Best Of
Re: Is it really okay to practice sick?
@Ayush
I have a cold at the moment with chesty cough, tend to do vol1 exercise gently can help to clear the vocal cords and Ken has a loads of information you can look into.
I have a cold at the moment with chesty cough, tend to do vol1 exercise gently can help to clear the vocal cords and Ken has a loads of information you can look into.
Vocality
1 ·
Just another dude introducing himself
Hello, dear friends! I am Aster.
I am a metal guitar player, pianist, professional music producer, composer (mostly for cinematography), and rookie singer.
I have been a follower of Ken for quite some time, and have recently, with the help of a friend who has the 2.0 course, gone through the basic concepts and foundation of Ken's singing method.
Initially I got into singing for the sake of not relying on others when creating my music and have, very quickly, began to love it, becoming very interested in becoming the best singer I can be. I wouldn't say singing comes to me naturally, though. I have a long way to go.
Joining this forum, I hope that I can get more insight and information that can help me along my singing journey. As a sign of appreciation for this forum, though I am not an official KTVA member (since I haven't enrolled into the course), I would be glad to share any knowledge that I possess concerning music production (recording, mixing, mastering, etc.), composing, or guitar and piano, with anyone who has the need for it.
My music tastes revolve mostly around metal sub-genres (gothic, power, melodic), with my favorites being groups like Týr, Kamelot, Dragonforce, Wisdom, just to name a few. Though I am a huge appreciator of powerful, soaring vocals (and far from mastering them), being sorted as a dramatic baritone during my brief classical studies, I very much love listening to bands with singers resembling my voice type, bands like Moonspell, Charon, and such. Being a composer, of course, I very much listen to many other genres and types of music.
To any who care to read this, I am looking forwards to sharing my singing journey with you all!
- Aster
I am a metal guitar player, pianist, professional music producer, composer (mostly for cinematography), and rookie singer.
I have been a follower of Ken for quite some time, and have recently, with the help of a friend who has the 2.0 course, gone through the basic concepts and foundation of Ken's singing method.
Initially I got into singing for the sake of not relying on others when creating my music and have, very quickly, began to love it, becoming very interested in becoming the best singer I can be. I wouldn't say singing comes to me naturally, though. I have a long way to go.
Joining this forum, I hope that I can get more insight and information that can help me along my singing journey. As a sign of appreciation for this forum, though I am not an official KTVA member (since I haven't enrolled into the course), I would be glad to share any knowledge that I possess concerning music production (recording, mixing, mastering, etc.), composing, or guitar and piano, with anyone who has the need for it.
My music tastes revolve mostly around metal sub-genres (gothic, power, melodic), with my favorites being groups like Týr, Kamelot, Dragonforce, Wisdom, just to name a few. Though I am a huge appreciator of powerful, soaring vocals (and far from mastering them), being sorted as a dramatic baritone during my brief classical studies, I very much love listening to bands with singers resembling my voice type, bands like Moonspell, Charon, and such. Being a composer, of course, I very much listen to many other genres and types of music.
To any who care to read this, I am looking forwards to sharing my singing journey with you all!
- Aster
Aster
1 ·
Re: Why does Ken use the 'L' sound along with the vowels?
@Elara and @Klaus_T both gave good information on this post. I want to add a little bit, as well.
Lah, as opposed to just AH, starts the onset of the note out with a light consonant, "L"
In the scales we sing Lah, ah, ah, ah, ah , ah, ahhhh. Not Lah, lah, lah, lah, lah, lah, lah.
We are keeping the throat (vocal tract) OPEN for the remainder of the notes of the scale for contiguous vowel singing, aka Open Throat Singing. Every time we use a hard consonant, we have to work to reset the vocal tract to open it back up (or it simply is not open). Training in consonant-launched scales we will be totally dependent on launching every note with consonants. That is not good vocal technique. It's hard on the voice.
Some of you (like me) may have previously done some other courses using other methods that are entirely consonant-launched exercises. Such as Mum, mum, mum, or goog, goog, goog, or gug, gug, gug, or Nay, nay, nay.
Sound familiar?
Courses that teach this are duping the students. Putting harder consonants on every note is the opposite of Open Throat Singing, and most definitely not contiguous-phrase singing. The only way those students can hit the high notes is to pop them out with hard consonants. That doesn't work well in a real song. You can sing the notes in a scale, but not in a song. You don't learn to sustain notes with those consonant-launched notes.
Lah, as opposed to just AH, starts the onset of the note out with a light consonant, "L"
In the scales we sing Lah, ah, ah, ah, ah , ah, ahhhh. Not Lah, lah, lah, lah, lah, lah, lah.
We are keeping the throat (vocal tract) OPEN for the remainder of the notes of the scale for contiguous vowel singing, aka Open Throat Singing. Every time we use a hard consonant, we have to work to reset the vocal tract to open it back up (or it simply is not open). Training in consonant-launched scales we will be totally dependent on launching every note with consonants. That is not good vocal technique. It's hard on the voice.
Some of you (like me) may have previously done some other courses using other methods that are entirely consonant-launched exercises. Such as Mum, mum, mum, or goog, goog, goog, or gug, gug, gug, or Nay, nay, nay.
Sound familiar?
Courses that teach this are duping the students. Putting harder consonants on every note is the opposite of Open Throat Singing, and most definitely not contiguous-phrase singing. The only way those students can hit the high notes is to pop them out with hard consonants. That doesn't work well in a real song. You can sing the notes in a scale, but not in a song. You don't learn to sustain notes with those consonant-launched notes.
highmtn
1 ·
Re: Need help/input on a recorded performance
I suspected it might be something like that since you were on point everywhere else. Keep up the passion and energy mate 👍🏼
Wigs
1 ·
Re: Need help/input on a recorded performance
Hello!
I would suggest using in-ear monitors for rehearsals and live performances. There are a lot of things that distort a reality for a musician during performances (such as room acoustic, loudness of instruments e.t.c) It usually results in pitchy and out of tune singing. To me, you and your band are pretty good as No Doubt tribute. But this particular performance is pitchy indeed. I suppose it's more of a problem of you not hearing yourself properly rather than a vocal techniques
I would suggest using in-ear monitors for rehearsals and live performances. There are a lot of things that distort a reality for a musician during performances (such as room acoustic, loudness of instruments e.t.c) It usually results in pitchy and out of tune singing. To me, you and your band are pretty good as No Doubt tribute. But this particular performance is pitchy indeed. I suppose it's more of a problem of you not hearing yourself properly rather than a vocal techniques
birdcherry
1 ·
Re: Need help/input on a recorded performance
At 44s "real close up" the up is flat. The same parts of the song through out the performance are the same, you seem to go flat on this bit. In the chorus when you sing together you are not quite matching pitch with each other either and I'm not sure which one of you is off. However for yourself, you are getting the right pitch the rest of the time in the verses, so it's strange you go off for those times like at 44s. It's not pitchy per se, but there are the same parts of the song every time where your pitch is off, which is why I think people say you are pitchy.
Wigs
1 ·