1st sample recording (on SoundCloud)
zorro325
Pro Posts: 16
Here's my first recording since I started using KTVA. I'm singing a bit of "Fields of Gold" by Sting. Let me know if you have any tips. Thanks!
Comments
Not bad for a first demo. I would suggest you brighten the tone and work on supporting more. More cord closure would help, as it's a little breathy. Good pitch.
You're off to a good start.
Bob
Listen to Ken on his demonstration of it's the LAH!!! AHH!!! Record Ken doing that and record yourself also doing that sound. Compare the two.
You can learn to experience cord closure by making a "h-h-h-h-ut" sound, where the "t" is not voiced, but just is made by the closure of your cords. On an "H", that sound is air passing through open vocal cords. When you close for the "t", you are closing your vocal cords.
Now you know how to feel the cords closing.
You don't want to sing with a "pressed" closure, just cords that are closed enough to stop the unimpeded air that leaks through when the cords are NOT closed. Do a "h-h-h-h-hut", and go directly into an AH vowel, "h-h-h-h-ut-AHHHHHH!" and make your ah sound just like Ken's "It's the LAH!!! AHH!!! AHH!!!" Really Bright and Pingy. Closed cords, but not pressed shut. Easy closure. Stop the air from leaking, but don't close the cords so much that you have to increase pressure in order to make a tone.
This will help to brighten. Also, Open the mouth very wide from side-to-side. Lots of teeth, cheeks raised, uvula raised. Throat open wide, jaw open. Use a little mask.
Bob
Bob
Ken demonstrates good cord closure every time he demonstrates "IT's The LAH!!! AHH!!! AHHH!"
The tone really pops and pings. It's not breathy at all. It's really, really BRIGHT.
You can watch the KTVA Webinar on HOW to SING with DIFFERENT TONES AND TEXTURES at about 22:00.
One thing I left out when I described the "h-h-h-huuuuut" is that the "T" part of "hut" is unvoiced. You don't use your Tongue to make a "T" in the "hut" the way you normally would in normal speech. You just go from the "air flow" sound of open cords on the "H" to letting the air be stopped by the closed cord sound. Just "think" the "T" and don't use the tongue. Let the cords kind of "pop" shut on the "t without a tongue sound". When the cords pop or "slam" shut, airflow stops until you increase pressure just enough to start a tone happening.
I'm not too sure about closure from VVV to AH. I can see why you might ask that, because "V" is a "voiced" consonant. So your cords are already being used when you do a vvvvvvvvv-ahhhh. When you do a hhhhhhhhu(t), "H" is an unvoiced consonant, so the cords are apart. You then pop them shut on the unvoiced (t). So for demonstration purposes of open cords to closed cords, I recommend hhhhuuuu(t).
That's where cord closure gets really important, how you use it really matters. You want just enough cord closure to get great tone and to also stop the overuse of air. So you actually can VARY the amount of muscular CLOSURE you apply on your cords, ONCE you teach yourself what cord closure FEELS LIKE and what it SOUNDS LIKE. THEN you have to monitor that you do close the cords, but not so much as to have to use too much pressure to make a tone. It's a balancing act.
You have to start somewhere, so learn what Ken sounds like and make your voice sound just like his.
He is using great cord closure. If your voice sounds just like Kens when you go "IT'S the LAH!!! AHH!! AHH!!!" then you don't have to worry any more about cord closure. If your voice sounds thin or muddy, you are not done yet with cord closure.
Bob