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Demo Area for the Bold - Critical Feedback for the more Experienced

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  • everdroneeverdrone Pro Posts: 183
    edited August 2016
    any constructive criticism is welcome, from first time posters, everyone :)

    Im just trying to get better at singing :wink:

    matter of factually speaking, I recorded this clip in one take, with only practicing singing the song one time, sweet child O' mine (Guns N' Roses cover by Ron) :

    [url]https://youtu.be/jANj5B4efos[/url]
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    Sounds pretty good @everdrone, but I'm a little concerned that it sounds like you're pushing kind of hard on all those G#'s that happen over and over in this song. If you're just doing it because, taste-wise, you like the overdrive on your voice, then fine, but it sounds kind of blasty. Can you sing these same lines in a little cleaner way, without all of the distortion and without accenting the high notes so much? If so, then never mind. I just want to be sure you're not wearing your voice out too quickly.

    Most of your demos that you post have this driven sound, which is very popular. It can be addictive, and we can tend to rely on it just about all the time, because it is so much fun to do. Just remember to always go back and clean up the sound when you finish.

    How are you doing with your band establishing? Are you playing out yet, or are you still trying to find the right group of players?

    All the best!

    Bob
  • everdroneeverdrone Pro Posts: 183
    edited August 2016
    @highmtn , thanks for your insights, You have helped me out a lot over the last year!!! :smile:

    I appreciate these insights. My whole life I pretty much only listened to music with distorted vocals, so that is the sound I want. But I do not want to blast where too much air is drying out the chords, so I need to be careful of that.

    today I sang my second take of this song "Sweet Child of Mine" without vocal distortion:

    https://youtu.be/LqWqrPsYidc

    you can tell I was less jazzed about it cause no distortion, but I definitely appreciate the challenge and these insights :)

    every day I sing the KTVA volume 3 workout for the last year with no distortion and no speed bump breaks between chest and head voice, here are the highest pitch notes I do every day (toward the end of this 1 minute video, ultra high notes way beyond high F):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-BusMpUo90

    I switched careers so I got an trainee level salary and an unreliable car (DFW bands travel a lot), so Im grateful for my new career I chose and that I can go to bandhub to collab with other musicians, so I might do that later on

    Thanks again highmtn, cheers :smiley::smiley::smiley::smiley::smiley::smiley:
  • stratmanstratman Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 364
    Singing high has been a desire of mine for more time than I can imagine. @Semi, I too would like to get a more 'manly' sound into my high notes. When I watch @everdrone do that vol 3 exercise (last post) ... dude, I'm amazed how far you can get your full voice (the 2 highest maybe a bit 'shouty' but the rest was where I'd like to be ... I noticed that you had the concave tongue shape that Ken talks about).

    Here's me doing my highest sustained note (E5). It's all quite heady but I'd like to develop the hint of 'rasp' I got in the last phrase.

    Rob

  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    @everdrone,

    Thanks for letting me hear your unvarnished version of the same song. You're singing with a lot finer control when you don't have your distortion "blankie" to hold on to... Just kidding, but it lets me hear the detail in your voice a little better. Those G#'s I was talking about are just a little inconsistent Pitch-wise. I think it would be really good training for you to put aside the distortion for a while and zero in on landing on-pitch on difficult notes in that part of the scale.

    I have no doubt that you can sing above G# and higher, but doing the version that is more revealing of intonation will help you to nail those pitches spot-on more, with the increased precision that I am hearing in your clean version.

    I do the same thing, loving the sound of grit in the voice so much that I don't like it when I'm asked to tone it back, but then when I do, I find that some of my best work is done on clean vocals with difficult melodic lines. And THOSE really need to be spot-on with regards to pitch. Nobody wants to hear a great melodic line delivered a few cents flat or sharp or wavering around.

    You are developing into a really decent singer, and I have noticed as you step up a rung or two on the ladder with your demos.

    Make a liar out of me. Start doing some things that are more of a vocal challenge AND support them and strip away the distortion. I know you're right there at the doorstep to the next level for your voice. It's fun to watch you grow as a vocalist. Keep up the good work!

    Bob
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    @stratman,

    You're getting more and more consistent at supporting these high notes. Good job! I like the fact that you keep using the same sections of the same songs. We can compare apples to apples and get a real sense of your progress.

