Difficult vocals...

zoomchaser

For those that have sung songs such as Foo Fighters - The Pretender, Linkin Park - New Divide, Toto - Africa... How difficult would you say the choruses of these songs are for you? They are some of the most difficult passages to sing for me. There is definitely a limit to how long I can properly reproduce these passages before running out of gas. Wondering if others have the same experience with these types of vocals, and what your thoughts are on why this is.

Wigs

I have tried pretender a few times, I find it difficult because it's right at the limit of my chest voice. Sometimes it causes me to waver between chest and head, then distortion added to that is a whole different ball game. You need rock solid support and a very good understanding of breath control.

Diego

The notes are definitely up there. Pretty hard to get through. Wigs is right, the notes can sometimes lie right where your break is, and without proper understanding it can tire you out really quickly.

zoomchaser

One thing I find with these songs, like The Pretender, is that I get physically tired around my jaw, near the ears. I'm assuming it's because I don;t have proper technique. There are very few songs that make me physically sore in the jaw, but these are a few examples. I think you;re right that it's where the pitch is. Higher stuff, like Skid Row, Bon Jovi etc, I find relatively easy. Even DIO material is not nearly as difficult relatively speaking. Must just be were these vocal parts are, pitch-wise. Yeah, adding grit is another matter entirely. Fairly easy in other ranges (higher or lower), but at these pitches, just makes it that much more difficult.

ut0bct

I struggle very much with the lead vocal line in Africa. My band plays it 1 full step lower, which is as low as it can get otherwise the verse becomes too low. I can reach the notes of the chorus in either chest or head voice. I think the original is sung in chest, but my bandmates prefer that I sing in head voice because it sounds softer. What bugs me with this particular song is that the choruses are soooo long (especially the final one of course) and, as zoomchaser above, I end up being very tense in the jaw, particularly when singing in head voice. I do my best to release the tension but the end of the final chorus usually becomes just painful - and the problem is that, if you feel pain, then the audience will definitely feel it too! When I sing it in chest voice, I feel much better but I get very loud (I basically need to take a step back from the mike) and I do sound a bit harsh, which the song doesn’t need… a true conundrum… still a lot of work for me on this one… I welcome any suggestion - thanks in advance…!

charlie_v

I think I’ve always thought of myself as a competent singer. But KTVA has opened up a whole new vista.

Can you sing in head voice? Can you navigate the passagio? Without it, these songs are impossible.

I’m prepared to build the skills so i can sing these in the future!