Karaoke Forums

Thanks Michael, I will even be willing to try other styles that you recomend. You never know how it sounds 'til you try.

If you do get the time and energy I will welcome your opions and any input you have. I doubt that you could be more harsh than some of the directors I've worked with in the past. Even so I need to get used to that too. I have a lot of disapointment to look forward to in the line of work I am about to persue. I need to get used to it. I am actually prepared emotionaly for anything about my singing.

If that were to put you in an awkward position then plese tell me, I wll forget about it.

Okay Chuck here's my critique; you should face the camera when you are having your picture taken.  

Seriously, I just listened to your rendition of Mack the Knife.  You've got nothing to worry about.  Anybody who listened to that and had anything but postive things to say regarding the performance as a whole isn't competent to render criticism in the first place.  Sure there was a ragged spot or two but nothing to worry about.  If you want me to be more specific PM me and I'll respond.  But frankly, it's pretty nit picky stuff.

Larry

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"Life is too short for diet soda and lite beer"

It's a deal! Let me wait until the weekend when I'm relaxed and concentrate well and I'll run over it with you when I'm done.  I'd rather you develop your own style--I'm kind of stuck in a rut with that myself and so is my vocal teacher because from years of constantly listening to people like Sinatra and Dean Martin, not only wanting to sing like them but actually SOUND like them has so far made it difficult to seek out my own thing.  I'm finding on some things I work on that if it's a record they made that I'm not overly familiar with I tend to imbue more of my own self into it.  Same with genres that the Rat Pack people never did like 50s dowop and other things. So I see the importance now of coming "out of the box" as they like to say, because it takes what you've copied from others and demands you put something of your own to fill in the gaps.  Take it easy!

I agree. Thanks Michael.

To back track a little, because this is one way people tend to feel post's are ignored... Here's a perfect example,  this thread is already more than halfway down the page, but I decided to look back at it and resurrect it...



MJK,  I learned Bach, Hannon, Chopin, Liszt (could even play up to Hungarian RHapsody #2..Talk about BIG hands...Liszt cut the skin between his thumb and pointer finger too)...But classical IS HARD.... It wasn't really the music of my time... So I quit....  It's Rock, blues, jazz, and music of my time..that I play... contemporary styles.... Classic rock and ballad... and not solo.... Back up....

Gilly, Yeah,  That's pretty much what I mean... There are a few serious musicians, some just are here for fun, and casual playing around... MOST are in fact.. but there are a few of us that take music very seriously... Perhaps SS should be broken down into two categories..

Just for Fun---
a)  Listen Only
b)  LIsten and comment (Keep it friendly)

Aspiring Pro/ Serious musician
a)  Listen only
b)  Lay into me, I can take it ! I know how the real world is...Don't pamper me.
c)  Listen and comment (Keep it friendly)

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Well all I wanted to say tonight is I really feel like I could go to sleep tonight--the insomnia has lifted--I've had this for so long I know when it has. I am going to sleep now. Wish me luck!  Have a good night all!

Good luck Michael !

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Lol, how about... aspiring musician's that suck, but think they are good, and really can't handle  critiques, but pretend they can?:) (Oh... and they have to like rasberry sorbet, wear polka dotted underwear, and sing celine dion in the shower).  I think that would be a perfect category:)


No, but seriously now... I need to stop drinking coffee when I need to sleep.

Back on it... I DO take music very seriously, and spent my whole life persuing it.. but NOT SINGING!!! So, I really don't care less if I suck or not:) But, i DO care when other people do, because it is bothersome to my poor ears:) I only sing because my neighbors threaten to call the MP's when I play ma tuba:) I's got nothing left:( (No, really, when we moved to Ontario, i had to leave EVERYTHING behind. We drove from NS with just our little toyota echo... every instrument I own stayed behind.  


Ok, wtf am i talking about here.

Hey, you know, they brought back ninja turtles, and strawberry shortcake, and transformers, and care bears, and my little pony...and everything ELSE... i want smurfs to come back. I loved the smurfs....

There are MANY extremely talented individuals in the showcase who I'm sure would be happy to help you with some of the earlier standards such as Sinatra, Darin, etc..

There are a few that do excellent jobs of that type music.... MJK would probably be the best one currently that I can think of.. There were also a few others, one guy was it "Bornsaint" ?  in england as I recall was quite good.... A bunch of others who's names now elude me.. I don't even know if they still belong to this site... there were ALOT of the "rat pack" singers in here tho... pretty big category..

What I've done is if there's a musician who can do something that I want to learn.... I listen to them, and Email them.... Do a search of Singer's Showcase individual's who you think are very good, song or artist search.... and if you hear something that really sounds great to you... tell them, comment on it.... and in turn, ask them for help.... I did that in interactive guitar boards... that's one nice thing about the internet.... Interactive sites, you can even get on the telephone with someone, and exchange ideas regarding instrument setup. modal theory, etc.... and I have a cordless phone at the piano at all times.... for this reason,,,, often have sat down with other guitarists... It's a great way to network, and a real wealth of resources for all hobbyists here on the net..