    Bob
  • stratmanstratman Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 364
    @highmtn I've been wondering about how many cents (+/-) that the average public would detect out of tune. Have you ever seen documentation on this? It would be great to know what a professional usually does when singing live. With most using melodyne or similar on studio recordings these days it must be a frightening prospect for some to go on tour?
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    edited August 2016
    @stratman,

    Sadly, many artists that rely on melodyne and such technology are able to bring it on the road with them, and have their vocals autocorrected on the fly as an insert to the sound console. The audience would never know that they are listening to a corrected digital clone of the live vocal. The latency of the processing is nothing compared to the latency of the speed of sound in a large arena. It would appear to be the actual live vocal.

    In reality, we all sing just a skoshe out of tune, but there is a tolerance of a couple of cents that is essentially indistinguishable. Beyond that threshold, it can begin to become painful for some to listen to.

    Here is an article that has some interesting insights into your question:
    http://jrm.sagepub.com/content/63/1/89.full.pdf
  • everdroneeverdrone Pro Posts: 183
    @stratman thanks brutha!!! :) I pull a little chest voice up even to those high notes. I dont like singing head voice only like Prince does.

    Thanks so much highmtn, I thought about your post closely. I think it would be good for me to do more clean songs for covers (maybe less for originals since I like heavy rock) so I figured I would start now. Had to give this song a go, Cream's White Room:

    https://youtu.be/b82dqQpAv9c
  • AViTAViT Member Posts: 6
    Hey guys! I'm back with another banging cover! I think this cover hits my best vocal attributes.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHPHCm4HC6g
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    Nice job, @everdrone! You even did the parts that were originally done in head voice in chest.
  • everdroneeverdrone Pro Posts: 183
    highmtn said:

    Nice job, @everdrone! You even did the parts that were originally done in head voice in chest.

    Thanks friend, I really appreciate it! I slipped up today and did a distortion song. only in 2 takes so I am on to bigger and better things with nondistortion songs, Im thinking the Doors people are strange or something next with no distortion in the original recording. its challenging to do a song that has distortion in the recording and then not put distortion in it when I sing it cause I love my distortion blankie lol :smiley:

    heres what I sang tonight,

    Soundgarden's "Pretty Noose":

    https://youtu.be/0VobcUAG158

    @everdrone

    I listened to your distortion Sweet Child cover. Nice man, I can hear great improvement from the last time I listened to your voice. I don't know if this is because of recording latency, but your voice actually sounds a bit rushed in comparison to the instruments. In my opinion, a little tempo swing where you lay back on the beat would go a long way. You generally start a phrase at a good time, but the phrase itself is going a little faster than the rest of the song.

    Thanks @blondiewales , thanks so much for the listen. I am glad you think you hear great improvement in my singing! Matter of factly speaking, all my singing recordings I have ever done, I never did more than a couple takes (less than 5 takes). I never memorized the lyrics or any timing. so I appreciate your comment and will take it into consideration to actually spend time on learning a song like normal singers do lol I do not think it is latency cause I have a fast new computer and do not run any plugins when I record.

    Thanks for the listen and feedback, Im glad you liked it! Cheers :smiley::smiley::smiley::smiley::smiley:
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    @everdrone
    Once again I notice how much your voice sounds like Ray Davies of the Kinks. Sounds like you're having fun.
  • everdroneeverdrone Pro Posts: 183
    lol forgot about that

    I gotta try a kinks song, just not lola lol
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    Sunny Afternoon might be good.
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    Nice demo, Manuel! I like it! Nice style.

    Bob
  • musikmanmusikman Pro Posts: 7
    Thanks Bob, that was a one take recording(with added reverb) I did, before I purchased KTVA (about a year ago). I recorded myself right now and compared it to this video...Big difference in tone. Sounds more full and less scrawny(who needs reverb!?). Feel free to critique or give any creative advice.
  • everdroneeverdrone Pro Posts: 183
    edited September 2016
    highmtn said:

    Sunny Afternoon might be good.

    Thanks friend, great recommendation! I did this in 2 takes matter of factly speaking:

    Sunny Afternoon - The Kinks

    https://youtu.be/bbtv4AKSk0U

  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    @everdrone,

    DUDE, you KILLED this tune! You could put together a Ray Davies tribute band and just nail it. I like that you came out of your usual Rock box and just slayed this really different style.

