How did it affect your listening experience when you started to know more about singing?

Moftem

I've been on ktva for close to 4 months, and I just want to share my excitement about this. I hear it everywhere now, to a greater extent than before, the techniques really skilled singers use. I used to not be able to sing the first phrase of Amos Lee's song "Arms of a woman" in the original key without struggling, or at least without making it sound smooth like he does. I listened back the other day and realized "Oh, it's because he is using mixed voice. I can do that easy". I also hear more nasality in male singers as they go up higher. And in this specific example I just realized that she (a really good singer) uses the loft vowel mod in place of ah when she sings "I will go most anywhere to foend where o belong".

https://youtu.be/0ZwteqXQkP0?t=2m38s

Also, I hear her lightly gracing over the vowel sounds during that phrase. The word "to" is actually sung like "do" because she is up high. Seems like a very common thing to me, to sing d instead of t. And the last part of the line is interesting as well. The b in belong is barely there. It's more like "O will o most enewer de foin where o elon". No hard g at the end either.

How did it affect your listening experience hearing other singers when you started to know more about singing from a technical perspective?

highmtn

You start to realize that you don't have to do everything the hard way.

bentk

You just start to recognise the way people sing. You can hear the technique they use, be it bad or good.
It's useful actually. Sometimes i can hear that certain parts are sung with a lot of strain, which you can then avoid.

It's all part of the journey in KTVA.

All the best,

Ben

[Deleted User]

Being a musician/singer is both a blessing, and a curse. A blessing for obvious reasons, but the curse for me IS the way I listen to music. I don't get to sit back, and listen to it as a whole like most people do. I have to pick out each instrument/voice, and listen to all of the patterns, and nuances involved in each one.

I would love to be able to kick back, and listen to Kashmir full blast, and just enjoy the sound, but unfortunately things don't work that way for me.
I'm not sure if it's like that for everybody, but that's what I've been dealing with since I was 12.

Peace, Tony

bentk

I also pick apart instruments when i listen to music. If there is a strange timing in it, i try and find out what it is by going along with the beat for instance. I totally recognise that. However, i can still just enjoy music whilst kicking back! Maybe give that another try some time soon?

If i may suggest something, listening to the double album The Similitude of a Dream by the Neal Morse Band is a real blast. It's kind of one long story with recurring themes and events. A real concept album. You gotta listen those from start to finish anyway to get it.

All the best,

Ben

cnbaucom

videoace said:

Being a musician/singer is both a blessing, and a curse. A blessing for obvious reasons, but the curse for me IS the way I listen to music. I don't get to sit back, and listen to it as a whole like most people do. I have to pick out each instrument/voice, and listen to all of the patterns, and nuances involved in each one.

I feel your pain. I have thought a good bit about how, when I was young, I could put on a record and and just sort of zone out & become absorbed by the music.

Now I'm much more prone to analyze what is being played instead of just going with the flow. I'm much more likely to be thinking "It's cool how he used that chromatic line to move from part A to part B" - or whatever the composition or playing technique was used.

I haven't developed the ear for that so much in the singing realm in the past month+ that I've been working with the KTVA program, but from a guitar or arrangement perspective it happens all the time.

Happy trails,
Chris

Alyona

I also started noticing some strain in their voices or some lifted larynx position. I didn't even think of it beofre!