Bread Cover
sealrose
Enrolled Posts: 162
sealrose
Enrolled Posts: 162
sealrose
Enrolled Posts: 162
Comments
Good job on your entrance. You know me and the first line of any song.
At 0:22 the D on the word "out" is a little drifty.
And at 1:42 the F on the word "short" is likewise a bit in-between.
Pretty good job overall. Not much for me to nitpick. You're right. I did know this song.
Best!
Bob
I have done another take on this here Bread tune.....
Like I have told you many times before, I am having problems with recording.It just Not feel right for me...I am really battling with this. However, I am now using Headphones All the time now. I feel I am improving on this.
On Every single demo I have Posted to you I feel (I know) that they have been quite poor....I feel I am just trying to Get through it. I literally run out of Puff at the end of every line or Phrase.
This is what happens. I DO NOT breath properly....My Support lets me down Every time....For the life of me I dont Know why....Every time I do a Recording this happens....I break the first Law of Open Throat..I actually go into a depression for a few days....Really....I do a recording, then sing the same tune right away and then say 'why the hell didnt I do that'!!!!!!....It drives me nuts my Friend....I do need to overcome this. Bob this is really important to me...I am not doing this for anything else but that I am serious about this....I am a Tenacious lockjaw bulldog when I want something badly.....I want this badly.
You told me once that Ken (and Yourself most likely) that he manipulates the instrumental track to suit....I do demos with Karaoke tracks and instrumentals..I dont know if the frequencies are influencing me...maybe.
However, Like I said I am training with Headphones on All the time now.
Just a little bit of humor here....(I still have that) I was going through all of my Karaoke/instrumental tracks and I thought....' Hey Im running out of tunes to **** Up'.....I thought that was Funny....
Now with all this said.....I performed this again and I hope you will find an Improvement here.....I will keep soldering on untill this is correct....and then maybe I can start to include my Artistic Nature to these Great tunes I want to sing.....I know I can do it......
I feel this is an improvement.
Sorry about the long winded story here, but this is really important to me.
Cheers Bob and Stay Well Mate.
Tom
This one does sound better. A lot better, in several ways. The general approach is better and suits your voice. There are still a couple of owies in there that you need to work on.
But don't be so rough on yourself. This being a home studio type of recording, I know you have the capability to go in and fix small flaws, and that's what we should be doing, to make a more perfect version of the song. That's actually a great way to learn to sing the song live, in one take, better. We focus on the little spots that need work and learn, while recording, how to do them right. Then we teach ourselves how to reproduce that "right" way, from then on, without "punching-in" on the recording.
The spots I'd like you to work on, and learn to do more consistently are at 0:57, 1:57, and 2:57; Ironically, they all have the "57" time thing going on. But on that run, which is a turning point in the song each time it happens, your voice is uncertain and a little weak. So you need to figure out if you need to release into head or firm up a little and do them in a little stronger configuration of mid voice.
I monkeyed around with this a little bit, and it's kind of in a mix area for me. That makes it a little hard to decide, because the primo passaggio is right in there around the C, C#, D, D# area, so it's easy to get a little off-balance there. You could also make it chestier there, but that would cause it to sound too beefy, and that wouldn't be right for this song. So a lighter approach is appropriate, but you have to find that place in your voice that does the best job here.
I know this stuff can drive you crazy. You do 400 notes right on the money, and three notes get all of the attention. But recordings are expected to be right, because you can fix them... and in fixing them to give you 403 correct notes teaches you a lot. About consistency, about high standards, about really listening to and executing every single note to your greatest capability. It makes us become better singers when we hold ourselves accountable to higher standards. But part of that can be a little bit un-fun... Until at last we get that final 1% up to where we want to be.
I'm sorry to keep holding your feet to the fire, my friend, but really you keep getting better each time you improve just a little bit more.
You'll get the headphones and discernment thing figured out. Ken keeps the tracks down low, just enough so he can clearly hear the key and pitch, but has very little reverb and echo going and just enough of his mic so he can match it to the playback track. Too much reverb and too much mic and too much volume can mask the intonation and fool you into thinking it sounds right at the time. You want to be able to hear the pitch of the track and the pitch of your acoustical voice in the room, and match them. But the one headphone on and one headphone off thing can really cause problems because of the different pressures on the ear. So it's better to have low-volume headphones on both ears.