    Love it!

    Bob
  • SemiSemi Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 153
    Cool, @everdrone! Nice tune, I like how you tell the story.....
  • Jonathon, Cezanne, Will, Billy, and I present our new music video, Velma! This is definitely the best thing I've ever put on YouTube. Enjoy!

    https://youtu.be/4X1oCHywoBk
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
  • everdroneeverdrone Pro Posts: 183
    highmtn said:

    @everdrone,

    DUDE, you KILLED this tune! You could put together a Ray Davies tribute band and just nail it. I like that you came out of your usual Rock box and just slayed this really different style.

    Love it!

    Bob

    Thanks Bob, I really appreciate it! Cheers :smiley:
    Semi said:

    Cool, @everdrone! Nice tune, I like how you tell the story.....

    Rock on Semi, thanks so much for the listen! :smile:
  • everdroneeverdrone Pro Posts: 183
    edited September 2016
    OMG first time I admit saw black Sabbath last night in Dallas!! it was amazing.

    got inspired from the show did my first Bandhub Recording, Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" as lead singer with some other musicians:

    https://youtu.be/ZTMM--2eZJk

    man that Bandhub hates my laptop! it almost always freezes and does not upload after I record. Ill have to try my desktop since its a faster computer, but now I gotta buy the webcam for the desktop lol :)
  • stratmanstratman Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 364
    @musikman I could listen to your tunes for hours. Very good.
  • stratmanstratman Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 364
    @everdrone that kinks song suited you perfectly. Well done.
  • stratmanstratman Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 364
    Still working on more support in my higher notes. Looks like I need to spend more time on pitch accuracy :)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okCAeGgk_kE
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    Nice job, @stratman. On some of the high notes, they sound just a skoshe underpitch. These are the notes where Ken wants us to "come in from behind and drop down into them." It's much harder to reach up to difficult high notes, as opposed to dropping down onto them. Of course, as always, these same notes will need the usual ton of support to help make them come out easier.

    You might want to experiment with that concept a little bit and see if it works for you. You really are starting to sound pretty good. I'm just tossing something out for your consideration.

    All the Best!

    Bob
  • everdroneeverdrone Pro Posts: 183
    thanks @stratman, I dig your choice on songs, sunshine! cool man. I agree with highmtn, always great insights from him

    keep rockin!! cheers
  • everdroneeverdrone Pro Posts: 183
    ok I recorded a song that is clean but went overboard with having fun with distortion, but I did sing parts of it clean ;) its

    Stone Temple Pilots: "Vasoline"

    https://youtu.be/nGKZCpIPxZQ
  • SteveKSteveK Pro Posts: 556
    At everyone some real nice tunes sung very well your all doing such a great job!!! Keep at it!!!

    Never give up!
    Stevek
  • everdroneeverdrone Pro Posts: 183
    cool SteveK I cant wait to hear your next stuff, and I wanna see it in your roman toga robe costume too lol

    well, I made a thread a week ago but figured Ill just post it here too...

    I wrote a new song, inspired by the Black Sabbath show I just saw last week. Free download here on soundcloud:


    video:
    https://youtu.be/byPYOwDwUls

    lyrics:

    SONG TITLE IS:
    CONTEMPLATING THE VASTNESS OF SPACE

    Contemplating The vastness of space
    Destroyers seeking out, lasers beaming through our minds
    Im falling out, beyond my dreams
    Death ray pointed at me, blinding light pierces through the veil
    Im tripping out, slipping into oblivion

    A sound of lightning, The high priest the coming
    Im levitating, truth unraveling
    A cloud of smoke, light form beings arrive
    Welcome presence, intake erase

    Given gifts of light, given all the eyes can see
    Seven flying tigers find the key

    Contemplating
    The vastness of space
    Im Counting down
    Vanish without a trace
    DESTROYERS MIND ERASE
  • SteveKSteveK Pro Posts: 556
    @everdrone loving the tune. You have out done yourself. Your work on your clear buzz. Has made your distortion sound awsome. Really enjoying it. Keep it up dude.

