practice

[Pekka]

Thanks sexy  yes i know it´s not very good but this was my first attempt without any training for this song. If i sing it my own voice it will be falsetto and i do not want that  I will continue practising,

[ronws]

Let me ramble a bit to help understand how Bolton got to where he was. I have read his memoirs and I suggest everyone should, whether you are fan of his music, or not. 

Anyway, he started out as a rock singer and he plays a number of instruments. 8 albums that went nowhere and 8 tours that were abysmal and ended in the red.

He was planning his 9th album and the producer he always worked with made a simple suggestion. He had done a demo of "Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding, pretty much how he would sing it as a "ballad" on his club dates. And the producer mangaged to convince him to put out a "soul" album. And, after 20 years of being a non-successful rock singer, he became an "over night" sensation as a soul singer and that album blew up on the charts.

So, don't be afraid to go where your voice takes you, even if it is not what you were expecting, at first.

 

[Pekka]

Let me ramble a bit to help understand how Bolton got to where he was. I have read his memoirs and I suggest everyone should, whether you are fan of his music, or not. 

Anyway, he started out as a rock singer and he plays a number of instruments. 8 albums that went nowhere and 8 tours that were abysmal and ended in the red.

He was planning his 9th album and the producer he always worked with made a simple suggestion. He had done a demo of "Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding, pretty much how he would sing it as a "ballad" on his club dates. And the producer mangaged to convince him to put out a "soul" album. And, after 20 years of being a non-successful rock singer, he became an "over night" sensation as a soul singer and that album blew up on the charts.

So, don't be afraid to go where your voice takes you, even if it is not what you were expecting, at first.

 

​Many thanks ronws, i think you are right about singing my own style but it´s so fun to try different songs and ways to sing  

[Pekka]

Haha, thanks for the shout-out, man. It's great to get out of your comfort zone. You'd be surprised what you can do, because many would classify Bolton as an R&B kind of guy, but here you are as a Rock guy and you're not having much trouble besides temporary range limitations while doing Bolton stuff.

I heard more of what I heard in that BeeGee's cover that reminded me of Michael Bolton. Like how you started with the "I could hardly believe it", and a few other places throughout. Keep working at it. Keep working on increasing your range and this song will get easier, as well as many others. I know you could probably name a bunch of rock singers with big ranges. You were already told that your range started to improve already in that other topic, so keep working on it

By the way, you may want to consider getting involved with the monthly challenge that I just started running, along with the rest of us.This month, we're doing Highway Star by Deep Purple. The whole point of it is for all of us to get out of our comfort zones and attempt something new. We voted on Rock this month and decided on Highway Star, because it isn't an easy song to do. The genre will change each month and we'll do something new. It's not a competition, so there's no pressure. A lot of us are going to be learning how to use production software, as well as how to approach these songs.

​Back in the early 90´s i had a band and we jam songs like,  smoke on the water, child in time and burn.. so count me in .... i´m a highway starrrrrrr.... YEEEAAAAAAHHHHH

[MDEW]

  Not bad for a starting point, I saw the thread that Gsoul suggested this.

   I think you should start singing to backing tracks......Let the feel of singing to the music guide you.

   The Bolton sound is not from a dropped larynx, I think it is more about the way he is holding back the air. It works for him because he cultivated it for a good while.

  Let your own expression guide you on this and I think you will sound great.

[ronws]

And part of Bolton's modern sound is opera training that he undertook, in part, to record his album of arias, which spent something like 6 weeks at the top of the classical charts, which doesn't normally happen.

[Pekka]

Nice! A little more work and you got this Pekka!

One suggestion. You are singing with a 'cry' in your voice throughout the song. It sounds a litttle bit overdone to me. Perhaps you could experiment with cutting back on that a little in places to create a little more contrast.

​Thanks Bzean123, i will do that in my next practise. Thanks for advice.

[Pekka]

  Not bad for a starting point, I saw the thread that Gsoul suggested this.

   I think you should start singing to backing tracks......Let the feel of singing to the music guide you.

   The Bolton sound is not from a dropped larynx, I think it is more about the way he is holding back the air. It works for him because he cultivated it for a good while.

  Let your own expression guide you on this and I think you will sound great.

​Many thanks MDEW, i think you are right that Bolton hold back the air to get his great voice. I´m sure backing track would be a great help for me to get the right feeling and to get into the song.

[Sexy Beast]

i think you are right that Bolton hold back the air to get his great voice

You don't want to hold back the air. What you need is a proper balance between airflow and cord closure.

[Pekka]

You don't want to hold back the air. What you need is a proper balance between airflow and cord closure.

​Thanks, i think i need everything to improve

[Gsoul82]

I think we get bogged down in the terminology often. It does sound like he's holding air back a bit, and it may help to think of things that way while trying to mimic the effect. As long as you're not hurting yourself.

[Pekka]

Actually GSoul82 your are right, i was holding back the air. I was trying to soud like Bolton and i think the song needed that. Without that it´s going to be falsetto

[Neko]

Well Pekka, well it's really not bad. You have a good voice. Maybe you should listen to yourself more carefully to correct those little pitch imperfections that sometimes drive you out of the melody line. I guess singing with backing track should help you in doing so. Peace, bro!

[Pekka]

Many thanks Neko  backing track would help me a lot.

[Felipe Carvalho]

Hello Pekka! Yep this needs some work.

Towards the end you relax more. Listen to "How am I supposed to carry on".

If you sing around that level of weight and color, it will be much better.

About pitch I agree with sexy beast. Also pay attention to how you attack notes , you are coming from bellow the pitch a lot of times.

 

Keep it up!

[Pekka]

Many thanks Felipe

[Denis Gallén Iserte]

Hello Pekka,

in my opinion you need to work your breath, in the end of most of your verses you lose the air and your notes fall down 

after that you Have to project ( is this the word) outsider be cause you are putting your Voice too much inside.

i' d like to tell you better, but english is not my best

[Pekka]

Many thanks Denis, i think i understand what your mean

[Bono]

Pekka, in my opinion you should spend a while learning to realease your voice. Once you find freedom you will sing this song beautifully cause range isnt your problem. Regarding the pitch thing I suggest you to sing along a bed track

[MDEW]

   This has already been said but singing to a backing track or to musical accompaniment is a must. The music is what gives you your pitch center and it is easier for YOU to tell when your pitch is off a little.

   Having the music to sing to also gives you a way to let yourself go and get a better feel for the song. It can get your whole body involved instead of just your vocal folds and diaphragm.

[Sexy Beast]

Also I recommend learning music from records, phrase by phrase. Listen to the phrase, repeat the phrase. This will improve your ear, pitch, phrasing the list goes on...