Don't ever give up. And yes, the breath/support thing is of utmost importance.
Bob
I also found that when recording I get real Tense. Not in the throat area, but in the chest shoulder area. I am very apprehensive and nervous when I record (and end up with the 'Stevie Niks' Wobble...!....This is just tension and a mental struggle.....I know this...Bob I have faced many scary and downright Dangerous things in my life.....But A microphone and Headphones and Recording....I *** myself.....Is this weird or unique?....
I can speak in front of a full stadium of People....No Problem....Performing Live in front of people.....No Sweat. Before a recording....My Heart starts pounding.
I have literally been shaking after a recording session. I think I put way too much pressure on myself when recording.
Bob, You have been with me pretty much from the start (would not have made it this far if not for you Dude) AND I AM NO WAY GIVING UP. I can do this and my recording problems aint gonna make me quit....its just very frustrating thats all. So I feel You need to know my problems. I do not talk to anyone else about this....No one. I trust you and no one else....I respect you....Just needed to tell you this.
This Bread tune is Not Easy. In my Opinion, David Gates is one of my favorite singers of All Time. He delivers with such sensitivity and its hard to replicate, but He is an inspiration to me and Id like to do his tunes as believable as I can.
I can do David Gates.....I can do anything!!!!!
Sorry to do this to you my friend but I have posted this tune again....Felt much more relaxed on this take.....In my opinion, this one is the best one (a few small issues, but I can recognize them...no big Deal)
One more thing....When I record I do not take one cup off my ear....never. Also I record Dry....no reverb...I add reverb in the mix.
I have been breaking the last rule of Open Throat....Psychology....!
This is a CONFIDENCE THING.....I will get there.
Thanks Mate. Tom
Thanks for doing it again, and yes, I understand the things you're going through. I have some of the same issues, but we just kind of keep slugging away and trying to find the ways to improve those things that are holding us back.
This is a better version, but I'm still wanting you to spend a little more time improving those same spots.
The ooh vowels on to, through, you... on those specific places, 57, 1:57, and 2:57.
You did improve them. I'm thinking you'll need to probably spend a bit of time just learning those lines, rehearsing them, and building more confidence in that tiny spot.
At first, I don't even care if you can sing the song end-to-end. I just want to hear you nail that little weak spot, and yes, it is a hard melody line because of where it is in the passaggio area. But that's what makes it such a valuable lesson. Knock that one out, and, like you said, you can do anything. Sometimes turning our weaknesses into strengths makes us a little bit crazy, but that's because it's taking our hardest problems and figuring out how to make them easy. Sounds good on paper, but in real life, it can be easier said than done.
If our roles were swapped around, I would have you tell me to spend a day working on one of these lines. Then come back the next day and do the same thing. Get so all-over that line that I know how to negotiate it like I know the back of my hand. Then do the other versions of that line.
Then come back and just work on recording that one line. Punch it in. Don't worry about the rest of the song. Get that one hard line perfect.
You're kind of on the verge of a vocal break there. You may need to do some sliders through that range to ease the muscles and get them to sound through that area that's a little weak.
I'm liking your voice on this song. But you know me. I'm holding your feet to the fire. Because I know you can do this. And I want you to own that line in this song. Not just slide past it.
You're my friend and I want that for you.
You don't have to rush to fix it for me. I want you to fix it for you, and I want you to feel good when you put those headphones on, because it's fun. Yeah, I can freak myself out, too, but that makes it un-fun, so I turn it around and enjoy it. You're doing the right thing to record dry and at low volume. I'm not sure what to say about what will be the ideal mix for you to hear what you need to hear. But I think you'll find it if you keep on working with it.
Take your time. If you don't want to, don't worry about it. But I think you'll get some self-satisfaction out of taking a really hard to balance line and managing to make it to the other side without a net. That's where your confidence will begin to grow.
Thanks for your patience with me.
Bob
I get everything that you have commented on with this tune.
I could Not have asked for a Better Coach....and Friend...
Until Next Time....Soon..
Go Well Mate. Tom
:-)