    Stevek
  • everdroneeverdrone Pro Posts: 183
    killer thanks Stevek

    ROCK ON!!!! :-)
  • stratmanstratman Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 364
    @everdrone awesome original. Vocals fit very well with the fat sound you're getting with the instruments ... good bass playing too B)
  • stratmanstratman Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 364
    I'm beginning to feel more comfortable with my higher notes. I always struggled with bridge in this song until a couple of weeks ago. My full range is getting much easier to control .. still a way to go with pitch ... working on it :)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOScBcH4ZPQ
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    @stratman,

    I've got to admit it's getting better. A little better all the time!

    Bob
  • SteveKSteveK Pro Posts: 556
    @stratman way cool! Sounds great!
  • musikmanmusikman Pro Posts: 7
    @stratman - happy to hear that, I dig that old man cover. Great song choice!
  • everdroneeverdrone Pro Posts: 183
    stratman said:

    @everdrone awesome original. Vocals fit very well with the fat sound you're getting with the instruments ... good bass playing too B)

    Thanks brutha!!! ROCK ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
  • stratmanstratman Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 364
    edited October 2016
    Before KTVA, I could not reach the D4's when doing Hey Hey, My My in this relatively low key. (Actually, I sounded crap in any key :) ). I would be shouting a C#4 or D4 so badly that it was painful. I feel so much more control after doing this.

    I am so thankful for the material Ken has created in his course. I've finally found a teacher that knows what he's doing. @highmtn please pass on my thanks.




    The story doesn't end there!

    I can get all the way to A4 now with a reasonably full sound




    And A5 being top of head voice

  • KevinGremKevinGrem Pro Posts: 217
    Posting Ken's copyrighted material is apparently illegal. You aren't allowed to post recordings of you singing along with Ken's vocal workouts.
  • stratmanstratman Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 364
    @KevinGrem I think @highmtn will need to confirm legality because l can't see how you could get critiqued on progress without recording yourself singing the scales.
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    You do not have the right to post or publish any of Ken's entire workouts publicly on YouTube or anywhere else. Reasonable excerpts are allowed for posting on the KTVA forums for vocal critiques. KTVA reserves the right to limit or require to be removed any copyrighted KTVA materials posted publicly.

    No one has ever been asked to remove a Basic Lah scale or an EE scale, or a reasonable focused evaluation.

    Someone was asked to remove a posting of the entire Volume 3 workout from YouTube.

    We don't need to hear an entire Volume 1, 2, or 3 workout to give you vocal advice and help you on your way. Most of the time, the basic Lah scale will do, or if it's another vowel giving you problems, then that basic scale should suffice. The moderators know what to listen for and we can focus on what you need to adjust by hearing you on a few short, standard exercises, rather than entire KTVA volumes.

    Use good discretion and enjoy a great, helpful environment for singers.
  • My live acoustic performance of Lucky by Radiohead! I'm really happy with how this turned out.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTraUsU_7cc&feature=share
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    Nice job, @overdriveisclassy. This is a lot different from anything I've heard you do before.

    Bob
  • thecavesthecaves Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 9
    Hey guys!

    Here's a cover from "What's up - 4 Non Blondes" we did with our band.
    It was a bit more than half a year ago and at that point I hadn't started with the KTVA program yet.

    I'd just like to know what you think of my singing voice, what I should improve etc.
    Any feedback is very welcome!! :)

    Cheers!

    vimeo.com/185987000
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    edited October 2016
    @michelle,

    You probably want to get a little more timbre into your voice, and possibly slow down the vibrato just a bit. You have a wide range, from low to high, good pitch. A little more breath support will give you a bit more tone and stability.

    You're starting from a good place.
  • everdroneeverdrone Pro Posts: 183
    @overdriveisclassy that radiohead was awesome! My favorite of yours so far. what are you using to capture the acoustic guitar tones? It sounds huge! great stuff man.

    I was wondering what you thought of other people's clips in this forum as well.
  • thecavesthecaves Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 9
    Thanks for your feedback highmtn! Highly motivated to get better!! :smiley:
  • NezarithNezarith Member Posts: 7
    Hi, I'm Mathieu from France, i'm 23 and half, here are

    My chest voice training on "My Selene - Sonata Arctica" - Song



    Also, here is my training too, on Bruce Dickinson song, "Tears of a Dragon"





    I see that there are very good singer here :open_mouth: !!
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    Hi, @Nezarith,

    Nice to hear from you. You have a strong voice.

    Bob
  • NezarithNezarith Member Posts: 7
    Thank you Bob ! I am amazed of how good Ken's method work, I can litteraly see the progress each week !!
    But still, it's hard to sustain the notes above F# in full chest (well, I shed weight when I ascend but huuu... it's so hard !)

