Ah ex 1

pmac

So here we go. This a recording of me doing the Ah vowel exercise ,after my first week on the vol 1 work out. There is a bit of silence at the beginning when i had to press record on my laptop and you can here my son shouting at his playstation in the backgroung but i hope its good enough for some feedback on the exercise.
https://www.box.com/s/df506f25bf1040acc73f

Cheers
Paul

sspatrick

Hey Paul

It sounds like you are on the right track here.  You could modify to the Aw(Loft) sound a little more on the higher notes, but because you are doing the exercises lightly it is not as necessary.  I do the exercises with a little more volume, but follow Ken's instructions.  Only as loud as you can sing with keeping the connection between chest and head voice. Overall, i  think you are doing very well.  Keep rockin.

pmac

Cheers Scott,

I am aiming to start adding a bit more volume next week,my third week.Thanks for your input its good to know i am heading the right way.

Cheers

Paul 

voodoo

Try to add some brightness into your tone, Ken calls it a "ping". The more open the throat, the brighter your sound will be. At some parts your tone was too covered. Keep the volume consistent for every note in the scale, and watch the pitch a little. Overall, good.

pmac

Thanks Voodoo,

I was watching my tongue today in the mirror and i am having trouble keeping it down.I have avery big tongue.The back of it seems to rise up and close off the back of my throat so i think this is gonna a big hurdle to overcome but i am working real hard on it.

Cheers

Paul

highmtn

Paul,

It's hard to pick your voice out distinctly on the recording.  Ken's voice is as much in the foreground as your own voice.  Usually when someone sings over the recordings of Ken, they will have the playback volume of the CD exercise at a very low volume, just to give them pitch cues.  They have their own voice at a considerably higher level on the resultant recording.

On your recording it sounds like Ken singing with a bit of echo on his voice (you). 

What I could hear, I would agree with Scott and voodoo.  Their advice is always spot-on. 

Please go ahead and make another recording, possibly even totally eliminating Ken's voice from the recorded portion.  That will give our ears more to work with, and yours as well.  There is nothing better than hearing yourself on playback that will give you such a reality check, and we will be glad to offer help if we can better discern what you are doing.

I would ask all others submitting demos for evaluation to please do the same, as well.

Thanks for asking, Paul, we're here to help!

Bob

pmac

Thanks for your advice Bob,

This is all new to me so i will take it on board and do as you recomend . Also imust add that the advice is great on here.

Cheers

Paul

sspatrick

@pmac,

as far as your tongue lifting  at the back of your mouth, that is a common hurdle that you will have to overcome when doing this program.  Try to keep it down at the base of the mouth as much as you can.  You could also make it concave in middle, almost like you are trying to hold a small amount of water on your tongue while singing. If the tongue does rise up, it will close off the back of the throat and cause tension as you were noticing.  Keep at it.  Remember that it is all about muscle memory, repeat the technique properly time and time again, and eventually it will become as natural as breathing.

pmac

Once again thanks for your advice and encouragement Scott. Much appreciated.

Cheers

Paul

highmtn

Paul,

Again, thanks for re-recording your demo.  This one is easy to hear what you're doing. 

The top note in each scale is a little flat.  You are capable of hitting the notes dead-on, because the highest two scales you nailed the high note, but then when the scales started going back down, the high notes went flat again.

That could be due to needing to push down on your diaphragm when you go high.  If you haven't gotten to that recommendation in your videos yet, that is a technique that helps to relieve pressure on your cords while getting to the high notes.  Also, using vowel modifications will assist you in finding more ease in the upper reaches of your voice.

When you get down to the lowest notes at the end of the exercise, your low notes go a little flat as well. 

As voodoo suggested, keeping the tone as bright as you can get it will help you to be able to discern your own pitch as you sing.  It's important to train your ear to listen to yourself and hear your intonation while you are singing, to learn to match pitches. 

You do have the makings of a good voice.  Take your time and keep practicing.  This is an important time in your vocal development, because you are building the foundation for your future voice.  Don't rush through without spending the time it will take to get the most you possibly can out of Stage One.

Bob

 

 

 

pmac

Thanks Bob,

Your advice and encouragement is greatly appreciated.I will not be rushing anything.I do the exercises after work and i actually find them a good way to wind down.With regards to the support,pushing down on the diaphragm,i think i release the pressure a bit early and ststr to run out of air. or i am not pushing down enough.I will take on board your advice about making the sound brighter.Also my big,fat  tongue with a mind of its own is a big hurdle for me to overcome.  

Cheers

Paul

Paul

highmtn

Paul,

Yes, the tongue does need to be forward and down at the bottom of the jaw.  Scott provided good feedback about that.  Ken recommends "down at the base of the jaw" and the sides curled up.  After you have practiced this for a while, it will become more natural and relaxed for you.  Initially, having your tongue in a position you are not used to can cause you to sound a little impeded, but that goes away with time and practice.

Bob