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'A Song For You' Acoustic Donny Hathaway

streeterstreeter Pro Posts: 679
edited July 2017 in VOCAL DEMONSTRATIONS for the Bold!
Hey guys.
Recorded this today. Along with Sam Cooke, Donny is up there as my favourite singer. Mind the plane... haha. I almost stopped but decided to keep going. It's one take but I did mix it.

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  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,380
    Sounding Good, @streeter. I've never heard this version before. It's got lots of nice moves.
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  • streeterstreeter Pro Posts: 679
    Thanks @highmtn Bob!
    I just kind of combined three different versions. The original by Leon Russell, Donny Hathaway's version both live and recorded and Elliot Yamin had some cool little runs in his version as well.

    I had to transcribe and chart it for acoustic guitar as there are no accurate charts for Donny's chord substitutions.
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  • MatsyMatsy Pro Posts: 168
    I love so much about your singing. What I love most though is how you always sing songs that I have never come across or would not consider singing and I end up loving the song because of the fantastic job you do of them.
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  • streeterstreeter Pro Posts: 679
    edited July 2017
    @Matsy... Wow man. That's probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me about my singing. Thank you so much.
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  • bentkbentk Moderator, Pro, 2.0 PRO, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 1,650
    Very nice tone. You've done a great job man.

    Thanks so much for sharing!
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  • streeterstreeter Pro Posts: 679
    Thanks Man @bentk !
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  • KaiEllisKaiEllis Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 215
    Agree with @Matsy !! Your interpretations of songs give them new life.

    I know you're in the Steve Perry fan club with me, and man, the tone here has all the things I love about Perry's earliest work with Journey. Which I guess means you sound a lot like Sam Cooke lol

    Well done!!!
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  • streeterstreeter Pro Posts: 679
    @KaiEllis

    If i sang like Sam Cooke i'd never shut up. Haha. Just sing for 12 hours a day.
    Love Steve Perry and his Era with Journey where he would float through with such ease, live, he was even better, being able to improvise new melodies and runs.
    Sam Cooke was a real revelation to me, then came Donny. There are some other guys as well from that era that are incredible singers, like Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Percy Sledge etc.. but there is something those two guys had I just can't put my finger on. I think Young Michael Jackson had it as well. Maybe on a technique level, they were just a little better than everyone else.
    George Benson has perfect pitch, is a very similar singer to Donny Hathaway but there is something Donny just has in his voice that... well, I just don't know. Maybe its artistic but Maybe there is a scientific/technique explanation. @highmtn any ideas?
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  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,380
    Now you're tempting me. I haven't sat back and listened closely to any of the original masters for a while.

    Gotta kick back and do that. That would be a real treat.

    :-)
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  • streeterstreeter Pro Posts: 679
    highmtn said:

    Now you're tempting me. I haven't sat back and listened closely to any of the original masters for a while.

    Gotta kick back and do that. That would be a real treat.

    :-)

    Do it! It's the best. Sit back with a set of high quality headphones, take a journey and trace the lineage. SO GOOD @highmtn
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  • KaiEllisKaiEllis Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 215
    @streeter Wow. Just wow. I had never really listened to Donny Hathaway before. You mentioned Elliott Yamin, and I've been a huge fan of his for years, and now it's easy to see where he learned a lot of his chops. You're right - there's some kind of magic in Donny's voice. I just sat and listened to 5 or 6 songs in awe.

    You didn't mention Michael Buble's rendition of "A Song For You", but I have to imagine you've heard it! Thoughts on it?

    https://youtu.be/-AUW07Q-1vg
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  • streeterstreeter Pro Posts: 679
    KaiEllis said:

    @streeter Wow. Just wow. I had never really listened to Donny Hathaway before. You mentioned Elliott Yamin, and I've been a huge fan of his for years, and now it's easy to see where he learned a lot of his chops. You're right - there's some kind of magic in Donny's voice. I just sat and listened to 5 or 6 songs in awe.



    You didn't mention Michael Buble's rendition of "A Song For You", but I have to imagine you've heard it! Thoughts on it?



    image

    No, i haven't heard it.
    Cheers for showing me. Im not really a massive Buble fan but I appreciate the guys talent. He's got one of those coveted sing songy voices. Women would fall over themselves just to hear the guy read the dictionary. haha
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  • SemiSemi Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 153
    Hi @streeter,

    great job man, I think that your soulful rendition has everything it needs - heart, dynamics, storytelling and beautiful tone (especially the killer AH at the 2:56). Your licks are placed and sung very well, too.
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  • KaiEllisKaiEllis Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 215
    @streeter Haha true!!!! He's got some of that magic for sure.

    What do you like about Elliott Yamin?
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  • streeterstreeter Pro Posts: 679
    @KaiEllis his flexibility, licks and depth of tone.
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  • meghayadav045meghayadav045 Member Posts: 2
    Amazing song. that is perfect use of acoustic guitar.
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