    Damn high G barrier haha !!
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    @Nezarith,

    You'll find that it gets easier as you move along. It just takes a bit of time.

    Bob
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    @KevinGrem
    Sounds good. You seem to be using good support, everything sounds within your range. It's a little odd to watch, because the video is about 2 seconds ahead of the audio.

    Bob
  • KevinGremKevinGrem Pro Posts: 217
    :) Thank you Highmtn. I have improved a lot since using Ken's program. I'm a lot more relaxed and using proper breathing and support, among other things.
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    @KevinGrem,

    Stay on that trajectory, Kevin. It takes time for the voice to mature into more advanced places, but when things start falling into place for you, it keeps on going and going. Don't lose patience or faith, and you will be amazed, seriously. Think about this in a few years, and you'll look back on this time and be very pleased with what has happened to your voice as time goes by.

    Just be careful that you don't oversing. That will set you back. Steady improvement will happen if you can avoid the setbacks by cutting back the air and supporting well.

    Good Singing to You!

    Bob
  • metalbrmetalbr Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 10
    https://youtu.be/5GBoM3G9tds
    Hi, everyone, Im on the first stage of Ken's DvD's
    Can you also comment on my accent, what is odd to you ears)
    thank you all)
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    edited October 2016
    Hi, @metalbr,

    Sounds pretty good. As to the accent, it's not that thick, so I wouldn't worry much about it. What I would recommend is that when you sing lyrics, you try to minimize the consonants. You should graze over the consonants very lightly and focus more on the vowels themselves.

    Bob
  • metalbrmetalbr Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 10
  • stratmanstratman Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 364
    Been wanting to sing this song for years. Many of you are unlikely to have heard the guy who sings this but he's worth checking out ... Greg X Volz of the Christian band Petra.

    Comments welcome.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wHf6FCIW1PU
  • stratmanstratman Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 364
    Btw. Got some in-ear monitors. Really worth the investment. I notice they help reduce my tendency to shout to hear myself. Turned up loud enough I can sing very softly focussing on holding back the air.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RtdIomU1puE
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    @stratman,
    You're getting that girth pared-down very well on your high notes. Sounds smooth.

    Bob
  • SemiSemi Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 153
    Hi,

    I did some recording again. This time I tried to be more sensitive, emotional in this amazing ballad from Queen: Save me. The other one is Rosanna by Toto. Before KTVA I had no idea that this band had so many great songs like Hold The Line, Africa, Only The Children.... thanks for the recommendation!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSdFuV3LiWU
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fL_pqOcR28

    Sam
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    Nice job, Sam! You're getting more and more comfortable with those higher notes!

    Bob
  • SemiSemi Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 153
    Thanks, @highmtn!

    Do you have any recommendations for songs I could try the next time?

    Sam
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    @Semi,
    Maybe "Lights" by Journey? Possibly "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson?
    Either one of those or anything like them would be a big challenge, and hard to accomplish, but I think they would help you to grow your voice. You've been doing some very brave and difficult songs lately.
  • SemiSemi Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 153
    edited November 2016
    Thanks for the recommendations, @highmtn!

    Funny thing is that "Lights" was the very first song by Journey I`ve tried to sing, but hit the wall really hard because at that time I had no stamina and still used those big, almost covered vowel sounds I used in bel canto. I think it`s time to revisit the song.
    I always wanted to sing something from Michael Jackson! Today I tried to sing "I Wish" from Stevie Wonder and had another AHA moment. Trying to emulate his effortless sound I realized that I need to lower my volume, add as much brightness-mask into the sound as possible and open my vowels even more. I was shocked how easy it suddenly became! I think I will use this approach in "Billie Jean" and "Man In The Mirror".