Most that sub in SS are very happy to share info... It's why they sub to begin with..Almost all like to help someone who approaches them for help...but if they are no longer around, don't respond, or are really really busy...don't take it personally either, most belong to quite a few sites such as this... I'm here alot because I don't belong to other Karaoke sites.... Karaoke itself, isn't my specific area of music... Yet I like how vast and interactive this site is..Also being around vocalists, (since most of my life I've backed them), written arrangements, etc...Yet I can't sing yet.. I like it here because good singers, are good musicians.... IMO.... and around here, there's less political stuff going on to drive me away...

Did I also mention that being one of the few dinosaurs (I was listening to the same stuff grandpa liked) who didn't believe classic rock history started with Nirvana, and Charvel guitars made many guitar rooms on the internet quite boring ?

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Thanks Steve. I always give my best. I don't know how to do any less. I have also learned to walk away from it and look at it objectively.

Since I need to know where my talents are, the input is very helpful. I need to know if I can sell my voice to do harmonies in jingles and such as part of my career in voice overs.

My voice acting coach was not a  big fan of me, or else he felt that I could tolerate more criticism than the others in the class. He was not my hardest critic ever. I told him that when he asked if I thought he was too hard on me. I gave him a story about people I've worked with being even tougher. That was true, but there is one who is harder on me than anyone I've met so far. I am the hardest critic on myself.

I doubtthat anyone can compare to my own criticism of me. It could happen but...

I will take your advice Steve. I will seek out the ones who know this style of music and ask them for opinions. So far I've only gotten about 15 things to avoid. That's not bad at all since I can, and since it was a straight through shot at the song. One take and no editing except to make it smaller in bytes.

Yep Chuck,  IE.  If you like Mack the knife,  you can enter Bobby Darin, in the SS search,  see who's done it, listen to a few, one or two might be doing something you find particular catchy.... Compare notes... Exchange tips... collectively there's ALOT of brilliance singing in SS...  Best way to get people to listen here, is often to reach out and extend yourself first to someone who doesn't know you exist.. Someone who doesn't participate on these bboards for instance... They are out there singing in SS !

In turn, you meet someone who isn't from the bboards but can sing really well... and they end up here for 5 minutes, seeing what a group of whacko's those they know really are, and quiting KS all-together !

It's a fair exchange I'd say !

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Good ideas Steve. Michaeljayklein offered to listen and critique when is more rested. I can wait for as long as that takes.

I hope he got to sleep.

Lapsed into a coma the moment I shut my eyes last night and today and fully restored to my usual irrascible and  cantankerous self.  Nothing like waking up after a good night's sleep after experiencing three days with only 3 hours of sleep.  Does anyone else in this place have the same problem I have?  I get these bouts of insomnia (and I'm clinically diagnosed with it) probably every four months.  It is most likely aligned with the change of seasons (without being Seasonal Affective Disorder) and seems to strike when the weather, temperature, duration of light, etc. make a marked shift.  

If one were to ask me, Michael, who would you like to be more than anybody in the world?  As an aspiring singer would I say "Frank Sinatra"? Or as a pianist might I say "Art Tatum"?   No, I'd say my friend Charlie, who can get in bed, close his eyes and 5 minutes later he's snoring right through dawn ever day of the year.

Me too.

Beware the bunnies!!!!!

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Who loves ya baby?

Yep, been to the avatar shop. Yeah baby!

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Who loves ya baby?

By the way Chuck, you LOOK like a Rat Packer--you have a head start already pally! I'll try to hunker down and listen to a few of your things tonight or tomorrow.  I just hope I'm helpful!  I often bring one these recordings I make to give to my voice teacher to listen to and give me feedback on for the next lesson (I'm no fool--she's not cheap, so this way I kind of trick her into doing some extra work for me during the time I'm not paying for it).  She usually just writes notes in three categories:  What was excellent, what was competent and what could have been done better or more freshly. I like how she does it.  I'll keep her method in mind on listening and taking in your songs.  

You have trouble sleeping too Chuck? You know how much that sucks then! Ugh!

Michael

Michael,

I'm glad you got a good night's sleep last night.  I have a similar problem but the cause is completely different.  When we first started dating, the woman I am seeing told me that she wasn't sure she could keep up with a musician's hours.

I've since started thinking that she was sandbagging me.  I get up at 5 Am to get ready for work (the bane of the drinking class).  At least twice during the week we're up until at least 2:30 AM and on the weekends the sun is often coming up before we go to bed.  Eventually, there comes a night when I just crash and burn.  Then the cycle starts all over again.

At least if I had insomnia I would know there was a good reason for being up.  

Larry

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"Life is too short for diet soda and lite beer"

I can sympathize Larry!  My issue with sleeping, as close as the experts can figure is that just by nature (maybe developed during childhood) I just love staying up at night when most of the world is asleep.  Years ago when I did work as a pianist that was my whole life so in later years when I got out music and into the business world the standard 9-5 thing drives me nuts.  Many a morning as I'm coming into work I think to myself "Now, who the hell started all this 9 to 5 stuff?  Why can't we all just wake up when we feel like waking up and going to work? We'll be refreshed and certainly more efficient and maybe even willing to work a bit longer."

It's why I admire some of the European countries where work is just "something to do" and hours are not so rigid.  You do your job.  You finished?  Yup!  Well, go home!

I'm still hoping to move there one day (no offense to the United States!)

Jeff where did you get your bunnies from? They are so cute.

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