Nothing Compares to You (PRINCE COVER)

RLV

I just learned to play this and the lyrics so I mess up a bit. This is a cover I'm working on this is just the first verse and chorus.
How am I doing?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTxoJRfIBK0

codeowl

@Jwal,

Great song mate, no doubt it is Chris Cornell's acoustic version of this you have been working on. I know what it is like to try and sing and play someone else's song, it is tough, especially if the phrases ring out past the bar, or don't go exactly with the strum/beat.

So I can see that your attention is divided between singing and playing, and you are struggling with both. Trying to get the melody/pitch right and remembering support, all while strumming in time etc... I am guessing when you sat up you were thinking "... I need to support more..."...

So one tip I have for you is on the guitar playing. I think your strumming could be more efficient and require less effort to keep in check if you kept the strumming motion consistent, and just hit the strings when you needed to. At the moment your strumming is starting and stopping, and this makes timing harder. Have a look at the Chris Cornell vid where he plays the acoustic on YouTube and watch his strumming hand. It keeps a steady up down motion, and he just hits the strings when he needs to to get the rhythm pattern he wants. Once you can do this, all you need to do is keep your hand moving in the same timing, and then you can apply more focus to the other things.
https://youtu.be/IuUDRU9-HRk

I would put in some time just playing the guitar on this. Just work on the rhythm without singing, and get your timing spot on. Get it so you can play with a click track without thinking about it.

Then practice the vocal with the track you are following without playing so you can sing it all the way through nailing the melody, the vowel mods you need to use to get to the higher notes, and how to shape the phrases.

I uploaded a cover recently and Doc gave me some great feedback on opening up my vowels. I have been practicing this and it has actually made the song easier to sing as well as sounding less closed off.
Cover - Bill Withers - Ain't No Sunshine

Then practice with a backing track, as you continue working on vocal technique for the track.
Then bring the two together to sing and play. At this point you have already worked out all the details for the vocal, in where you need to put vowel mods, and where you need to support more and your timing etc... and you can already play it without thinking about it, it will be way easier to bring the two together.

Regards,

Scotty

skv123159

Cool man
It's very difficult to do both singing and playing but awesome
I love this song but I cannot sing it
Prince has some rocking voice
But I felt kind of a country voice in you
It felt great
Keep working I would love to hear the full song
Happy singing