    Sam
  • everdroneeverdrone Pro Posts: 183
    edited November 2016
    Just finished videotaping and recording a new song:
    https://youtu.be/FHSpSsGYAuA

    free download here:
  • Poon_summitPoon_summit Member Posts: 8
    This is my try on 'New Divide' by Linkin Park.. plz give me suggestion so i can improvee myself. Thank you https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqmNXli2GXM
  • SteveKSteveK Pro Posts: 556
    @everdrone just listened to Red Mountain. For the first time. Sounded great! YOUR SOUND is clearing up nicely sorry I had to laugh when I saw sub titles. I could hear you word for word. Everytime you post something you can tell you work hard practicing you put all you got into what you do. Keep it up. Your killing it.
    To bad you don't live down the street. I'd call the cops tell them to have you turn up the volume.
    Steve
  • quentinbquentinb Pro Posts: 27
    edited December 2016
    Going through this discussion is very inspirational! I hope I can build my voice and create some nice tunes just like all of you have ^__^
  • SteveKSteveK Pro Posts: 556
    @quentinb I have found from the time I have been here on this forum. The people who put in the time and do the course. Get a really good start but like me a lot of people end up in the diaphragmatic support area. Then it all gets lost in frustration. But the ones who keep at it past the frustrations begin to get "ah ha!" Moments. (Frustration = time for you muscles to grow and become ready for the next step). Then there's the people who keep going practicing and practicing. Those are the people I have seen shine.

    You can grow. just take the time and go the distance past the time where you want to give up. And there are are people here that can help you grow by you posting the wonderful lah exercise. Or just record yourself everything you practice and listen for your voice to grow on a daily at first then weekly - monthly pace. All depends on what you put into your own training.
    YOU WILL GET THERE DON'T GIVE UP!

    Steve
  • everdroneeverdrone Pro Posts: 183
    SteveK said:

    @everdrone just listened to Red Mountain. For the first time. Sounded great! YOUR SOUND is clearing up nicely sorry I had to laugh when I saw sub titles. I could hear you word for word. Everytime you post something you can tell you work hard practicing you put all you got into what you do. Keep it up. Your killing it.

    To bad you don't live down the street. I'd call the cops tell them to have you turn up the volume.

    Steve

    @SteveK thanks brutha!!!!! Im glad you dig, thanks for the listen!!!

    That would be cool - tell the cops turn IT UP!!1

    Thanks man, I am reworking things, still put in 1+ hour a day for the last 1.5 years. my diaphram stomach muscles are sore every day in a good way after workouts, so I gotta eat right and do cardio. Its all about focusing every second on the singing while singing. Im prolly not gonna do as much distortion, I need to rework it and tweak it more before I break it out again. Im gonna start a youtube channel for my covers.

    Keep rockin brutha! look forward to hearing your jams :)
  • Johan_KaleviJohan_Kalevi Pro Posts: 171
    Hi KTVA!

    Best of the Season to you ALL - hope you're well! :-)

    This is a new collaboration from Bandhub - an original song from a member named 'Arepie' from Malaysia.

    In this tune, there are musicians from Malaysia, England, Australia, USA and myself from Canada.

    I wrote the lyrics for this one and am on the vocals.

    It's called: "Standing Still".

    Peace,
    Johan

    http://youtu.be/DWCzsCt8bWE
  • quentinbquentinb Pro Posts: 27
    SteveK said:

    @quentinb I have found from the time I have been here on this forum. The people who put in the time and do the course. Get a really good start but like me a lot of people end up in the diaphragmatic support area. Then it all gets lost in frustration. But the ones who keep at it past the frustrations begin to get "ah ha!" Moments. (Frustration = time for you muscles to grow and become ready for the next step). Then there's the people who keep going practicing and practicing. Those are the people I have seen shine.



    You can grow. just take the time and go the distance past the time where you want to give up. And there are are people here that can help you grow by you posting the wonderful lah exercise. Or just record yourself everything you practice and listen for your voice to grow on a daily at first then weekly - monthly pace. All depends on what you put into your own training.

    YOU WILL GET THERE DON'T GIVE UP!



    Steve

    Well said! I'm definitely pushing, I've been practicing daily and things are rough. I've mentioned it before but when I say Ah it's the lah! I can see the back of my throat doing what it's supposed to do. But when I do the vocal exercises it's hard to use those muscles to open and close at will. Probably something that happens over time, but point is I'm putting it the work now :)
  • everdroneeverdrone Pro Posts: 183
    @Johan_Kalevi Nice stuff man great mix! I subscribed to your youtube channel just now, cheers :)
  • everdroneeverdrone Pro Posts: 183
    ya put in the work. do the level 1 for a long time, make sure your stomach and diaphram feels like its weightlifting, ONE LAST REP!

    you should see Ken Tamplin's stomach. he showed it on skype. ITS AN INHUMAN ABDOMINALS! his abs dont look anything like an aesthetic weightlifter's abs. They have no fat and look like there are bullet holes in between each abdominal, super cut up and weird muscle development.

