Home VOCAL DEMONSTRATIONS for the Bold!

first demo

this demo was made with only repeating it a few times no real warm up.. i realise im pushing it but you got to start somewhere.. happy listening.

Comments

  • SteveKSteveK Pro Posts: 556
    maybe i should leave a link lol.


  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    edited September 2013

    Hey Steven!

    Good job for a first try.  You're not wasting any time.

    OK, here it comes.  This is the part where Bob suggests that more support will really help you with your vocal consistency.  Your pitch is fairly accurate, but where it falls short, it sounds like you're just not supporting enough.  Likewise, on your sustained notes, they kind of fall off a little shaky.  That again, is fixed by more solid support.  Finally tone.  Not bad, but more support will bolster that with consistency as well. 

    Don't beat yourself up.  I tell everybody this if I hear it in their voice, and I do almost all the time. 

    One other thing, for your future demos, see if you can get just a bit more of the backing tracks (music) on the recording for us to hear.  It helps us to reference what pitches you should be hitting.  Not much music, your voice should be predominant, as it is in this recording, but with the music just a little more audible. 

    This is a great start, and shows you've got the guts it takes to go for it, just a week after getting your KTVA package! 

    Keep doing those exercises to build your range and stamina, and work on your support. 

    Bob

  • SteveKSteveK Pro Posts: 556
    Thx Bob. As far as tone i think its lost because i practice softer then i sang this song. I start yelling into a pillow as everyone around here sleeps during the day lol.
  • SteveKSteveK Pro Posts: 556
    Ill work that support. Its one thing to be strong gutted another to support.
  • SteveKSteveK Pro Posts: 556
    Hey Bob. I work third shift so i read forum at night. Have alot of thinking time. Well anyway that yellin into a pillow wont help. Its about the open throat. The more open and exsposed your vocal cords are the more you hear its timbre. Hense covered sound comez into play. Just spoutin out my thoughts...
  • Ken TamplinKen Tamplin Administrator, Moderator Posts: 446
    edited September 2013
    Hi Steven, Bob is spot on the money with his evaluation and I agree with it whole heartedly.
  • SteveKSteveK Pro Posts: 556
    Thx ken. Appreciate your i put
  • SteveKSteveK Pro Posts: 556
    @highmtn wow bob where was my head i must have been sleeping at work you never said anything about timbre. Still as i increased air pressure i did notice more timbre. Also focusing on sppirting words/phrases til the end. Thx again for your evaluation. I realize your just scrapeing thx basics. Im sure my evals are going to get more intense as we go ty...
  • SteveKSteveK Pro Posts: 556
    @highmtn well you did talk about tone. Lol i was tone def til now i hear what you are saying. Today i was working on mumford and sons " I will" them it hit me tone. I see why ken talks about bright tamber. Them you can start keeping a nice tone quality. I will work o this thx again...
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
  • SteveKSteveK Pro Posts: 556
    @ highmtn i re did this recording mic cuts out a few times but can i get your opinion on this? the other is still there for compare if you like.  thx


  • SteveKSteveK Pro Posts: 556
    i realize i need lots of work but want to know if you notice what was better. And gulp what you think will really fix this?? thx again.

    anyone else can give there opinion you can be brutle i can take it. ;.( lol
  • ragnarragnar Pro Posts: 410
    Well first of all that's a way too difficult song for you (as well as for most people). As a result you are not in pitch for the choruses. Your tone is a bit too whiny/nasal sounding in general, probably from a raised larynx. It's not too bad in the verses but when you try to sing the chorus you raise it way up so that it blocks off your throat.

    I would watch the throat position video(s) again and do some staccato exercises with the Ah vowel, focusing on keeping that larynx relaxed and neutral and the soft palated raised. When you do get the tone and throat right progress from staccato to holding the tone and then doing slides and legato exercises.

    Hope that helps and don't take it too harshly as I don't mean it that way, it just takes too much time and space to sugarcoat things (as well as being unproductive in my personal opinion).
  • SteveKSteveK Pro Posts: 556
    Thx for you honest opinion.  would rather have it straight out... this is what gives me more drive. and understanding. the biggest reason i asked a second time was i was really pressing down on my abs for support.

    quick question. as i go up in pitch i notice my uvula going up. but the walls down want to come in. i thought i saw that happen as ken went up in pitch
  • ragnarragnar Pro Posts: 410
    Thx for you honest opinion.  would rather have it straight out... this is what gives me more drive. and understanding. the biggest reason i asked a second time was i was really pressing down on my abs for support.

    quick question. as i go up in pitch i notice my uvula going up. but the walls down want to come in. i thought i saw that happen as ken went up in pitch
    It's possible you're focusing too much on pressing down, causing tension. I'm not entirely sure what Ken actually teaches on the subject, but to me it makes no physiological sense whatsoever to be using your abs actively. Does nothing but create strain for me. Oh well.

    That description does sound pretty much right, but I'm not really hearing it in your demo. Try going through the song on an open mouth ah vowel, in front of a mirror, and see how it looks.
  • SteveKSteveK Pro Posts: 556
    Yea i have look in the mirror... my uvula goes up. But but maybe this is one of the main reasons i cant hit the higher notes easier. The sides stay wide open as it goes up. Ill practice more with mirror/cam to see if i can see it them move at all might be a relaxation thing.
  • ragnarragnar Pro Posts: 410
    What happens if you do an Ah slide from say C4 to C5; can you do it in chest? is basically my question.
  • SteveKSteveK Pro Posts: 556
    ok i did some slides up; to d5 my sound isnt the greatest but the uvula does up. and those walls stay put. but i did notice even thou my tongue was flat there was a slight rising of the tongue.
  • SteveKSteveK Pro Posts: 556
    @cgreen @ragnar again I ty for your honest opinion. the only reason I posted the second sound file was I thought by really exploding my abs would actually make it easier to sing. support suppport. I see now there is more then just tight abs is going to make it possible to sing better.


    as for as workouts go when ever I work out my vocals I should never sing a higher pitch unless my voice says ok on its own? or is it ok to reach for the next note? is it as I learn to support what I have the rest will come on there own?


    thx
    steve
  • SteveKSteveK Pro Posts: 556
    edited September 2013
    @cinema @ragnar as i was watching my tongue again. i remembered a quite familiar feeling and sound.as i went up in scale around A4 ish. my throat fell really open and un-fortunately my cords open up giving an airy sound. this is probably why i unknowingly reverted back to a raised larynx. i will spend more time in the mirror and watch it more closely as time goes by. its so easy to fall if your not paying attention. i'll give it time for my cords to re-adjust themselves in the new position again. Yes like everyone i want the range fast but its not doing me any good experimenting only to hinder any progress i may have made as i did. I have learned a lot here and appreciate all the feedback i'm given no matter how hard it is for me to swallow. just say send me a sample i cant help you if you go off on your own. i started out really good then i lost my way. i got so excited :) i was learning so fast. its OK to kick me a few times :)

    Happy singing

    steve
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