    YOU GOTTA GO ALL OUT, INHUMAN, ONE LAST REP!!!! that fuels all the rest, all the finessing.
  • Johan_KaleviJohan_Kalevi Pro Posts: 171
    Thanks a lot, @everdrone !

    Peace
  • stratmanstratman Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 364
    @Johan_Kalevi your vocal tone is awesome. I could easily listen to your songs for hours. Well done man.
  • KevinGremKevinGrem Pro Posts: 217
    Hello stratman. I have criticisms towards you're singing but I'm not sure if I should say it. Only if you're ok with it...
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    @KevinGrem you can privately message someone if you think that would be better.
  • everdroneeverdrone Pro Posts: 183
    ya the goal is to improve and help others improve, if it is best by pm then do it

    a lot of us need the constructive criticism to move forward so just think of it like how could you hold that back from the world
  • Johan_KaleviJohan_Kalevi Pro Posts: 171
    @stratman Cheers, man! I appreciate that. Thanks for having a listen!

    Peace,
    Johan
  • everdroneeverdrone Pro Posts: 183
    Any Constructive Criticism is Great! finished this one today and yesterday:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvdCWK5guHI&feature=youtu.be


  • stratmanstratman Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 364
    @KevinGrem Please do give me some feedback. If it's helpful to others, this thread will be fine ... else pm me.
  • KevinGremKevinGrem Pro Posts: 217
    Well Stratman, in your case, I think a little change in mindset and attitude could really make a huge difference to your method of delivery. You're singing a heavy rock song (sweet child of mine) but you really don't give off the vibe people would expect when listening to that style. You sound timid, and a lot of your notes falter instead of holding them with rock solid pitch.

    It's good that you're holding back air and not straining. That's always a good start. You can't do any damage that way. But I think when it comes to singing hard rock and heavy metal, if you want to develop the right tone of voice for it, you need to start with the right attitude. I mean, that's how I started. The attitude is all about kicking ass and causing destruction. That's the mindset you need.

    In your case, the first suggestion would be to figure out how to deliver perfect pitch, first of all. That starts with the ears actually. I think you have the melodies down but the pitch isn't totally on. Then what you should do is spend a lot of time listening to your tone of voice and then use your ears to try to decide how to make it sound different. In my case I started singing with good melody but my tone was bad, so I just started recording myself and listening to my tone real closely enough times until I developed a better one.

    How long have you been singing?
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    @KevinGrem, thanks for asking stratman before you gave him your honest opinions on his voice. And @stratman, thanks for being willing to take some lumps to help others read and hear what might be helpful for you, so that they can learn from that.

    Just to let folks know, this thread does allow critical comments to be made, although any form of meanness will not be tolerated. Frankness, on the other hand, is fine.

    Anybody who wants to be spared the "critical" scalpel should post in the other demo thread "Demo Area for Newbies". That thread is a haven for those who are fearful that someone might tell them they sound awful, even if you do need a lot of work on your voice.

    To clarify, over there we won't tell you that you sound great if you don't, but we'll be a little more diplomatic about it in that other thread, just to keep newbies or others who are afraid of bombing out in public from being too frightened to post. We won't bite there. Here, we might nip you a little bit, but it's all in the interest of being real and helping you to improve. Once you get past the Fear Factor of posting in the first place, you'll know that you survived it, and will feel better about doing continued, periodic posts.

    Bullies aren't allowed anywhere on this forum. Period.

    There are other forums where you can have your fill of that.

    Rock on!
    :^)

    Bob
  • stratmanstratman Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 364
    @KevinGrem thanks for your feedback.

    As you correctly point out, I've got a lot to work on. I know my singing is not of a quality suitable for general consumption :'( . My wife and kids certainly don't hold back on their opinions ... "Dad, that sucks!" ... "just stick to playing guitar, you're good at that" ... "you're embarrassing me ... the neighbors can hear you".

    You might not believe this but I'm better than what I was. I'm almost 2 years doing KTVA. Most of you probably start your first KTVA day singing better than what I've achieved after 2 yrs B). I've got 48 years of bad habits to change. It's not been easy, Although my sense of pitch is still similar, I started with very poor cord closure and absolutely no sense of resonance. My timings not great either.

    My guitar playing is nothing too exciting but I have had the experience of playing in front of 15,000 people for a 5 hr outdoor New Year's Eve gig in the '90's (not a typo ... that is fifteen thousand) ... all covers but specialising in grunge (big at the time). My band members considered my vocals crap. They all shared lead vocal duty ... I wasn't allowed to do any vocal duty including backing :'(

    I started KTVA after I had a bad experience in church. All my adult life, I have played guitar in church. My current church usually has approx. 300 people at Sunday services and the singing part is typically 6 songs sung congregationally (everyone sings). A year prior to starting KTVA, we had a period where we didn't have enough singing leaders. The leader chooses songs for Sunday services and typically gives a strong vocal lead for the whole church to follow. I reluctantly offered to fill the gap.

    We sing a broad range of music. At times we do traditional hymns but mostly what's called contemporary Christian worship (google the likes of Chris Tomlin to get an idea). Most songs have their highest notes in the low to mid area my passaggio (C4-E4) and in good keys for guitar that can't be transposed lower without compromising guitar riffs.

    It was obvious to all that I struggled but we had no options ... I just had to do it. Thankfully my poor pitch control was quickly covered by the 300 other voices once I started singing the first line of each song. The major problem for me was that I couldn't introduce any new songs (latest songs released by Christian artists).

    I started KTVA to help me overcome my C4 roadblock and hopefully sing well enough to introduce new songs. We currently have enough leaders so I've been able to concentrate on guitar duties again. I'm continuing with KTVA because I have made progress and I'm confident that one day I may sing well enough to enjoy a spot on the leader roster.

    I post demos seeking advice but also to encourage others that have a roadblock at the C4-D4 area. Even though I don't sound great, the fact that KTVA has helped me sing in my passaggio is an inspiration for others (I've had quite a few people message me about this).

    In the last month I have begun to sense resonance in my chest. I can now feel how the vowel mods help maintain that sensation at higher pitches. I'm amazed at how softly I'm applying this but a big sound coming out. Very exciting.

    I'm on Christmas break from work and spending a chunk of that time committing Kens workouts to "ultrar deluxe" (look it up). Essentially, the software gives you realtime feedback on vocal accuracy. Once done, I'll post a video here to demo it.

    Cheers
    Rob
  • stratmanstratman Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 364
    @highmtn Good points. I posted before seeing your response. In one sense, I not a newbie due to length of time doing KTVA but could be considered a newbie in terms of singing journey. Where best to post any demos I do?
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    @stratman,

    You don't have to be a "newbie" to post in that thread, it was just named that to encourage the timid to post without fear of being humiliated. You are welcome to post where you want to. Certainly the Post Your Demos isn't for seasoned pro's only. We're amongst friends here.
  • everdroneeverdrone Pro Posts: 183
    this is good @KevinGrem, it is good to identify problems since they are all universal in some way. Kudos on improving things here on this forum!! :)
  • ArtickusArtickus 2.0 PRO Posts: 66
    Wanted to share with you guys my bands song we released recently after I came back.
    Lyrics in the youtube description. Hope you like it!
    Cheers \m/
    Artem

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDkNfmV2y6E
  • stratmanstratman Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 364
    As promised, here's a video of putting the exercises in performous. I had originally created slowed down versions of volume 1 dudes piano only exercises. They sounded a bit strange due to stretching. Today I finished adding all of volume 1 at normal speed.

    Here's a video of me doing the LAH. It's good that I can see where I'm going wrong. From what I determine, I tend to be late on most notes and not high enough on the top note. I'm pleased that I can see this detail to work on.

    @highmtn putting the pitch aside for the moment, could you let me know if you think I'm in chest for the full exercise? cheers Rob

    https://youtu.be/XdtGEF4x9G0
  • stratmanstratman Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 364
    I'm getting a few pm's asking about the software I used. The program is Performous which is the next generation of ultra star deluxe. It is free and you can get thousands of songs free for it if you know where to look eg http://ultrastar-es.org/en

    The program is just like PlayStation singstar. Regards getting Ken's exercises into it, I created the files myself from a combo of kens exercises and some midi I added. I then made the txt files that Performous uses to display the notes.

    I can make those available only if ken gives permission as they contain his copyrighted material.
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